School Choice - Got It?

[Alyssa]

I'm wondering something after reading the Public v Private school thread. Many of you indicate that you have a choice in the public schools your kids go to, as in you can apply for a transfer to a different school than you are zoned for. That is not something we have here. So I'm wondering how many of you have this. If you do, what size town/city do you live in and how many schools can you choose from?

[TtownAnne]

We can apply for a transfer, but I believe it is for a very limited list of specific reasons: childcare provider is in a different zone, you are building a house/preparing to move to the other zone, etc.

[JustJen]

We have it as an option. You have to go through a lengthy application process and sign an agreement to provide transportation, etc, but it is still an option. They only let in a few children per school.

[Shanna]

No, we do not have it. That said, I live in the middle of nowhere and my kids could probably have the option of our district as we are close to the line. However, they will be attending the school district next to the one that we live in :nod:

[Bridget]

We don't have an option in my town (only one school right now I think) BUT I've been told we can request a transfer into the school districts in KC where we work. I'm not sure about it, though.

[Dennis]

We have it. In Colorado, you can go to any school in the state provdied there is room and you provide transportation. You are guaranteed a spot in your local school.

[Nichole]

Yes, we can apply for an intradistrict transfer within our school district here. As long as there is room in the school you're applying to, you're pretty much guaranteed a spot. When a lot of people are applying for limited spots in a school, it goes to a lottery.

Our city population is about 140,000ish. There are 18 elementary schools in the district, 5 middle schools, and 5 high schools. There are also charter schools - two K-8 and a high school. They're also working on building a High Tech charter high school, and I've heard rumors of a K-12 charter school being built as well.

We have a pretty low-performing school district overall here. There are exceptions, but the majority of the schools here in both districts (they're divided up by elementary/middle and then high school) aren't so great. Hence, lots of charter schools and private schools popping up.

[Brookamy]

We have "open enrollment" here. It is the same as what Dennis described.

[AmyP]

We can apply for a transfer, but I believe it is for a very limited list of specific reasons: childcare provider is in a different zone, you are building a house/preparing to move to the other zone, etc.

Ditto. Also, if are entering 5th, 8th, or 12th grade (I think) you can apply to stay at the school you've been attending. I believe in any circumstance the principal of the school has to approve. I am more than likely doing this with my mother listed as the childcare provider.

[Stacey]

I voted no, but I'm honestly not sure. Our public schools here are very good, so I'm not sure there's a reason for it. :dunno:

[Bev]

We have the option of going to another school but I'm not sure how many exercise it. First you choose, Catholic, regular or French. Then you have to see what school boundaries you live within. We wanted to go to the Catholic school as it is a very good school and it is the one Patrick went to when he was small.

But because the daycare was across the street from another school we had to get a "release" from Patrick's old school to the one across from the Daycare. A week after we got permission to do that and had a tour and met the teacher, the daycare said they were moving down to where the school he is supposed to go is. So we went back to the original school said we needed to "unrelease" ourselves and go back to the school we are supposed to go to. What a rigmarole!

Short answer: yes. :lol:

[Melissa]

We are not currently living in the place where Katie will do the majority of her schooling. We are considering moving to Colorado, so since Dennis posted, I guess we will have our choice if we do move there.

[Kara]

Some schools around here have open enrollment..thats about all we could do.

[Alyssa]

No, we do not have it. That said, I live in the middle of nowhere and my kids could probably have the option of our district as we are close to the line. However, they will be attending the school district next to the one that we live in :nod:I don't understand how this doesn't qualify as school choice??

[Alyssa]

Thought I'd also throw in that I offered to try to pay $ to the town next to us to get my kids in that school and they said no. So we have nothing remotely close to school choice here.

