[Please note: these guidelines supercede the ETO process as described in Policy JG for SY2024-2025 only]
[VOTED 2/27/2024]
The Elementary Transfer Option (ETO) is an option that allows parents to voluntarily request attendance at a school other than their neighborhood school. Prior to applying for the Elementary Transfer Option, a child must be registered with the District. Elementary Transfer Option requests must be submitted to the Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations between March 1st and May 1st for the following school year. Applications for the Elementary Transfer Option will be available electronically through the district’s website and student data management system. For SY’24-25, there will be one application per applicant family, listing all elementary students for whom a family seeks an ETO placement. Elementary Transfer Option placements will be subject to space availability at the requested school and grade level, with no guarantee of placement for the student(s) identified in the submitted application. The district will reserve three (3) spaces within each elementary school’s total, grade-level enrollment within current class-size guidelines for neighborhood enrollment growth. Any spaces beyond this threshold–but still within class-size guidelines–will be made available for enrollment through the ETO process.
The Elementary Transfer Option window will open on March 1st at 10AM and close on May 1st at 4PM. Following the close of this application window, all applications (one per family, regardless of the number of students listed on the family application) will be randomized to create an order in which applications will be reviewed. Decisions will be based on space availability at the requested school and grade level. Because space availability may differ for multiple children listed within an application, a family may not be offered ETO placements for each child identified in their application.
The district will employ the following protocol to manage the application process for the Elementary Transfer Option for SY 2024-25:
- An electronic ETO application will be available for families to complete and submit via the Powerschool Portal.
- Within the family application, any student(s) for whom the family is seeking an ETO transfer will be listed. If a current student is not listed in the application, that student will not be considered in the application review.
- The ETO application window will open on March 1, 2024 at 10AM.
- The ETO application window will close on May 1, 2024 at 4PM.
- Following the close of the ETO application window, the Administration will randomize all family applications. Family applications will be reviewed in the order assigned through the randomization process. (Note that this randomization will replace the prior practice of reviewing applications in the order in which they were received.)
- Admissions may be granted if there are more than 3 spaces available in the requested school and grade level. Admission is based on a student-by-student basis, not by family.
- Applicants will be notified on May 3rd by 5PM if they have been granted ETO admission for all, some, or none of the students listed in their application.
- Applicants have until 12 noon on May 10th to accept or reject the ETO offer. Offers and acceptances must be in writing via letter or email received on this date.
- During the week of May 13th, and after reviewing the accepted and rejected decisions, a second review process may occur based on the same, randomized list of applications. Admissions may be granted if there are more than 3 spaces available in the requested school and grade level. Admission is based on a student-by-student basis, not by family.
- Applicants will be notified on May 17th by 5PM if they have been granted an ETO placement(s)..
- Applicants have until 12 noon on May 24th to accept or reject the ETO offer. Offers and acceptances must be in writing via letter or email received on this date.
- No ETO placements will be granted after May 24th for SY2024-25 .
Once accepted, the ETO assignment will be considered as a permanent placement and families will not have to reapply for Elementary Transfer Option in subsequent years for the accepted child/children. Additionally, because the Elementary Transfer Option is based on available space for individual children, any future siblings of students who have been placed through ETO will still need to apply in the year the future sibling is registered with the District for Elementary Transfer Option to attend the same school as their older sibling.
Transportation is not provided to any students who are enrolled in a school through the Elementary Transfer Option process.