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The long and short of controlled choice

How complicated is choosing a school in Pinellas County?

It is so complicated that many district officials don't know all the rules. There are two categories of schools, six ways to submit an application, numerous rules and many ways to flub. Those who don't pay attention can end up making multiple trips to district registration centers or may have problems with their school assignment. Our advice: Try to find your own situation in the questions and answers that follow, and read with the same care you would devote to a contract or an IRS tax form. Document everything you do.

What is controlled choice?

Controlled choice describes the student assignment plan that went into effect in 2003, replacing traditional neighborhood zoning in the Pinellas public school system. It is part of a legal settlement between the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the school district to end three decades of court-ordered busing for desegregation. "Choice" means parents will be able to apply to get their children into schools that best meet the kids' needs - but there is no guarantee they will get their choices. "Controlled" refers to the fact that no school's enrollment may be more than 42 percent black. Racial quotas will disappear in the 2007-08 school year. Without the quotas, schools immediately would have been resegregated when busing ended in 2003. The plan's goal is to get Pinellas families to integrate in schools voluntarily. Students no longer are automatically assigned to the school in their neighborhood or zone. Instead they go to choice attendance area schools. Through a separate application, they also can apply to get into magnet and fundamental schools and career academies.

What is a choice attendance area school?

With choice, neighborhood zone lines were replaced by attendance areas. Students may apply to any school in their attendance area. There are four attendance areas for elementary school and three for middle school. The entire county is the attendance area for high school, meaning students can select from all 16 high schools. A choice attendance area school or area school refers to the schools in your attendance area. Students are admitted through the choice computer lottery.

What is an attractor?

An attractor is a special program, theme or idea that a choice school uses to attract students. For some schools it could be a concentration on technology, wellness or marine science. For other schools it could be something less defined, such as strong community support or a focus on reading skills.

What is a magnet school?

A magnet school is open to students across the county and offers a specialized area of study, such as art, science or medicine. The district has four elementary magnets, two middle school magnets and 10 high school magnets. Magnets are wildly popular. Last year, families submitted 10,000 applications for about 2,000 openings. Application is by phone only. Invitations are determined by a computerized random selection.

What is a fundamental school?

A fundamental school is open to students across the county and offers a back-to-basics emphasis with required homework, required parent involvement and dress requirements that exceed other district schools. Like magnets, they are very popular. Last year, families submitted more than 3,300 applications for 804 openings. There are five fundamental elementary schools and two fundamental middle schools. Application is by phone only. Admittance is determined by a computerized random selection. An additional fundamental middle school, Thurgood Marshall in St. Petersburg, opened last year but is available only to students in Attendance Area A, which covers south Pinellas. Unlike other fundamental schools, the application process for Marshall is the same as a choice attendance area school.

What are career academies?

These are high school programs that train students in selected vocational fields. Many academy graduates go to college, but others can enter the work force after graduation or refine their skills at Pinellas Technical Education Centers. The programs are open to students countywide. Application is by phone only. Like magnet and fundamental schools, entrance is gained through a random selection. The programs are the Academy of Architectural Design and Construction at Dunedin High, the Automotive Academy at Northeast High, the Career Academy for International Culture and Commerce at Clearwater High, the Graphic Arts Academy at Dixie Hollins High and the Veterinary Science Academy at Tarpon Springs High.

What is a countywide program?

This is a general term encompassing magnet, fundamental and career academy programs, all of which are open to students countywide. The process for applying to these schools is separate from choice attendance area schools.

What is grandfathering?

Once a child is placed in a school, he or she is grandfathered there, meaning the student is allowed to remain in the school through the highest grade offered. The student retains that status even after moving to another residence, as long as the move is within the school's attendance area.

What is extended grandfathering?

Extended grandfathering gives families who moved to a neighborhood for the schools some of the stability they had before the choice plan. A student who was in the school system on or before June 6, 2001, is allowed to stay on track to attend the same middle and high schools he or she would have attended under the old zone system. There are some caveats. Students who have moved since June 6, 2001, no longer have extended grandfathering status. They also lose it if they leave the public school system or their zoned school since June 6, 2001, or if they jump to a magnet or fundamental school and fail to complete the school's highest level.

