Open enrollment applications available Feb. 25 at South Range

Staff report

CANFIELD

South Range Schools has announced open- enrollment application dates for the 2013-14 school year, the first time the district will open its doors to students outside the district.

Applications can be picked up beginning Feb. 25 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the board of education offices, 11375 Columbiana- Canfield Road.

The district will begin accepting applications at 8 a.m. March 4. The deadline for all applications is 4 p.m. March 28.

South Range is offering open enrollment for students in kindergarten through sixth grade in adjacent schools districts: Boardman, Canfield, Columbiana, Crestview, Leetonia, Salem, Springfield, West Branch and Western Reserve.

“We’ve had a good deal of interest. Some folks have asked to be on a mailing list for the applications,” said South Range Superintendent Dennis Dunham.

He said the district also is planning an open house this month to provide applicants with guidance and an opportunity to ask questions about the process. The date of the open house has not been set.

Although an open enrollment district can deny a student entry, it can do so in only rare instances, such as cases where a student has been expelled from his or her home district.

“A lot of it is [first come, first served]. We can’t discriminate,” Dunham said.

The South Range school board voted for limited open enrollment last month to offset the effects of shrinking class sizes and revenues. The district projects it could generate about $1 million if the seven grade levels are brought up to capacity.

Financial projections had shown the district with an $850,000 deficit in fiscal year 2014, if no new revenues were generated.