In a nutshell
Westlake Academy asked to eliminate the online notice of intent to return form for kindergarten through eighth grade, which is a questionnaire originally designed to gauge whether students would be returning to the school the following year.
Darcy McFarlane, Director of Accountability at Westlake Academy, said that the questionnaire is confusing for parents and guardians in that they think it’s an enrollment application. She said the form was implemented in 2003 and no longer is relevant to the academy’s needs.
“Since we’ve grown, this is no longer helpful to us; it’s actually become a hindrance to us,” McFarlane said. “About 50% of our parents think that by us asking, ‘Are you coming back again next year’ they have finished enrollment, and that’s not true.”
The amendment also included setting a closed application date of Jan. 31 of each year for the lottery application related to accepting waitlisted students applying to kindergarten through eighth grades from secondary boundary areas.
McFarlane said that for each student who applies for a lottery spot at Westlake Academy, the school must do research on that student and find either their Texas student identification number or ask parents and guardians for their child’s social security number.
“Each year, we have over 1,800 students apply for our lottery,” McFarlane said. “It requires hours and hours of research [in] Texas education records.”
Town Council unanimously passed both parts of the amendment.
Also of note
Westlake officials also unanimously passed the adjustment to class sizes at Westlake Academy.
The current amendment states that classes should not exceed 25 students per teacher. However, Westlake Academy Head of School Dr. Kelly Ritchie asked for wiggle room in that amendment to help students have a more flexible class schedule for courses being offered just once a day.
“This is to bring us in compliance with what we say we are doing in our charter,” Ritchie said.
The amendment will allow:
- An increase to 28 students per class for core courses for middle and high school
- An increase to 30 students per class for non-core courses for middle and high school
What else?
Ritchie asked that 17 secondary boundary districts be removed from Westlake Academy’s list.
She said it was unsustainable for students, parents and guardians to fully be involved in the school when they are commuting 45-plus minutes one way to campus and that the academy doesn’t need to draw in students from far-out locations like it did when it first opened.
Town Council approved the motion, which saw the following secondary boundary areas removed from Westlake Academy:
- Arlington ISD
- Azle ISD
- Boyd ISD
- Decatur ISD
- Duncanville ISD
- Fort Worth ISD
- Garland ISD
- Grand Prairie ISD
- Highland Park ISD
- Krum ISD
- Lake Dallas ISD
- Little Elm ISD
- McKinney ISD
- Paradise ISD
- Ponder ISD
- Springtown ISD
- Weatherford ISD
