Sarasota County Schools opens Feb. 3 school-choice window; new Skyrange boundary will reserve seats for zone residents

Chris Parrenteo, host of the podcast "Sarasota County Schools in Tune," opened the episode with an overview of the district's controlled school-choice period and invited district staff to explain the process.

Milli Wheeler, from the Sarasota County Schools Office of School Choice, said the district's application window will run from Feb. 3 through March 3 this year and that "notifications will be sent to families in early April, and they'll receive emails and notices in their Focus Parent portal." She advised families that they may apply to three schools but are not required to list three, and that students placed at a second- or third-choice school will be placed on a wait list for their top choice.

The lottery and verification process takes place after the application window closes, Wheeler said. Staff review claimed preferences such as sibling preference before the district's information system runs a random lottery. "Students with confirmed preference will receive an advantage in the lottery, but it is still not guaranteed," Wheeler said, adding that many of the preference weights are set by state law.

Diana Caminati of the district's planning office described how the opening of the new school…