3. Lottery Placement: ○ If, after applying all the above priorities, there are more students seeking placement at a school than available seats, a lottery system would be implemented to fairly determine placement. ○ Students not placed in their first-choice school through the lottery would then be considered for their next preferred school choice, continuing until all students are placed. Independence from Staffing Assignments: Student placements would be determined independently of any information regarding the final placement of elementary staff or administrators for the upcoming school year. Communication and Finalization: Families would be notified of final placements once the lottery and placement processes are complete. Choice III: Re-Assignment of Conant Students (and staff) to PDB, Boardwalk, and Blanchard This plan represents an option that does not involve a total re-enrollment of all students , but rather primarily addresses the reassignment of Conant students, whose building would close. The approach is designed with careful attention to the concerns of Conant families, given that their community would be redistributed into existing school populations that are largely being kept whole , even as there remains an expectation of thoughtful blending among all newly combined populations. The plan seeks to ensure that the new schools are genuinely newly formed communities —shaped by the contributions of all students and staff—rather than simply absorbing Conant students into pre-existing structures. The Conant reassignment process described below essentially mirrors the process outlined in Option 3 (Closure of Merriam) , with one key difference: the placement options for Conant students would be the newly formed lower and upper schools at the twin campuses or Blanchard. Because of this, the placement of Conant staff and leadership will be an important factor in supporting meaningful integration, fostering collaboration, and ensuring the new communities develop their own identity. While the primary focus is student reassignment, intentional staff placement is a closely related consideration. Thoughtful staff placement can help address concerns from the Conant community that this option might unduly burden them, ensuring that Conant students and staff are integrated into meaningful combinations with existing personnel rather than simply dispersed. These adjustments—beyond just Conant staff—are intended to promote collaboration, balance expertise, and support the equitable integration of all students, without requiring wholesale shuffling of staff.
It is important to note that the student placement process described below does not include plans or details regarding the process for determining staff assignments , which will be addressed separately.
STEP 1: Identify Available Seats by Grade at PDB Lower School, PDB Upper School, Boardwalk Lower School, Boardwalk Upper School, and Blanchard once additional sections have been re-distributed to the remaining five elementary schools. STEP 2: Priority Placement for Specialized Programs (Connections at Conant) Students who require placement in specialized special education programs would be placed at the school where
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