H1N1 Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 PHM School Board Votes To Allow Open Enrollment By Clifton French (cfrench@wsbt.com) Tools By WSBT.COM Story Created: May 10, 2010 at 10:21 PM EDT Story Updated: May 11, 2010 at 12:05 AM EDT WAKARUSA ? Board members for Penn Harris Madison schools voted in favor of open enrollment Monday night. The vote was unanimous and makes it possible for parents outside the P-H-M district to send their kids to P-H-M schools. Superintendent Jerry Thacker said the district expects to lose about 1,000 students through the next decade. This move will help keep the classrooms full and help keep money flowing into the district. Students applying for P-H-M will be chosen based on a lottery system, but that also depends on how many seats are available in the classroom and in a particular school. There will also be a tuition fee. P-H-M predicts that fee will be between $800 and $1,000, but that amount is decided by the state and the number hasn't been set yet. "It's a great opportunity because we have the capacity and we have people who are motivated to bring their sons and daughters to our schools," Thacker said. "It's a wonderful opportunity for parents because this is one of the premier school districts in the state of Indiana." Only students that are in good standing academically and students that do not have a history of extensive behavioral problems will be considered. MrTaxpayer 39p ? 4 hours ago The tuition amount is too low. It should have been twice as much as it is. This isn't fair to current PHM residents who pay higher property taxes for better schools. Report Reply 0 replies ? active 4 hours ago Loading... +3 Vote up Vote down Joseppie's avatar - Go to profile Joseppie -21p ? 4 hours ago How about all the out of district students pool the tution and pay it to the parents of in disctrict students to cover the property taxes and increased real estate prices for living in the disctrict...programs like this have never resulted in increasing the quality of education, only undermining it. The tuition is way too low, and will there be government programs to help the students pay it? This is rediculous, but then again I never knew a school board anywhere I lived with a collective IQ of more than 80... Report Reply 0 replies ? active 4 hours ago Loading... +1 Vote up Vote down ProudParent's avatar - Go to profile ProudParent 69p ? 3 hours ago This is a bad plan all the way around. The school board is only seeing dollar signs from tuition and also more money from the state! I also can't help but wonder if this might have someting to do with recruiting great atheletes from out of our district...so tired of Penn sports! Sad. PHM schools are so overcrowded now, we could stand to loose a lot of kids to make for better learning! Report Reply 0 replies ? active 3 hours ago Loading... +1 Vote up Vote down Shoppy's avatar - Go to profile Shoppy 73p ? 3 hours ago Its about recruting better sports figures. Who is kidding who? Double the fee make it the same as my taxes . I dont want to subsidise a football player for Peen from South Bend or Elkhart . Report Reply 0 replies ? active 3 hours ago Loading... 0 Vote up Vote down junior88's avatar - Go to profile junior88 90p ? 2 hours ago Agrees with ProudParent and Shoppy. Don't they already have too many kids in that school as it is? They can't seem to keep track of the ones they have. Okay, I'm from Pokey Dunk, Indiana...(google it).... But I had 54 people in my graduating class, we went all the way to State for basketball in '79, knew and cared for one another, looked out for one another....Okay, sorry, I'm back. These schools just seem to be too big as it is. They CAN'T be getting the special one on one with a teacher they might need, they CAN'T be getting the fun out of school that we did...I don't know. It just seems as if they ARE out for the almighty buck and throwing the kids to the lions. "Who cares whether they get a quaility education? Who cares if they go on to college or university, to better themselves and their families? We just need MORE MONEY!" Report Reply 0 replies ? active 2 hours ago Loading... +1 Vote up Vote down KidAtHeart's avatar - Go to profile KidAtHeart 97p ? 2 hours ago Why even have districts in the first place? If people can buy their way into, (or out of) schools they would rather theor children not go to it seems to me that the less fortunate schools now will be the most unforstunate in the future and still be responsible for the education and safety of students that cannot afford to go elsewhere. Baaaaaaaaad idea! Report Reply 1 reply ? active 2 hours ago Loading... 