Studying Open Enrollment
February 19th, 2026
Today at the State House
On Wednesday, the House Education Policy and Administration Committee heard testimony on HB 1280 (Rep. Damon), which would establish a commission to study public school open enrollment. In many ways, the hearing was about open enrollment more broadly – important because this could be the only chance members of the public have to weigh in on open enrollment before HB 751 reaches the House floor.
Many pointed out the number of unanswered questions in both current law and in HB 751 (and its sister bill, SB 101). HB 1280 would explicitly charge the commission with addressing open enrollment funding, equitable access for students, special education service provision, and transportation, along with the role of the state in providing technical assistance related to open enrollment.
Though a number of others testified, the committee’s back-and-forth with Grantham Superintendent Christine Downing, which lasted nearly 30 minutes, best demonstrated the number of questions that need to be answered about open enrollment. Committee members asked about the definition of capacity, the relationship between the warrant articles communities are currently voting on and the pending bills, the impact on students, the other pathways available for students to transfer between public schools, and the role of athletics in driving open enrollment. You can watch the full Q&A here.
Ultimately, the Q&A itself demonstrated the need for the study commission detailed in the bill. As Superintendent Downing said in her testimony: “We’re not opposed to open enrollment but there’s so much more work to be done to do this right.”