I never really realized how much paperwork was involved. Since K12 via OKVA is contracted with one of the school districts here in Oklahoma, we were basically transferring our son from the Moore Public School District to a new one. So most of the paperwork looked very similar to the paperwork I had done to enroll him in 3rd grade here in Oklahoma when we moved here in 2009. Then there were some forms that were different, but I just couldn’t believe how much there was!
Then I learned another new “rule”. The month of April is “open enrollment” and the time when we can choose to transfer our children without the school district you are leaving being able to slow you down or stop you. If you do it at any other time of the year, then you have to do what they call an “emergency transfer” and school district officials have to sign off basically giving their “approval” for you to transfer out of their district and into another one. I don’t know all the specific details, but from what I could gather it has to do with the money the district is given for each student and when they lose a student, then I guess they lose the money as well.
One of the cool aspects, in my personal opinion, was doing everything online and via the internet. OKVA sent me a bunch of documents. All of which I could print out and fill out (some were even Adobe files that I could type in) and scan back into an email and send back to them. This way I kept all my original documents and they got what they needed as well.
For us the enrollment into this program was fairly painless. There was some waiting involved which can be a little nerve racking, but for the most part it went off without a hitch. I have learned from online acquaintances that process can be lengthy and frustrating for some people, especially if you transfer outside the “open enrollment” month.
Some tips:
- Stay in touch with your PAL (the person assigned to you for enrollment). Some are better than others with keeping you in the loop. I emailed or called about once a week to get a “status” update. Then if something was missing, I knew about it and didn’t have to wait so long for them to get back to me.
- Use the online resources. Once you are in the system, you can log on see your “dashboard”. It also shows you what your current enrollment status is. Your PAL is supposed to “check off” all your forms as they are received and approved.
- Try to be patient. (I know it is easier said than done!)
- Search K12 or your specific school on Yahoo groups and Facebook. There are literally hundreds of support groups for you to choose from. Families who have chosen this path and have done it for several years and have TONS of information to share.
- Keep in mind that every state is different. So my experiences here in Oklahoma may vary if you are in another state.
So now that we are enrolled, and the school year is underway. Stay tuned for our adventures as we march into this new arena with our heads held high! Ready for whatever will be thrown at us! Schedules, school shopping, younger siblings, “new math” and much much more….