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© St. Petersburg Times, published September 15, 2002
What is "controlled choice?"
"Controlled choice" describes a new student assignment plan that begins in fall 2003 and replaces traditional neighborhood zoning in the public school system. It is part of a settlement between the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the school district to end three decades of forced busing for desegregation. "Choice" means parents will be able to apply for their children to attend the schools that best meet the kids' needs. "Controlled" means that racial quotas will continue to be maintained the first four years of choice but will disappear in 2007-2008. Under this new system, zoned schools (if you lived in a certain zone, you attended a particular school) will disappear and will be replaced by "choice schools." Magnet and fundamental schools will continue to exist.
With choice, neighborhood zone lines will disappear. They will be replaced by "attendance areas," and you will be able to apply to any school in your attendance area. There are four attendance areas for elementary school and three for middle school. The entire county is the attendance area for high school, meaning students can select from all 16 high schools. A "choice school" or "area school" refers to the schools in your attendance area.
An "attractor" is a special program, theme or idea that a school uses to attract students during choice. For some schools, that could be a concentration on technology, wellness or marine science. For other schools, it could be strong community support or a focus on reading skills.
A magnet school is a countywide program that offers a specialized area of study, such as art, science or medicine. The district has four elementary magnets, two middle school magnets and 10 high school magnets. Magnets are wildly popular, with far more students applying each year than there are seats available.
A fundamental school is a countywide program that offers a "back to basics" emphasis, with required homework, required parent involvement and strict dress codes. There are five fundamental elementary schools and two fundamental middle schools. They are exceedingly popular, too.
Recently, a form called a "declaration of intent" was mailed to every student in Pinellas public schools from kindergarten through 11th grade. It is a very important piece of paper. It is your chance to tell the school district where you want your children to attend school next year. The district suggests that it be mailed back, in the included postage-paid envelope, by Oct. 1.
The letters were mailed only to families currently in the public school system. (Please see the two following questions.)
Because you are not currently in the public school system, you will not receive a declaration of intent. However, you may apply to a magnet or fundamental school (applications are already available). And beginning on Monday, you may apply to a choice school.
Because you are not currently in the school system, you will not receive a declaration of intent. However, you may apply to a magnet or fundamental school (applications are already available). And beginning on Monday, you may apply to a choice school.
Magnet and fundamental school applications are available at the specific school or at the Family Education and Information Centers -- at 3420 Eighth Ave. S in St. Petersburg and 1101 Marshall St. in Clearwater. The district must receive the applications by Oct. 15; postmarking it Oct. 15 is not enough. You may not use the declaration of intent or a regular choice application to apply to a magnet or a fundamental. Magnet and fundamental school applications should be returned to the schools where you are applying, preferably in person, though they can be returned by return-receipt mail.
They are a little bit of both. Most of the slots are filled during the magnet application period, which ends Oct. 15. So anyone in the county can apply to these schools by filling out an application at the school or family center and turning it in before Oct. 15. But some of the openings are reserved for children who live in area A, and those openings have the later deadline of Dec. 13, which applies to all choice schools. So someone who lives in area A can apply twice, once during the magnet period and once during the choice period.
Magnet and fundamental schools typically have far more applicants than openings. So, when the application process closes, every application is given a random number. The pile is divided into two piles: eligible and ineligible. Siblings of current students and children of full-time district employees who work at the particular school move to the top. And then the applications for eligible students are processed in the order of the random numbers.
The Family Education and Information Centers will have statistics showing how many students have been placed in the magnet program and how many seats remain available.
Yes.
A student could end up on both waiting lists because different waiting lists will be maintained for countywide seats and area seats. And yes, a student could be high on one list and near the bottom on another since the application processes are separate. Even if a student is on more than one waiting list, he still has a place to go to school. The computer will try to place a student at his first, second, third, fourth or fifth choice, stopping when a seat is available. If, for some reason, there is no room in any of the five schools the student selected, he will have to go to a family center to be manually assigned wher a seat is available.
