A postcard that landed recently in some Bloomington mailboxes touts the benefits of K-12 education in another county.
“Why choose North Lawrence Community Schools?” it says.
Its elementary schools provide “foundational learning in a caring environment.” Its middle school is “a launchpad for growth and independence.” Its high school is “a place where futures take shape.”
“Enroll today,” the postcard says.
Competition for students isn’t just between private and public schools. It’s pitting public schools against each other. In a time of enrollment declines and reduced state funding, what once might have been unseemly is now seen as necessary.
NLCS Superintendent Kevin Yancey said on a phone call that the postcards were first sent during the summer to areas surrounding the district. After saying he would speak with the school board about providing more information, Yancey did not respond to follow-up requests for an interview.
Tim Dowling, director of early learning and enrollment at the Monroe County Community School Corporation, said considering state budget cuts, he is not surprised other corporations are increasing enrollment efforts. But he said he is focusing on recruiting students locally.
“We are certainly open to students in surrounding communities, but that's not where our focal point is right now,” Dowling said. “Our focal point is in supporting and having efforts that support the students in our community.”
When asked about how exterior recruiting efforts could potentially create more competition to recruit students locally, Dowling said he wants to concentrate on making families aware of what MCCSC offers.
“We feel like if we help families know about the various options we have, it'll just help them make the most informed choice,” he said.
MCCSC recently announced it would start offering school tours for prospective families. Dowling said that came in response to families asking for them.
“Enrollment is a continuous process,” he said. “Of course, we have a lot of students that start at the beginning of the year, but also, enrollment goes throughout the year.”
MCCSC is experiencing declining enrollment; in the past three years, enrollment has decreased about 7.6 percent, which amounts to about 835 students. As a result, MCCSC has lost $17.2 million from the state. MCCSC projects it will lose about another 400 students in the next 10 years.
“Our number one priority is to retain the students that we have and make sure that we're meeting their needs,” Dowling said. “We also feel like we have a responsibility, and we want to put efforts out to serve the children in our community and the families.”
Dowling said they are planning more ways to recruit students in the future.
Seven Oaks Classical School, a public charter school in Ellettsville, takes a different approach to recruiting students. Headmaster Stephen Shipp said since opening the school in 2016, his primary way to recruit students is through word of mouth.
He sees recruiting students not as a competition but as an opportunity to tell the school’s story.
“When we think about recruitment, we're not focused as much on trying to draw students from other schools,” he said. “Our mentality is more just trying to tell the story of who we are and what we do and why we do it.”
That strategy hasn’t changed, even after the superintendent of the Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corporation recently said that competition for students is why it will not schedule sports events with Seven Oaks. The district is also located in Ellettsville.
“The State of Indiana has put schools in a situation in which we have to compete for students in our own area,” RBB superintendent Jerry Sanders said in an email. “As a result, schools have to maintain competitive advantages that make them an attractive option for families.”
Shipp said he informs families about what his school offers on the school’s website, on social media and through yard signs. While he has sent out postcards in the past, he said it’s a more costly option that is not necessary at this point.
Unlike MCCSC, Seven Oaks has seen a steady increase in enrollment. When the school first opened in 2016, there were about 160 students enrolled in K-12. Now, there are about 580 students attending.
“Our increases are less dramatic at this point, but that's partly because we're starting to fill out the vision of the school that has been to try to approach around 700 students,” Shipp said. “We want to be a school that's large enough to offer our students a lot of opportunities, not only academically but also in terms of sport and extracurriculars, (and) also be small enough that we preserve a sense of community, which has been one of the great draws for many of our families.”
As a public charter school, Seven Oaks is tuition-free and allows anyone from the state of Indiana to attend, Shipp said. Seven Oaks has students from Monroe County and every surrounding county. Shipp believes this flexibility on who can enroll gives him an advantage over other schools.
“If someone from RBB wanted to go to MCCSC, they have to ask MCCSC to let them transfer, and vice versa,” he said. “One of the things that's really, I think, appealing about charter schools is just how open they are. Anybody who's within driving distance who thinks that would be the best option for their child can come and they don't have to ask anybody's permission.”
