Cardinal announces pause in open enrollment

ELDON — The Cardinal Community School District Board of Directors has voted to pause open enrollment into the district.

The board’s decision comes after consideration of Iowa’s new law, allowing open enrollment any time during the school year. Students who are already open enrolled and are currently attending Cardinal will not be affected, the district said in a news release.

“Cardinal enrollment continues to grow exponentially, and we simply need time to put a plan in place to allow students to open enroll throughout the school year,” Cardinal Superintendent Joel Pedersen said.

Cardinal CSD plans to accept open enrollment applications starting Jan. 1, 2023 for the 2023-2024 school year. The district anticipates capping some grade levels and programs if demand exceeds district space and resources.

“We will communicate all guidelines and options within the next few months,” Pedersen said. “We encourage families not to hesitate if they are interested in open enrollment opportunities at Cardinal once the open enrollment window opens.”

Pedersen noted that from 1992 to 2010, Cardinal experienced negative open enrollment numbers and declining overall enrollment. That changed in 2010, and now the district has seen an increase of 54.9% since then — the sixth largest increase in the state.

In December 2019, Cardinal’s overall enrollment that fall saw 394 students open enroll into the district and 56.7 open enroll out, for a net gain of 337 students. Pedersen said that the growth in open enrollment in the past decade allowed the district to add 25 certified positions.

“Our enrollment change over the past 10 years is unprecedented in rural Iowa,” Pedersen said. “We are proud to be a positive outlier and truly believe the best is yet to come.”

Pedersen said that, as more students have enrolled in the district, “Cardinal has worked diligently to grow its staff and program offerings to meet the needs of both new and current students. Temporarily pausing open enrollment will provide time for the administration and school board to develop a plan for continuing to grow district resources for the growing student population.”