Waitlists
There was a question about waitlists as some parents are hoping they will move and that their younger child can join an older sib at the older sib's school. I asked Tracy Libros, head of Enrollment, about them.
"We are handling them centrally. We are constantly reviewing data and identifying where we can move waiting lists and then calling families. It doesn’t happen instantly – but it happens pretty quickly! (For instance, I worked Labor Day weekend to get as many calls as possible made before school started.) "
So that's your answer for now. I would counsel patience because people do move around but it may not be until October. How many might move is anyone's guess.
I honestly believe Tracy except for one thing (and this goes for the overenrollment and any other issues that will come up in the next 2-3 years with the NSAP). That one thing is that they really don't know for sure how it will all play out. You can't ascribe past attrition patterns to a new student assignment plan. It's a whole new game.
Now, of course, we have said here (some of us) that maybe the overenrollment is not about the district not being able to properly forecast but rather, that this is by design so that parents will give up and go to a school that has room for their child and with a smaller class size. It is cynical to think the district would know that they will have a large number of extra kids and do little to prepare.
I was told that Queen Anne Elementary had more students show up than were expected and that the principal told parents he didn't have the authority to hire another teacher (even though the numbers were there). I'm not sure how that is playing out.
"We are handling them centrally. We are constantly reviewing data and identifying where we can move waiting lists and then calling families. It doesn’t happen instantly – but it happens pretty quickly! (For instance, I worked Labor Day weekend to get as many calls as possible made before school started.) "
So that's your answer for now. I would counsel patience because people do move around but it may not be until October. How many might move is anyone's guess.
I honestly believe Tracy except for one thing (and this goes for the overenrollment and any other issues that will come up in the next 2-3 years with the NSAP). That one thing is that they really don't know for sure how it will all play out. You can't ascribe past attrition patterns to a new student assignment plan. It's a whole new game.
Now, of course, we have said here (some of us) that maybe the overenrollment is not about the district not being able to properly forecast but rather, that this is by design so that parents will give up and go to a school that has room for their child and with a smaller class size. It is cynical to think the district would know that they will have a large number of extra kids and do little to prepare.
I was told that Queen Anne Elementary had more students show up than were expected and that the principal told parents he didn't have the authority to hire another teacher (even though the numbers were there). I'm not sure how that is playing out.
Comments
But instead you see staffing issues at both under and over enrolled schools.
I guess that is equitable.
...there are two issues here.
The first is that such trades ought not to be made at the request of anyone on the waitlist. System integrity requires they be made using a pre-defined algorithm/processing phase. To do otherwise opens up possibilities of graft and magnifies inequities of access. Because of this, very few designers of assignment/waitlist schemes would support making ad hoc swaps.
There exist plenty of acceptable schemes for achieving these swaps, and they are used in other school assignment systems. However, they are more complex than our current system, which brings up the second issue...
The district has (IMHO) made it clear that they are not interested in providing or maintaining a more complicated assignment system. Their focus for school assignment has been on making things much simpler, even if that means forgoing modest improvements.
Of course, if it's your child it's not a "modest improvement" to you. However, given the scope of the district's other problems, lack of attention here shouldn't come as a surprise.
For split families the window to wait it out is rapidly being nailed shut.
Thanks Step J, that was an important point I should have put in.
I also remember from the budgeting process late last school year that the school budgets are due to be reassessed on Sept 30th based on actual enrollments. The principal should have authority to hire a new teacher then. Whether there will be any good teachers left at that point is another question.
Nearest to Jane Addams is John Rogers which had a zero wait list for K. Sacajawea had a very short wait list. Wedgwood admitted all younger sibs. for K.
The wait list at View Ridge has only barely moved. Number one was offered a spot last week and declined. Number two accepted. No movement beyond that.
Why the wait to add a 3rd K at Jane Addams? They have lots of space. Parents that live near it are talking it up and view it as their neighborhood school and want to attend. Isn't that what was supposed to happen?
It doesn't make sense to have the word get out that the District will 'punish' you with large class sizes if you choose JA.
First, they were told with 110 kids they would get 5 teachers. But they are past that number and still at 4. So class sizes pushing 28+ in multi-age class rooms and enrollment is still open. The district says no - wait until October 1st and find out what the final number is, like every other school and if you get more staff and the kids have to move once, no big deal.
In the meantime, sharing a building with McDonald, it affords the oppty to share teachers. Sounds great, right?
Except on Sept 1st, the brilliant minds in the district decided to give McD another teacher based on their projected enrollment for McD. So staff was hired, kids were shuffled around, QAE kids were moved into that McD class to even out class sizes and make a full 3rd grade. Everyone is happy, right?
