ADMISSIONS LOTTERY

• In order to meet the requirements of the charter school grant, TAMS must have a minimum of 40 students attending. The TAMS Governance Board has designated a maximum number of students for each grade level in order to build a controlled, high quality program within space and funding constraints. Since Montessori classrooms include multiple grade levels, it is important to set these grade level caps to make sure that the class sizes stay manageable in future years.
   
• If the number of persons seeking admission exceeds the capacity of the open seats available, then a lottery shall be conducted by the TAMS Governance Board and District Administration to select the individuals who will be assigned the open seats. A totally random selection will ensure fairness and equal access without regard to ethnicity, national origin, disability, gender, or income level. 
   
• The TAMS Board and District Administration will perform the lottery, and it will be part of the school record.
   
• To be eligible for admission through this lottery-placement process, individuals must have submitted complete and valid enrollment applications by the end of the established registration window.
   
• Each family applying will be given one container in the lottery as not to unfairly increase the odds of being chosen.
   
• Those students not accepted by the lottery will be placed on a priority waiting list in the order drawn. If or when openings occur, students will then be contacted in the order established by the lottery, or if no lottery is required, in the order applications were received.
   
• As defined by the charter school contract between TAMS and the Tomah Area School District, exemptions from the lottery shall be granted, in the following order:
  • Siblings of students attending TAMS as commitment to keep families together. According to federal law, sibling preference only applies to the siblings of students currently enrolled in TAMS.
  • Children of TAMS full-time professional and support staff
  • Children of the founders of TAMS
  • If an unusual situation arises where some siblings have been selected for seats and other siblings are on the waiting list, the TAMS Governance Board will meet to make case-by-case decisions for admittance. However, the most important priority is maintaining class sizes that can be sustained in the coming years.
• All students will be notified by mail of their status. Students who have been selected will need to return an intent to enroll form in order to confirm their seat.