• District of Choice Facts

    OCTOBER 2015

     
    WHAT IS A DISTRICT OF CHOICE?
    • A District of Choice is a California school district that by resolution of the Governing Board becomes one that will accept students from other districts through a special process. 
    • Students may transfer to Oak Park USD schools if they apply between November 1 and December 31 and are selected as part of a random process for enrollment in the fall of the next school year.
    • The OPUSD Board annually sets the capacities for schools and for the District overall.
    • Sending districts may not prohibit students from transferring except under certain conditions.
    • Students may remain in OPUSD schools until graduation. Permits are automatically renewed under the law. 

     
    WHY IS OAK PARK USD A DISTRICT OF CHOICE?
    Oak Park USD was experiencing serious declining enrollment.
    • Declining enrollment means a decline in revenues beyond the costs saved from fewer students.
    • The reason students are allowed to transfer districts in California is that over 80% of the funding for public schools come directly from the STATE not local districts.  This has been true since Proposition 13 passed in 1978.  This makes California somewhat unique in area of public school financing.
    • SB 680 passed in 2009 is the most recent law to address District of Choice.

     
    LET’S DO THE NUMBERS FOR 2015-16
    • Amount of Revenue per Student in OPUSD (resident or transfer)
      $8,318
    • Average Class Size K-12
      26.0
    • Average Cost Per Teacher (includes salary, benefits, retirement, etc.)
      $107,348

    If a school district has declining enrollment:
    •  If there were, for example, 100 fewer students = a decline in state revenue
      • $8,318 per student x 100 students = $831,800 in lost revenue
      • 100 students divided by average class size of 26.0 means that 3.8 teachers are laid off.
      • 3.8 teachers x $107,348 (average teacher cost) = $407,922 in cost reductions
      • Leaves the district still needing to make $423,878 in program cuts
    *This situation is actually worse because the newest and least expensive teachers are laid off first, so the teacher savings is considerably less.
     
    If a school district is growing:
    • 100 additional students = an increase in state revenue
      • $8,318 per student x 100 students = $831,800 in new revenue
      • 100 students divided by average class size of 26.0 means that 3.8 teachers are hired.
      • 3.8 teachers x $107,348 (average teacher cost) expense of $407,922
      • Leaves the district with $423,878 in additional revenue
    *This situation is actually better because the newest teachers are the least expensive so the benefit to the district is greater.

    If a school district has stable enrollment:
    • Zero Growth means that the only new revenue for schools is what the state provides in a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA).
    • There are added costs each year to pay for step/column raises for teachers and other employees.
    • There are increased expenses for utilities, books, supplies, fuel, etc. 
     
     
    OAK PARK USD FIGURES
    • 1,820 Students Attend on Permit
    • There are 4,638 total students in OPUSD Schools
    • 39.2% attend on permit
      REVENUE

      1,820 Students x $8,318 = TOTAL REVENUE  $15,138,760
       
      EXPENSE

      1,820 Students divided by 26.0 = 70 teachers

      70 teachers x $107,348 = $7,514,360

      Add other staff – admin, support, etc.=  $618,993 

                  TOTAL EXPENSE   $8,133,353
       
      REVENUE VS. EXPENSE

      Total Revenue =       $15,138,760

      Total Expense =       $8,133,353

      Difference = $7,005,407 per year of ADDITIONAL REVENUE
       
       
      WHAT DOES $7,005,407 PER YEAR MEAN TO OAK PARK SCHOOLS?
      •    The Parcel Tax brings in $900,000 a year ($197 tax per parcel).
       
      •    If we did not have this revenue from these students the parcel tax would need to be $1367 per parcel per year to sustain our current educational program in OPUSD.

      •    Friends of Oak Park Schools raises about $100,000 per year.

      •    The PTOs from all of the schools combined raise about $500,000 per year.

      •    $7,005,407 million is about 16.1% of the OPUSD annual budget.
       
       
      WHAT IS THAT MONEY USED FOR?
      During the Great Recession, all California public school budgets were cut by more than 22%. The additional revenue generated by accepting DOC students during this time was used to augment OPUSD's general fund, ensuring maintenance of a full 180-day school year, mitigating the negative effect of budget cuts on class sizes, and minimizing the adverse impact on educational and support programs for students that might have otherwise been eliminated.  As the State's economy has improved in recent years, added revenues realized from the DOC program are being used to restore, expand, and add many educational programs, reduce class sizes at all grade levels, and improve student health, welfare, and safety support with increased counseling staff and the like.
       
