School districts and private schools in the South Sound area say they have not seen a significant increase in transfer-student enrollment since Tacoma teachers went on strike Sept. 13.
A handful of Tacoma parents, however, have sought alternatives for their kids. About 15 of 28,000 Tacoma Public Schools students had withdrawn as of Monday, said district spokesman Dan Voelpel.
In its list of potential damages submitted to a judge last week, the district predicted it would take a permanent hit, saying it may “suffer the loss of student enrollment as families obtain nonresident transfers to neighboring districts … enrollment which would likely never be recaptured.”
Corey Joyner, a junior at Stadium High School, said he and his father have been in contact with Washington High School in the neighboring Franklin Pierce Schools.
“I would love to stay at Stadium and graduate, but I’m missing too much school right now,” said Joyner, 17. “It doesn’t make me feel good at all.”
Joyner said a Franklin Pierce guidance counselor advised him to stay put because he’d be behind in his class work if he were to transfer. Franklin Pierce began classes on Aug. 30, the earliest start in Pierce County.
Willie Painter, spokesman for the Parkland-based district, said its schools will accept transfers as long as space is available.
“We’re asking parents to commit to having their child enrolled through the end of the school year,” Painter said. “We think it’s probably in the best interest of the student to not transfer multiple times in a school year.”
In Federal Way, about six Tacoma students have enrolled in the wake of the teacher walkout, said Deb Stenberg, a spokeswoman for the district. Another five or six calls were made by parents inquiring about transferring their child to Federal Way, she said.
Patti Banks, superintendent for the University Place School District, said about 20 parents have made such inquiries. However, the district is full and wasn’t able to take any new students, she said.
“We’re continuing to get calls,” Banks said. “It’s a lot of calls.”
Over 5,100 students are currently enrolled in UP schools; about 800 of them live in Tacoma school boundaries but previously transferred into UP schools for various reasons. (About half of the 800 live inside University Place city limits, while the other half live in the City of Tacoma.)
A Clover Park Schools spokeswoman said they’ve received one or two phone calls but no actual transfers.
Private schools in the area have also received calls from Tacoma families weary of the strike, though none had reported new enrollments as of Monday.
Danette Taylor, admissions coordinator for South Sound Christian Schools, said there’s been a handful of inquiries.
The cost of private schools could prove daunting for many parents. South Sound Christian Schools tuition ranges from $2,926 to $7,410 per child, depending on how many children in a family attend. New families receive a 25 percent discount.
“We can’t say we’re surprised that families are starting to look into possibilities,” Taylor said.
Another option for families is enrolling in an online program such as Tacoma Virtual Learning or Steilacoom-based Washington Virtual Academy. At this point in the strike, those programs say they have not seen a surge in interest.
Michael Farmer, director for Tacoma Virtual Learning, said enrollment is still open. But he pointed out his program is a hybrid with teachers from Tacoma Public Schools, who aren’t working, as well as Spokane Public Schools, who are.
“If (students) have a Tacoma teacher, they just kind of need to wait and do the best in the meantime,” Farmer said. “We’re just in a weird predicament because of our contract with Spokane.”
Celeste Johnson, executive assistant to the superintendent for Steilacoom Historical School District, said enrollment at its online school and traditional brick-and-mortar schools have not been affected by the strike.
“We actually haven’t received any phone calls at all,” Johnston said.
However, the district has fielded inquiries from a few college-age student teachers looking for classroom placements because they can’t currently student-teach in Tacoma.
“We’re more than willing to try to accommodate them,” said Jan McCrimmon, principal at Steilacoom High School. “At this point, it’s temporary, in hopes the strike will settle.”
Holly Norquist, executive director of ACTS South, a local home-school resource organization, said no one has tried to contact her group for assistance. But she said the strike could have an effect on families who have been weighing their options.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the last piece of the puzzle that nudges people toward home schooling,” Norquist said.
Stephanie Kim: 253-597-8692
stephanie.kim@thenewstribune.com
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