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Schools

Pinellas school board's doubts don't mean retreat

By THOMAS C. TOBIN, Times Staff Writer
Published October 4, 2007

Doubts have crept in at a critical time as the Pinellas School Board prepares a plan that would change the way students are assigned to schools. With a final vote just weeks away, here are some questions and answers that help explain the situation.

It seems like the School Board has hit a snag with the new student assignment plan. What's happening?

A majority of the seven-member board is getting cold feet about various elements of the plan. Board members Janet Clark, Carol Cook and Peggy O'Shea said Tuesday they fear the district may not have the wherewithal to pull off such a complicated transition in time for the 2008-09 school year. They suggest approving the plan, but implementing it more slowly than originally envisioned. Another board member, Linda Lerner, wants to reopen debates over school closings and other issues that seemed settled in August. Mary Brown, the board's chairperson and its only black member, said she will vote against the plan because it would undo decades of desegregation efforts by creating several predominantly black schools.

So, what's next?

The board will conduct a "listening tour" with stops at three schools on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

What does the plan do?

It would steer most students into their neighborhood school but offer them choices as well. Students could attend their "close-to-home" school or apply for a magnet program, fundamental school or another special program. They also could ask for a "special attendance permit" to attend any regular school in the county, provided that school has space and the student could get there without a district bus ride.

If I go to the "listening tour" next week, how can I comment on a plan that isn't finished yet?

You should know that a board majority still wants to proceed with the plan as written; what's different is that they may decide to implement it more slowly. One consequence of spacing out the implementation is it may take years for the district to realize the full savings in busing costs. The pros and cons of that decision are ripe for comment next week, as are general details of the plan published so far. The board is still trying to get a feel for how many Pinellas families want a system of neighborhood schools.

What are some of the unresolved details?

Several board members said Tuesday that they want to consider a slower implementation, but they reached no consensus on how to do it. Cook suggested phasing in the plan by compelling only students in the entry grades - kindergarten, sixth and ninth - to attend their "close-to-home" school starting next year. That's different from the board's earlier decision to "grandfather" all students now in the system into their current schools and give them the option to attend their "close-to-home" school. Which way will the board go? No one knows. The district also is hampered in that it won't have the answers to key questions until the plan is approved, like how many students might opt to be grandfathered and how many will want to go to their "close-to-home" school. The district also has yet to draw a final map showing families what their "close-to-home" schools would be.

Brown is the board chair, but she is only one vote. How significant is it that she says she'll vote against the plan?

It is significant in that she is the board's only black member and says she represents many people in the black community. On an issue that has the potential to divide the community, the ideal is to have a unanimous consensus.

The black community has had two years to voice concerns. Isn't it late in the process to be coming forward?

It's not too late to express new views. The School Board has invited the public to speak out at a "listening tour" next week.

Also, the "black community" is not monolithic. Some black residents say that, given the choice between quality education and diverse schools, they put quality education at the top of the list and believe the new plan will help achieve it. They say that having a "close-to-home" school will allow more black families to be involved in their children's educations. Other black residents say that allowing the district to resegregate would be a tragic reversal of the gains of the past 36 years. Diverse schools prepare students for the world of work and civic life, they argue.

Can't the district just stay with the choice plan and avoid all this turmoil?

Yes. There is nothing that legally compels the district to change plans at this point. But most district officials argue that Pinellas parents, black and white, have said in surveys and anecdotally that they want a system of neighborhood schools.

Thomas C. Tobin can be reached at tobin@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8923.

FAST FACTS: The forums

Here is the schedule of remaining public forums on the proposed Pinellas student assignment plan:

• Monday: 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Gibbs High, 850 34th St. S, St. Petersburg.
• Tuesday: 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Oak Grove Middle School, 1370 S Belcher Road, Clearwater.
• Wednesday: 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Countryside High, 3000 State Road 580, Clearwater.
• Thursday (Oct. 11): Board holds workshop to finalize plan, 9 a.m.-noon at school district headquarters, 301 Fourth St. SW, Largo.
• Oct. 16: Board takes an initial vote on the new plan.
• Nov. 13: Final vote.

[Last modified October 4, 2007, 00:47:10]