UNION TOWNSHIP — Just a decade ago, enrollment in Union Township schools was pushing record levels, and the district had to close its doors to anyone living outside the township.
But things have changed, Superintendent John Hunter said, and the district, which was the only system in Northwest Indiana to be an "all A school corporation" in the 2016/17 school year, is opening those doors again and hoping students living outside the district will want to become Bearcats.
Hunter said enrollment peaked in the 2008/2009 school year with 1,732 students. This year's enrollment has dropped to 1,452, and it is projected to continue to decline to about 1,282 for the 2021/2022 school year.
Why the enrollment is dropping is a bit bittersweet.
Hunter said only a few students have left to attend charter schools or use vouchers.
It is that the township and its neighborhoods are not turning over, Hunter said. People are staying. Their children have grown and moved on, but parents are staying, limiting housing stock and the chance for new families to move in. He added that there has been very little new construction within the district's boundaries in recent years.
It isn't the first time the district has opened its doors. It has in previous years, opening and closing as state laws changed. They had open enrollment last year, but only one transfer student took them up on it.
This year, the district has spots for 95 transfer tuition students in grades K-8. Transfer students won't be accepted at Wheeler High School. There are 37 openings at John Simatovich Elementary School, 33 at Union Center Elementary School and 25 at Union Township Middle School. The number of openings vary at each grade level.
So far, he said, they've received 15 applications from students now living in Portage, Merrillville, Hobart and Wanatah. He wasn't sure of their reasons for wanting to transfer to Union Township.
Transfer students have to provide their own transportation to and from school and pay tuition, which will be set in July, but is anticipated to be around $1,000.
Hunter said seeking new students is essential to the district.
"When you lose that many students, you have to cut programs," he said. "We are trying to expand programs for our kids. We need to grow our programs."