When can I apply for a school?

Right now. The application period for the 2005-06 school year is Sept. 1 to Nov. 1.

Who needs to apply and who doesn't?

You need to apply if you want your child in a Pinellas schools kindergarten next year, or if your child will be transferring to the district from a private school. You need to apply if your child will enter sixth or ninth grade next year and doesn't qualify for extended grandfathering into his old zoned school, or doesn't want to attend that school. Everyone else who has a seat in a district school can sit out the choice application process - unless they want to apply for another school. BEWARE: There is no guarantee you would get the school you want in the choice computer lottery. Also, if your child already holds a seat in a choice attendance area school or a countywide program such as a magnet or fundamental, the simple act of applying for a new choice attendance area school would forfeit your existing seat for next year. It also would cost you your extended grandfathering status. However, you would not forfeit anything by applying for a countywide program.

What's the harm if I don't apply?

Those who need to apply and miss the deadline will have a greatly diminished choice of schools. In February 2005, after the thousands of students who made the deadline are assigned to schools, those who missed the deadline will be left with the unclaimed seats. If they still want to try for a school that is filled to capacity, they go to the bottom of the waiting list.

How do I apply for a choice attendance area school?

To apply, the student first must be registered. If your child is an incoming kindergartener or is new to the district or returning to the district, you must go to one of the district's Family Education and Information Centers and register. You will need a birth certificate or other proof of birth, such as a baptism certificate; proof of residency, such as a lease, utility bill or tax statement; the child's Social Security number; and the child's most recent report card, except if the child's in kindergarten. The child will be assigned a 10-digit ID number, which will take 24 hours to be activated. If your child already is attending a district school, the child is already registered. The ID number is available from the school or from a report card. Armed with an activated ID number, you are ready to apply in one of five ways: In person at one of the centers; by faxing an application to one of the centers; by mailing an application to one of the centers; by phone at 727 501-0871; or on the Internet at http://apply.pinellaschoice.org For families trying to get two or more kids in the same school, the only way to apply is to mail or fax a family preference application to one of the centers or show up at a center in person. Families needing special services such as programs for disabled students and students who are not proficient in English should not apply by phone. The Internet application system is only for parents of fifth and eighth grade students currently enrolled in the system and planning to enter sixth and ninth grade next year. Those students will be mailed a personal identification number, or PIN, that may be used on the Internet site. No matter which method you use, you will need to know your child's date of birth, attendance area and current grade. You also will be asked to list the top five choice attendance area schools you want your child to attend next year.

Where do I get an application?

Choice attendance area applications and family preference applications are available in the 2004-05 Choice Information Guide. The title might be confusing since you're applying for the 2005-06 school year. The guides can be found at all public schools, the district's two Family Education and Information Centers, public libraries and many private preschools. You may also print a paper application from the district's Web site, www.pinellas.k12.fl.us/Choice/howtoapply.html If you are applying by phone or the Internet, no paper applications are needed. However, you will need a district worksheet to help guide you through phone applications. The worksheets to apply by phone to a choice attendance area school can be found in the Choice Information Guide. The worksheets to apply for countywide programs can be found at the family centers or on the magnet programs Web site, www.pinellas.k12.fl.us/magnet

How can I verify that I successfully completed my application for a choice attendance area school?

The district will mail or give you a summary listing the choices you made for your child on the paper application. For those who apply by phone, a voice on the phone system will recite the choices you made and give you a confirmation number. Those who use the Internet will be able to review the choices they made and will be urged to print them.

When will I know if my child got into the choice attendance area school I applied for?

Families will be sent a customized letter by Feb. 1, after the district runs their selections through the choice computer lottery. The letter will list the name of the school to which the child is assigned for next year.

How do I apply for a countywide elementary or middle school program?

