By Aria Brown, Eisenhower High School
Open transfer has become a growing topic of discussion among students, parents, teachers, and state leaders across Oklahoma, including the governor and the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA). But what exactly is open transfer, and how does it affect schools?
Oklahoma’s open transfer policy allows students to transfer to any district in Oklahoma, even if they do not reside within the school’s geographical boundaries. According to the OSSAA, students who transfer schools may be required to sit out of athletic and extracurricular activities for one year.
However, families can apply for a hardship waiver, which may allow students to compete immediately if they have moved or if it is their first transfer. Senate Bill 783 would allow students to transfer schools without facing certain OSSAA eligibility penalties, including the standard one-year sit-out requirement. Although OSSAA acknowledges that its transfer rules are no longer state statutes, the organization states it will continue to enforce its eligibility policies.
A concern of open transfer is the impact on school funding. In Oklahoma, school funding is largely based on student enrollment, meaning that the more students that transfer from a district or school, the less funding that school receives.
“No child’s opportunities should be limited by their zipcode,” said Gov. Kevin Stitt in a press release in May.
The idea is true that no student should be left behind because of the school their zipcode attaches them to. However, students who choose to stay at their home school should not be the ones paying the price when enrollment drops and funding is reduced due to open transfer.
This is reinforced by the bill that Gov. Kevin Stitt supports, House Bill 2078. The bill updates the state’s funding formula to rely on more recent enrollment data. Under this system, funding is closely tied to current student counts rather than older enrollment counts. As enrollment decreases, school districts may face budget cuts that can affect academic and extracurricular programs.
Reduced resources can lead to fewer opportunities in districts that are not as competitive, and therefore, limit the growth of students and schools. Making a legacy and a positive history is important, but without proper funding and support from schools, they will struggle to create long-term development.
Building a successful athletic program often depends on consistency, player development, and strong relationships among teammates. When students transfer, some coaches believe those efforts can be disrupted.
“High school coaches go down to the middle school and coach them in the morning… Then, when they hit eighth grade, they want to transfer to another school. But you’ve been working with these same girls for three years. So, yeah, we lose the value,” said Eisenhower High School girls basketball coach Michele Hall.
Allowing students to transfer so openly could also put students at a disadvantage on their own turf.
“You get kids that hop from school to school at random parts of the year. And they’re taking away from the players that have put in time and work at that school,” Hall said.
This raises concerns about whether students who have remained committed to a program are losing opportunities to athletes who arrive shortly before a season begins.
While some point to the effects of open transfer on team development, others argue that school leadership and administrative decisions can also influence whether students choose to stay or leave.
For example, Lawton student athlete Aaliyah Foster. explained that she didn’t feel supported after a coach told her he had never really watched a volleyball game.
“I was reconsidering my transfer, but I felt that he prioritized male sports; I was not surprised because he did not care as much about female sports as he did about the boys,” Foster said.
Foster’s experience highlights a concern shared by students and parents when athletes feel unsupported in their own schools.
Having support in every way, even down to who is on your coaching staff, is a deciding factor in students wanting to stay or leave their home school. Another student athlete, Milo Wyatt discussed a situation that stemmed from the Eisenhower High School football coach being fired.
“ . . . after that, I think a lot of players went to Lawton High, and McArthur, too. I feel like if we all did stay together, we could have been pretty good, and I think [the firing] really ruined a lot because we did have something going, you know, growing there, and it really just ruined it all. But I think it was the best decision for everyone to transfer for their career, ” Wyatt said.
