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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Mail Tribune 100, Jan. 22, 1916 ... Tiger trout to battle chubs in Diamond Lake ... Leader of armed group at wildlife refuge speaks to FBI ... Mail Tribune 100, Jan. 22, 1916 ... Tiger trout to battle chubs in Diamond Lake ... Leader of armed group at wildlife refuge speaks to FBI ... OUR VIEW Our View: Medford schools should tear down the wall Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 21, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted Jan. 21, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News The Medford School District is feeling the effects of deciding not to accept open enrollment of students from other districts, and now is poised to do the only thing it really can do if it wants to stop losing out to neighboring districts. A considerable amount of state per-student funding is at stake. The Legislature changed the rules in 2014 to allow districts to choose to open their borders to all students who wanted in or close them to all. Before that, districts were permitted to admit students on a case-by-case basis as long as the district they lived in agreed. The new law was designed to eliminate any discrimination as a result of the case-by-case approach. Ashland, Phoenix-Talent and Central Point school districts all decided to adopt open enrollment. Medford decided against it. The result is that Medford has lost students to those neighboring districts through open enrollment: 41 to Ashland, 23 to Phoenix-Talent and 39 to Central Point. At $8,600 per student, that has cost Medford nearly $886,000 in state funding. Open enrollment must take place between March 1 and April 1 each year. Interdistrict transfers, which still require the consent of both the sending and receiving district, can happen at any point during the year. When interdistrict transfers are included, the total number of students living in the Medford district but attending one of the other three districts rises to 176, representing $1.5 million in state school funding. Superintendent Brian Shumate has recommended the School Board open the borders to compensate. Some board members said it could be seen as hypocritical to ask district voters for a construction bond for a new school while accepting students from outside the district. The district has room in seven elementary schools, both middle schools and both high schools. And the students transferring in would be unlikely to be numerous enough in any one building to require new construction by themselves. In any case, state rules allow districts to cap transfers by grade and by school for space considerations. Board Chairman Jeff Thomas objected to letting students from outside the district choose their high school when residents students aren't given that choice. Any policy the district adopts should be fair to resident students, but that shouldn't prevent adopting open enrollment. The Medford district should join its neighboring districts in allowing more choice for parents and students, while ensuring the result doesn't harm resident students or district taxpayers. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 21, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501