Schools of Choice

Renewing Education: New Directions, The Action Plan stated that Manitoba Education and Training would facilitate parental choice, within limits, in selecting the public school best suited to the child’s learning requirements. Within and between school division choice of schools is now in effect.

Choice of schools is an important initiative and respects some of the primary principles underlying the recommendations of the Manitoba School Divisions/Districts Boundaries Review. This initiative will ensure flexibility in student movement between and among divisions/districts thus establishing and facilitating equity, relevance, accountability and efficient program delivery. Choice of schools represents the Government’s commitment to foster educational partnerships among parents, schools and local communities.

Choice allows parents and students the ability to choose, generally without cost, a school to be attended other than the one designated by the school board. There are certain responsibilities and obligations that parents and students must meet when exercising schools of choice. Some issues that may require further consideration when exercising choice are: program suitability; space availability; notification dates; transportation; and, in some cases, transfer fees.

 

Table of Contents
Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to each of the following seven categories are provided by clicking on the desired category and question.

General Information and Definitions
Admission Information
Application and Deadline Information
Fees
Transportation
Taxation and Election Issues
Contacts

General Information and Definitions

1. What is the basic right to attend school?
2. What is a "designated school"?
3. What is "choice"?
4. What is a "sending" or "home" school division?
5. What is a "receiving" school division?
6. Where do parents find information to help them choose a school?
7. If a student does not want to exercise school choice, will this affect his or her right to attend the designated school?

 

Admission Information

1. Is there priority of admission under schools of choice?
2. Is a school required to accept a student who wishes to exercise choice?
3. Who decides if there is space?
4. If there are more applications than vacant seats, how are the vacant seats filled?
5. Who decides if a program is suitable for a student?
6. Can a student be refused admission to a school of choice on the basis of past academic performance?
7. Can a student be refused on the basis of past disciplinary problems?

 

Application and Deadline Information

1. How does a student apply for school of choice? Are there any forms to fill out?
2. Can a student apply to more than one school at a time?
3. When are students notified if they have been accepted into their school of choice?
4. Can parents still apply to a school of choice after the May 15 notification deadline?
5. Can choice be exercised after the May 15 deadline has passed?
6. If a school of choice does not work out, or if a parent changes his or her mind, can a student return a) to his or her former school division and b) to his or her former school?
7. Does a student have to reapply every year to continue to attend the school of choice?
8. Does this mean that the brothers and sisters of a student exercising choice will be accepted into the same school?
9. If a school denies a parent's request for admission under choice, is there an avenue of appeal?

 

Fees

1. Will parents pay fees to exercise school choice?
2. If a student was eligible for special needs funding in his or her home division and decides to go to school in another division, does the funding go to the receiving school division?
3. Are transfer fees automatically sent to the receiving school division on parents' or students' behalf?

 

Transportation

1. Will students receive transportation to their designated school?
2. Will a student receive transportation to a school of choice within the home school division?
3. Will a student be transported to a school of choice outside the school division?
4. What is a grant-in-lieu?
5. Will grants-in-lieu be paid to support transportation to schools of choice?
6. How much is a grant-in-lieu and who can claim it?
7. If the home school division does not offer a program and the student must go out of the division, is this student eligible for transportation?

 

Taxation and Election Issues

1. If a student goes to school in another division, do his or her parents still have to pay school taxes to the school division where they live?
2. If a student goes to school in another division, can that student's parents vote in school board elections in the division where they live?
3. If a student goes to school in another division, can that student's parents vote in that division's school board elections?
4. If a student goes to a school other than his or her designated school either in the home division or in another school division, can his or her parents be members of the choice school's Advisory Council on School Leadership?

 

Contacts

1. Schools' Finance Branch
2. Education Administration Services Branch

 

For additional information about Schools of Choice please see the Educational Change Update Letter - 97.