RANDOLPH - The Randolph School Board approved 20 incoming and 17 outgoing open enrollment students, but put requests from students in three grades on a waiting list.

The board approved open enrollment requests for 4-year-old kindergarten and third through 12th grade students, but placed the names of 11 students requesting placement in kindergarten, first and second grades on a waiting list.

"The majority are coming from Fox Lake," said Superintendent Dr. Greg Peyer of open enrollment requests.

Peyer said that some families told him they are trying to move into the district if they can sell their house.

Peyer said that the district's plan to offer a K-1 classroom next year because of large class sizes already puts them at the SAGE guideline of 15 per classroom. He said that the district already has 40 students who will be in second grade next year.

"We're hesitant to go beyond that number," Peyer said of the second grade class sizes.

Peyer said the majority of outgoing students have never gone to school in Randolph. He said it is possible that the district will lose a few of the older incoming students approved for open enrollment because they have younger siblings who are on the waiting list.

Peyer talked to the school board about the possibility that Fox Lake will request to be detached from the Waupun Area School District if the community's elementary school is closed. He told the board that Fox Lake might seek to be reattached to the Randolph School District. He shared the history of successful and failed attempts to detach from a school district in the state.

"What it leads to is more questions than answers," Peyer said. "It might be a good prospect for us."

School board member Jon Patzlsberger asked if the school district would take on debt if Fox Lake attached to Randolph.

"We would pick up debt as well as assets," Peyer said "It would about double the assessed valuation of the district."

Meanwhile, the board approved $7,400 in donations for weight room equipment, including $3,000 each from the Booster and Letter Clubs, $1,000 from Hugh Jr. and Paul Roberts and $400 from Ryan and Amber Alvin. The money will be used to replace the universal machine in the weight room, along with two other pieces of equipment. Peyer said that the donations should cover the cost of the equipment, and district funds should not have to be used.

alutey@capitalnewspapers.com