Computer glitch puts a sure thing in doubt

Carol Amorose decided where she wanted her children to attend school long before the district's new student assignment plan offered her a choice. She and her husband, Rick, bought their Clearwater home in 1989 based on the reputation of the neighborhood's zoned schools.

More than a dozen years later, she is still sold on the neighborhood's schools. She was relieved when she learned that under the district's "controlled choice" plan, "extended grandfathering" would allow her two younger children to follow her oldest child's path from Plumb Elementary to Oak Grove Middle School to Clearwater High School.

Under extended grandfathering, children who were already in the school system can attend the elementary, middle and high schools they were zoned for as of June 6, 2001, as long as they do not move out of their attendance area or leave the school system. Because the Amoroses have lived in their home for 13 years, she thought filling out the declaration of intent forms for Vince, 13, and Olivia, 9, would be a cinch.

She was wrong.

She received a letter from the district in May confirming Olivia's eligibility to return to Plumb Elementary for fifth grade in 2003. But the letter she received for Vince informed her she would have to select a high school or a countywide magnet for him for next year during the choice application period. If she failed to do so, the letter said, the district would assign him to a high school.

When she called, Jim Underhill, a planning specialist in the district's student assignment office, told her that the district's computer showed Vince had moved. Further investigation revealed that at some point after June 6, 2001, the abbreviation "Rd." had been substituted for the word "Road" in Vince's mailing address. It was enough to make the computer -- and the district -- think he had moved, Underhill told her.

"He said, 'I'm going to keep your information on my desk. We'll be working on this and I'm sure it will be worked out by September,' " Amorose said. "I was worried, so I called the district a few times over the summer. They told me there was no way they could find out if the problem had been fixed, and that I would have to wait until September."

In mid September, when she received Vince's declaration of intent form asking her to make five choices for him, Amorose realized she still had a problem. She left a message for Underhill and also called the Clearwater Family Education and Information Center. A volunteer told her a "modified" declaration of intent form would be mailed to her.

Ten days later, she called the family center to check on the form. This time, she was told she had to come to the center to fill one out. She would need to take it to the principal at Oak Grove, have her sign it, and hand-deliver it back to the center.

She did as she was told and started to relax when she received a letter from the district in mid October showing Vince's preference was Clearwater High. But then she got a call from Oak Grove telling her his declaration of intent had not been received. She made another call to the family center.

"They said, 'Call back around the 30th of November.' "

With the Dec. 13 choice application deadline looming, she frets that Vince's preference will fall through the cracks.

"They're telling us we don't need to worry, that these kids will be taken care of," she said. "But how do you not worry about it? If this doesn't get fixed, they will select a school for him."

-- Do you have a story about negotiating the new school choice plan? Please let Donna Winchester know at 893-8826; fax 893-8675 (fax); P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731; or winchester@sptimes.com.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright