Austintown supt. explains open enrollment needs to parents, community

AUSTINTOWN

Community members and parents of students in Austintown schools joined the district’s superintendent Thursday evening for a conversation on open enrollment, a topic of much debate in the district.

Eat N’ Park on Mahoning Avenue was the first location of Superintendent Vince Colaluca’s series of public meetings called Coffee & Conversation.

“When you do this job, you have to take personal belief off the table,” Colaluca said. He went on to say he doesn’t personally agree with open enrollment, and believes students should attend school in the district where they reside.

He added: “But we couldn’t not have open enrollment and maintain what the schools offer.”

Austintown Township’s tendency to vote down school levies cut possible funding to maintain extracurricular activities and sports, that were, at one time, threatened to be cut. The district makes up that funding by offering open enrollment, each student bringing in about $6,000 in state funding.

Assistant Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor said if open enrollment were capped or rescinded, what the school district could offer would be impacted.

Read more about the situation in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.