       
      WHAT WOULD OAK PARK SCHOOL LOOK LIKE WITHOUT THE DISTRICT OF CHOICE PROGRAM?
       
      •    If we were not accepting these students we would have $7 million less to pay for programs that benefit both resident and permit students.

      •    We would most likely have one less elementary school and that would save an estimated $500,000 a year.
      •    However, the law allows a charter school to take over that campus yet OPUSD must maintain the school for them.  This school would draw more students from OPUSD, exacerbating declining enrollment.
      •    There would be larger class sizes at all of the schools and at all grade levels because teacher costs are the largest expenditure in the District. 

      •    Counselor ratios would be worsened.

      •    Fewer course offerings would be available for students at MCMS and OPHS including AP and H classes, which are often run undersubscribed.

      •    Music, athletics, counseling programs would be scaled back.

      •    Parent Teacher Organizations and Friends would be raising funds for basics only and no extras. 

      A declining enrollment district often begins a downward spiral – parents become unhappy with program quality and transfer out to private, charter, or other districts.  This requires the district to cut back on programs even more severely, moving more people out. Home values decline as parents opt for homes in better school districts.

       

       
      HOW ARE THESE STUDENTS DISTRIBUTED IN OAK PARK SCHOOLS?

      GRADE BES OHESROES MCMSOPHSOVHSOPIS
       K 31 29
      		 22   
       1 3626
      		 39   1
       2 3535
      		 58   4
       3 2942
      		 33
      		   1
       4 5138
      		 55   2
       5 6752
      		 39   11
       6   148  6
       7   147  21
       8   158  34
      9



      		209
      		30
       10    191
      		21
       11    1804
      		35
       12    1919
      		22
      TOTAL 257
      		23328954377113
      		188
      GRAND TOTAL FOR THE DISTRICT
      		2171   

       
      WHERE DO THESE STUDENTS COME FROM?

      TOTAL STUDENTS BY HOME DISTRICT

      CVUSD - Conejo Valley Unified 63129.1%
      LAUSD - Los Angeles Unified518

      23.8%

      SVUSD - Simi Valley Unified524
      		24.1%
      LVUSD - Las Virgenes Unified355
      		16.4%
      MUSD - Moorpark Unified67
      		3.1%
      PVSD - Pleasant Valley Elementary14
      		.64%
      OUHSD - Oxnard Union High School9
      		.41%
      SMMUSD - Santa Monica Malibu Unified
      		10.46%
      OSD - Oxnard Elementary
      		5.23%
      SSD - Somis Elementary3.14%
      VUSD - Ventura Unified5
      		.23%
      BUSD - Burbank Unified
      		11
      		.51%
      FUSD - Fillmore Unified
      		3
      		.14%
      PSD - Palmdale Elementary
      		3
      		.14%
      Other (2 students or less each from Bellflower USD, Beverly Hills USD, Corona-Norco USD, Glendale USD, Long Beach USD, Lynwood USD, Manhattan Beach USD, Ojai USD, Paramount USD, Santa Barbara USD, Saugus Union ESD, Temple City USD, Wm. S. Hart HSD
      		16
      		.74%
      Total2,171100%
       
       
      SINCE THE LAW REQUIRES DISTRICTS OF CHOICE TO ACCEPT STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS HOW MANY DO WE HAVE BECAUSE OF THE PROGRAM?
       
      •    127 out of district special education students,
      •    225 resident special education students

      •    352 total special education population K-12
      •    4,697 total district enrollment
      •    7.5% of total district population identified as special education

      •    127 special education students from out of district
      •    2,182 total number of students from out of district
      •    5.8% of out of district students require special education services

      •    225 resident students receiving special education services
      •    2,515 total number of resident students
      •    8.9% of resident students require special education services
       
       
      WHAT ABOUT GATE STUDENTS?

      •    320 out of district GATE students
      •    329 resident GATE students

      •    649 total GATE population K-12
      •    4,697 total district enrollment
      •    13.8% of total district population identified as GATE

      •    320 GATE students from out of district
      •    2,182 total number of students from out of district
      •    14.7% of out of district students are GATE

      •    329 resident GATE students
      •    2,515 total number of resident students
      •    13.1% of resident students are GATE