By THOMAS C. TOBIN and DONNA WINCHESTER
Published September 21, 2003
Today, the Times reprises the column, Choice Words, which started last year as Pinellas County residents were just getting accustomed to the "controlled choice" plan for the public school system.
Now that we have the first round of choice under our belts, it's time to start the process again for next year. The application period for the 2004-05 school year ends in six weeks, on Nov. 1.
Right here, every Sunday through the end of the application period, Choice Words will endeavor to provide helpful information about the choice plan, educate you on nuances that may have escaped your notice, answer your questions, offer interesting facts and provide key dates to mark on your calendar.
We'd like you to call us with your observations or any with questions you've had trouble getting answered.
Don't be shy. You're not alone.
Earlier this year, a joke was making the rounds at district headquarters, and it still applies: You need a degree in choice to fully understand it.
Though many people have become familiar with the plan, thousands of newcomers enter the district every year with no idea of how choice operates. Even choice veterans need a primer from time to time.
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Okay class, open your books to the first chapter: kindergarten.
When the application period began Sept. 1, district officials were encouraging people to take their time. Their mantra was that choice is not a first-come, first-served process. Take time to do your homework before making your choices.
Three weeks later, the message is different: It's all right to start applying now.
District officials are getting a little nervous because only about 1,300 kindergarteners have registered so far. They estimate that as many as 6,700 more kindergarteners still need to be registered in the next six weeks.
There's still plenty of time, but don't get caught in what is sure to be a last-minute crush in late October.
Best days to go to the district's two Family Information and Education Centers: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
Mondays and Thursdays are the most crowded days. On Thursdays the centers' staffs are spread thinner because they break into shifts to cover the longer hours. That means there are fewer people at the counter to handle your application.
The family centers are at 3420 Eighth Ave. S in St. Petersburg and at 1101 Marshall St. in Clearwater.
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Now for middle school.
Choice spokeswoman Andrea Zahn points out that thousands of fifth- and eighth-graders have a big decision to make in the next six weeks - just like the parents of all those kindergarteners.
About 8,500 kids going into middle and high school don't have "extended grandfathering" into a school at the next level and must choose a school.
Extended grandfathering allows students to go to the middle or high school they would have attended under the old zoning plan, before choice came along. But, for various reasons, some students don't qualify for this privilege.
By now, all fifth- and eighth-graders in the district should have received a customized letter informing them of their extended grandfathering status.
If the letter said your child qualifies and you want her to attend her extended grandfathering school, you don't need to do anything. The district will assume she'll show up on the first day of school next year. But those who don't want that school or don't qualify for extended grandfathering must choose another school or the district will choose for you.
Not a good thing.
Said Zahn: "Those 8,500 better be doing something."
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Parents looking for extensive information on Pinellas schools can find it on the Times' Web site: www.sptimes.com Go to the bottom of the home page and click on "Pinellas School Search 2004." You'll find out what kinds of schools exist, how to seek the best one and how to apply, along with deadlines, statistics and test scores.
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Want to get information face to face? Plan to attend the third of three community information meetings scheduled for 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday at John Hopkins Middle School, 701 16th St. S.
