Some parents tried for schools that were out of reach; some made picks that were already ensured.
By DENISE WATSON BATTS
Published April 9, 2004
TAMPA - Few students got into South Tampa's most popular schools through the new choice program, and many families picked schools they were assigned to anyway, according to district figures released last week.
In schools south of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, 622 students were assigned to schools through choice. Of those, more than half filled out the choice forms unnecessarily because they listed schools they were zoned to attend.
For example, Madison Middle had 69 students placed through choice, but 42 of those lived in the school's attendance zone. West Tampa Elementary received 27 choice students, 10 of which lived in the neighborhood. Schools at capacity, such as Gorrie and Tampa Bay Boulevard elementaries and Plant High, received no students from outside their attendance boundaries.
During the choice application process, many parents complained that the district's materials listed schools as options even though they were at or over capacity. Then, in February, a computer glitch wrongly assigned students to schools with no room.
"Keep in mind it is the first time out of the gate, our first time implementing such a program," Donnie Evans, Hillsborough County schools' chief academic officer, said at a news conference last week. There's always room for improvement, he noted.
Parents agree.
Michelle Smiley-Wells lives in Tampa Heights and her sixth-grader, Aaron, attends Madison Middle in South Westshore. She applied to closer schools but ended up with her last pick, Madison.
"Actually, I didn't get a choice," she said. "We're back to the same thing we started at originally."
Controlled choice is the district's way of promoting racial balance in schools as it ends three decades of court-ordered busing. Eligible students included those entering kindergarten, sixth or ninth grade in August, and students who live in designated urban areas.
Families of those students were able to select three schools they wanted in order of preference. January was the choice deadline, and some letters are still being delivered notifying parents if they got their selections.
School officials think some parents were uncertain of the process and listed their home school to ensure they would get in. Others might have picked it as a backup in case they didn't get a first choice. Administrators took the data as a good message.
"It says that people are pleased with the schools they are assigned to," said Beleria Floyd, choice supervisor.
When choice began, administrators suggested that families pick schools they were interested in, including those over capacity, just in case space opened later. People heeded the advice, but with no luck.
Thirty-seven families listed Dale Mabry Elementary as their first choice, but only four students were assigned through choice, all of whom live in its attendance zone. Seventy-five families selected Wilson Middle as their first choice, but only 10 students who live within its area got in. Wilson is at 115 percent capacity.
Parents can still try to get into schools through special assignment, administrators said. About one-third of students move during the school year and some schools have higher-than-average turnover rates, said Jack Davis, the district's chief information and technology officer. The special assignment deadline is June 30, and parents must provide transportation.
District officials said during the news conference that they're looking at possible changes to the program for next year, including dropping kindergarten from the choice program schedule because of the difficulty in predicting new students. They also might expand the focus of the parent resource centers, and principals have requested more communication and choice marketing training.
- Staff writer Elisabeth Dyer contributed to this report. Denise Watson Batts can be reached at 226-3401.
