Parents made more than 10,000 applications for about 2,000 openings. Now they're learning the results.
By DONNA WINCHESTER
Published December 7, 2003
Pinellas school officials were breathing easier Friday, confident that a new automated phone system used to keep track of applications to magnet, fundamental and career academy programs is a success.
In a change from past years when the district sent letters of invitation to the wildly popular programs, parents began calling an automated phone line on Monday to find out if their children got a seat. They have until Wednesday to make the call, at which point the line will shut down and any unaccepted seats will be considered refused.
The acceptance process mirrored the application process, which also was automated this year. Instead of using paper forms, parents dialed a phone number and followed a series of prompts to indicate their child's choices.
Choice spokeswoman Andrea Zahn pointed to the number of applications received as the first indication of the new system's success. Between Sept. 1 and Nov. 1, parents made more than 10,000 applications for approximately 2,000 openings, similar to last year's numbers.
The number of black children who applied rose from 1,741 to 1,899 while the number of nonblack children who applied dropped from 8,739 to 8,585. The district continues to maintain two lists because it is still under a federal court order that requires racial diversity.
The system's real test came this past week, Zahn said, when parents began calling the phone line to see if their children had been offered a seat.
Between 7:30 a.m. and 10 p.m. Monday, the system withstood a barrage of more than 3,300 calls, which came in on 24 lines. With the exception of parents frustrated by busy signals early in the day, things went off without a hitch.
By Friday, the calls had tapered off but the system was still running perfectly, said Tom Storey, programmer-analyst for the district's research and accountability department. Storey, who designed and programmed the phone system, said there is no way to tell how many people have called, but all the data he has backed up look good.
"We wanted to create an easier way for people to apply," he said. "The feedback I've heard so far from parents is that they were able to use it very well."
Data collected during the application period indicates that while the overall total was consistent with last year, a few individual programs had significant increases or decreases. Choice officials were unable to account for the differences, but administrators at the schools had some theories.
At the Center for the Arts and Communication Studies at John Hopkins Middle School, for example, where applications were up 41 percent from 626 to 884, program secretary Tanya Terrell said more parents are being attracted to the school's growing reputation. She also suspects the school received more applications from private school children this year.
Art Steulett, program coordinator at the Center for Gifted Studies at Ridgecrest Elementary School, attributed the school's increase from 77 to 151 applications to an increase in school tours and an expansion of the school's Web site.
But 32 of the applications came from incoming kindergarten students whose parents applied without realizing Ridgecrest's magnet program does not begin until first grade. The automated phone system, which is generic in nature to accommodate many schools, allowed those applications to be counted. It's a glitch Storey says will be corrected next year.
Elaine Schmidt, program secretary for the International Baccalaureate Program at St. Petersburg High School, uncovered another possible glitch in the system, at least as far as tracking applications is concerned. A review of her school's 451 applications revealed more than the usual number of students who do not qualify for the IB program.
Ironically, she said, the ease of using the new system could be encouraging more people to use it, including those who cannot provide the documentation of student proficiency required by some middle and high school magnet programs.
At the Center for the Arts and International Studies at Perkins Elementary School, where applications were down 21 percent, program coordinator Pat Archibald said the new system could be to blame.
"I think it was daunting to some people who don't usually do business that way," she said. "They just don't understand how to use it."
She also suspects that parents who may have wanted to apply to Perkins chose not to because they were afraid they would lose their spot at their current attendance area school. They may not have realized they would not jeopardize their spot in the attendance area school by applying to a magnet school.
Coachman Fundamental Middle School assistant principal Dave Rosenberger attributed his school's 34 percent drop in applications to the success of the choice program, which allows parents to choose from a wider array of schools.
"No longer is a parent limited to a magnet or fundamental school if they aren't happy with their zoned school," he said. "They have a variety of options."
Michael Marckese Jr., principal at Pasadena Fundamental Elementary School, agreed. His school received 117 fewer applications after a drop of about 30 last year.
"I think the choice program is offering the public something it's been looking for for a long time," he said. "They have a choice of a school in their attendance area which would probably be closer to home than Pasadena Fundamental."
Both fundamental school principals agreed that the drop in applications has not hurt their schools. There are still at least two students vying for each available seat.
Christine Lowry, former director of magnet and fundamental programs for the district, has been watching the process closely. She was not surprised at the apparent success of the new automated system, or the variation in the number of applications from school to school.
"We thought more parents might apply because they didn't get what they wanted last year with choice. They would perceive these programs as the only type of true choice," she said. "But we also realized there might be a decrease in applications because people did get their choices."
How to
If you applied for a magnet, fundamental or career academy program, you have until Wednesday to call 501-0871 to check the status of your application and accept a seat if one was offered. You should have the following information in hand when you call:
- The student's 10-digit student number
- The student's eight-digit birth date
- The code numbers of the programs for which you applied
After calling, you will hear the following prompts:
- To listen to your application status, press 1.
- To accept an invitation, press 2.
- To decline all invitations and just remain on wait lists, press 3.
- To exit the system, press 4.
Seats not claimed by 5 p.m. Wednesday will be considered refused.
