Laserfiche WebLink
<br />'~;nt <br />fEducatien <br /> <br />...... <br />( <br /> <br />6=r:. ' LJ <br /> <br />January 25,}008 <br /> <br />VIA. FACSIMILE A...1\fD U.S. MAlL <br /> <br />Senator Michael' Jungbauer <br />State Office Building, Room 121 <br />100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. <br />st. Paul, MN55155-1206 <br /> <br />" <br />Dear Senator Jungbauer,. <br /> <br />TI1ank you for contacting the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) with your question <br />regarding charter school law and the admissions requirements outlined in Minn. Stal ! I 24D, 10, <br />Subdivision 9. <br /> <br />As you know, Minn. Stat. S 124D.1O, Subd. 9(3) states: <br /> <br />[a] charter school shall.enroll an eligible pupil who submits a timely application~ unless <br />the number of applications exceeds the capacity of a program, class, grade leVel, or <br />building. In this case, pupils must be accepted by lot. If a charter school is the only <br />school located in a town serving pupils within a particular grade level, then pupils that <br />are residents of the town must be given preference for enrollment before accepting pupils <br />by lot. If a pupil lives within MO miles of a charter school and the next closest public <br />school is more t~an five miles away, the charter school must give those pupils preference <br />for enrollment before accepting other pupils by lot, <br /> <br />A charter school shall give preference for enrollment to a sibling of an enrolled pupil and <br />to afoster child of that pupil's parents before accepting other pupils by lot. <br /> <br />Although there has been some question over whether the statute makes a distinction between a <br />"city" and a "town" for purposes of applying the statutory admission preference, MDE does not <br />believe that the legislature intended to make any such distinction. Rather, MDE interprets the <br />. statute :to use the terms "city" and ''town'' interch~geably for purposes of fairly applying this <br />statute and honoring its intent to. provide fair .and practicable choices for students with a <br />geographic or family need to attend a particular charter school. <br /> <br />With regard to your constituent's situation, 1Y1DE lacks the necessary facts specific to bis case <br />(e.g. his proximity to the school, his intende.:!" grede level, or his Sibling statns) that would enable <br />us to make .a judgment about whether this specific Student is, indeed, eligible for preference in <br />admissions. . If you or your constituent would like' to provide further information, we Car). <br />certain1 y apply the statute to his indi,odual circumStances to deternrine whether he would qnalify <br /> <br />-170- <br /> <br />1500 Highway 36 West, Roseville. MN 551'\3-4266 65'\-582-8200 TTY: 65l.582-820'\ <br /> <br />-33- <br />