SHS principal won’t be able to utilize open enrollment

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Somerset High School Principal Shawn Madden was hoping that the Somerset Board of Education could make an exception to allow his two children to enter the Somerset schools through open enrollment.

The Somerset School Board will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday to hold a special meeting on open enrollment.

The special meeting was scheduled during the March 24 Board of Education meeting after receiving Madden’s request to have an exception created in the District’s open enrollment policy.

It was found out late last week from the state Department of Public Instruction that Somerset can not change its policy and does not allow for exceptions. This caused Madden to pull his application for open enrollment.

“Shawn will either sell his home and move here or establish residency in our District with his family with plans of selling his home as soon as possible,” said District administrator Randy Rosburg.

Because of the crowded situation in the Somerset schools, the District has been quite strict on applications it approves for open enrollment.

Under normal situations, schools are required to have a policy on open enrollment. Schools are required to accept students through open enrollment, by state statute, unless there are mitigating circumstances, like overcrowding in schools.

For the past four years, the Somerset Board of Education has denied all open enrollment applications unless they are students currently in the District, or have siblings currently attending school in the District.

According to current Somerset Board policy, if the District were to open up the doors to more open enrollment applicants, it would have to be done by random drawing.

Madden is in a difficult situation. He wants to move to Somerset. His home in Elmwood, where he previously worked, has not yet sold. Until he sells that home, he can’t afford to purchase a home in Somerset. He wants to get his children, ages 9 and 6, acclimated into the Somerset District quickly. Madden said he is concerned that it will be more difficult for his children to move into a new district as they get older.

Tags: somerset, openenrollment, shawn, madden