Rochester School Board To Consider Offering Limited Schools of Choice

Rochester Board of Education members will consider Monday night a resolution that would "dip the district's toes" into Schools of Choice. 

The resolution would allow six students from outside the Rochester Community Schools geographic boundaries to enroll in the district's Alternative Center for Education (ACE) program next semester.

That six-student limit would be for the second semester only; the board would need to review the Schools of Choice program at the beginning of next school year.

The resolution was spurred by a series of "Best Practices" incentives that the state of Michigan offered to Michigan school districts before the 2012-13 school year. If district's meet seven of eight prescribed best practices, they will receive an added per-pupil stipend; in Rochester, that amounts to $52 per student, or about $780,000. 

A Schools of Choice program, where nonresident students are allowed to attend school in a district, is one of those best practices. 

At a recent meeting where board members first learned about the proposed resolution, interim Superintendent Tresa Zumsteg said this limited Schools of Choice program would allow Rochester to be "dipping our toe" in welcoming nonresident students. 

The Board of Education meets at 7 p.m. in the Harrison Room of the School Administration Building.

Also on the agenda:

• An Academic Spotlight on Hampton Elementary School's Common Core Pilot Program.
• A Spotlight on Success with the district's art teachers.
• The swearing-in of new board member Michael Zabat.
• The purchase of five new school buses for not more than $469,105.