Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Enrollment Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District launches 'Choose SEU' transfers and expands PreK‑3 seats to blunt enrollment losses
Summary
The district rolled out an out‑of‑district transfer program (Choose SEU K‑6) with initial projections for about 159 students and announced limited general‑education PreK‑3 classes (roughly 60 seats initially) with specified qualification criteria; staff said these programs could nearly offset a projected loss of 243 students.
Schertz‑Cibolo‑Universal City ISD staff described two enrollment strategies intended to reduce expected student loss and the associated revenue decline.
Mistophane (staff) introduced the Choose SEU K‑6 out‑of‑district transfer program, which targets campuses with space and projects initial enrollments of about 159 outside transfers distributed across Pascal (48), Green Valley (36), Cibilo Valley (21), Watts (38) and Wilder (16). A tracking tool will be updated weekly to show completed registrations, in‑progress applications and wait lists.
Staff explained placement rules: families list first/second/third choices; staff approve applications that meet criteria and place students at the highest‑ranked campus with space, holding a few reserved seats for district families and considering family‑level placement needs.
The district also outlined an initial PreK‑3 expansion for general‑education three‑year‑olds. Staff cautioned that beginning in 2027‑28 the commissioner must determine whether private providers are available before districts can repurpose classrooms; therefore the district is planning proactively for 2026‑27. Qualification criteria for PreK‑3 general‑education seats include active‑duty military families, children of district staff, emergent bilingual status, economically disadvantaged status and specific first‑responder circumstances.
"Our goals for this was to increase enrollment at designated campuses without increasing teachers," Mistophane said, describing staffing ratios (beginning allocations at 18 students per teacher/paraprofessional, expandable to 22 per classroom during the year) and caps on three‑year‑olds in mixed classes (no more than six three‑year‑olds per class combining general and special education).
Staff reported initial beginning‑of‑year PreK‑3 capacity of roughly 60 general‑education seats distributed by campus (examples: Rose Garden 9; Pascal 6; Green Valley 5; Cibilo Valley 9; Watts 12; others varied). Staff noted the Choose SEU and PreK‑3 projections together could add about 219 students—approaching but not fully replacing the 243‑student projected decline.
Trustees asked about protections for in‑district students, the registration and placement process, and how teacher‑employee applications would be prioritized; staff said teacher children were given early access and that reserved seats were set aside to avoid displacing in‑district enrollments.
Staff will continue to update the weekly tracking tool and report application totals to the board.
