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Ralston board reviews option-enrollment capacity numbers ahead of Sept. 15 window; formal resolution to return Sept. 8
Summary
District staff presented option-enrollment capacity figures and said the board will consider a resolution setting capacities before the Sept. 15 option-enrollment window opens.
The Ralston Public Schools Board of Education discussed draft option-enrollment capacity limits at its Aug. 25 meeting and was told a resolution setting those capacities will be brought back for board approval on Sept. 8 ahead of the districtoption-enrollment window, which opens Sept. 15.
Why it matters: state law requires districts to set capacity and program limits used to accept or deny option-enrollment applications. Those caps affect how many nonresident students the district can accept in each grade or program.
What staff presented
- Numeric caps: Dr. Zabrowski Gates (district staff) told the board the district proposes the following numeric caps for option enrollment: kindergarten capped at 300; grades 1through3 capped at 325; grades 4through6 capped at 275; class sections capped at 25 students each; combined grades 7and8 capped at 525 students; and grades 9through12 capped at 1,050 students. She said special-education enrollments will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- Resident students prioritized: Dr. Zabrowski Gates clarified, "that doesn't mean that we would refuse to take our own residential students at that point. ... But we would not take an additional option enrollment at this point." In other words, the district will continue to enroll resident students even when at the stated capacity for option enrollment but will deny nonresident option-enrollment requests for grades/programs already at capacity.
Board discussion and next steps
Board members asked about whether the district should promote option enrollment publicly and whether census and trend data inform the caps. Staff said they use census forecasts but noted Ralston experiences higher mobility and turnover (staff quoted a 15to18 percent annual student-change figure), which complicates forecasting.
The board did not adopt the resolution at the Aug. 25 meeting; staff said the resolution setting capacities will return on Sept. 8 for board approval ahead of the Sept. 15 option-enrollment window.
Ending
Staff asked board members to review the proposed capacities and bring questions before the Sept. 8 meeting, when the board will be asked to adopt a formal resolution setting option-enrollment capacities for 202526.
