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District restricts transfers Phoenix plan lets students stay out By DAMIAN MANN PHOENIX - The Phoenix-Talent School Board adopted a tougher inter-district transfer policy last week but agreed to allow current expatriate students to attend schools outside the district. Future tuition waivers will be granted on a case-by-case basis, and only for very narrow reasons. "For the new people coming who are applying, there will be new criteria," said Superintendent Dave Willard. The board has wrestled with the politically unpopular policy for months, finally coming up with a decision that would somewhat satisfy parents who already send their children to other districts. At the same time, the board hopes to stem a financial drain at Phoenix-Talent schools by making it more difficult to leave the district. Parents argued that they should be able to send their children to the school they prefer. Most parents who currently have inter-district transfers send their children to Ashland or Medford. As a result, Phoenix-Talent has 234 students who transfer out of the district. But 117 students also transferred in, creating a net loss of 117. That translates into a loss of about $500,000 a year in state funding. The district also adopted a budget last week that reflects a $300,000 shortfall, forcing the elimination of almost seven positions through attrition. Under the new transfer policy, students would have only three clearly defined reasons to go to another district: * If there is concern for a child's safety, the tuition waiver would be allowed. The policy states: "A legitimate safety issue must be shown. Convenience cannot be the sole reason." * A student can also get a waiver if the district doesn't provide the same curriculum offerings as another district. Extra-curricular activities are not considered a justifiable reason. Students also can't transfer simply because they think a theater or music program is better in another district. * If a student moves into the Phoenix-Talent district and has spent at least two years in a another district, the board would allow that student to continue at the same school. But once the student completes elementary or middle school, the student must then finish out the remaining school years within the district at either the middle school or high school. The board could also give the superintendent some latitude in granting tuition wavers on a case-by-case basis. The new policy will affect only future tuition waiver applicants. The board will not automatically grant a waiver to one student because a sibling has already received a waiver. Because many parents choose to live in Talent or Phoenix with the expectation that they can send their children to Medford or Ashland, the district will notify Realtors about the more restrictive policy. Ali Ross, a Realtor at Gateway Real Estate in Ashland, said she knows of many parents who choose to live in Talent but send their children to Ashland schools. But she said the board's decision should have very little impact on her ability to sell real estate. Ross said she understands that the school board is making its decision based primarily on the ability to improve its financial picture, but believes that future development in the Talent area should help the district. "The (building) moratorium is going to be lifted in Talent," said Ross. And once it is, she believes, there are developers who will build more houses, resulting in more students for the Phoenix-Talent School District. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.