Tampabay: School choice vexing to both sides

LARGO -- About 1,000 school choice forms already had been printed by the time Pinellas County School Board members got a chance last week to offer feedback.

They hated it.

Why were they seeing an important mailing at the last minute, just one week before it was supposed to be sent to 110,000 students? Why was the form so boring, with no logos, slogan or color? Why were the directions so confusing? And why did a form meant to make choice family-friendly still have such a bureaucratic name?

School district officials had expected the School Board to glance at the mailing and move on. Instead, board members held an impromptu workshop at 10 p.m. to outline specific changes. They demanded that the district enlist a graphic artist and rework the "declaration of intent" letter.

As a result, the mailing has been delayed a week. Parents won't receive the letter until about Sept. 10.

"I realize sometimes you don't have as much time as you'd like," board member Max Gessner said of the scrambling to redesign the form. "But we knew this was coming for some time."

It's been coming for nearly two years.

In October 2000, School Board members approved the framework of a sweeping new school choice plan that will replace traditional neighborhood zoning next fall. Almost three years to plan choice seemed like plenty of time back then.

Now time is running out.

The mailing of the so-called "declaration of intent" form will mark the first time parents will be asked to make a concrete decision affecting where their children will attend school in the new era of choice.

Yet school officials still haven't made many critical decisions about choice. Among the questions they can't answer:

-- How will transportation work? Until parents make their choices, district officials say they can't determine precisely where bus stops will be, how many drivers are needed and how many students will have service different than what's offered today.

-- How many seats will be available in each school? The district has a formula for determining every school's capacity, but those numbers won't be available until mid September.

-- Where will special education classes be located? A parent committee has worked for months to rework a proposal, but it is still awaiting final School Board approval at the end of September.

-- How much will choice cost the school system, and where will it get the money? The first estimate of the total cost, based on new district documents released last week, is $200-million. The number is certain to rise, and the district is seeking a $25-million federal grant. If the grant doesn't come through, that could lead to further budget cuts.

The to-do list doesn't end there.

Principals haven't been named for three new schools being built in St. Petersburg. Computers are still being programmed to process parent choices. Policies for magnet schools are being reworked. The rules for waiting lists to get into particular schools are in flux.

Superintendent Howard Hinesley said that with a limited staff it would be impossible to finish every detail before asking parents to make decisions about their children's education.

"We're trying to get as much input as we can," Hinesley said. "We're trying to make every effort to think of everything."

* * *

Families are frustrated about what they can't know about choice and confused by what they do know.

Take the mix of deadlines and accompanying paperwork.

The declaration of intent is the first step. It will be mailed to students who are enrolled in kindergarten through 11th grade.

Families can use the declaration to make choices.

If a student wants to stay in his current school, his parent can indicate that and return the form in the postage-paid envelope the district provides. This family doesn't need to fill out any additional paperwork.

Or a student might want to apply to attend a countywide magnet or fundamental school. If that's the case, the student can use the declaration to indicate where he wants to go to school if he doesn't get into a countywide program. Then, the student must fill out separate applications for magnet and fundamental schools.

A student can also select from a list of schools that serve the part of the county where he lives. He can apply to five schools on the declaration. Or he can seek an appointment with district staff to help him fill out an application later.

No matter what route a family picks, the form must be returned by Oct. 1.

Students who are new to the district -- incoming kindergarteners, private school students and home-schooled students -- won't receive declarations. The applications new students must fill out are available at Family Education and Information Centers.

Nothing about choice is simple.

Over the past few months, deadlines and paperwork have changed. Seemingly straight-forward rules are difficult to apply to different family situations. Even district officials sometimes give conflicting answers, further confusing parents who are trying to get a handle on choice.

"What a bureaucratic mess," said Reina Mora-Blackwelder, principal at Academie Da Vinci charter school in Dunedin. "What a hassle for parents."

* * *

They know the clock is ticking. They know their to-do lists are growing by the day. Their calendars are filling up. Issues they thought were decided keep coming back for debate.

But district officials responsible for choice's details remain confident they can pull it off.

"We'll get it done," said Jim Madden, who is the district's point person for choice. "I don't doubt it."

A draft of the declaration was ready late Friday, set to be shipped to board members for another review. The new version doesn't have color, but it does feature a more eye-catching design and a new slogan: "You have a voice. Make a choice."

Barring significant revisions by board members, district officials hope the letters will be stuffed into envelopes within a week. Said research director Steve Iachini, whose department is putting together the declaration of intent: "I'm running around with my head cut off, really."

Parent Deena Novotny says it's a challenge to be patient.

The district is pushing deadlines and warning that they aren't flexible. But she said she still can't get answers she needs to make a choice for her daughter.

Her daughter might apply to the medical magnet or International Baccalaureate program at Palm Harbor University High School. But Novotny worries that either program might be too time-consuming for her daughter, who's a swimmer.

Which high school would her daughter attend if she wants to leave a magnet midway through the school year?

District officials are still talking about that. No decision will be made until the end of September.

"Maybe if we knew that we could try this and we could go to East Lake High School, it would be worth the risk," Novotny said. "Not if it's going to put me in St. Pete or some Godforsaken place far from where I work. They need to give us more specifics."

St. Petersburg resident Barbara Keys has four kids at three schools. Before she can make choices, she said, she needs to know how transportation will work and where the bus stops will be.

Transportation director Terry Palmer has said he can't design routes and answer specific questions until after parents make choices. The School Board has approved a framework for a bus plan, but details won't emerge until spring.

"It could be an issue for me," Keys said.

Not for Leslie Blouin.

Her family, including three kids, moved to Florida from Vermont two weeks ago. So far, she's pretty happy with Pinellas County schools. She's even happier that next year she can choose her kids' schools rather than being told where they must enroll.

She does think the paperwork is wordy, the rules confusing and the research time-consuming. But she doesn't begrudge district officials that they can't answer every question.

"I sympathize with the administrators," she said. "Ultimately, they'll work it out."

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