MARYSVILLE — Many strike-weary Marysville families have inquired about enrolling their children elsewhere, but comparatively few students have been accepted to neighboring school districts.
About 40 students have enrolled in neighboring school districts, according to records from Marysville and other districts.
What’s unclear, in some cases, is the reason.
"Strike is not an option on the (out-of-district transfer) form," said Judy Parker, a spokeswoman for the Marysville School District.
At the same time, local private schools report adding more than a dozen students from the Marysville district since the teachers’ strike began Sept. 2.
The number of forms from Marysville families intending to home school — 169 as of Friday — is actually less than it has been in recent years, according to school district records.
The Marysville School District enrolls more than 11,000 students.
The strike enters its 37th day today, tying it with the Fife School District in 1995 for the longest teachers’ strike in state history.
In many cases, other districts advise against Marysville students transferring to another district this late in the year. Their students have been in class for five weeks, and it is often hard for newcomers to catch up, they say.
Parents also must provide their children’s transportation.
They also remind Marysville parents that their students will still get their 180 days of education — albeit belatedly.
Regardless, some parents say their children need to be in school sooner than later.
Michele Rubatino, a mother of an 11-year-old student, picked up an out-of-district transfer request from the Marysville district office Monday. She said she will give the district a week to iron out a teachers’ contract before she takes the form to the Lakewood School District to try to enroll her daughter, Francesca.
Rubatino is aware that she may not be able to get her daughter into another district because of tight classroom space. She hopes the mere act of picking up the paperwork gets the district’s attention.
"She just wants to go to school," Rubatino said of her daughter. "She just wants to go to school somewhere. I will find a school. I don’t know where."
Lake Stevens has been busy answering questions from Marysville parents.
"We have about 65 inquiries we turned down because our schools are filled," said Arlene Hulten, a school district spokeswoman.
Lake Stevens has added 22 Marysville students who have either moved to the district or are children of employees since the school year began, Hulten said.
The Arlington School District has accepted seven Marysville students in kindergarten through the eighth grade and has 10 pending applications, according to its enrollment records.
"We are asking them to stay for the entire year but we can’t legally require them," said Catherine Russell, an Arlington district spokeswoman. "The parents have told us they intend to stay."
Arlington is no longer accepting high school students from Marysville. They would not be able to log enough days in attendance to earn credit hours, she said.
The Everett School District has added nine Marysville students since the year began. It’s unclear if the moves were related to the strike or other family considerations, said Gay Campbell, a school district spokeswoman.
The Lakewood School District has enrolled seven students from Marysville with one more application pending, according to its enrollment records. It has turned down three other applications because it didn’t have room at those students’ grade levels.
Granite Falls also has added a Marysville student.
Grace Academy, a private school in Marysville, has added nine students, including two seniors, since the strike started, school officials said. Most are believed to have enrolled because of the strike.
Gage St. John, a second-grader from Pinewood Elementary last year, is now enrolled at Grace Academy.
"It was not an easy (decision) to make," said April St. John, Gage’s mother. "Financially, it was a very difficult one."
By the third week of the strike, Gage was frustrated because he wanted to be in school, his mother said.
"For our son, the best decision to be made for him was to put him in school now," she said.
Immaculate Conception/Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Everett has added four Marysville students with two other applications pending since the strike began.
Some families had considered the move in the past and the strike "kind of pushed them over the edge" to enroll, said Pat Green, principal at the school.
In recent weeks, Arlington Christian School has been mailing two to three informational packets a day to Marysville parents who have inquired about enrolling their children.
The school has an interview process that takes time, said Ruth Graber, business manager at the school of about 120 students.
"We want to get to know them, and we want them to get to know us first," she said. "I think we are going to enroll a substantial number more."
"We don’t want to take advantage of someone else’s hard times," Graber said. "However, we want to be there for parents who want their children in school."
Any financial fallout to the Marysville district won’t be known until classes begin, said Parker, the district’s spokeswoman. State funding is based, in part, on enrollment.
"Until we have students there to count, we don’t know how many we will have," she said.
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.
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