District weighs effects of transfer regulations

Districts must offer each pupil the option to transfer to a successful school.
By JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Local school administrators are working to interpret the No Child Left Behind Act regulations finalized last week.
The new federal law requires school districts to transfer pupils who make a request out of so-called "failing" schools, regardless of capacity issues.
"That's what it could mean if applied at its furthest stretch," said Benjamin L. McGee, Youngstown City Schools superintendent.
McGee said district officials are looking carefully at the law and how it should be interpreted before deciding how it will affect the district.
The goal of the No Child Left Behind Act, enacted in January, is to target resources to schools most in need of help and to provide all children with an equal opportunity to obtain a high-quality education.
The act also requires states and schools to measure the achievement of pupils; if pupils are in schools with failing achievement levels, districts must offer each pupil the option to transfer to a successful school.
Until now, it was accepted that requests for transfers would be filled only if there was room to do so.
Last week's reports indicate that districts must make accommodations for the pupils to transfer to a better school, regardless of capacity.
State analyzing regulations
Dottie Howe with the Ohio Department of Education said state officials, too, are analyzing the new regulations and seeking clarification from the U.S. Department of Education.
Schools deemed failing one, two or three years in a row (level 1, 2 or 3) -- based on state DOE proficiency test results -- are required to offer pupils an option to transfer, Howe said.
"It's going to be difficult, especially if we don't have the capacity, but Youngstown is going to continue to make sure children are safe," said Karen Green, who oversees externally funded programming and staff development for the Youngstown City Schools.
Green said that fire codes would not be compromised and that the district would continue to honor teacher union contracts that limit class sizes.
In Youngstown, six district schools are deemed in need of improvement. They are Hillman Middle School and Cleveland, Jackson, Sheridan, Taft and Williamson elementary schools. Hillman, Sheridan and Williamson are all level 3 schools, McGee said.
McGee said 112 pupils requested transfers out of the six schools at the start of the school year; because of space constraints, 37 moves were approved. Of those, 28 actually transferred because parents of nine pupils reconsidered.
Most requests
The bulk of the requests and transfers were from the Sheridan and Cleveland elementary schools, each accounting for about 16 or 17 transfers. Some schools had no transfers, such as Williamson. Principal Linda Gianoglio said two had applied for transfer but parents rescinded the requests.
Mary Ann Schulay, principal at Sheridan, said a bigger concern of parents was the misconception that they might be required to send their children elsewhere. Overall this year, enrollment at the building has jumped by about 60.
Other schools in the area in the "needs improvement" category include three Warren City Schools -- Western Reserve Middle School (level 1) and Laird Avenue and Roosevelt elementary schools (both level 3) -- and one school each in Niles and East Liverpool, according to the state Department of Education.
"Nobody can really explain the percent there. The scores went up. I guess they just didn't come up enough," said Dan Ferreri, principal of East Liverpool's East Elementary School, at level 3. "We're looking at it as a challenge to do better."
Ferreri said the district wouldn't likely be affected by the new interpretation of the law. Only one pupil transferred out of the elementary school this year, and he suspects it was more for personal reasons than academic quality purposes.
In Niles, Superintendent Patrick Guliano said there have been no requests for transfers out of the level 3 Lincoln Elementary School.
Information was not available about the Warren schools.