Parent involvement is key in any school

If your child doesn't get in to the school of your choice, take a better look at your zoned school, experts say, and meet teachers and visit classrooms.

By KATHY SAUNDERS

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 29, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- You tried your odds. You applied through the lottery to all the fundamental schools and all the magnet schools and you didn't get in. You're left with your assigned school.

Don't panic. That may not be a bad choice.

"There were doctors and lawyers and teachers in Pinellas County schools long before magnet programs existed," said Christine Lowry, the supervisor of magnet and fundamental school programs. "Those high performing, highly motivated kids become valedictorians and leaders. It's kind of nice for one of the zoned schools to get those kids back."

You can try the lottery every year, but the openings become fewer as students progress.

If your zoned school has received bad ratings in the past, school officials say it's important to find out why.

Lowry said parents should take a hard look at their zoned schools. They should meet the principal and teachers.

"Go see what you can do," said School Board member Nancy Bostock. "Go visit, go multiple days and sit in in different classrooms."

"See what the problems are and what you can do to fix them," she said.

Linda Benware, principal of St. Petersburg High School, said parents "should do whatever they can to be inside and to get to know the workings of the school."

Volunteer, she said, for the Parent Teacher Association, the School Advisory Council or in the classroom.

"It should be a red flag to any parent if you feel unwelcomed," said Benware, who used to have Lowry's job.

Bill McAlduff, whose son, Kevin, is a sixth-grader at Southside Fundamental School, still serves as a SAC member at Pasadena Fundamental School, where his son attended kindergarten through fifth grade.

If parents want to make changes at a school, the SAC group is a good place to be.

"The SAC committees write the school improvement plans," McAlduff said. "Parent involvement, that's the biggie."

School officials say it's also important to be positive about your school choice, especially when you talk to your children about the decision.

"So much of it is what you present to your child," said Bostock.

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