The student first must be registered with the district see answer above for applying to choice attendance area schools. Aside from that, the process for applying to a magnet or fundamental school is quite different from the choice attendance area process. You may apply for as many countywide programs as you want, and you don't rank them as you would on an area school application. Plus, parents applying to countywide programs may apply only on an automated phone system. The phone line will be turned on at 8 a.m. Sept. 1. It will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week until 5 p.m. Nov. 1. Before calling, parents should obtain a Countywide Programs Application Worksheet as an aid. It lists the school codes needed to complete the phone application and guides you through the process. The phone number is on the worksheet. The worksheets are available at the district's Family Education and Information Centers, at any magnet or fundamental school or on the district's magnet Web site, www.pinellas.k12.fl.us/magnet Parents also will need their child's 10-digit district identification number. If a sibling already is attending the school and will be there for the 2005-06 school year, you also will need the sibling's ID number so your other child can get sibling priority. For older students already in the system, the ID number will be on a report card. Kindergarten applicants will get the number when they register. You must make a separate call for each student, but you can apply for multiple schools during that call. The system involves no paperwork, except for John Hopkins and Bay Point middle schools, which have admissions criteria. Required paperwork for these schools is due before the end of the school day Nov. 2.

How do I apply for a high school magnet or career academy program?

The process essentially is the same as applying to a magnet or fundamental elementary or middle school (see answer above). Families must apply by phone. They also are responsible for submitting copies of the student's middle school grades, standardized test scores and schedule to the high school program. The phone application must be made by 5 p.m. Nov. 1, and the required paperwork submitted before schools close on Nov. 2.

How can I verify that my phone application for a countywide program was submitted correctly?

A voice on the phone system will recite to you the schools you have chosen. You also will get a confirmation number at the end of the call. If you don't get a number, it means you haven't successfully completed an application.

When will I know whether my child got into a countywide program?

Parents must take it upon themselves to call back the phone system between Dec. 1 and 10 to find out whether their child was invited into a program. The system will prompt them to accept or turn down an invitation. BEWARE: Failure to call during the December acceptance period will void any invitations your child receives. You will need the student's 10-digit district identification number. The phone number is (727) 501-0871. Eligible students who don't get invited into a program automatically will be placed on the waiting list for that school.

If you are applying for a choice attendance area school and you want your children in the same school, a regular choice application will not do. You must fill out a family preference application. It will link your children together during the random computer lottery in January. If getting your children in the same school is not a concern, you may fill out a regular choice application for each of them. If you are applying for a countywide program, simply make a phone application for each student. A separate call is required for each child.

No. Parents who apply on Sept. 1 have no better odds of getting the schools they want than those who apply under the wire on Nov. 1. This applies to choice attendance area schools as well as countywide programs.

No. It won't help in the least. What it will do, according to district officials, is bog down the system.

If I change my mind or make a mistake, can I redo my application?

Yes, as long as you do it before the Nov. 1 deadline. Those who want to change their choice attendance area application must do it in the same manner as the application was made. For example, if you applied on the Internet, you need to make the change on the Internet. If you applied by phone, you need to make the change by phone. Applications to countywide programs can be changed any time before Nov. 1 using the automated phone system.

What if my child already is in a Pinellas public school and I want him to stay there next year?

Do nothing. Students who are happy with their existing schools and aren't moving up to middle or high school next year can stay with no paperwork obligations. The district will not be sending them any official notification.

My child will enter kindergarten next year. What do I do?

If your plans include Pinellas public schools, you must apply now - before the Nov. 1 deadline. Your first step is to get the child registered with the school district at one of two Family Education and Information Centers. To qualify for kindergarten, the child must be age 5 on or before Sept. 1, 2005. To register you will need a certified copy of the child's birth certificate or other proof of birth date, such as a baptismal certificate or passport, and proof of residency, such as a tax document, lease or utility bill from the parent or guardian. The district also would like the child's Social Security number, but that's optional. Upon registration, your child will receive a 10-digit identification number to be used in all applications. After registering, you may apply for up to five choice attendance area schools with a paper or phone application. The paper application may be mailed, faxed or delivered in person to one of the family centers. If you wish, you may register your child and submit an application in person during a single visit to the family center. You also may apply by phone for as many magnet or fundamental programs as you want.

What do I do if my child is going into middle school or high school next year?