Well - on Sept 13th - 12 days later- we learn that OOOPS! McD shouldn't have gotten an extra staff member, enrollment was much lower than projected (at about 60 kids). So - pull a teacher (the least senior one, NOT the one that was just hired) and start the kid/school/ teacher shuffle.
So these kids will get moved at least twice, if not more, when all this ridiculous stuff is over.
And let's remember, QAE was supposed to take the pressure off of Coe and Hay and other reference schools. Well, 110+ is a pretty good start toward that goal. The principal, parents, and staff personally recruited families all summer to get to this number. The district did NOTHING to help. Now, that the number is high, they are getting screwed.
The shuffle of kids isn't final yet - the McD and QAE staff and principals are figuring that out and the changes in classrooms take place on Monday next week.
Oh - and for those who think Lincoln can take extra high school kids, wait at least 2 years cuz that's how long McD is there.
A Parent at Lincoln
I guess they are also allocating more PE and art time too with the greater numbers. Not sure if they are adding any more classes at other levels, but there seem to be many new families at the school this year at all levels.
Happy for your school. Glad you will have smaller class sizes.
Awesome news for your kids! AND....Your news for JA extra staff gives me hope that we can get approval for another teacher and only have to move kids once.
Parent at Lincoln
Hopeful
Also, it sounds like they are first putting time into trying to get those siblings taken care of. Between that and the Garfield overenrollment issues, they seem swamped.
It does seem reasonable for parents of the split siblings to request that they be allowed to stay on the waitlists after Sept 30th, but drop any non-sib waitlisted students on Sept 30th. That would seem to be a justifiable position for them.
I would rather move my younder sib to older sib anytime to be able to go to school together. Sept 30 deadline is like a time bomb.
In the past, at JSIS, there were a few kids move after waitlist disolved, and kids from private school took spots right away. I think younger sibs should be able to keep the waitlist status longer.
I am quite sure there are a few empty apartments being rented for the mailing address.
It seems to me that if they had done what they intially claimed they would -- established "excellence for all" city-wide BEFORE implementing the SAP, we wouldn't be having these discussions about whether desperate families are "cheating" to try to avoid the schools they don't want to go to, but that the SAP has consigned them to.
Let's remember that the only reason that JSIS isn't an Option School is that each Option school further complicates the determination of the right size for the attendance area boundaries.
As it stands, there is no alternative school in the Hamilton Service Area. It should have been JSIS and McDonald should be the attendance area school for that neighborhood.
Hamilton is, in fact, one of only two middle school attendance areas without an Option School. The other is Denny, which could also have one if the language immersion program at Concord were also so designated.
Helen Schinske
In regards to the address, even though you have a second house/apartment, you have to live there in order to use the address to get in the school, right?
Crow: Hopefully, they are investigating even though you haven't heard from SPS. Since we are on waitlist, it is extremely important that SPS does the right thing. One or two spots really count.
Related to comments on address cheating. In past years, JSIS families have been turned in due to lying about addresses. If you know it, report it.
http://www.seattleschools.org/area/eso/SSR/main.xml
Reading the blog has given me some clues. But, I haven't seen any discussion regarding enrollment at Thurgood Marshall or Lowell outside of APP. I am also particlularly interested in Leschi, Madrona, Stevens, McGilvra, TOPS, and NOVA
The big change at JSIS would not be enrolling (almost exclusively) kids living within a few blocks, but the ability to cut off enrollment when the school is full.
I disagree a little bit. If JSIS were an Option School they would not have any more say as to their enrollment numbers than they do this year.
Complete and total control of how many kids are enrolled at a school has transferred to Central.
Attendance Area schools or Option Schools no longer have any say.
As examples look at Thornton Creek which had a 4th K class added this year, or Jane Addams which started the year with 33 - 34 kids enrolled in each of two K classes. Admittance and assignment were determined by Central and not the local school.
IF, JSIS were an Option School then all seats would be open for enrollment. If there were more applicants than seats determined available (by Central) then Sibs. would have first priority to get in.
For 2011-2012 if more Sibs. applied then available seats (as determined by Central) then Sibs. that live within the Geographic Zone would get in first, siblings outside of the Geo Zone would get in second, non-sibs. that live within the Geographic Zone would get in third.
If there are still seats available (as determined by Central) then any available seats would be determined by assigned lottery number.
A Principal or BLT committee no longer has any say or sway as to class sizes or who is, or is not given assignment to a school.
A Pricipal can contact enrollment with a kind request to admit additional kids from the the wait list -- but, they do not have any control any longer over who, how, or how many are admitted to their school.
Attendance Area school or Option School -- no difference.