I live in Indiana.
Indiana has school choice for K-12 schools.
That means that you can attend any school you want to attend, but you may (may) have to provide your own transportation.
Those students who attend your school and do not live within that school's district are called transfers.
In Indiana, the money follows the student and where they attend school. So each student is actually worth around $10,000 for the school.
Which means the more transfers the more money coming from outside of your district to better your schools.
Many schools have benefitted from transfers and many of these students play sports, participate in co-curricular programs and often benefit the school which they attend.
When these students enroll and attend our school, they are now Silver Creek students.
They are not "false" students, they are Dragons. No more and no less than someone who transferred in while attending elementary school, 7th grade, or high school.
They are not students taking away opportunities from other students, they are raising the stakes for the current students are steering them into something else here at school.
Many schools in this area have benefitted from transfers, some who ended up being pretty good athletes, but no recruiting has occurred. If there has been, it's been the school or the sports program recruiting for itself. It's parents after being asked about the school and the community selling the school that their children attend and they want to share that experience with others.
In fact, our school board has approved sending school buses into other districts to make it easier for students in other school districts to attend our schools which is a great idea.
It's a brave new world and not many like it...I get it.
I've worked at schools who struggled to get out of district transfers and I work at a school who doesn't struggle with it.
But perception is reality, and you're going to hear negative thoughts from outside of your school, but when it happens within the school it is very disappointing. And when your name is slandered...makes it even worse.
I am thankful for the out of district transfers because they've helped me make more money as a teacher. I am thankful because I have met a lot of really cool kids from the surrounding areas. And I have enjoyed watching my school and others benefit from recognition by its students who are both from inside and outside of their "school" community.
You don't have to like how the system works, but it is the system and what is your school doing to market itself?
Again, you may not like it, but it's important in today's world
Or....
They don't have to do these things and that is ok, too.
