Washington denies open enrollment request

WASHINGTON — Washington school board members voted unanimously, but hesitantly, Wednesday night to deny an open enrollment request from a student that would require special education services.

Officials said the schools simply didn’t have the capacity for the student.

“Especially in the building that this student is looking at coming into, we’re full, or actually beyond full,” Superintendent Willie Stone said. “We have to be able to serve our students with the needs that our students have, resident students-wise … I’ll be honest, it doesn’t feel good, I hate it.”

Stone said the issue wasn’t a lack of physical space, but a lack of staff trained to work with students who have disabilities.

“We are using teachers that aren’t special ed teachers, but have a special ed license right now, to roster students,” he said. “We’re short two special ed teachers.”

While the circumstance is an official first for the district, Stone said the schools’ packed special education program had deterred others from seeking open enrollment in the past.

Board Member Troy Suchan, who made the motion to deny the request, said he blamed funding shortfalls.

“I’m not doing this because I want to do this, I’m doing this because we’re already two special education teachers short,” he said. “With lack of incentive from the state … our hands are tied. We’re not doing it to ourselves, they’re doing it to us by not allowing us to pay these people what they need to be paid.”

While the board can deny open enrollment requests, Stone said the district would have to make something work if more students moved into the district that required special education.

“We’ll have to pay overage to our staff,” he said. “We may have to pay them for an extra block, but we’re not going to do that for students outside of our district. But if we have them move into our district, we have to figure out how to serve them.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com