Schools
More Details Emerge on Dearborn Schools' Decision to Add Schools of Choice
The program's registration debuted at Nowlin Elementary School this month.
Enrollment is open at Dearborn Public Schools' Nowlin Elementary—to six students from outside of the district.
Faced with a $1 million deficit, the Dearborn Board of Education in November made the decision to lay off some teachers, as well as open its doors for the first time to the "Schools of Choice" program.
The program opens Dearborn classrooms to students outside of the district.
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The district began open enrollment for "School of Choice" at Nowlin for six kindergarten seats beginning Dec. 11. The enrollment period runs through Jan. 9, 2013, for residents of the Wayne County Intermediate School District.
Applications are available at www.dearbornschools.org or at the Student Services Office, located at 18700 Audette. Applications must be returned to Student Services, no later than Jan. 9 at 4:30 p.m. If more than six applications are received, a random lottery will be conducted to select which students will be admitted.
Find out what's happening in Dearbornwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Parents will be informed if they were selected and student enrollment will begin Jan. 14. Selected students will begin classes Jan. 28—the start of the second semester.
According to the district, Nowlin was selected to pilot this program due to the availability of space to accommodate new students and the school’s close proximity to neighboring school districts. The school is close to Dearborn's border, shared with Taylor and Allen Park.
Beginning the Schools of Choice program will help Dearborn Schools meet more of the state's Best Practices options, helping to secure more state funding for the cash-strapped district.
A statement from the district reassures that Nowlin is a good fit for non-Dearborn students.
"Nowlin also has a long history of having a very close-knit, warm, and friendly parent community who work very hard to support the school and student achievement," the district statement reads. "Any new families coming from outside the district will need that warm and friendly Nowlin welcome. They will also need to understand that being an active part of the Nowlin school community plays an important role in the success of their children."
For more detailed information on Schools of Choice, click over to the State of Michigan website.
