School choice enrollment to open for Manatee County

Families have had to make dozens of crucial decisions this year that impact their children’s education, and there are more to come as the School District of Manatee County’s school choice open enrollment begins.

Unlike past years, the district won’t be able to host its Showcase of Schools, where families are able to see what different schools within the county have to offer, because social distancing wouldn’t be possible. 

From Dec. 1 through Jan. 15, families with students in kindergarten through 10th grade will have the opportunity to enroll in school choice without providing a reason for the school selection. Parents of rising juniors and seniors must apply for hardship to attend a different school because choice is not available to those students.

After Jan. 15, families will be required to apply for hardship, which means the family must provide a reason why they want to switch schools.

Don Sauer, the supervisor of the district’s Office of Student Demographics, Projects and Assignment, said the district expanded the enrollment period by two weeks in case some schools want to host their own open houses or campus tours if the district decides to allow visitors into school.

“There’s been no exact word on when and how they can do it,” Sauer said.

If schools don’t have open houses or tours available, families can find out more about the schools and programs by reaching out to the school’s administrators or visiting the school’s website.

Sauer said students being in different learning modalities this year does not impact the number of available spots at a school.

“One thing parents have to know is just because a student is in e-learning, they still belong to that school,” he said. “If a school has 1,000 students, and 250 are e-learning, it’s not, ‘Well, they have room because 250 students aren’t there.’ When the pandemic ends, those students will come back.”

Although the district has not yet determined which schools will be open to choice during the upcoming 2021-22 school year, families can expect more schools to be open as a result of the district choosing to redistrict elementary schools last year and the construction of additions at some schools.

For example, Gene Witt Elementary School has been closed for choice for at least four years, but with a new addition being built at the school, Sauer expects the school can open for choice.

Redistricting opened spots at Freedom, Gilbert W. McNeal and Robert E. Willis elementary schools.

B.D. Gullett Elementary School and Lakewood Ranch High School are expected to be closed to choice due to the schools being over capacity.

Sauer said transportation for students who participate in school choice will only be available if the choice school is in the same cluster as the zoned school. For example, if a child is zoned for Gene Witt Elementary, the student can choose to go to Freedom, Williams and Gullett and still receive transportation from the district.