Up to 20 of the expected 120 slots in the Thomaston-Upson School System's Pre-K program will be reserved for the children of all full time school system employees. The procedure for the Pre-K lottery drawing was updated at the request of the Thomaston-Upson Board of Education (BOE).

The Pre-K lottery began last year after the BOE decided to change the Pre-K selection process from the previous first come, first serve process. The Board decided the change was needed to make the selection process fair for everyone.

Part of the lottery procedure approved by the BOE was to reserve up to 20 slots for the children of school system employees. When the Board approved the process last year, they were under the impression that the reserved slots were open to all full time employees equally. But staff misunderstood the wording of the procedure and gave preference for the 20 spaces to the children of certified employees first, then other full time employees if any spaces were left.

At a called meeting last week, School Superintendent Dr. Maggie Shook advised the Board that staff has changed the wording of the lottery procedure to clear up the misunderstanding.

"We made the changes in the guidelines to make sure we said all full time employees, making sure we didn't give any priority to certified employees," said Dr. Shook.

The Pre-K lottery application period will open Monday, March 12, and close Friday, March 23. The Pre-K drawing will be held on Thursday, March 29. If all of the 20 reserved slots are not filled, the remaining slots will be available in the lottery. If the reserved slots are filled, any remaining applications from school system employees will go into the lottery.

To register a child for the ULPK Lottery:

• Come to ULPK between 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, from March 12 to March 23.

• A custodial parent or legal guardian must come to complete a lottery application.

• The custodial parent or legal guardian must bring the following documents with him/her to apply for the lottery:

Child's certified birth certificate (child must be 4 years old on or before September 1, 2012); child's Social Security Card; immunization certificate on proper GA form No. 3231 (obtained from your child's doctor or the Upson County Health Department); hearing, vision and dental screening certificate No. 3300 (obtained from your child's doctor or the Upson County Health Department; proof of Upson County residency and photo ID (Acceptable proof of residency includes a rental/lease agreement, mortgage document or current real property assessment document in the parent/guardian's name or a utility bill for water, electricity, or gas in the parent/guardian's name, and a valid Upson County address.).

The lottery drawing will be held on Thursday, March 29, 2012, at 3:30 p.m. at the R. E. Lee Auditorium. One representative from the applicant's family may attend the lottery; however, attendance is not required. Parents/guardians will be notified of their student's acceptance or waiting list status following the drawing.

Names drawn in the lottery will be given the opportunity to enroll at ULPK for the 2012-2013 school year. A waiting list will also be drawn by lottery.