By Tom Tolen / news@whmi.com


The Brighton Area Schools will have a limited Schools of Choice program for the fall 2021-22 term. At a recent meeting, the Board of Education unanimously approved a motion to follow the recommendation of district administration.

For the first semester of the 2021-22 term, Brighton will offer unlimited Schools of Choice in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first grade, and 5th through 11th grades. However, the district will offer limited Schools of Choice programs in 2nd through 4th grades and the 12th grade, as space permits. Students who have a sibling already attending a school in the district will have preference. The program is reassessed during the summer to ensure that there are enough seats in a specific class; if the class size limit is reached, then no more students will be accepted in that particular class. The limited window for accepting enrollment applications will be from April 5th through May 4th for grades 2, 3, 4, and 12. Enrollments are already being accepted in the other grades.

In the Schools of Choice program, students from other school districts may enroll in the Brighton Area Schools in grades that have Schools of Choice. The student can be from another school district within the intermediate school district - Brighton’s ISD is the Livingston Educational Service Agency - or an adjacent ISD. As a result, Brighton receives the state per-pupil aid that otherwise would go to the student’s home district. Brighton, as the host district, can limit the program according to grade, program, or building. The student is responsible for his or her own transportation and is normally transported from home to school and back by a parent or guardian.

Typically, the Brighton Board of Education revisits the Schools of Choice program before the end of the first semester to determine whether the arrangement is working or if any modifications must be made for the remainder of the school year.

If a student comes from an intermediate school district other than the one in Livingston County and receives special education services, then the Brighton School District must receive approval for the transfer from the district in which the student resides.

Those with questions regarding the Schools of Choice Program are asked to contact the superintendent’s office at 810-299-4040 or go to the district's webpage at https://www.brightonk12.com/Page/6957 for more information.