The Ventura Unified School District (VUSD), under the direction of Superintendent Dr. Roger Rice, has announced that most of the VUSD schools will have Schools of Choice lottery spots available for the 2020-2021 school year. VUSD is also increasing the number of interdistrict transfer spots open to residents in surrounding communities. The public is invited to attend the VUSD Information Night on Thursday, January 16, 2020, from 5:30-8 pm at Buena High School, located at 5670 Telegraph Rd. to learn more about these opportunities, speak with representatives from all VUSD schools, and service departments.
“Since my arrival over nine months ago, we have been working as a team to identify obstacles that our families face that can be resolved with policy and procedural changes. We identified a need for our more lottery spots for Schools of Choice and have made adjustments to ensure we are offering spots at every school that does not require a placement process,” stated Superintendent Roger Rice.
The number of lottery spots for each school will be determined based on enrollment numbers. Some schools may have 5-10 spots; others may have over 100. City of Ventura residents are eligible to submit for these lottery spots from January 17-31, 2020. The application will be available online at www.venturausd.org on January 17. El Camino High School, Pacific High School, and Homestead (home school option) will not be participating in Schools of Choice as they have placement processes that must be followed.
“We realize that the Ventura Unified School District is a District of Choice for others in Ventura County. To assist our neighbors and to do everything we can to continue to provide excellent educational services during a time of declining enrollment, VUSD will be offering more spots for the 20-21 school year for interdistrict transfers,” stated Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, Dr. Danielle Cortes. “We are dedicated to ensuring that all students who would like to be educated in the Ventura Unified School District have that opportunity.”
All interdistrict transfer applications will be considered once the Schools of Choice lottery is complete, and all intradistrict transfer requests have been processed. Every effort will be made in the 2020-2021 school year to make spots available to all who apply to the Ventura Unified School District.
Families are invited to attend the Ventura Unified School District Information Night to learn more about both initiatives, as well as, meet with representatives from all 26 schools, and many service departments including Transportation, Food & Nutrition, Special Education, Career and Innovation, and Technology Services. The night will begin with a session at 5:30 pm in the auditorium. This presentation will cover Schools of Choice, transferring, and enrollment. The session will repeat at 6:30 pm. School and service department representatives will be available from 6-8 pm in the gym and cafeteria to answer questions.
