School of Choice


If you have School of Choice questions, please contact Student Support Services at 248-426-4692 .


At the May 24, 2011 Board of Education meeting, the Board approved the following recommendations for all three School of Choice Options, for the 2011-12 school year, to include Intra-District (Resident), PA-227 (Employee) and Section 105 (Oakland County).  Thus following is the recommendation that will begin immediately. Due to the closing of 4 buildings last school year, please understand that due to space limitations and the fact that our buildings must reserve capacity for new residents/enrollees within their attendance boundaries the following was formally approved.

All three school of choice options will ONLY be offered at the kindergarten level in all lower elementary buildings except Highmeadow, as Highmeadow operates on its own application process.  All other buildings/grade levels are closed for the 2011-12 school year.

The Intra-District School of Choice Deadline was June 10, 2011. If we received, more applications, than space availability, a lottery will be held. Placements of students will occur in August.

If space remains available once we complete our Intra-District School of Choice kindergarten placements, we will then begin to determine kindergarten placements of our PA-227 applications. The deadline for this Schools of Choice was also June 10, 2011.  Again, if more applications were received, than space availability, a lottery will be held. Placements will also be made in August.

In August, once new residents/enrollee counts have been finalized, and if space remains available, after the placement of the two above School of Choice options, we may then be able to also open Section 105, in Grade K only, however remember that ALL applicants must live in Oakland County.  Watch the website, in August for further information on Section 105.

Note:  Sibling preference in any school would apply only if one sibling is already in attendance within an open building/grade level during the school of choice process Thus, the preference is only in effect when siblings will be attending the same school concurrently and only if requested buildings/grade levels are open to School of Choice.  If space permits, sibling preference students will be placed in their School of Choice first. If there are more siblings applying than space permits, a lottery will be conducted.

For any questions regarding School of Choice, please contact Kim Buckley at 248-426-4692 .

 

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Is the Farmington Public School District an open enrollment district?
    No. The only exception would be those students participating in Section 105 School of Choice. (See below #3)
  2. Can a student pay tuition to attend Farmington Public Schools?
    No. There are only two exceptions. One is for a student who is moving into the District within the trimester of enrollment with a signed purchase agreement. The second applies to a student who has completed his or her junior year as a resident. The student may pay tuition to attend as a senior and graduate from the District.
  3. What are the Farmington Public School 's School of Choice options?
    Intra-District School of Choice is for residents of the Farmington Public School District only . Proof of residency is required.
    PA-227 is a School of Choice option for regular employees of Farmington Public Schools who are not residents of the District.
    Section 105 is a School of Choice option for residents that fall under the auspices of the Oakland County ISD and is available only for those students entering Kindergarten. Proof of residency is required.
  4. When is the application period?
    The application period for Intra-District School of Choice is normally in the spring of each school year for the following school year. Please check our website in March for updated information and deadlines.
  5. How do I apply?
    Applications are available at each school building, at Central Office, 32500 Shiawassee, and on the website www.farmington.k12.mi.us. They must be returned to Kim Buckley at Central Office by the deadline. They can be hand delivered or mailed.
  6. What factors determine approval?
    Placement is based upon current building enrollment, projected enrollment, budget constraints, staffing allocations and number of requests. If requests exceed openings, a lottery will be held.
  7. Is placement on a first come, first serve basis?
    No. All applications are accepted until the deadline and all have an equal chance of placement based on the above criteria. If the number of applications received exceeds the number of openings, a lottery will be held.
  8. Is School of Choice available at all levels?
    Annually, the District assesses current and projected building enrollment along with budget constraints and staffing allocations to determine if a building or grade level will be closed to all incoming School of Choice students, including siblings of students already in attendance. Due to ongoing building capacity issues, School of Choice at the high school level has been closed since the 2004/2005 school year.
  9. Is there sibling preference?
    Sibling preference exists ONLY if two siblings would be in attendance at the same school at the same time and the building is open as an in-district School of Choice option. If there are more sibling requests than space permits, a lottery will be held.
  10. What is the order of placement for the three options?
    Intra-District School of Choice applicants are placed first, followed by PA-227 and then Section 105.
  11. Will my child receive transportation?
    Transportation is not provided to elementary School of Choice students. Transportation is provided for secondary School of Choice students in the afternoon on full days only .
  12. Will School of Choice guarantee my child's path through all subsequent levels?
    No. After completion of any given level (i.e., elementary or middle), a resident student will be returned to his/her home school attendance area for the next level. Incoming PA 227 and Section 105 School of Choice students will be assigned the school feeder path(s) per level of enrollment. Where more than one path exists, the administrative office responsible for Section 105 will determine the path based upon current building enrollment, projected enrollment, budget constraints, and staffing.
  13. What if my child wants to go back to his/her home school?
    It is desirable that a student who transfers pursuant to the School of Choice program remain at the selected school for that educational level (i.e., elementary, middle, or high). However, upon request, a School of Choice student will be allowed to return to their home school (at the beginning of the next school year). Once returned to their home school, a student is ineligible to apply for School of Choice at that level again.
  14. If I am participating in the Section 105 School of Choice option, and I move out of Oakland County , can my child continue to attend Farmington Public Schools?
    No. At the end of the current trimester, the student must register in his/her home district.
  15. If I am participating in the PA-227 School of Choice option, and I become unemployed, can my child continue to attend Farmington Public Schools?
    No. At the end of the current trimester, the student must register in his/her home district.
  16. If I was a resident of the Farmington Public School District but I move out of the District, can I still participate in School of Choice ?
    No. If you move out of the District during the school year, the student must leave at the end of the current trimester. If you move out of the District during the summer, the student must begin the following year at their new home district.