One of the most important services that elected officials can provide is to respond to community concerns and ask questions whose answers have the potential to improve policy and practice. To that end, I recently requested information from the Anchorage School District administration regarding the total number of students on the district's lottery “wait list” and the number of students on the wait list at individual schools. Ta.
Local parents have long used the Anchorage School District's lottery process to enroll their children in schools and programs outside of zoned neighborhood school boundaries, or to enroll their children in special programs within zoned schools. I have registered for.
For some families, this means choosing one of ASD's eight public charter schools. For many others, that means choosing an immersion program, a Montessori-based school or program, an International Baccalaureate program, an open-choice program, a back-to-basics “ABC” program, or another school in a different neighborhood in a different location or region. means. Services are tailored to the family's circumstances.
Admission to an ASD school or program for the 2024-25 school year will first be determined by a “spring” lottery. This service ended on his March 21st, so data from a few days ago can tell us exactly the current level of community interest in ASD services.
To their credit, the ASD administration was quick to provide the information I requested. When we reviewed it last weekend, it became clear that a small number of parents were participating in the lottery process. Of the approximately 43,000 current students (some of whom are not participating in this lottery as they are already enrolled in their desired school or program), 1,280 students will apply to other ASD schools or programs next year. I applied. This figure represents just under 3% of her students with ASD. In all, ASD received 1,920 applications, as some of these students applied to multiple schools and programs.
According to ASD, only 388 (20%) of 1,920 applications were received for admission to ASD charter schools. However, given that families can apply to multiple schools in the lottery process, the number of unique charter applicants will likely be less than 388.
While this may raise eyebrows for others as much as it did for me, the data and trends gleaned from the 1,532 non-charter school applications may be more useful at the policy level.
First, this is emphasized by the fact that the vast majority of ASD families do not participate in the lottery system in the first place, but 670 applications were submitted to approximately 50 “neighborhood” non-charter schools across town. I feel like there's more than one of them. Local families have indicated that they want their children to learn, play and grow in strong, caring schools in locations they find convenient. In most cases, that means kids walking, biking, driving, and this year her 19,000 students will be riding buses to school.
But after plotting the neighborhood's major schools on a map, these families' lottery choices reflect a common-sense interest in both quality and convenience, albeit more aligned with their school destination than their home. We hypothesized that this is likely to be the case. People who drive to work in the Anchorage area from Eagle River and Chugiak, and families who commute to Midtown from both South Anchorage and Hillside, are looking for high-performing local schools along their daily commute. And I think you are. The lesson for me is that we need to maintain strong and accessible neighborhood options.
Second, within this group of 670 neighborhood applications, we noticed an excessive demand (117 applications) for access to admission to one of ASD's on-base elementary schools. Whether this is coming from families of students who live off-base and are stationed on base, or from local residents who work as military contractors is beyond my current level of understanding. However, recognizing that this demand exists means that the Department of Defense and ASD have partnered on a plan to rebuild Asa Major Elementary School, with ASD using FEMA reimbursement funds and School Bond Debt Repayment Funds to provide 20% It emphasizes that we are grateful for the share we have gained. of possible reconstruction costs. We expect on-base school waiting lists to decrease as on-base schools reopen and base capacity returns to previous levels.
A third finding from this data is that, similar to the demand for language immersion options for ASD, there is a demand for non-charter schools and programs that focus on the “whole child” or offer a specific approach to education. It remains strong. That ASD received 851 applications across optional, alternative and language immersion options is evidence of the community's strong interest in supporting all children. We need to preserve these options for our children and our communities. My parents regularly share that they chose to live in Anchorage to take advantage of these options.
Finally, ASD's spring lottery data suggests that many local families are interested in schools that offer long-term and/or secondary options. More families applied to ASD's only brick-and-mortar K-12 school (Polaris) than all of ASD's charter schools combined (418 applications). I am awaiting further information regarding grade level demand within Polaris and from ASD K-8 and 6-12 schools, but my initial feeling is that more families are moving into the ASD mainstream. You may be looking for an alternative to middle school and/or high school offerings and/or both. We are looking for a program that fosters more continuity than what is currently offered. I would like to delve deeper into this question in the future.
How can other local and state leaders use this lottery data to chart a path forward? Information about the demand for our schools and programs should be widely available, and ASD I hope you can find a way to do that. Once this happens, state and local policymakers must work together to translate data into both facility-based and operational actions.
Regarding the issue of facilities, it is important that the ASD flags that it will resume discussions on school integration in the coming months. Although this process is difficult, “right-sizing” districts improves the delivery of instructional services. One outcome of this process is that ASD will better support brick-and-mortar charter schools that seek to improve student learning facilities (and/or financial solvency) by providing students with space in district-owned facilities. This means that we will be able to support you.
However, the associated relocation and facility improvements can be costly. Therefore, state leaders who support the concept of increasing access to charter schools can do so by providing funding to help ASD and other school districts make such transitions and improvements; You may be obligated to use slightly increased revenue projections to facilitate this effort. A procedure using funds for some type of bond match. This requires vision and leadership.
Regarding the question of operational measures, while state policymakers have a constitutional responsibility to maintain Alaska's public schools, the base student quota does not allow for charter students, neighborhood students, and enrollment in non-charter choice programs. The same applies to students who are currently enrolled in the school, and students who are taking correspondence courses. Yes, the Read Alaska Act needs funding. Yes, you will need to coordinate your transportation. Other measures would also provide distinct advantages to subgroups of students. But advancing her long-overdue BSA increase with the help of 39 members of Congress is the single most meaningful way school districts across Alaska can support students in all educational settings.
Parents with ASD overwhelmingly told us that they valued their neighborhood schools as well as their chosen schools and programs. I urge state leaders to take a closer look at this data and use it to meet the needs of their constituents.
kelly lessons I am an ASD parent and a member of the Anchorage School Board. This article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Board or the District.
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