[Brandi]

Well, I voted YES, but it's the town next to us that we are considering moving to. Right now we are in a town that doesn't do it. I don't think anyone is very fond of it. We have several grade schools here and you put down your top three choices. First, they fill the black quota for the school - they take all the black children who put X school as their first choice and are in proximity (who live within 1 1/2 miles from the school). Then, if the quota isn't full, they go to people who put it as #1 not in proximity. Then they go to choice two, then three. Once the black quota is filled, then they go to the white population. They go through the same process until it's full. They do all the schools at the same time so they are trying to make the most people happy as they can. Problem is, there are a couple schools that EVERYONE wants to go to and then there are a couple of schools that NOBODY wants to go to. It's a royal PITA and many people are NOT happy about what school they get. You aren't guaranteed to get into the school that you are in proximity to and you aren't even guaranteed to get into one of your top three choices. They say that usually people do, but some still don't. They also bus kids all over. Basically, this was set into action because there was a lawsuit brought about by the black families saying that their children were not getting equal education as the white students. While I'm all for having equal education, I'm not a proponent of the system we have set up now.
So, the town we live in currently doesn't have this. We go to our neighborhood school. Each school has two sections of the town at the school. A more white neighborhood and a more black neighborhood - this gives them some balance.

[Mandi]

Yes, my kids do. There are about a dozen of schools I can put the kids in. They fill the local kids first, then if we want to try to get them into a school that wouldn't normally be their primary elementary school, then they fill them by a first come/first serve basis. As it stands, I don't plan to apply to get the kids into any of the other schools. I'm happy with the school they are zoned in. Plus it's just about 2 miles up the road which is nice. :)

[Jayne]

Some schools around here have open enrollment..thats about all we could do.

Ditto :lol: Since we live in the same area's. It is about like what Anne Described.

[Karri]

Yes, we do. But I am pretty unclear about the logistics of it, since I live in a really good district. Most people are using school choice to get into my district, not out.
Anyway, they operate on a voucher system around here, which basically means that money is redirected to the individual families instead of the school districts in the form of scholarships (government or private funded). Parents can then use that for school choice...public, private, charter, homeschool, or whathaveyou...

[Clare]

I voted yes, but then realised that I don't really know. We always planned Catholic school and only applied for one and got into that one. There are 3 public schools in our immediate vicinity and I assume that we could go to any of them if we wanted to. But saying that, I have heard of people using fake addresses to get into the school of their choice so maybe it can't be done here :dunno:

Short answer - I don't know :lol:

[Shanna]

I don't understand how this doesn't qualify as school choice??


Their address will be my parent's address :shuffle:

[Bev]

Thought I'd also throw in that I offered to try to pay $ to the town next to us to get my kids in that school and they said no. So we have nothing remotely close to school choice here.

I forgot to mention when we were going to go to the other school we had to fill out a form to re-direct the tax money to that school. When we switched back to the school we were supposed to go to in the first place, we had to change the tax form again.

[gulp!]

We get to choose among the eight elementary schools in our town, but it's "controlled choice", meaning you have to list your top three, and you'll more often than not get at least one of the three, but maybe not your first choice.

There's only one high school for the entire town. :( I've heard bits about trying to go to other area high schools, but I don't know much about it or how often it actually happens.

[Dennis]

Thought I'd also throw in that I offered to try to pay $ to the town next to us to get my kids in that school and they said no. So we have nothing remotely close to school choice here.

That's interesting they wouldn't take your money. Do you know if they don't have room or if they just don't want to do it? Given how cash-strapped most school districts are these days, you'd think they'd jump at the chance to take in some kids willing to pay to attend.

I went to a really good high school in NJ and we actually had a few kids who paid tuition and commuted from NYC.

[Jayne]

That's interesting they wouldn't take your money. Do you know if they don't have room or if they just don't want to do it? Given how cash-strapped most school districts are these days, you'd think they'd jump at the chance to take in some kids willing to pay to attend.

I went to a really good high school in NJ and we actually had a few kids who paid tuition and commuted from NYC.

Could be that the school ...if a state school..isn't allowed to take money :dunno:

[Dennis]

Could be that the school ...if a state school..isn't allowed to take money :dunno:

That's what I'm asking :)

[Cami]

Wow, I am surprised that so many areas have choices in schools. I didn't realize it was that common. Where we lived in KY, kids automatically go to the closest school. Families out of district could pay tuition but I'm not sure what the criteria is for allowing students in.

