transferring to BUSD from OUSD for TK
I’m wondering if anyone can share recent experiences transferring to the Berkeley district from Oakland. Kiddo will be entering TK. I have a handful of questions, and maybe you have other thoughts as well.
* I’ve read that BUSD is under enrolled and has room for more students, so accepts transfers. True? False? True for TK specifically? An option for future grades?
* Is there any consideration given to the fact that our family members who do much of our afterschool childcare live in Berkeley?
* How does the district handle absenteeism from transfers? Can you lose your enrollment spot for missing too many days? We have family care obligations that mean our kiddo will likely miss more TK than districts prefer. I’m not worried about them missing academics at this stage, but I wouldn’t want to lose our enrollment.
* is pursuing this a good idea? My observation is that people basically seem to like all the Berkeley schools, while our OUSD options are much more variable. What considerations would you take into account? (We live near the border in North Oakland so the commute to most Berkeley schools isn’t any worse than some Oakland options.)
Thanks for any thoughts/perspectives!
Parent Replies
Having existing childcare based in Berkeley is a reason you can request an interdistrict transfer into Berkeley. Under Berkeley's interdistrict transfer policy, your child cannot miss more than ten days of school during the school year or the interdistrict transfer permit may not be renewed the following year. This is in part because California public schools are funded based on attendance, so every day that your child misses costs the district money.
On a separate note—please, please prioritize getting your kiddo to school. TK and kindergarten are foundational years for kids and set the direction for their education for years to come. That may mean looking at the school closest to you so that you can arrange for carpools with neighbors or other strategies to ensure your child can attend when you have family obligations. If you really feel that you won't be able to have your child attend regularly, you might instead look at preschool options that will be more flexible. Many schools offer programs designed for TK-aged kids.