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McFarland board approves open-enrollment space limits, guarantees for current pupils and siblings
Summary
The board approved criteria setting space limits by grade for 2026–27 open enrollment, granted guarantees for currently attending nonresident pupils and their siblings, and ordered random-selection waitlists where space is limited; all motions passed 4-0.
The McFarland School Board on Jan. 12, 2026 approved administration'recommended criteria for determining space availability for 2026'27 open enrollment and adopted a set of related guarantees and procedures.
Administration recommended that space be set by grade level rather than by class or section, based on class-size limits, pupil'teacher ratios, enrollment projections informed by local housing and birthrate data and a 2% margin for residential move-ins. Trustee Bruce Fischer moved to approve the criteria; Trustee Megan Chatman seconded and the motion carried 4-0.
The board also voted to "guarantee" currently attending nonresident pupils in the district'wide space counts, a move approved in a motion by Meredith Hughey and seconded by Chatman that carried 4-0. The board extended that guarantee to siblings of currently attending nonresident pupils in a separate 4-0 vote. Finally, the board directed administration to create a random-selection waitlist for each grade with limited space.
The minutes include Exhibit A, a table of building capacities and projected enrollments that shows zero available seats in several grades at district schools (for example: First grade listed as 0 available; IMMS Sixth and Seventh show 0 available; MHS Ninth shows 0 available) and positive availability in others (K4 Community capacity 136, projected 109, available 27). The board'approved approach emphasizes district-level grade capacity when determining whether to accept open-enrollment applicants.
Next steps: administration will apply the approved criteria to open-enrollment applications and implement the guaranteed-seat and waitlist procedures for 2026'27.