Where we live now, we do have a choice although I'm not sure how many families get their actual choice. We fill out an application with our top three school choices and the local education authority assigns each child to a school. Addison is going to our first choice school but I think that's because it's small. There's a large school close by that is very popular.

[Shel]

I don't think we have a choice, other than private. What's really bad is that we live in one school district, but have been annexed into a different town, but our kids, even though we technically live in that town, cannot go to school there. :rolleyes:

[Silke]

We don't have a choice besides private. High school is different with all their specialty centers.

[AmyP]

I don't think we have a choice, other than private. What's really bad is that we live in one school district, but have been annexed into a different town, but our kids, even though we technically live in that town, cannot go to school there. :rolleyes:

We have something kind of like that here. Our elementary school district is two chunks - one near the school itself, and a chunk of our town (I live in said "chunk"). If I were to drive Sarah to our districted elementary school, we'd pass a closer one on the way. I'd actually prefer to send her to the closer one, but we're two blocks out of the district. :rolleyes: Granted, the school where she's supposed to go is only about a mile or two further, but I still think it's dumb.

[bunybomb]

We have it. In Colorado, you can go to any school in the state provdied there is room and you provide transportation. You are guaranteed a spot in your local school.

Our elementary school doesn't allow open enrollment. :scratch: In fact you have to prove residency. You have to show your deed or rental agreement. We tried to get Dylan in a different school in 1st grade and we would have been charged tuition to attend a different public school if the intradistrict transfer had even been approved.

[Dennis]

Our elementary school doesn't allow open enrollment. :scratch: In fact you have to prove residency. You have to show your deed or rental agreement. We tried to get Dylan in a different school in 1st grade and we would have been charged tuition to attend a different public school if the intradistrict transfer had even been approved.

That's odd. Maybe it's just Denver, but I'm pretty sure the person I talked to (who was in some official position, not just a joe blow off the street) said it was all of Colorado.

[Dennis]

Becky, I found the law. http://www.cde.state.co.us/index_choice.htm - click on Open Enrollment:

(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (3) of this section, every school district, as defined in section 22-30-103 (13), shall allow:
(a) Its resident pupils who apply pursuant to the procedures established pursuant to subsection (2) of this section to enroll in particular programs or schools within such school district; and
(b) Commencing with the 1994-95 school year and thereafter, nonresident pupils from other school districts within the state who apply pursuant to the procedures established pursuant to subsection (2) of this section to enroll in particular programs or schools within such school district without requiring the nonresident pupils to pay tuition.

I can understand having to prove residency so they know who is in their local district. But this seems pretty clear that they have to take out of district students and can't charge tuition.

Dnenis

[sunnyflower]

In MA you can school choice and then the sending town is supposed to pay the other school district. The district I just worked for was losing a ton of money due to school choice. Now I work and live in a large regional school district. You can "choice" to a different elementary school in town but I believe you have to apply. There are 5 towns in the district and each as its own middle school. THere is one high school for the 5 towns.

~Kerrie

[Michele]

In MA you can school choice and then the sending town is supposed to pay the other school district.

Yup - although the individual schools can put a limit on it. For instance, the district I would like Jackson to attend, stopped accepting school choice kids for elementary and middle school, you can only choice your kid into the high school.

I went to a "good" high school, so we had a lot of school choice kids.

[sunnyflower]

Right, alot of the towns will put a cap on the numbers. Sometimes you will see ads in the paper stating how many kids a town will "choice in" by grade. Once you have been accepted than you can stay through graduation.

[Bonnie]

Ours is similar to Nichole, but ours is 100% a lottery. You list all the schools you would like and you may get in, you may not. My local school is not very good, so we'll be doing this next year. The bonus is that if you get your kid into a good school, they are in that track through highschool, and siblings get priority, so if I get Caroline into a great school, I'll feel a lot better about the future for the rest of the family.