0 Vote up Vote down Mixie's avatar - Go to profile Mixie 101p ? 2 hours ago I agree. People will be paying based on so called reputation and that will cloud a lot of places that might be fine, meanwhile some schools will be way overcrowded and children will get missed out on, like PHM is now, and some schools will be so low on enrollment they will get closed further exacerbating the problem. Report Reply Loading... -2 Vote up Vote down fallingwater's avatar - Go to profile fallingwater 55p ? 2 hours ago This is disappointing. I stretched my budget to live within in this school district. I don't have city water or sewer, I have to pay for trash pick up and I am lucky if the county plows my sub in the winter. What am I paying higher taxes for? Trust me folks, as the years go on, PMH will loosen the rules because of the green and it will just bring in riff raff. Report Reply 1 reply ? active 2 hours ago Loading... -1 Vote up Vote down MrTaxpayer's avatar - Go to profile MrTaxpayer 39p ? 2 hours ago Maybe PHM parents should start a petition drive against this program. It's likely the board didn't hear enough from actual residents and parents of the district. Also, never forget you can always make your voice known come election time. This would be a great issue for a new school board candidate to run on. Report Reply Loading... -1 Vote up Vote down southbendmom2's avatar - Go to profile southbendmom2 1p ? 2 hours ago I have a nephew who will be a freshman next year. He said the potential transfer students were already at his athletic meeting. It's hard enough to make a Penn team anyway and now it is definitely unfair to the kids who are supposed to be at Penn. Report Reply 1 reply ? active 15 minutes ago Loading... +1 Vote up Vote down thazen's avatar - Go to profile thazen 0p ? 15 minutes ago It is hard to be ANYBODY at Penn other then a number. Report Reply Loading... -2 Vote up Vote down MrTaxpayer's avatar - Go to profile MrTaxpayer 39p ? 2 hours ago If transfer students are truly coming for a better education, then they should not be allowed to participate in sports. I agree with others...athletic teams should be reserved only for those students who actually live without the PHM district. This would immediately eliminate the issue of transferring for athletics. As we have already seen in South Bend, this creates nothing but problems. Report Reply 0 replies ? active 2 hours ago Loading... -1 Vote up Vote down sbendhoosier's avatar - Go to profile sbendhoosier 1p ? 1 hour ago as far as the people and the sports issue note that you can already go to any high school you want to in the state as long as you decide before your freshman year and as long as the school is accepting additional students. After your freshman year if you try and do it and are an athlete your current school needs to release you...or if you play girls basketball at Washington you can just do whatever the hell you want There are kids from all over our area that have done this - but up to now they couldn't do it at Penn because they weren't accepting new students. Report Reply 0 replies ? active 1 hour ago Loading... -2 Vote up Vote down Mr. Ed's avatar - Go to profile Mr. Ed -1p ? 1 hour ago What's so great about P. H. M.? This school system would have to prove to me that it is worthy of my child. Since when did public schools start to charge a tuition fee? They better hire some professors with all that extra dough! Report Reply 3 replies ? active 17 minutes ago Loading... 0 Vote up Vote down MrTaxpayer's avatar - Go to profile MrTaxpayer 39p ? 1 hour ago Compare the test scores and graduation rates and you'll see! Report Reply Loading... -1 Vote up Vote down Mr. Ed's avatar - Go to profile Mr. Ed -1p ? 1 hour ago Did I hear?......Where's the cattle prod....it looks like standing room only. Report Reply Loading... +1 Vote up Vote down thazen's avatar - Go to profile thazen 0p ? 17 minutes ago You bet...it is standing room only. Did you ever hear of a study hall being conducted in the auditorium? Well they do it at PENN! Report Reply Loading... 0 Vote up Vote down Shoppy's avatar - Go to profile Shoppy 73p ? 1 hour ago Hows this idea You can transfer but not participate in athletics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrecoCoach Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Hey! The reporter (Clifton French) is my brother-in-law! Cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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