Letter: Open enrollment might alleviate school problem

Wednesday, April 19, 2000 | 9:33 a.m.

This stretches the limits of our schools' infrastructure. But equally challenging is the issue of student movement within the school district throughout the school year as students and their families move from school to school. Ask your child about transfers within their present class and chances are they'll produce a grocery list of names of those who have come and gone.

Having taught in the Clark County School District for over 20 years, and as the father of two children currently attending the district's schools, I believe most teachers, administrators, students and their families would agree it's disruptive to classrooms, school routine and efficiency every time a student transfers within the district. For many schools in Clark County, this happens hundreds of times a semester.

A simple solution might be to pilot an open zoning enrollment program within certain elementary schools. Allow families to select a school of their choice and ensure that their child gets there daily. Divide the number of children in the elementary schools by the number of elementary schools in Clark County and cap those schools' population limits at that number.

Could you imagine the implications? A reduction in budget costs for school busing. Successful schools filling quicker than inadequate ones. A parent responsibility to check future school sites for openings before pulling their child mid-year to move to another school. An elimination of the zoning committee that rezones a school's geographical boundaries yearly or more often, usually with long-lasting negative effects on those students and their families who have been rezoned. And let's not forget the novel idea: we just might encourage more stable student bodies at our schools.

This may not be the entire answer to this issue, but it's a big step in the right direction.

BART BOULTON

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