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Superintendent says Open Ed partnership could bring roughly 250 students to Easton School District
Summary
Superintendent Karen told the board Open Ed has a pipeline of families that could add hundreds of students; the district plans to budget conservatively for 250 FTE and treat revenue as one-time funds while Open Ed will provide student devices under the revised contract.
Superintendent Karen reported that current district enrollment has held steady at a headcount of 80 but that a partnership with the Open Ed company could substantially increase enrollment.
Karen said Open Ed had 819 families who had applied as of June 8, 564 who had started enrollment, 54 students fully enrolled and ready to be pushed into the district, and about 254 still in Open Ed review. She told the board Open Ed had another roughly 500 families who had submitted at least one piece of enrollment paperwork, creating a sizable pipeline.
"On paper the size of our school is going to triple," Karen said, but added that the district would budget conservatively. "Nicole and I think more comfortable budgeting with 250" full-time-equivalent students rather than the 300 FTE Open Ed suggested, she said, to avoid paying back funds to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) if projections fall short. Karen estimated net revenue at about $5,000 per Open Ed student after the district’s agreement with Open Ed is taken into account.
Karen also described changes in Open Ed’s contract: the company has moved the contract date and removed a prior "full-time" clause; importantly, Open Ed will purchase and distribute required non-consumable materials and devices to its students rather than the district managing device loans across the state. "They are taking care of it," she said of device procurement and distribution.
Board members discussed implications for budgeting and use of one-time funds. Karen recommended treating Open Ed revenue as one-time money — for example to replenish the capital projects fund — rather than committing to ongoing staffing tied to those dollars.
The board took no formal action on budget changes at the meeting; Karen said the district will return with refined budget assumptions and a second reading of any policy changes linked to the Open Ed arrangement.
Ending: Karen said Open Ed’s enrollment window changed from July 1 to July 13, and she expects another enrollment surge after the Fourth of July holiday; the board will monitor updated counts and revisit budgeting and policy in July.
