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Des Moines schools ask community to weigh enrollment pathways and opt‑in vs. opt‑out models for signature schools
Summary
District officials presented three student-pathway options and two enrollment models for signature schools, asked for public comment by June 30, and said enrollment priorities would favor neighborhood students, then region, district, and out-of-district families.
Des Moines Independent Comm School District officials asked the public to weigh in by June 30 on proposed student pathways and two competing enrollment models for upcoming PK–8 signature schools, saying community feedback will inform boundary work and enrollment rules.
"We are bringing the idea of three pathways that students at DMPS could follow to the community for feedback," project manager Dr. Becca Harris said, outlining three options: (1) attend a PK–8 signature school through 8th grade and then go to a comprehensive high school (Lincoln, Roosevelt or East); (2) attend a comprehensive/traditional school through 6th grade then transition to a 7–12 career-pathway signature school; or (3) remain in a traditional PK–12 pathway.
Harris used the planned Hoy Brewbaker dual-language program to illustrate potential enrollment challenges if students moved between programs midstream: if half of a cohort left at transition points, the school could face backfilling and mismatched student preparation, she said. The district is asking whether families prefer an opt‑out or opt‑in model for neighborhood enrollment. In the opt‑out model, neighborhood students would be automatically enrolled unless families opt out; in the opt‑in model, families would need to actively sign up to enroll.
Harris detailed the proposed enrollment priority order: first to students who live within a signature-school neighborhood boundary; next to students living in the region where the school is located; next to students across the Des Moines district; and finally to out-of-district students. She said feedback about these options will be shared with the boundary committee this summer to inform the committee's proposal to the public in early August.
The district has published program descriptions and videos in multiple languages and will publish a summary of feedback and the district's final recommendations this fall.
