Falmouth School Committee Approves 88 School Choice Seats
Falmouth Public Schools will have up to 88 open seats for School Choice students for the 2022-23 school year, a number that was affirmed by a unanimous school committee vote on February 8 following last month’s public hearing on the topic.
Director of student services Joan Woodward presented to the school board on January 26 with her recommendations for School Choice seats. Grades 1 through 11 will have up to eight seats each; kindergarten seats will be determined later based on enrollment.
The eight seats per grade designated for grades 1 through 4 are not location-specific, as the locations are to be determined based on where class spots are available, Dr. Woodward said. Parents can request a school at the elementary level and while the district does its best to accommodate those requests, placement is ultimately based on space.
R. Patrick Murphy, director of finance and operations, said that except for Nauset, which sends out its own school buses to other districts to pick up students, Falmouth’s School Choice program is the most successful in the district.
During the 2018-19 school year, there were 151 School Choice students in Falmouth. The next year saw an additional 18 students join the program, for a total of 169 students.
At the public hearing, Dr. Woodward told the school committee that based on previous numbers, the Falmouth schools can expect to see between 20 and 30 students coming in. So while 88 total seats are much more than needed, she said, it is intentional for the added benefit of flexibility.
Falmouth schools did not accept any School Choice students for the 2020-21 school year, due largely to the pandemic, social distancing and hybrid learning. That year there were 166 School Choice students. Currently, 168 School Choice students are enrolled.
Applications for Falmouth’s School Choice program will open on May 6. If necessary, a lottery will be held on May 13, and parents/guardians will be notified on May 22. After these dates, applications for any remaining spots will be considered through August 26.