To compete with a larger school district for students, Glenville-Emmons has launched an advertising campaign to get parents to open enroll their children into the rural district.

Sunday, December 19, 1999

To compete with a larger school district for students, Glenville-Emmons has launched an advertising campaign to get parents to open enroll their children into the rural district. It’s an usual measure, but one that district officials hope will boost their numbers. But the larger school district, Albert Lea, doesn’t plan to stand by and do nothing.

&uot;Many parts of the state are looking at declining enrollment, and we wanted to do something to set ourselves apart,&uot; said Nathan Johnson, superintendent of G-E schools. &uot;We’re getting the message out to the public that this is an option parents have, and we would like them to consider us.&uot;

Through a series of newspaper and radio ads, the district is encouraging parents to enroll children into Glenville.

All districts are taking open enrollment applications until Jan. 15, 2000.

Johnson said he’s not aware of any other school district that is taking similar measures.

But David Prescott, superintendent of the Albert Lea School District, said they plan to increase their public relations efforts too.

&uot;We may not be as direct as they (G-E) are – hitting on open enrollment,&uot; Prescott said. &uot;We are all kind of in a competitive mode now.&uot;

District 241 plans to reveal its efforts near the end of the month or the beginning of January. But it, too, wants to get the word out before open enrollment closes Jan. 15.

&uot;We’re going to be promoting ourself, what we’re about,&uot; Prescott said.

Every time a school gains a student through open enrollment, it gains that student’s state funding – about $5,000 a year. Every time a student is lost, that much funding is lost to the other school district. Lose too many students, and programs may have to be cut. The Albert Lea district recently decided to close Brookside school for next year due to declining enrollment, for example.

While the smaller district may be worrying about District 241, Prescott said Albert Lea has the same problems.

&uot;Smaller districts look at us as wanting to gobble them up. We’re all trying to do what we can to survive,&uot; Prescott said.

Of all the students who live in the Albert Lea School District, only 5 percent are not enrolled in 241. That includes home-schooled children and those who attend parochial schools, Prescott said. Glenville isn’t the only recipient of these students, as Alden-Conger and others have seen open enrollment students enter, and leave, their districts.

But, Prescott said, &uot;There’s very few students to be competing over.&uot; With enrollment numbers declining in many parts of the state, schools need to start thinking like businesses, Prescott said.

&uot;We have to think of ourselves as private schools in competition,&uot; Prescott said.

An official at the Minnesota School Board Association said G-E’s advertising efforts are unusual, but may be necessary to attract the number of students needed to keep a rural district alive. Vescia DeMeritte, special assistant to management and policy services, said, &uot;From a business perspective, it makes sense.&uot;

While the state doesn’t have any regulations against a district advertising its features, there are some rules districts must follow.

&uot;They cannot offer incentives, cash awards or anything like that,&uot; DeMeritte said. So school districts couldn’t offer cash or the promise of straight A’s to a star athlete, she said.

Although she doesn’t think ads that encourage open enrollment necessarily violate that rule, the word &uot;incentive&uot; is open to interpretation, DeMeritte said.

The emphasis of the G-E ads is on smaller class sizes and a friendly and caring atmosphere. And they have gained some attention, but Johnson doesn’t have exact figures. He said that he has received more inquiries since the advertising began – newspaper ads started in early November and the radio ads around Thanksgiving. &uot;This was a venture into the unknown, we’ll see how it goes,&uot; he said.

Although he might not see results right away, Johnson is not discouraged. &uot;Sometimes, with marketing, you might get their attention right away and they’ll do something about it later,&uot; he said.

Johnson recognizes that they may not be able to offer everything that a larger school can, but he thinks G-E’s class sizes will persuade some parents. In the elementary schools, class ratios range from 11 to 1 to 20 to 1. Each class also has aides who support the staff, bringing the ratio down when it comes to teaching math and reading.

Prescott, however, said Albert Lea has similar class sizes, with all the opportunities of a big school.

Ultimately it’s up to the parents to decide which school will be better for their child.

&uot;I wish open enrollment was done with the kids’ best interests at heart, unfortunately that is not always the case. Other factors play into it,&uot; Prescott said. Some parent may chose to enroll their child in a district where a parent works or brings another child to day care. While Prescott realizes those aspects are important, he thinks parents should concentrate on where the child will get the best education and opportunities that interest the child.

To some, that may mean a school where journalism class is offered. Other students may be attracted to a district because of a sports team. Districts need to emphasize those features to survive, DeMeritte said.

&uot;We know that this is a discussion throughout the state, especially in rural districts,&uot; DeMeritte said. &uot;And they do what they can to attract students.&uot;