Registrations not completed

Staff report

Austintown

A few parents and students were turned away on the first day of classes at Austintown schools Monday when they found out their registrations weren’t complete.

Schools Superintendent Vince Colaluca said the problems stem from a computer program the state requires schools to use. The program, called ESIS, requires a school district to label a student as “withdrawn” before another school can accept and finalize the transfer.

“A lot of the issue is that we’re waiting for students to be withdrawn from another district,” Colaluca said.

About five staff members are working to expedite the process that normally would be overseen by one employee, Colaluca said, adding that there have been more registrations this school year than in the recent past. The matter should be resolved by today, he said.

He said there are 350 students transferring to Austintown from other school districts and about 100 within the district transferring from nonpublic schools to Austintown schools. Those numbers, coupled with the 370 new kindergartners, have added to the delay.

Colaluca, who has received phone calls from only two parents, said there have been similar issues with the program for the past three years it has been required.