All fifth- and eighth-graders currently enrolled in Pinellas public schools will be mailed a written reminder about their options for entering sixth and ninth grade in the 2005-06 academic year. The customized letters should have been sent by late August. They tell students whether they still qualify to attend the middle or high school for which they were zoned as of June 6, 2001, under extended grandfathering. If a student wishes to attend that former zoned school next year, there is no need to call or send in an application. The district will assume the student is attending that school next year. However, students who don't want to exercise the extended grandfathering option are free to apply to another choice attendance area school or a countywide program. Fifth-graders in magnet and fundamental elementaries who want to continue in those kinds of programs through middle school must apply to a magnet or fundamental middle school.

What happens if I move to another area of Pinellas after my child is assigned a school?

If your child is in a magnet, fundamental or career academy program, you may move anywhere in the county and remain in that program. The same applies for all high school students. But it's different if your child is in a choice attendance area elementary or middle school. Your child stays assigned to that school as long as you don't move to a different attendance area. If you move out of your original attendance area, however, the district will help you find an available seat in your new attendance area. If you don't like your new school, you have the option of applying for a transfer or applying this time next year for another school.

What if my child is in private school or is homeschooled?

If you want that child to attend Pinellas public schools in 2005-06, you need to apply for a choice attendance area school or a countywide program before Nov. 1. Your first step is to register the child with the district at a Family Education and Information Center.

My child goes to private school. He applied last year for public school but didn't get the seat he wanted. He wants to apply again this year. Can he still use his student ID from last year?

No. He will have to register again.

What if I just moved into the school district and have school-age kids?

Because you are not currently in the school system, your first step is to register your children at a Family Education and Information Center for the current school year. The district will help you find a choice attendance area school with available seats. There is not likely to be room in any of the countywide programs, which are in high demand. If you end up liking your new school, your children may remain there until they complete the highest grade offered. If any of your children are moving up to middle or high school next year, the time to apply is now. If your children are not moving up a level but you simply want to explore other schools for the 2005-06 academic year, you also must act now. But BEWARE: Simply applying for another choice attendance area school will forfeit a child's current seat for next year. However, you may apply to a countywide program without forfeiting anything.

This is confusing. Why are the elementary and middle school magnets also listed as choice attendance area schools?

They are a little bit of both. The schools in this category are Bay Point, Melrose and Perkins elementaries and John Hopkins and Bay Point middle schools. A percentage of the seats in those schools are filled from magnet applications. So anyone in the county can apply to these schools by calling the automated phone line for countywide applications. But openings also are reserved for children who live in Area A in South Pinellas. So a student who lives in Area A can apply twice to one of these schools - once on the magnet phone line and once with a choice application. But BEWARE: If you use a choice application to apply to one of these schools, you are applying to a choice attendance area seat. That means you give up your child's current seat by applying. However, if you apply to one of these schools through the countywide programs phone system, you are applying for a regular magnet seat. That means you don't give up your existing seat by applying. Kindergarten applicants don't have to worry about this distinction. They don't risk losing a seat because they haven't yet been assigned a seat.

Can a student who attends a countywide program shop around for another school?

Yes, but BEWARE: The simple act of applying to a choice attendance areas school will result in the loss of the child's countywide magnet, fundamental or career academy seat for the following year. The student would lose extended grandfathering privileges. However, students currently enrolled in one countywide program can apply to another countywide program without risking anything. The existing countywide seat would be forfeited only when the student accepts an invitation to another countywide seat.

I thought the whole idea of choice was to be able to fully explore options for your child, yet I'm penalized if I do. Why do you forfeit your child's current seat if you apply for a choice attendance area school?

The district's rules are designed to prevent students from holding onto two seats when the choice computer lottery occurs early next year. Take the example of the student who attends Lakewood High this year but wants to see if she can get into Countryside High next year. Without the rule that forfeits the student's Lakewood seat, the district would have to put a hold on that seat while the student also applied for Countryside. The student would go into the lottery with dibs on two seats. Multiplied by hundreds or thousands of students, this situation would prevent the district from getting an accurate number of choice seats available. When you're trying to place students fairly into a set number of seats, that's a problem.

Why don't I forfeit my seat when applying for a magnet, fundamental or career academy program?

