L.A. Unified moves closer to a unified enrollment system
Pressed by L.A. schools Supt. Michelle King, the Board of Education on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to create an enrollment system that will allow students and families to apply to just about any schools they choose at the same time, through one online application.
The $24-million project is central to King’s strategy for increasing district enrollment. Reversing years of declining enrollment is key to her plan to keep Los Angeles Unified financially solvent while improving district academics.
“It’s a one-stop shop,” said King, who said parents have told the district that the current variety of enrollment processes is “too confusing.”
“The idea was that we have to bring everything together in one space at one time so that all parents can have access and knowledge about what’s happening in our district,” King said.
Tuesday’s vote was crucial if the district was going to have any elements of the new system up and ready in time for fall. A tool for searching the location of schools and descriptions of their programs already had been pushed back to 2018.
King had wanted the board to approve the project last month, but she wasn’t sure then that she had enough votes for approval.
What is expected to be ready by next October will be modest.
During a six-week window, parents should be able to fill out a single online application to apply to three options for the 2018-19 school year: magnet programs, dual-language programs and a small permit program that allows minority students to attend a school in another part of the district if their enrollment would promote the goal of racial integration. Other district options are supposed to be added over the following two years.
Some of L.A. Unified’s most popular programs are magnets, which were originally L.A. Unified moves closer to a unified enrollment system - LA Times:
