There will be a change to how open enrollment works within Iowa schools and a local superintendent discusses his thoughts. 

The new legislation, House File 2589, now allows parents and guardians to apply for open enrollment at any time without a good cause. Panorama School District Superintendent Shawn Holloway tells Raccoon Valley Radio there could be a problem if an influx of students open enroll out of their district. 

“At the end of the day, the state gives us approximately $7,000 a student. I mean, that’s what each student is worth in terms of financial funding from the state. So yeah, I mean, you know, all of a sudden you lose ten kids that you weren’t expecting yet you had budgeted for. And, you know, that’s going to make an impact.”

Holloway says that he does think there are more benefits for families to open enroll anytime during the year. 

“To me the tough part is about the old rule where it was on March 1st. I just don’t think there’s a lot of people that are thinking about, okay, what choice do I want to make for my student or my child for next school year and in January and February?”

Holloway mentions that time will tell if this is a good ruling for school districts. He explains Panorama School District has normally stayed neutral on students openly enrolling in and out.