Officials Give Their Views on Transfers : It Seems to Work in Districts Where Rule Is in Place, but Some Coaches Are Skeptical

Open enrollment, which some coaches fear could turn into a license to steal for those in need of standout athletes, is nothing new.

Santa Ana Unified School District has had such a policy for more than 25 years. Irvine’s has been in place since 1972, and Fullerton instituted its policy in the spring of ’93.

Ken Stichter, an assistant superintendent with the Fullerton Joint Union High School District, is a fan of open enrollment. He said there were no glaring problems with the policy in its first year, adding that the district received 114 transfer requests “and granted them all.”

“Most were ninth graders coming in,” Stichter said. “Most other kids are not interested in changing once they get into a system.”

Students cannot change schools solely to participate in athletics. At least that’s what the rules say. Not only does the California Interscholastic Federation prohibit this--having the power to suspend an athletic program in violation--but the districts do as well.

“One of the understandings is parents and coaches cannot influence a student to go to a school for sports,” said Jerry Rayl, an assistant superintendent with the Irvine Unified School District. “That kind of tampering puts everything in jeopardy.”

Joe Tafoya, an assistant superintendent in Santa Ana, says: “A successful program is the best ‘recruitment.’ But a coach cannot contact a kid from another school. The student must be referred to the home school first.

“There are a lot of reasons a kid can put down for a transfer. Some schools may offer a particular program--computers, ROTC--the student cannot get at the home school.”

But some coaches remain skeptical of student movement.

Fullerton football Coach Julian Smilowitz says there are parents actively “shopping” their kids to schools, which has “created some havoc.”

Although he says no one has approached him or his program, Smilowitz said, “It’s happening in our league and others. I don’t think anyone discourages it. (Open enrollment) is one of those rulings that has opened a door.

“You can’t contact parents or players, but they can go to any coach they want. It’s not like college recruiting; nobody’s promising them cars or things like that. Yet the big pieces of pies go to the guys who have established programs.”

Ed Matillo, Buena Park boys’ basketball coach, is concerned that Orange County school districts will be hampered by the kinds of problems identified with other places.

“I’ve heard in L.A. (open enrollment) is a joke,” Matillo said. “Coaches there and in Long Beach say kids are moving left and right. They’re changing so fast no one can keep track of where they are.”

Indeed, Los Angeles Locke High’s football team recently was placed on one year’s probation by the CIF City Section after its coaches admitted talking to students outside Locke’s attendance boundary.

Dean Crowley, Southern Section commissioner, agrees there has been considerable student movement in Long Beach but says most of it has been within districts instead of between districts.

“Long Beach has always had rules to let kids move (to enhance) ethnic balance, but it’s been district to district,” Crowley said. “One student left Long Beach Poly to play basketball at Dominguez High, not realizing that Dominguez was in the Compton (Unified School) District, which didn’t have open enrollment. And he wasn’t eligible.”

But Crowley says no system is perfect. Even without open enrollment or relaxed transfer rules, determined parents find ways to get around the regulations.

“Disgruntled parents have manipulated rules for years,” he said. “You can say you have one address, give it up, move elsewhere and be eligible. If it’s a family of means, you can use the rules to your benefit. Those things happen.”

Not all coaches foresee a rabid pursuit of top athletes.

Irvine football Coach Terry Henigan, whose teams have won three consecutive Southern Section titles, said there has never been a problem among his school, Woodbridge and University.

“We’ve lost a few to Woodbridge because we have one feeder junior high school we share, and kids like to go where their friends do,” Henigan said.

“Where it’s factor, to be honest, is in other sports--youth baseball, basketball--where kids from different schools play together outside of the school season. Plus, there are some high school coaches who work in those activities.”

Henigan admits to having qualms about coaches having that kind of contact outside of school.

“I’m uncomfortable with that because I live in Irvine,” he said. “When my youngsters were involved in those activities, I felt I had to stay away because it puts you in an awkward position. I didn’t want anybody to construe that I was trying recruit kids.”

So what should districts facing open enrollment for the first time do to make sure it works the way it’s intended?

Coaches say the Southern Section and the school districts must create strong checks and balances to discourage cheating. Tougher penalties need to be imposed on those schools caught--”(Now it’s often only) a slap on the hand,” said Murphy Tammaro, an assistant football coach at Santa Ana.

As to the future success of open enrollment, only time will tell. For the most part, administrators and coaches in the Fullerton, Irvine and Santa Ana districts believe it has worked.

“Success with most changes comes when you communicate with people up front,” Stichter said. “We went out of our way to make sure that people were informed on how things work. And we were surprised at how smooth things went.”