Charlo considers taking Dixon transfer students
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CHARLO – Trustees were split Nov. 18 on whether or not the Charlo School District should accept transfer students from Dixon Elementary School.
School board trustees remembered times in the past when the district accepted transfers from Dixon, but administrators say that hasn’t been the case in many years.
“It is a hard discussion about taking Dixon students, for me,” Principal Steve Love said. “Since I’ve been here we’ve never taken students from Dixon.”
Love said he didn’t like the idea of cherry-picking the very best of Dixon’s students for Charlo, because the Dixon school is so small. Dixon and Charlo are a joint school district. Dixon Schools has enrollment of approximately 50 students who attend through the eighth grade. They then go to Charlo School or Two Eagle River School for high school.
But Love said Dixon parents regularly contact him asking if their students can apply for an out-of-district exemption to go to school. In some cases, it makes sense to accept a student in a grade where enrollment is low, Love said. In other cases, adding a student to a class would stress the school’s resources. Love faced a tough choice in a recent transfer application from a family who had one child in a grade where enrollment was low, but also had another child where the classroom is full to the brink.
Love didn’t want to split families. Board members worried accepting one student in a class that has space, instead of all the family’s students, would force parents to choose between breaking up siblings during the school day.
“From my perspective, we’re not making that decision for them,” trustee Art Soukkala said.
Reece Middlemist, high school board trustee from Dixon, was conflicted on taking the students.
“Personally, I have extremely mixed feelings about all this, depending on what kids you are thinking about moving,” Middlemist said. “It doesn’t matter what school they come from. It’s different because it’s a real tiny school and real tiny community. Taking kids out of there really isn’t too awesome, but at the same time if you can group them in a class you feel comfortable with, what can you do about it? I just think it should be parent’s choice.”
The board decided Dixon families can apply, but that students will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
