Special-needs students on scholarship

A county-by-county glance at enrollment numbers for public schools and special needs transfers.

FULTON COUNTY SCHOOLS

• Enrollment: 89,840

• Special-needs students: 9.7 percent

• Number using vouchers to transfer to private schools: 122 in 2007-08 and 282 in 2008-09

• Number choosing to transfer to schools within district: 5 in 2008-09

• Out-of-district transfers accepted in 2008-09: Fulton does not accept out of district transfers. Info not tracked.

• How do you inform parents about the scholarship program: Letters and Web site posting

• Views on choice: “Our district complies with SB10 and other public school choice laws. We recognize that parents must investigate as many options as possible when making decisions about their child’s education,” said Susan Hale, Fulton Schools spokeswoman.

COBB COUNTY SCHOOLS

• Enrollment: 106,215 students

• Special-needs students: 15,225

• Number using vouchers to transfer to private schools: 98 in 2007-08 and 202 in 2008-09

• Number choosing to transfer to schools within district: 30 applied and 9 were approved in 2008-09. Most were denied for lack of capacity. One was denied for lack of program and another did not live in the district.

• Out-of-district transfers accepted in 2008-09: None

• How do you inform parents about scholarship program: Letters and Web site posting

• Views on school choice: “[Cobb Schools] offers choice for students with disabilities through SB10, for general education students through HB251, for students in schools that did not make AYP through NCLB choice, for students who demonstrate hardship through a hardship transfer,” said Jay Dillon, Cobb Schools spokesman.

DeKALB COUNTY SCHOOLS

• Enrollment: 100,000

• Special-needs students: 8,240

• Number using vouchers to transfer to private schools: 111 in 2007-08 and 196 in 2008-09.

• Students choosing to transfer to schools within district: 41 in 2008-09.

• Out-of-district transfers accepted in 2008-09: One application was submitted. Request was denied due to space.

• How do you inform parents about scholarship program: Flier sent home

• Views on choice: “The DeKalb County School System offers parents and students a wide variety of school choice options. School choice programs during the 2009-10 school year include ... magnet programs, conversion charter schools, start-up charter schools, traditional theme schools, regional school choice options ...” and other state and federally mandated programs, said Dale A. Davis, DeKalb Schools spokesman.

ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

• Enrollment: 47,789

• Special-needs students: 4,400

• Number using vouchers to transfer to private schools: 77 in 2007-08 and 64 in 2008-09.

• Number choosing to transfer to schools within district in 2008-09: 3

• Out-of-district transfers accepted for 2008-09: None because of lack of space at requested school and/or grade level

• How do you inform parents about scholarship program: Letter

• Views on choice: “Atlanta Public Schools complies with all state laws and regulations associated with school choice,” said Keith Bromery, APS spokesman.

GWINNETT COUNTY SCHOOLS

• Enrollment: 160,586

• Special-needs students: 17,343

• Number using vouchers to transfer to private schools: 88 in 2007-08 and 164 in 2008-09

• Number choosing to transfer to schools within district: 16 approved and 111 denied in 2007-08; 9 approved and 69 denied in 2008-09

• Out-of-district transfers accepted in 2008-09: 11 denied and none approved for 2008-09

• How do you inform parents about scholarship program: Letters, Web site posting, information in Student/Parent Handbook and Parents’ Rights Handbook

• Views on choice: “...In an effort to ensure that all students receive the best and most appropriate instruction available, the decision-making process carefully considers all aspects of the impact of each request, including program availability and classroom space. If a school or the program is at maximum capacity, the request is denied,” said Sloan Roach, Gwinnett Schools spokeswoman.

GROWING PROGRAM

2007-08

• Number of students: 899

• Number of schools: 117 private schools

• Scholarship range: $2,536 - $15,324

• Average median scholarship: $6,260

• Total: $5,417,425

2008-09*

• Number of students: 1,596

• Number of schools: 145

• Scholarship range: $2,592 - $13,586

• Average median scholarship: $6,331

• Total: $5,526,855 million with 2 percent state funding reduction

* Deadline for 2009-10 scholarship applications is Sept. 11.