A few years ago, obtaining an inter-district transfer to enter the Roseville Joint Union High School District was as likely as knocking off Granite Bay High’s football team – slim.

But a major budget crisis and increased capacity has meant officials are turning tradition on its head, opening up once off-limits schools to many more students who want to enter – with a few strings attached.

For the second year, the district has been promoting its schools – through advertisements and word of mouth – to those who don’t live within the district’s boundaries of Roseville, Granite Bay and Antelope.

But the effort has taken on new significance this year as educators face dramatic cuts thanks to a devastating state budget. The Roseville Joint Union High School could have to slash as much as $8 million next month to stay solvent (it was unclear how much that number would change following Thursday’s budget accord).

In addition, the opening of Antelope High School this year means space is available at individual schools, especially at Oakmont High, where many AHS students previously attended.

That’s where boosting numbers comes in.

“In this time of uncertainty with the state budget, with the deficit, with teachers being noticed for possible layoffs, the more students we can bring in, ultimately the more teachers we can continue to have in our district,” said Steve Williams, the district’s director of pupil personnel services.

To be sure, the district also sees an outflow of students, including a total of 278 last year. And many other districts are also increasing their outreach.

But Williams believes RJUHSD programs – such as International Baccalaureate, the Oakmont Health Careers Academy, sports programs and others – are attractive to many outsiders.

“What we found was there was a large number of very qualified students who wanted to be a part of our district,” he said.

So far, the numbers appear to bear that out. Williams said a total of 332 students from outside the district were attending Roseville schools in the 2008-2009 school year, up from 247 in 2007-2008.

The difference is most profound in the number of ninth graders; in 2006-2007, just 30 were allowed admission from outside RJUHSD boundaries. That number jumped to 119 this year.

Increasing interdistrict students by a few hundred won’t prove a budget panacea. But these days, with districts talking about slashing lawn-mowing schedules to cut costs, every dollar counts. Williams estimates every 27 additional students means one more teacher is needed. And each student also generates more revenue from the state.

“For every 100 students, after all of the costs have been calculated out, it creates revenue of about $380,000 for the district per year,” he said.

The new students are primarily finding spots at Oakmont and Antelope, but Williams said there’s some space at each district school. The transfers are coming from North Highlands, Elverta, Rocklin, Loomis, Orangevale and Citrus Heights.

Of course, students have to hold up their end of the bargain.

The criteria for remaining at Roseville schools includes regular attendance, good behavior, academic success and participation in athletics or a club each semester.

“The more students are involved with their school, the more successful they are,” Williams said.