So, the charter school we put DS's name in for had their lottery... and DS's name did not get drawn. He's #41 on the wait list now.

I don't know what we are going to do next year. We have a couple of options, but nothing feels like a GOOD choice, you know? The local school hasn't met his needs yet, and the policies they have in place make it seem very unlikely, BUT the administration is really wonderful, and really cares about DS, and has so far been willing to do unconventional things to help him. We could put him into one of the schools in the neighboring school district where my step-mother is an administrator, but then we'd be facing a long commute (in the wrong direction) every day... the policies in place there are more flexible in terms of advancement (subject & grade) but there's no telling how we'd get along with the administration at that particular school.

I wish I had a magic wand sometimes!

Awww! Hang in there. My friend's son was 39 on the waitlist at his school 3 years ago and got in. It does happen!
I wish I had a magic wand too! I would use it for you.

Way back when my ds was going into kindergarten, he was #73 on the wait list for a school we really really loved. He ended up at a different school and I didn't think much about it ever again, but I left him on the waiting list. Not too long after school started we were at some kind of city-wide kid activity and I ran into a friend from his preschool who said her son was going to that school. I related how bummed I was that my ds was way down at #73 on the wait list... only to find out... her son had been #71! And got in by the time school started. Our ds did get accepted at the school in the middle of the year when another child transferred out... but we declined because we were happy where he was at the time. Later on, we weren't so happy, so we re-entered him into the lottery and he was wait-listed. So we found a different school for him (again). And, sure enough, once again, he bubbled up to the top of the wait list and we had an offer to go there (and had again changed our minds because we were happy with our "second choice".

It may be more sane in your area, but we found out that in our city folks enter multiple lotteries and say yes to *any* program their child gets into in the spring, then release the spots in the late summer when they finally decide where to send their child. It's nuts, but it also means that a #41 may very well turn into a spot in the school.

Hang in there,

polarbear

We are definitely keeping him on the list (for now, anyway.) One major concern I have right now is that DD6 *did* get drawn! We went ahead and put her name in when we did his, because we figured if he did get in it would be nice to have them in the same school, but we were never sure that school was necessarily best for her. So now we aren't sure what to do about that, lol.

So, siblings of students don't get priority? I always thought that they did.

Sadly, no. In order for them to be able to do that they have to get an official exemption from the state, apparently. It can be done, and supposedly they are in the process, but for now they are not permitted to use ANY qualifications or preferences for inclusion in the school, other than living in the boundaries of the local district.

I would let her go and then when they get it fixed or when they draw his name I would send him too.