Hollister School District trustees might make a decision soon on
how to implement the highly contentious policy revision that will
limit the number of interdistrict transfers leaving each year.
Hollister School District trustees might make a decision soon on how to implement the highly contentious policy revision that will limit the number of interdistrict transfers leaving each year.
Trustees had the item on Tuesday’s agenda. They took public comment before a packed room for about two hours, but did not make a final decision on how to implement the new rules. They will meet again March 22 when they expect to make a decision, said Trustee Joe Navarro.
With more than 600 students transferring to other districts, the financially-strapped Hollister district has experienced continual enrollment declines that play directly into the amount of funding received annually. The district in the past two years has cut more than $11 million from the budget.
In response to the high number of transfers – making up about 10 percent of the district’s students – trustees in February approved the new policy limiting the number of transfers each year to 1 percent of average daily attendance, or 75 students, whichever is greater. They have not, however, specified whether students currently enrolled in other districts will be exempt from the new rules, or if they will face the likelihood of a school change next year.
“It was a pretty contentious meeting,” Navarro said. “At the beginning, it felt like a conversation. By the end, it felt like a series of accusations.”
