Frequently Asked
Questions
Seattle Public Schools has a five-year strategic plan to achieve
academic excellence at every school. An important component of this
plan is a new student assignment process that is equitable,
predictable, and easy for families to understand—as well as
one that is feasible for the District to implement and
maintain.
The School Board adopted a framework to guide the development of a
new student assignment plan that would consider factors such as
equitable access to programs and services, offer opportunities for
school choice, foster diversity, support stronger family engagement
with schools, be easy to understand, provide predictability and
continuity for families, and be feasible and cost effective to
implement and to sustain over time.
Over the past year, we have worked with the community to determine
how to best meet these goals. Some can be achieved through the
design of a new student assignment plan; others can be met through
decisions about academic programs.
A proposed new student assignment plan was submitted to the School
Board in March 2009. Community meetings and work sessions with the
Board to gather input were then held. The Board voted to approve
the plan on June 17, 2009 with implementation of the plan to be
phased in beginning with grades K, 6, and 9 in the 2010-11 school
year. It will take several years to complete the implementation of
the new student assignment plan.
Proposed attendance area boundary maps were
presented to the School Board on October 6, 2009. Following that
presentation, we gathered community feedback. Thousands of people
attended community meetings and sent comments via e-mail, postal
mail, comment cards, and an online survey. To read these comments,
or a high-level summary of them, please click
here.
Recommended maps were presented by Seattle Public
Schools staff to the Seattle School Board on November 3, 2009. The
maps will be formally introduced on November 4. A public hearing on
the maps is set for November 9 and a School Board vote for November
18. You can give testimony at public meetings and hearings; to
learn how to sign up to testify, please click
here.
Recommended maps were presented by Seattle Public
Schools staff to the Seattle School Board on November 3, 2009. The
maps will be formally introduced on November 4. A public hearing on
the maps is set for November 9 and a School Board vote for November
18. You can give testimony at public meetings and hearings; to
learn how to sign up to testify, please click
here.