The Alameda Unified School District is proposing to change its kindergarten enrollment policy to a two-week period round up and lottery from a first come, first served rule.
Dave Dierkin, district student affairs and compliance officer, presented the plan on Oct. 23 to the school board, who will then vote on the policy at its next meeting.
The new policy aims to make kindergarten enrollment procedures fair and equitable, Dierking said.
Last year, parents lined up all night at Edison Elementary School to sign up their kids through the first come, first serve policy. Many criticized the process as unfair, saying that some parents might not have the time or resources to camp out all night and ensure a spot for their children.
Since August, the school board has been considering the idea of a random drawing process. But there was immediate outcry from parents who do not like the idea of their children possibly being diverted to another school aside from the one in their neighborhoods.
The district held a series of public meetings this month for community input on enrollment policies. Some parents remain resistant to the lottery idea, saying that many of them came to the city for their neighborhood schools. Many suggested an advanced registration process where parents can sign up their children years before they are of school age.
“A lottery creates so much uncertainty, increases anxiety, makes it very difficult for people to plan,” said Whitney Gabriel, a parent from Edison School Neighborhood Network, a group advocating for advanced registration.
The policy that the district is proposing would include a two-week initial enrollment period in the beginning of the year. If there are more students than spaces available, children with siblings at the school will be given priority to sign up.
The remaining students would be assigned numbers through a random drawing and will be enrolled according to their numbers. The policy would take effect for the 2008-2009 school year.
Though enrollments in the school district have declined over the years, mainly because of the closing of the Naval Air Station, there is a bubble of kindergarten-aged children entering the system and causing some schools to fill to capacity. At the beginning of the school year, there were approximately 50 more kindergarteners than previously projected.
And some say the problem will only worsen over the years. School board members are also currently looking into ways to solve capacity issues and deal with the imbalance of enrollments in schools.
Filed under: Education
