The district fails to retain students whom it rejects from school choice programs, particularly at Millikin Basics+ Elementary. Of the five specialized programs at SCUSD, Millikin\u2019s traditional education program attracts the highest number of students from other schools within the district. But it also repels the most; SCUSD lost 158 students after they failed to get into Millikin for the current academic year. Administrators don\u2019t track where they go.<\/p>\n
Millikin parent Ravi Lekhwami said during the trustees meeting, \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people who are essentially pushed out.\u201d<\/p>\n
SPONSORED<\/p>\n
Parents must enroll children in their neighborhood school to enter the choice program lottery. Several said they only apply to win their lottery choice, and rejected students relocate to private schools or neighboring school districts. \u00a0<\/p>\n Almost 100 parents attended Tuesday\u2019s meeting, spilling out of the boardroom and into the district office lobby. The majority represented students from Millikin.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy are these choice schools being targeted?\u201d asked Millikin parent Amarinder Singh. \u201cAnd why are our kids about to suffer?\u201d<\/p>\n SPONSORED<\/p>\n Trustees faced high emotions from parents who believed the board would ax the choice school system to prevent the outflow of students \u2014 a claim the district has repeatedly rejected. The board has yet to propose a solution for low enrollment.<\/p>\n District data shows that choice programs have a high concentration of affluent families, in contrast to the district\u2019s neighborhood schools. Economically challenged families, for instance, make up less than 3% of students enrolled in the 49ers STEM Leadership Institute. Yet these families total more than a third of the district\u2019s overall population.<\/p>\n The boundaries committee seeks to understand these disparities.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we have economic segregation in our choice schools, it\u2019s a problem,\u201d Trustee Vickie Fairchild said.<\/p>\n Many parents argued to expand the choice programs to other schools, citing the recognition<\/a> these programs receive<\/a>. Some trustees responded that at smaller schools, students may enter the classroom at different education levels than those at choice schools.<\/p>\n There are six schools in SCUSD that are federally classified as Title I schools. Title I campuses primarily serve low-income families. They receive government money to meet district-wide curriculum requirements. Their success is measured by more than just test scores, including student wellness assessments.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very easy to cavalierly say, \u2018We\u2019ll just close those schools because they\u2019re small,\u2019\u201d Board President Bonnie Lieberman said. \u201cThat\u2019s all well and good, until you remember the people that are going to fall through that safety net. I don\u2019t want us to lose sight of that because those are the people who aren\u2019t in this room tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n The SCUSD Board of Trustees will receive a staff presentation on the open enrollment policy at its special meeting on Oct. 1.<\/p>\n![\"Devid](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SVV-728x90-1-scaled.png\"\/)
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