Schoolsearch2000: Middle school magnets can be harder to get into

Middle school magnets can be harder to get into

If your child is not already in a special elementary program, it becomes a numbers game.

By SHEILA MULLANE ESTRADA

For some families, the choices and opportunities offered by zoned middle schools may not meet their child's needs or interests.

Pinellas County offers middle school parents two magnet programs, two fundamental middle schools and two discovery schools -- a mix of programs and strategies so parents and students can select their own best educational solution.

There also are 91 private schools that offer classes for sixth- through eighth-graders. The schools usually operate as extensions of an elementary program. Parents also can opt to homeschool their middle-school child.

St. Petersburg's first charter middle school, the Bay Village Center for Education, has been approved by the School Board and is expected to open next year. A proposed charter middle school operated by the city of Oldsmar is pending School Board approval.

"The size and complexity of middle schools can be off-putting," says Janice Rouse, assistant superintendent for middle schools. "Parents need to look at their individual family situation and consider all the alternatives. If a parent is interested in a particular program, they can increase a child's comfort level by taking them on a tour of the school. A child's opinion is important, too."

This year, of the 26,125 students in middle schools, 3,332 attend magnet programs and 1,191 are enrolled in fundamental schools. Parents considering a non-zoned middle school should pursue admission during their child's fifth-grade year.

It is much harder to get a child into a middle school magnet or fundamental program if he or she is already attending a zoned middle school, Rouse said.

Space in both middle school magnet and fundamental programs is limited, largely because many students in related elementary programs opt to continue at the middle school level. Magnet openings are filled based on prior school performance and interest.

Enrollment in middle school fundamental programs is open to all students whose parents are willing to commit to the program's standards.

The school district provides middle school magnet students with arterial bus service to and from school. Parents of fundamental program students must provide their own transportation.

If too many students seek admission to a middle school magnet or fundamental program, a computerized lottery is triggered. Students are assigned random numbers, and those not accepted are placed on waiting lists. This year, there were 285 students on the fundamental middle school waiting list and 479 students waiting to get into middle school magnet programs.

Applications are available at elementary school and at the program schools. The application must be mailed or hand-delivered to the desired program school by Dec. 1 of the prior school year (in other words, the 2001-2002 school year). The school district allows parents to apply for more than one magnet or fundamental program.

By Feb. 1, parents will be mailed notice of either acceptance or placement on a waiting list or notice of ineligibility. Enrollment in both programs is governed by court-ordered racial balance ratios.

Priority placement in the lottery is given to graduates of elementary magnet and fundamental schools who are guaranteed acceptance in related middle school programs -- as are qualified siblings of children already enrolled in a magnet and fundamental programs. Parents must let the school district know by March 1 whether or not their child will attend the magnet or fundamental program or if the child can be placed on the waiting list.

Parents whose children are placed on waiting lists should not despair, however. Space often opens up after the start of school as accepted students change their minds, move out of the district or find the program was not what they expected.