Siblings vs. walkers: CBE looks at changes to school lottery

Parents with children attending Calgary public schools will have to wait two weeks to find out if the board will change the lottery system for over-populated schools.

• Westgate School students, parents fight to keep Spanish program

If the change is approved, brothers or sisters of students already registered will be given priority.

The changes come as many Calgary Board of Education schools struggle to keep up with demand for student spaces. Calgary's population is booming and as many as 15 public schools will have to choose students for trustees, the issue is deciding how to pick who is allowed to come to which school.

"Many people thought this wouldn't be an issue you know, just keep walk zones and bus zone kids in the same category and hopefully it will never come to pass that we'll have to prioritize among them," said CBE trustee Trina Hurdman.

However, it appears that time has come and on top of deciding how to select students, not all trustees even agree whether the issue should be a school board decision.

Some feel it should be an administrative matter.

Under the current system, new students in the walk zone get priority.

But for families with children about to start school, the advantages of sibling-based priority scale are obvious.

"To keep the family coherent," said Jeff Woo, a parent from the West Springs school with three children when asked why he supported a sibling-based policy.

"Also, the logistics of trying to potentially sending my three children to three different schools I think it could be very difficult."

A report will come back in two weeks on the logistics of a change and details on whether it would cost more in busing.

However, it's coming down to the wire registration for next year has already started.