The Cuyahoga Falls City School District is weighing an end to external open enrollment — a policy that allows students from outside its borders to enroll — after changes in state funding turned what school leaders say was once a net financial gain into a loss.
The per-student reimbursement CFCSD receives annually from the state has dropped from $6,020 to $1,801, said district spokesperson Christine Stewart.
District Treasurer Kristy Stoicoiu said that, under previous state funding formulas, “between the number of students coming in versus the number of students going out, we netted probably about a million dollars in revenue.”
The state’s reimbursement rate is subject to change based on a variety of factors, although it’s difficult to forecast exactly how much given the ongoing school funding debate in the Ohio Legislature.
CFCSD operates eight schools and a preschool, serving just under 4,000 students. The school district recently cut the ribbon on a new 6th- through 12th-grade campus to replace its high school.
Nearly one out of 10 students in CFCSD lives outside of Cuyahoga Falls’ borders (9%), a decrease from 15% historically. This decline followed the school board’s decision last school year to tighten open enrollment requirements.
Most area school districts allow open enrollment
Accepts students from any school district
- Akron Public Schools
- Barberton City Schools
- Coventry Local Schools
- Cuyahoga Falls City Schools
- Mogadore Local Schools
- Norton City Schools
- Springfield Local Schools
- Woodridge Local Schools
Accepts students from adjacent districts
- Stow-Monroe Falls City Schools
- Manchester Local Schools
No external open enrollment
- Copley-Fairlawn City Schools
- Revere Local Schools
- Tallmadge City Schools
Internal districting changes coming to CFCSD
During a recent school board meeting, Stewart said Stoicoiu, the treasurer, intentionally did not share hard numbers stating how much CFCSD would lose if it continues to allow open enrollment because of the difficulty in calculating the state’s shifting funding formulas.
CFCSD is also undergoing internal redistricting, which is a major reason why its school board is delaying further discussion on external open enrollment.
How Cuyahoga Falls schools is gradually decreasing its open-enrolled population through policy
In a report to the school board, Stoicoiu said data shows open- enrolled students in Cuyahoga Falls’ public schools are habitually absent or truant at higher rates than local students. In response, the board last school year tightened its open enrollment admittance policy to not allow students with high absence and truancy rates to return.
“If there are students who have been habitually absent, and there have been considerable attendance problems, then they may not have necessarily been approved to come back for this year,” Stewart said. “So we’ve been slowly decreasing.”
Having fewer students open enrolled with the district has provided some financial relief in the short term and allows the district to begin reducing staffing levels through attrition, Stewart said, which clears a path for CFCSD to move closer to a balanced budget.
The school district spends just over $13,000 per student each year.
“That $13,000 is made up of more than just state revenue too,” said Stoicoiu. “It’s local funds, federal funds, etc.”
Cuyahoga Falls schools still faces a projected cash deficit of nearly $7 million by 2030.