GCD School district scrambling to capture $350k in state money

Grand Coulee Dam schools are scrambling this week to get almost 40 of their students who live in Nespelem to formally “choice in” to GCDSD — or else risk losing $9,100 per student in so-called “full time equivalent” funding from the state.

As of Monday night, Superintendent Rod Broadnax told the school board they had not received paperwork from any of the Nespelem students yet, putting around $350,000 at risk. The state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction has given GCDSD the ultimatum this year: Get it done or else lose out on the apportionment.

“We have got to get those kids all signed up,” Broadnax said of the 35 to 39 students impacted. “We can’t claim those students and claim that money until they get choiced in.”

The FTE paperwork is a requirement any time a student opts to attend a district outside of where they live.

“That’s something that should happen at the beginning of every school year, but they [OSPI] just haven’t made them [GCDSD] do it,” said Effie Dean, superintendent of Nespelem School District, in a phone call with The Star. “You’re supposed to get permission from another district before you accept a new student.”

Dean said the problem predates the current administration, but Broadnax said this year threw an unexpected curveball: Nespelem is now considered a K-12 district by the state, even though they have not yet added standard classes for 11th and 12th grades. But because they offer alternative learning education to those juniors and seniors, that’s enough to require that students in those grades must formally choose to attend GCDSD to go there.

Broadnax told the board Monday he sent letters out to families, and that they’ll have laptops available this week during parent-teacher conferences to give Nespelem parents the chance to complete the form on the spot. He also said they would be following up with knocking on doors to make sure everything gets turned in so money isn’t left on the table.

The issue impacts athletics as well.

“They’re not to play,” Broadnax told Athletic Director Casey Brewster at Monday’s meeting. “They can’t play if they haven’t choiced in.”

Broadnax indicated that Nespelem’s Dean said they will approve all choice requests.

He’s given families until Oct. 31 to get the paperwork squared away, but he’s also seeking an extension from the state, he said.

“9,100 times about 40 is a lot of money,” he said.