(The Center Square) – A new study says Illinois is one of 33 states with weak or ineffective laws governing K-12 public school transfers.
Reason Foundation’s Public Schools Without Boundaries report evaluated open enrollment laws based on seven criteria, including whether districts are required to allow transfers between schools and districts, transparency requirements and parents’ ability to appeal rejected applications.
Illinois and 32 other states got Fs.
Jude Schwalbach, assistant director of education reform at Reason Foundation, said Illinois law does not require school districts to admit transfer students even if they have extra space available.
“We’re not talking about adding teachers. We’re not talking about adding facilities or new classrooms. We’re talking about existing space, so it doesn’t cost the school district,” Schwalbach told The Center Square.
When asked about the taxpayer impact of K-12 open enrollment policies, Schwalbach said districts could benefit by adding students until schools are at capacity.
“Any state funds that follow that student that’s transferring to that new school, that’s extra cash that the district wouldn’t have had otherwise,” Schwalbach said.
Schwalbach said Wisconsin allows students to transfer to any public school, as long as space is available in their grade level.
“And about 61,000, 62,000 students in Wisconsin use this policy to transfer to other public schools,” Schwalbach said.
Schwalbach said public school applicants should not be discriminated against based on their ability or disability.
“When you look at even states that have decent laws, like Wisconsin or Nebraska, what you see is that students with disabilities are unfortunately rejected at far higher rates than their peers without disabilities,” Schwalbach said.
The study found that 80% of public school students live in states Reason Foundation considers to have weak or ineffective laws governing school transfers.
Oklahoma, Arkansas and Idaho received A+ grades. Wisconsin got a B-.
Iowa’s grade was a D+. Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri got Fs.
Morgan Sweeney contributed to this story
