Greendale School Board Hears Open Enrollment Update and More

The state-wide public school open enrollment period begins in less than a month and officials are preparing to decide on how many seats to make available.

District administrators presented an update on K-8 open enrollment and Chapter 220 Enrollment for the 2012-13 school year to the school board at its January 16 meeting.

Administrators said that board members will need to take action in the next month to decide how many open enrollment seats to offer for next year.

The open enrollment period is from February 6 to 24. Applications are submitted online through the Department of Public Instruction. The District Office will also have a computer available in the lobby for any parent who wants to apply there. Applications are required to be approved or denied by April 6, 2012. 

The district can add open enrollment seats throughout the summer, but any seats that are not accepted by August 17 cannot be filled.

The school board was also reminded of the option to have current open enrollment students reapply at the end of grades five or eight, which is permitted by state law. Although Greendale does not currently do this, administrators say it could be one way to deal with continued resident enrollment and its impact on class sizes and space.

Erin Green, Director of Business Services for the district, also told board members that they are at the point from a budget standpoint where they need to decide if they are going to move the . She said administrators are again working with architectural firm Epstein and Uhen to look at available options. 

Other Greendale School Board Meeting News

In addition, the board heard the annual School Security and Buildings and Grounds Report during the same meeting.  Greendale High School Principal Steve Lodes said, "We've come pretty far in the past year" referring to the improvements made in the school district's security plan.

He pointed to the district's on-going partnership with the Greendale Police Department and planned wireless upgrades to the press box at the football stadium for use by police during safety incidents.

Associate GHS Principal Katie Petersen demonstrated to the board how the school has shifted resources to iPads for crisis planning, instead of keeping all the printed information on reams of paper in boxes as they used to do.

Lodes also talked about a new 'after-school supervision' policy and a new year-long professional development initiative for GHS staff led by new associate principal, Nathan Joynt, called L.A.C.E. (Leadership and Character Education). The program seeks to build on the P.R.I.D.E. character building / crisis prevention strategy already in place at the K-8 grade level in the district.

District Building and Grounds Director Brian Koffarnus gave an update on what his department has accomplished in the last year. He also told the board that half the money has been raised so far by private donations to put in new lights at the Brinkman Baseball Field. He said he would like to see the lights installed by April so they are ready for baseball season in May.

The district is working with the newly formed to upgrade the baseball field near the high school.