Campaign credited in Clovis Unified's enrollment boost

Published online on Thursday, Jan. 01, 2009

Clovis Unified boosted enrollment by 653 students this school year, with more than half recruited from neighboring districts.

The district launched an aggressive -- and controversial -- campaign to attract new students after its enrollment last year dipped for the first time since the Clovis Unified School District formed in 1960. District officials blamed home foreclosures and competition from charter, private and home schools.

But enrollment soared to 37,463 this year, the infusion coming from new houses, turnover of foreclosed homes and students transferring from other districts, said Clovis Unified spokeswoman Kelly Avants.

"Obviously, it was encouraging to see that difference," Avants said.

When enrollment goes down, districts lose money. For Clovis Unified, it's $6,200 per student per year.

The district set out to stem the loss of students, mailing about 4,000 fliers to every commercial address in the district, boasting that Clovis Unified offered a "private school education for a public school price."

Clovis Unified encouraged business owners and employees to take advantage of a state law that allows students to attend school in the district where either of their parents work, even if they live in another district. The district found a spot for all students, but they did not get their first choice of campuses if those schools were full.

Clovis Unified attracted 330 new students this year using the place-of-employment exemption, Avants said. The campaign paid off, with 191 such requests in the previous year.

"We've certainly never had that many new requests in a single year," Avants said.

But Clovis Unified's tactics angered at least one district at the time. Sanger Unified School District Superintendent Marc Johnson remains miffed about the strategy because his district received more than 200 requests to transfer out under the place-of-employment law.

Because some of the requests included siblings, Johnson estimated the district lost about 300 students. He tied the transfers to Clovis' efforts because the number of such requests was "far above normal."

By law, districts must let the students transfer.

"We simply have to smile and say, 'Thank you,' and they go," he said.

He said he and Clovis Unified Superintendent Terry Bradley remain cordial: "I think we've politely agreed to let this one drop."

Sanger Unified and other districts could get hit with more transfers.

Clovis Unified will send another round of fliers to employers this spring explaining the place-of-employment law, Avants said.

The district has also for the first time added a flier about the law to the Clovis Unified booth at the Hmong New Year celebration, which ended Thursday.

The Fresno Unified School District, which has struggled with dropping enrollment for several years, advertised the place-of-employment law as well this year. Over the summer, it printed an article about the law in the district newspaper, mailed to all students.

The district had 104 place-of-employment transfers in this year, said spokeswoman Susan Bedi.