Grandfathering allows you to remain in a school through the highest grade offered. You must continue to live in the school's attendance area to be eligible.
Extended grandfathering allows you to stay on track to attend the elementary, middle and high school you were zoned to attend as of June 6, 2001. There are some caveats. You lose extended grandfathering if you have moved since June 6, 2001. You also lose extended grandfathering if you left the public school system or your zoned school or failed to complete a magnet or fundamental school through its highest level.
Yes. The district will not -- repeat, will not -- assume you want your children to stay where they are unless you say so. That is what makes the form so important. However, if you forget, all is not lost. You can indicate that you would like your child to remain at his current school (a privilege called "grandfathering") on a regular choice application, which is due Dec. 13.
If you want to keep your child's current school, check off that box and return the form. You're done, and you don't have to fill out anything else.
Do you want to apply to a countywide magnet or fundamental school? If you do, you should indicate that on the declaration. There will be a space to say whether you want to keep your zoned school if you don't get accepted into your chosen magnet or fundamental. If you don't want to keep your zoned school, you must select other area schools as a backup if you don't get into a magnet or fundamental school program. (Read the answer to the next question for information about applying to a school in your attendance area.) It is important to note that you must fill out separate applications to magnet and fundamental schools; checking off the declaration is not enough. Magnet and fundamental school applications are available at the specific school or at the family center. They must be received by the school district by Oct. 15.
Some families may use the declaration to list five choices of area schools (there are four elementary areas, three middle school areas, and the entire county is one area for high schools).
Also, you may request an appointment at a Family Education and Information Center. Employees there will help you fill out a regular choice application.
Oct. 1: School district would like to have your declaration of intent.
Oct. 15: Magnet and fundamental school applications due to the schools where you are applying.
Dec. 13: Choice applications due and must be returned in person to a family center.
The school district's Web site, www.pinellas.k12.fl.us, has maps and lists of schools by area. Family Education and Information Centers -- at 3420 Eighth Ave. S in St. Petersburg and 1101 Marshall St. in Clearwater -- also have maps. The centers are open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Fridays.
The declaration of intent will tell you whether you have a privilege called "extended grandfathering" that allows you to continue to your zoned middle school. If you do have that privilege, you will be able to indicate that you want to go there. Then, you can return the declaration in the postage-paid envelope and you won't have to do anything else. If you don't have that privilege, the declaration will tell you that you don't have a school assignment for next year and that you must apply for an area school, magnet school or fundamental school.
The declaration of intent will tell you whether you have a privilege called "extended grandfathering" that allows you to continue to your zoned high school. If you do have that privilege, you will be able to indicate that you want to go there. Then, you can return the declaration in a postage-paid envelope and you won't have to do anything else. If you don't have that privilege, the declaration will tell you that you don't have a school assignment for next year and that you must apply for an area school or a magnet school.
You can indicate that you would like to meet with an employee in a Family Education and Information Center for help making choices. There are two FEICs -- one at 3420 Eighth Ave. S in St. Petersburg (across from Gibbs High School) and one at 1101 Marshall St. in Clearwater (the old Robinson Challenge School). The hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Choice applications must be returned in person to a family center.
You will receive a postcard from the school system informing you that officials have received your declaration of intent. That postcard should arrive by mid November. District officials say it's a good idea to make copies of the form before you mail it.
Yes -- as long as you get your application for the magnet or fundamental school in by Oct. 15.
Yes. The operative phrase is "during the open application process." If you, for example, send in your application with Brand X School as your first choice, and then (for whatever reason) later change your mind and decide to make Brand Y School your first choice, you are perfectly free to do that. But you have to submit a new choice application. And you have to do it by the Dec. 13 deadline.
Even if you don't return a declaration of intent form by Oct. 1, you might still get into the school of your choice. If you want to remain at the school you're currently attending, for example, you would still get in because of traditional grandfathering but you must fill out a choice application indicating that choice. But the school system stresses its desire to get back the declaration of intent form in by Oct. 1. If you don't return the declaration of intent form or a choice application, the school district will pick a school for you (in your attendance area).
