Perspective: Quality of education has become a matter of choice

Much has been said over the past several months about the School Board's quest for unitary status and the goal of eventually reducing the amount of forced busing created by our current desegregation court order. The school district stands today on the threshold of a new era in public education in Pinellas County in which the school a student attends will not be a matter of strict racial ratios but rather a matter of choice.

Two years ago, as we embarked on our annual ritual of rezoning students to comply with the federal court order, it became increasingly evident that parents wanted an end to forced busing and wanted to send their children to schools closer to home. Educational research has proven that students have the potential to achieve at higher academic levels when their parents actively are engaged in the educational process. With that in mind, the School Board took a bold step and elected to go back to federal court and seek what is known as "unitary status."

Simply put, "unitary status" means that the school system has eliminated all vestiges of discrimination in the critical areas of educating students. These areas include the method by which students are assigned to schools, the facilities students attend, the quality of teachers and administrators assigned to those schools, the curriculum and extracurricular programs students are provided and the availability of transportation to get to and from these programs. Rather than approach this quest for unitary status by going to court in an adversarial manner against the plaintiff class of black students, the board approached the issue in a collaborative partnership in hopes of avoiding a long, costly court battle. The process has worked!

On June 27, the School Board of Pinellas County and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund submitted to U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday an amended stipulation that was the final step in applying to the federal court for unitary status consideration. On Aug. 10, Judge Merryday released the district from federal court supervision. His decision will allow parents greater choice in the selection of the schools their children will attend in the future.

The stipulation provides for a transition period in which racial ratios still will play a part in the assignment of students; however, those mandatory ratios will disappear by school year 2007-08. The intent of the proposed student assignment plan is to create an environment where individual schools will develop "attractors" that will provide a unique and challenging educational experience for parents and students who select that school through a choice process.

It should be stressed that all schools in Pinellas County will not automatically become what are commonly referred to as "neighborhood schools." One of the key objectives of the plan is to maintain diversity in our schools. The geographic and demographic makeup of our district does not lend itself to being able to accommodate every parent's first choice of schools. Nevertheless, studies of other choice school systems throughout the country indicate that the vast majority of families will get their first or second choice of schools using this new selection process.

Those of us who have worked so hard to reach this point are excited about the prospect of providing more choice to parents in the assignment of their children to schools. Our major objective is to engage more parents in the day-to-day activities that go on in their children's education and, by doing so, strengthen the partnership between the home and the school that is so essential to student achievement.

We know that there will be "bumps in the road" as we implement this new assignment process. For the past several months, we have been seeking public input and reaction to the proposed pupil assignment plan. We have learned in the past that no pupil assignment plan ever can satisfy the demands of 100 percent of our parents. This plan will experience those same limitations. The distinction will come from the fact that parents will have an active part to play in learning about the programs in our schools and in making wise choices for their children. The district will be developing parent information centers to help with that process and to assist families in making decisions that will be good for their children.

We, as a school district and as a community, have learned a great deal from going through this procedure. We will continue to learn as we move closer to actually implementing a full-scale choice program in the future. To be successful, we will need your understanding, cooperation and support. It is critical that we hear from you not later than Sept. 29 so School Board members will have your input before they vote on the gradual phase-in of a four-year plan at their Oct. 24 meeting.

A copy of the proposal plan is available for review in each of our schools, the area superintendent offices and in the School Administration Building in Largo. You also may access the plan through our district Web page at www.pinellas.k12.fl.us. We encourage you to participate in the community forums that will take place at John Hopkins Middle School on Thursday, Sept. 7, and at Clearwater High School on Thursday, Sept. 21. Both hearings will begin promptly at 7 p.m. If you are unable to attend one of the public forums, you may send your comments and suggestions to Jim Madden at the School Administration Building located at 301 Fourth St. SW, Largo, Fla. 33770, or send them by e-mail to maddenj@pinellas.k12.fl.us

Let us know your feelings and concerns regarding this historic undertaking and become part of developing a choice system of schooling that may ultimately become a model for school systems throughout the United States. Your involvement will be crucial to our success. For each of us in the years ahead, the quality of education we provide for our young people no longer will be a matter of chance but indeed will become a matter of choice.

J. Howard Hinesley is superintendent of the Pinellas County school system

Back to Perspective

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright

From the Times
Opinion page