These countywide programs always have been designed to attract as many students as possible, a philosophy that has not changed with choice. They are important to maintaining racial balance within the district. Penalizing applicants to these programs by taking away their existing seat would discourage participation. Also, the scenario is different from applying for a choice attendance area school. The acceptance period for magnet, fundamental and academy applicants occurs before the choice computer lottery. When students accept a countywide spot, they are eliminated from consideration for choice attendance area schools. Thus there's no danger of them holding down two seats when the choice lottery comes along, and no reason to forfeit their existing seat when they apply.

How can they call it "choice" when our options are so limited?

There are different degrees of choice. Students with existing seats really gamble when applying to get into another choice attendance area school. They lose their existing seat and there's no guarantee the lottery will give them the new seat they are seeking. However, savvy applicants will improve their chances by researching schools, gauging their popularity and knowing what the school capacities are. The widest range of choices is available to students who find themselves at the major entry points to the school system - kindergarten, sixth grade and ninth grade. Those grades are wide open to the entering classes. In other grades, the classes are established and not as many seats are open, so the choices will be more limited. Despite rules that limit options, families generally have much more choice than under the old zoned school system.

How does the computer selection system work for choice attendance area schools?

In January, the system gives every applicant a random number and sorts his five choices, factoring in how many open seats each school has and the racial ratios that govern the choice plan. At the same time, the process gives preference to applicants who have filled out a family preference application. It also gives a percentage of seats to those who live close to a school. Typically, about 80 percent of applicants get their first choice. Fewer than 10 percent get none of their five choices.

How does the computer selection work for countywide schools?

Applicants are assigned a random number in November, then ineligible applicants are set aside. At magnet and fundamental middle schools, priority is given to students from elementary feeder schools with magnet and fundamental programs. For all countywide programs, children of full-time staff in the program get priority. So do children with parents serving in the military. Priority also is given to students with a sibling who already is in the school and will be there next school year. To be classified as siblings, students must share a parent or legal guardian or be stepchildren living in the same home. After all the priority positions are granted, the remaining applications are processed in the order of the random numbers. The placements also are made factoring in the district's racial quotas.

How do waiting lists work?

Those who do not get their first or second selection for a choice attendance area school during the computer match in January will be placed on each school's waiting list. The lists will be ranked based on how close each student lives to the school. Those on the list will be notified if a spot opens for their child. The lists expire six weeks after the first day of school next year. If you apply for a countywide program and don't get invited, your child automatically is placed on the waiting list based on the number randomly assigned to the child before the selection process. You will be notified if a spot opens. The waiting lists for countywide elementary and middle schools remain intact until the end of the academic year. The waiting lists for high school countywide programs expire after the 10th day of the second semester.

If my child is on a waiting list and a spot opens up for her, how will I be notified?

Whether it's a choice attendance area school or a countywide program, the district will call you on the phone. You will have 24 hours to decide whether to accept the spot. This scenario highlights the importance of making sure the district has your correct phone number. Some families change addresses and phone numbers and fail to notify the school system. If the district can't reach you when a spot opens up, it goes to the next person on the waiting list.

I have two elementary school age children. If one gets into a school, does my other child automatically get in?

Even if they are not blood relatives, children who live in the same household get priority over other applicants when applying to choice attendance area schools. But there's no guarantee. While the district tries hard to pair family members, it may not be possible in schools that are filled to capacity. For magnet, fundamental and career academy programs, the definition of family is more narrow. To be classified as siblings, students must share a parent or legal guardian or be stepchildren living in the same home. Siblings are given priority to get into the same magnet, fundamental or career academy programs. But how the priority is applied depends on the situation. If an older child already is in the school and will be there the following year, a young sibling who applies will almost certainly get in. However, if two siblings - twins, for example - are applying at the same time and only one gets in, the other sibling is placed on the sibling waiting list, where getting in is less of a certainty.

Who gets transportation under the choice plan?

You're eligible for a school bus ride if you live 2 miles or farther from your school. The exceptions are fundamental students, who do not receive bus transportation.

How can I learn more about the attendance areas and about the schools?

The school district Web site - www.pinellaschoice.org - has maps and lists of schools by area. The two Family Education and Information Centers also have maps.