Having to register children at birth to get them into French immersion and Montessori could soon be a thing of the past in New Westminster.
School district staff is recommending the board drop its first-come, first-served registration policy in favour of a lottery system by June 1.
A staff report states the proposed changes were sparked by parent frustration at the current process, which allows kids to be registered as soon as they have birth certificates.
“One of the concerns raised was that the current system favours longer‐term New Westminster residents and children born earlier in a calendar year,” states the report.
Last month, New West dad Rick Vugteveen told the Record his daughter Amelia could have a lower chance of getting into French immersion because of her November birthdate, despite having been registered at just six weeks old.
Superintendent John Gaiptman told the Record he started hearing concerns about the current system as soon as he arrived in New West in February 2014.
“Clearly we wanted to make sure that everybody had an equal chance and a fair chance of getting into the program of their choice,” he said.
Under the proposed new system, parents would have a three-week window starting the second Monday of January to register children for Kindergarten at their regular catchment school.
Starting the first Monday of February, they’d have three weeks to complete an online Application for Programs of Choice.
Applications received within the established timelines would then be grouped by priority category and picked in a randomized, supervised draw to decide placements. All other applicants would be waitlisted.
Students born in 2015 and students whose applications were submitted before May 30 would be exempted from the new process.
Staff is also recommending the district establish French immersion catchments for each of New West’s early French immersion schools.
Qayqayt would take in immersion students from its own regular catchment, plus the area south from the centre line of Third Avenue from Seventh Street to McBride Boulevard.
Spencer’s catchment would incorporate Howay’s and McBride’s, minus the area south from the centre line of Third Avenue from Seventh Street to McBride Boulevard.
Tweedsmuir’s catchment, meanwhile, would take in students from Lord Kelvin’s, Lord Tweedsmuir’s, Connaught Heights’ and Queen Elizabeth’s regular catchments.
The recommendations go to the board’s education policy and planning committee on May 5.
If approved, trustees will vote on the plans at a public board meeting May 26.
