Alaska News

Application deadline looms for Anchorage School District March lottery

Anchorage parents who want their children to attend a neighborhood school outside their zone, a charter school or an alternative program next school year have until 5 p.m. Thursday to enter the Anchorage School District's online lottery.

A second lottery for next school year will launch in August, though the school district typically fills the bulk of open spots during the first round, said Glen Nielsen, ASD's executive director for elementary education.

By Wednesday afternoon, 4,988 applications for 2,801 students awaited the selection. As the numbers show, parents often fill out applications for multiple schools, hoping the computer program will randomly draw their child's name for at least one, Nielsen said.

In the case of charter schools and alternative programs, demand often exceeds supply.

The names of 130 kindergarten students sat on the wait list at Winterberry Charter School after last year's lottery. The children had not been selected to fill one of the school's kindergarten spots, said Shanna Mall, the school principal.

"We tell all of the parents that there really are not a lot of openings and that's a really hard message to hear," Mall said.

Students receive preference in the lottery for schools where they have a sibling already enrolled. Next school year, siblings are expected to fill all 22 spots in Winterberry's sole kindergarten class, sending families not already associated with the school onto the wait list, Mall said.

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At Aquarian Charter School, the names of about 800 students filled a wait list this school year, said school principal Lucas Saltzman. By Monday, it had received more than 250 applications for next school year from hopeful parents of future kindergarten students. The school can only take 60, Saltzman said.

The lottery drawing for next school year will take place Friday. Nielsen said initiating the lottery takes about three clicks of his computer mouse. In about 15 to 25 minutes, the program randomly selects groups of names for each school or program.

Last year, the school district accepted more than 2,000 students from the lottery process. This year, he estimated the number would remain about the same.

ASD sends the lottery results to the schools and programs. There, staff ensures that the children's information is accurate. By the end of the day on March 27, parents will know the educational fate of their children for the 2015-16 school year. They have 48 hours to make a decision on the programs they were selected for, Nielsen said.

Parent Jason Storter said he remembers the lottery process as nerve-racking.

He entered his son Gavin in the spring 2013 lottery, applying for six schools, including the Japanese immersion program at Sand Lake Elementary, the Spanish immersion program at Government Hill Elementary, the Russian immersion program at Turnagain Elementary and the Rilke Schule German School of Arts and Sciences.

"I remember thinking, 'I can't believe I have to win a lottery to get a multi-language program for our child,' " he said. "It is still crazy to me."

Ultimately, 5-year-old Gavin started kindergarten at Rilke Schule. His brother, aided by the sibling-preference policy, will likely join him at the charter school this coming fall, Storter said.

Stefanie O'Brien said she already sent the application for her 5-year-old son Konor into the lottery for next school year. The best word to describe the process and the scores of educational options to chose from, she said, was "intimidating."

"I think I have bitten my nails a little bit more during this process," she said. "While the waiting game is tough, hopefully it's worth it in the end."

She and her husband began preparing for the decision about where to send Konor at least a year ago, she said. They toured five or six schools, including their neighborhood school, Klatt Elementary.

She said she wanted a school that would identify her son's strengths and weaknesses and incorporate them into the day's activities. She said she feared her son would be another number at their neighborhood school.

Ultimately, she sent applications to four places: the Bowman Open Optional Program, Chinook Elementary, the Chinook Elementary Open Optional Program and Aquarian. The first is the family's top pick. Her son, she said, loved the tour.

"He still talks about it," she said. "He was excited to learn. He wanted to stay with the kids and participate."

The lottery will determine if he ultimately wins a spot.

Nielsen recommended all parents visit the schools before sending their applications. He also cautioned parents against overlooking their neighborhood schools.

The next lottery will take place in August. For more information or to submit an application, visit asdk12.org/welcome/lottery.

Tegan Hanlon

Tegan Hanlon was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News between 2013 and 2019. She now reports for Alaska Public Media.

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