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Schools to assign some kids on basis of race-need
By STEPHEN HEGARTY, Times Staff Writer
LARGO -- Pinellas School Board members on Tuesday confronted the perception that students whose parents didn't fill out a choice application might be funnelled into the least-popular, least-successful schools. At issue was the future of the more than 8,500 students whose parents failed to file the choice paperwork before the December deadline. Despite efforts to contact those parents, the district still doesn't know their wishes. The district plans to assign those students to schools where they are needed to achieve a racial balance or to fill seats. But new board member Mary Brown said Tuesday she didn't agree to that plan. Her comments touched off a debate over some of the fundamental issues that have been laid bare by the school choice process. "I understand the need for the ratios," Brown said. "I am a proponent of keeping the district diverse. But all of our schools are not the same." Brown said she wanted children who didn't fill out choice applications assigned to schools based on their individual needs. She objected to the idea the district might "take these children whose parents did not take part in the process and just place them in schools that are not high-achieving schools." Board member Nancy Bostock asked Brown how she would suggest the students be assigned. For example, if a student is struggling in reading and all schools have remedial reading programs, Bostock asked, which school would be best for that child's needs? "If all the schools are doing the same things," Brown said, "we wouldn't have these struggling students -- wouldn't you agree?" "No," Bostock replied. "I don't agree." Said Brown: "If all our schools are doing the same things, either we're saying our students are incapable of learning or our teachers are incapable of teaching. Which is it?" Brown later clarified that she thinks teachers and students are doing a good job, but was concerned that some students will be relegated to less successful schools. Board member Mary Russell said she was concerned about "perpetuating the idea that there is such a thing as a dumping ground in Pinellas." "I don't want the perception that one school is better than another to continue," Russell said. The vast majority of Pinellas County students will end up attending the school their parents chose. About 83,000 students already have been placed, with most of them assigned to the school they attended this year. And 19,000 others applied to attend a different school, and they are awaiting the computer-matching process, which should happen soon. District officials expect most of those students will get their first or second choices, but some will not. Some schools will be too crowded, and others will be racially imbalanced. For the next four years, the district needs to maintain racial balance in schools. Despite Brown's concerns, the district will proceed with the plan for assigning students whose parents didn't complete a choice application. Superintendent Howard Hinesley said he would try to accommodate parents' wishes to send their child to a certain school if it is not too crowded and the student would not cause a racial imbalance. But in most cases, the district will make the choice for those children. "We plan to assign those people based on our needs in terms of the (race) ratio," Hinesley said. In other action Tuesday, board members agreed that teachers could transfer their children to the school where they teach, as long as it does not upset race ratios there. The district had considered a provision to allow the superintendent to request a waiver on race ratios in rare cases when one of the "professional courtesy" preferences resulted in a racial imbalance. But in a letter last week, the lawyer for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund objected to that provision.
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