Focus on TUSD - May 2008

School Choice Offers Parents New Opportunities for Fall

"School Choice" TV and radio spots began airing Tuesday, May 27. The six-week marketing campaign also will include print ads in the Bear Essential News for Kids newspaper, Focus on Education, and The Desert Leaf magazine.

"School Choice" ads will encourage parents to call the Welcome Center, 225-6655, or visit the ChoiceNow.org Web site to explore school programs throughout the District. "Choose a school near work, near day care, near home..." will affirm that all schools are available to all students -- as long as space permits.

District administrators conducted public forums to let our students know about "School Choice," and applications were mailed to all TUSD families in December 2007. The Welcome Center processed 7,819 applications for "School Choice" following those efforts.

Now we're letting the general public know that all enrollment restrictions have been removed. In August 2007, the TUSD Governing Board rescinded Policy 5090, which limited school options for students based on ethnicity. The "School Choice" campaign is designed to reach parents who chose to send their children to a charter school because their neighborhood school had race or ethnicity restrictions.

There are approximately 11,000 students attending charters within TUSD's boundaries. With the upcoming campaign, the District hopes to attract at least 500 new students for the 2008-2009 school year.

The "School Choice" Web site will have a number of resources including Frequent Questions & Answers, a printable application form, and "school finder" tables that will allow sorting by special programs, AZLearns ratings, zip code, and other criteria.

Transportation will continue to be offered to magnet schools and some desegregation schools, but parents still will be responsible for transporting kids to schools outside their attendance boundaries. Out-of-district students also will be encouraged to apply under "School Choice," but space priorities always will be given to TUSD students.

A database of student vacancies, by school, will be maintained by the District planner. Schools that are near, or at capacity, will be listed at the ChoiceNow.org Web site.

All applications for "School Choice" must be mailed to or taken to the Welcome Center at 75 N. Park Ave. Schools cannot directly enroll non-boundary students.

We encourage school staff to provide parents with school program information, and to offer tours of their schools (as possible) then direct them to the Welcome Center to apply for "School Choice."

More information
About School Choice: The Welcome Center, 225-6655
About school capacities: Bryant Nodine, 225-4948
About the School Choice Web pages: Cathy Thwing, 225-6276
About the media campaign: Joe Bidwell, 225-6672

Photos in the May issue by Jes Ruvalcaba of Communications & Media Relations, unless otherwise noted.

The deadline to submit material for the June Focus is Friday, June 13. The Focus will be published Monday, June 23. Email submissions to Chyrl Hill Lander or Sharon Dunham in the Communications & Media Relations Department or use the online Tip Sheet.