Parents must learn the intricacies of Pinellas' choice plan or they will forfeit control of their children's education.
By DONNA WINCHESTER
Published August 29, 2004
On Sept. 1, the Pinellas school district enters its third application period for "controlled choice," the radically different way that schools and students are now matched.
That is the day parents and students can begin to apply for schools for the 2005-06 school year.
The intricacies of the plan still confuse parents, but the details are becoming clearer. Families continue to have lots of questions, but the answers are more consistent, and some trends are emerging.
In the first two application periods, district officials say, most students ended up where they wanted to be. More than 75 percent got their first-choice school in the first year, but that number included all children, even those who stayed where they were.
In the second year, when only students new to the district, including incoming kindergarteners, and those who were entering sixth and ninth grades had to apply, 80 percent got their first-choice school. More than 90 percent got one of their top three choices, and only 5 percent got none of their choices, the district says.
There was a significant drop in the percentage of families who ignored the choice application process in the second year. The district chose schools for far fewer students than it did the first year.
Things went much more smoothly in the second year, but the district's two Family Education and Information Centers continued to be crowded at peak times. Parents still stood in line, sometimes for hours, to register their children or to get school assignments. Coming to the centers fully prepared with the proper paperwork remained the best defense against wasted time and frayed nerves.
Here are some other things we've learned after living with choice for two years:
The early application period, which ends a full nine months before the beginning of the school year for which parents are applying, continues to be a burden on families who move to Pinellas between November and August. Their children have no choice but to get in line behind others who are already on waiting lists for choice attendance area schools or countywide magnet, fundamental and career academy programs.
Since the first year of choice, many schools have realized they need stronger "attractors" to entice parents. "Safe and friendly school" and "committed to highest student achievement" often aren't enough to convince parents that a school is right for their child.
Despite more choices for attendance area schools, magnets and fundamentals are still wildly popular. In most cases, they continue to attract two or more students for every available seat.
Most families still want their children to attend a school close to home. This continues to be a challenge when many neighborhoods are segregated. Aa 42 percent cap on African-American enrollment is in effect until 2007.
Thinking ahead, parents may want to keep in mind that only one application period remains after this one before the racial ratios disappear. While schools are optimistic that they will attract diversity in the absence of the ratios, it is uncertain how successful they will be.
Because diversity will remain a goal of the choice plan, it will still be applied as a preference to increase the chances that the student population at each school within an attendance area reflects the overall student population in the area.
Aside from the inevitable changes that will occur in 2007, it is hard to say what other changes may be introduced into the choice plan. One of the biggest this year has been that parents can apply to choice attendance area schools via telephone and the Internet in addition to filling out a paper application.
The additional options could make life simpler for some families. On the other hand, parents now have more instructions to read and - some would say - more chances to make a mistake.
Which brings us to the point of School Search. Once again, the St. Petersburg Times is attempting to share knowledge gleaned from watching two choice application periods. As we told readers last year, if there is a theme to the publication, it is to be alert.
Choice is complicated, but parents who desire a public education for their children must learn to navigate it. If they don't, the system will navigate them.
