Parents will get their first look at the Seattle School District student assignment plan at the October 6 school board meeting. The district has also scheduled informational meetings to explain the proposed attendance area maps with the closest meetings for Magnolia residents on October 12 at McClure Middle School and October 14 at Ballard High School. Both meetings run from 6:30p.m. to 8:30p.m. The final vote is set for November 18.
The district wants to create a new student assignment plan that is predictable, equitable, and easy for families to understand. As we have reported, this is of particular interest to Magnolia residents since we don’t have a high school and many students want to attend Ballard High School.
Under the new plan, students will receive initial assignments to elementary, middle or high schools in their attendance areas. Those assignments will be based on their addresses. Students can choose to apply to schools outside their attendance area and those assignments will be based on a series of tiebreakers.
If students are currently enrolled at schools outside their attendance areas, they can stay at those schools through its highest grade under a process called “grandfathering” — as long as the services the students need are available at those schools.
The new plan will be implemented in phases, beginning in the 2010-11 school year; the assignment rules for the current 2009-10 school year will remain the same.