Those students will be placed in a school in their attendance area that has available seats. Those students will be placed after all other students are placed.
For choice schools, students who live in the same household as family -- even if they are not related -- get preference to attend the same school over other applicants. But there's no guarantee that students living together as a family will get into the same school. Why not? The school's capacity determines how many get in. For magnet and fundamental schools, family is more narrowly defined. Siblings -- the students must share a parent or legal guardian -- are guaranteed to get into the same magnet and fundamental school.
School capacities will be set by Sept. 16 and will be available on the school system's Web site, www.pinellas.k12.fl.us.
You still have extended grandfathering, as long as your child completes the magnet or fundamental school through its highest grade level. For instance, if your child attends Bay Point Elementary through fifth grade but decides not to continue onto the magnet at Bay Point Middle, he can return to his zoned middle school. Likewise, if you attended Bay Vista Fundamental Elementary and Southside Fundamental Middle, you can return to your zoned high school. But if you leave a special program in the middle, you lose extended grandfathering.
Yes. Once you indicate that you'd like to attend a different school, you give up extended grandfathering. However, if you change your mind and decide to stay in your current school (and thus remain on the same extended grandfathering track), you can do so as long as it's before Dec. 13.
You're eligible for transportation if you live two miles or farther from your school.
Fundamental school students will receive transportation for the first time when choice begins. But students at magnets and fundamentals won't use neighborhood bus stops, as other students do. Parents will have to find out the location of the closest bus stop for their particular magnet or fundamental school, and be responsible for getting their children there.
My declaration of intent advises me not to list magnet elementaries or middle schools as "attendance area choice" schools. But they do have some "area" seats, and I live in that attendance area. Why can't I list them?
Actually, you can. Be aware that there are separate pools for seats at the magnet schools. Some of the seats are countywide, and some of the seats are reserved for children from the attendance area. The number at each school differs, so you should contact the school for details. To apply for a countywide seat -- even if you live in the attendance area -- you must fill out the magnet application and turn it in to the school. If you live in the attendance area and wish to vie for one of the attendance area seats, you may simply list it as one of your "choice" schools on either the declaration of intent or on a choice application. Remember that the magnet application is due Oct. 15. The choice application is due Dec. 13. That means you could apply during the magnet process, find out whether you got in (or what number you are on the waiting list) and then decide whether or not to make the magnet one of your "choice" schools as well.
"Proximity," the first preference, is automatically used for the first "choice" school you list. As for the others, you might try noting in parenthesis that you are seeking preferences for "family" or "professional courtesy" or any of the others. When the district sends you a postcard to confirm receipt of the declaration, it should note what you need to do to make sure the district is aware of preferences you are claiming.
The basic threshold is this: If a student was in a Pinellas public school as of June 6, 2001, and she does not move, she may continue on to her old "zoned" schools -- elementary, middle and high -- as if controlled choice never happened. There are several variations. A student going into middle school -- but only one who is entering as a new sixth-grader -- may enter a countywide magnet or fundamental school and still retain extended grandfathering, so long as that student finishes at that middle school. However, a student who fails to finish a program to its highest level at a school loses extended grandfathering. A student who decides on a "choice" school also loses extended grandfathering.
Yes. A student may have been zoned to attend North Shore Elementary, then Riviera Middle and finally, St. Petersburg High. But that student started out at Perkins, a countywide magnet school. That student must remain at Perkins through fifth grade to retain extended grandfathering. After Perkins, that student may either go to Riviera (formerly the zoned school) or to John Hopkins, the magnet middle school that follows Perkins. However, once that student chooses one of those schools, he must finish at that middle school to keep extended grandfathering to attend St. Petersburg High. A variation: That student began at North Shore, and was on a wait list at Perkins. Sometime after June 6, 2001, the student gets a call that his number has come up and he may attend Perkins. If he goes, he loses extended grandfathering.