Revere educators sort out competition for Rumney seats

REVERE – City Councilors and public school officials have ideas for solving what has become an annual problem of parents vying for a limited number of seats in certain schools.When they opened in 2006, Whelan Elementary and the Susan Anthony Middle School were at the top of the wish list for West Revere parents. This year, parents across the city are trying to get their children into the newest middle school – the Rumney Marsh Academy – in the fall.”We can’t possibly accept all the students that chose RMA,” School Superintendent Paul Dakin told the School Committee. “It is the same problem we had when the Susan B. Anthony opened and that is a large number of students choosing the new school.”Dakin and his aides will review parents’ choices for schools starting today and determine if a middle school-wide lottery should be held to fill seats in the Garfield, Rumney Marsh, Anthony and Beachmont schools.”Before the April vacation we will know if we will have a lottery. If so, we will have it in May,” Dakin told committee members.Since pre-advanced placement classes will only be held at Rumney next year, Dakin must factor in the number of students qualified across the city to take the classes into the lottery assessment.School officials held a lottery for 140 Anthony seats last May after 210 parents sought out the seats. West Revere parents with younger children attending Whelan hoped to have the middle school-age children attend Anthony, located in the same building as the Whelan.Those desires clashed with school officials’ decision last year to allow students throughout the city to attend Anthony, as well as the Garfield and Beachmont middle schools.Councilors Charles Patch and Daniel Rizzo introduced their own proposal this week for allotting classroom seats.They want a lottery assignment system limiting half the seats open in a school to children whose parents pay property taxes.Rumney Marsh is part of the most comprehensive local school construction project since 1991 when the Garfield School was built. The Paul Revere and McKinley Schools will be replaced with new buildings by 2011.