MOT Charter, Charging Fees, Is This Even Allowed?

I was quite surprised by all the fees MOT Charter charges parents: $100 registration fee, $150 per student for every sport that a student participates in, and fees have been assigned to their clubs and activities.

ii. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ONLY: A NON-REFUNDABLE payment of the $100 registration fee will be by the registration deadline.

I did send an email to DOE asking for an explanation. Public schools cannot charge a fee so I am not sure how this is even allowed. What if a family cannot afford all these fees? Other additional costs; families are required to take insurance out on the laptop, buy a holder for the laptop, and purchase uniforms at Rush. I get asking the parents to purchase insurance but all of these fees add up.

I also have concerns about when parents must respond to the invite to attend MOT. MOT does not have a specific date on their website as to when parents need to respond to the invite. DE code states that families have until the 3rd Friday in March to accept a choice invite. They also tell parents if a child misses the first two days of school and does not have an explanation their seat will be filled by a wait listed student.

 

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Sussex Tech is not following the law – Part 3

Sussex Tech revenues went up this year when House Bill 100 was passed and signed into law in May. Sussex Tech agreed to certain conditions in order to receive the additional revenue. Sussex Tech agreed to use only these preferences:

(c) The District may only provide preferences in student admissions to:

• (1) Siblings of students currently enrolled at the school; and
• (2) Children of persons employed on a permanent basis for at least 30.0 hours per week during the school year by the district.

If you look at their Admissions page they are doing something different. (I have been writing to the Department of Education about Sussex Tech and Sussex Tech has removed their admission’s page, it is currently not available.)

Sussex Tech is allowing for sibling preference if you have a current sibling or a past graduate of the last two years. 

They agreed to these conditions in exchange for the additional funding. Sussex Tech needs to update their website reflecting the current law.

Part 2 – Sussex Tech agreed to additional funds in exchange for conditions on their enrollment process

Sussex Tech revenues went up when House Bill 100 was passed and signed into law in May. Sussex Tech agreed to certain conditions in order to receive the additional revenue.

On Sussex Tech’s Admissions Application page, it states the following:

For upper class applicants (10-12), please submit the Sussex Technical High School application only with transcripts showing any and all credits earned in addition to current report card. Upper class applications can be submitted any time.

Choice law requires schools to accept choice applications on or after the first Monday in November and on or before the second Wednesday in January.  Sussex Tech is accepting 10th through 12th grade applications at any time and not during the time period stated in Delaware code. Sussex Tech is not following the law.

Sussex Tech agreed to a random lottery, no mention of the lottery for 10th through 12th grade students. Sussex Tech is not following the law.

Sussex Tech agreed to additional revenue but they agreed not to use grades as a part of their admission process. Why are they requesting a report card when an application is submitted?

House Bill 100 added to language for Sussex Tech to follow when admitting students into their school. (b) For any school year in which the number of applications for admission exceed the number of students to be enrolled, the District shall conduct a random lottery admitting student number “one” and progressing consecutively thereafter until the total number of students to be admitted has been reached. 

(d) The District shall be prohibited from denying any applicant for enrollment whose GPA falls below the 70^th percentile or who has failed any 8^th grade course from its lottery for admission, unless the student does not remain academically eligible for promotion according to the standards set by the Department of Education.