BREA : Policy on Student Transfers Changed

To boost enrollment at two of the smallest schools in the Brea-Olinda Unified School District, the Board of Education is changing its policy on student transfers.

Starting with the 1993-94 school year, intra-district transfers will not be allowed from Olinda and Laurel elementary schools while students from other school districts wanting to attend Brea-Olinda schools would be directed to these schools.

The new policy is expected to be adopted when the school board meets next month, officials said.

The district has allowed students from one attendance area to attend another school for permitted reasons, such as available child care. The policy, however, has resulted in a loss of enrollment at some schools and hit Laurel particularly hard. This school year, 71 students who are supposed to go to Laurel are attending other schools and the school is left with 271 students.

And while attendance at other schools has grown in the past five years, enrollment has stayed between 270 and 280 students at Laurel.

Supt. Edgar Z. Seal said they are trying to increase Laurel’s enrollment to about 400 students. The school board wants enrollment kept between 400 and 650 students at each of the district’s elementary schools, except for Olinda. It is the smallest school in the district and this year has 207 students. Seal said Olinda should have at least 200 students every school year.

Under the proposed transfer policy, transfers would not be asked to move back to Laurel School, according to Trustee Lynn Daucher. However, siblings of transfers who are just starting school must attend Laurel School.

“We try to be fair and not move any kid unnecessarily,” Daucher said. “It will not solve the enrollment problem right away, but we’re going step by step.”

If parents want all siblings in the same school, they can enroll the others at Laurel.

Margie McMillan, president of the Laurel School Parent-Teacher Assn., said she is happy with the proposal.

“It pleases me, as long as they enforce it,” she said.