Interdistrict Transfer from Contra Costa to Emeryville
Hello!
My son attended Anna Yates in Emeryville for Kindergarten and First Grade. We moved to Crockett in Contra Costa and enrolled him in our local school, Rodeo Hills, in John Swett Unified. We were really unhappy with his schooling this year and want him to go back to Anna Yates. However, John Swett Unified denied our Inter-District Transfer due to "Fiscal Impact" on the district. I am an OUSD teacher and understand that working in another district qualifies you for residency, however, Emeryville is a separate district from OUSD. We are filing an appeal with the Contra Costa Board of Ed. I am wondering if anyone has any advice or has had luck getting an interdistrict transfer approved. Any help would be really appreciated. Thank you!
Parent Replies
Hi,
My friend just got her inter district transfer request approved from west contra costa county but she is applying into the new district where she currently works so not sure if that strengthened her case.
You may also want to consider applying for an intradistrict transfer to another west contra costa school. We are in Hercules and my son just completed kindergarten at Ohlone Elementary in Hercules. We have been very happy with the school and his teachers this year! It’s a great school and community! FYI, you are able to apply for both inter and intra district transfers at the same time. My friend did it this year.
We were in a similar boat--we technically live in Oakland but Anna Yates was much closer to our house and a lot of my daughter's friends from preschool were going there. We applied for an interdistrict transfer from OUSD and were denied the first time. I was told by a lot of folks that being denied for the first time is standard, and we were successful when we appealed and applied again. We looked carefully over the list of reasons the transfer would be approved, and incorporated them into our appeal with stronger language. We were advised to use the phrase "hardship," vs "inconvenience," for example, when talking about how it would be difficult to manage pickup and dropoff with just one car in our family. I am not sure what reasons your school district accepts for transfers, but the ones OUSD had that might be applicable was "safety" (if your kiddo was in physical or emotional danger at the new school) or "specialized academic programs" (if Anna Yates offers a program that the new school doesn't) or "continuation" (continuing to go a school after you've moved away from it--this would have worked if you had done it last year, not sure if it will work now). Good luck!!
Would a county office of education be able to assist? Or maybe a consult with an educational advocate or attorney?