Schmitz Park/ Gatewood 1st grade Switch?

[andrew]

Figured I would give this a go as the enrollment center is little help in these matters. Our family moved into the area after the start of school last year. As we entered after school had started we where placed in Gatewood for kindergarten. We like Gatewood fine but based our house purchase off of the idea of a neighborhood school and Gatewood is not our neighborhood school.

Does anyone have a first grader or know of a first grader at Schmitz Park that is waiting for a spot at Gatewood?

Maybe we can cut through the red tape?

Cheers

Andrew

Share This

[hopey]

I’m confused. It sounds like you live in the Schmitz Park assignment area, but you arrived before the new rules went into effect, so your child was assigned to a different school (Gatewood)?

The way I understand the new system, now you are ALWAYS able to have your child attend your assignment area school; they are required to make room for every child in the assignment area.

Have you spoken with the principals at both schools about this? Have you escalated your question to the Superintendent’s office?

Bottom line though: your child will not be able to “swap spots” with another child. As a parent who waited anxiously with a child on a school waiting list, I’m offended by the very idea that someone would seek to circumvent the system (flawed or not) in this way, and I have to believe that the school principals and central administration would not allow you to do so.

Share This

[luckymom30]

I agree with hopey. Your school assignment is based on your home address and therefore you have priority for your child to attend the neighborhood school. You can’t switch schools without the School District knowing and I too know of too many families on waiting lists that would be very disheartened to learn you want to fake out the system.

Share This

[andrew]

Thanks for your replies.

Just to clarify. I am not trying to dupe the system or sneak in under the radar. We are currently #1 on the waiting list at Schmitz Park so if a spot does open up we will get it. I was just curious to see if there was someone waiting it out at Schmitz just the way we are waiting it out at Gatewood. From the many times I have been to the enrollment center I can tell you that this switch over has created a lot of confusion within the system. Just trying to keep our kid from getting adjusted and then moving to a new school in a month if it happens.

I as well was under the impression that now you ALWAYS where able to attend your reference school. Unfortunately I have found that this is not true in this “transition” period.

Share This

[hopey]

Have you talked to the principal of either school, but especially at Schmitz? Principals know how to cut through the red tape when it’s justified.

Share This

[WSB]

Also your school board member. When we were dealing with a school-assignment problem six years ago, this area’s then-board member was of tremendous help. Steve Sundquist is the current board member and might be worth a call too. I also just found out tonight from a school mailing list that he has a couple of community meetings coming up, and this could be a question to ask – First one is this Saturday:

September 18

11:00 am -12:30 pm

Southwest Library

9010 35th Ave SW

Share This

[Bonnie]

I have a friend who just switched her kid from the school he went to last year to another school so that when her other child goes to school she won’t have any problems and they will be together. She found out that even though it was their reference school she didn’t have priority. She didn’t have priority until her other child went to kindergarten NEXT YEAR. Luckily she got in after being on the wait list a few weeks. But there are all kinds of crazy rules. Just because it’s your reference school doesn’t mean they’ll send you there.

Share This

[Author]

Posts