Pinellas student assignment plan may be delayed a year

The Pinellas School Board’s insistence on a key last-minute change to its new student assignment plan may end up derailing the plan for another year, Superintendent Clayton Wilcox said today.

"There are just too many unanswered questions for us as an administrative team," Wilcox said at a hastily called news conference just minutes before the board’s regular meeting at 5 p.m.

The board asked for the change at an afternoon workshop, and it raised a number of new issues, the superintendent said.

The change that sparked the delay: Four board members, a majority, said that a certain percentage of students who live close to all magnet and fundamental schools should get priority over other students during the admissions process.

He said there was a "real likelihood" the plan would be delayed until the 2009-10 school year. It was to start next school year, with assignments being made starting in February.

Wilcox said he would ask the board tonight to schedule a meeting next Tuesday.

- Thomas C. Tobin, Times education reporter

Comments

[R]

1:01 PM You were obviously schooled at a HIGHER educational level. BTW, Here's the Webster dictionary for it:

http://m-w.com/dictionary/magnate

Perhaps you missed the real meaning. Yes my child knows the REAL spelling of magnate school. It seems to have gone right over your head!

R:
They've done wonders, I'm sure. I hope they taught him to spell magnet.

[Julia]

you were lucky Flora. Did you grow up in north county? I grew up in st pete and the zone changed every few years. My friend lived two blocks away from Tyrone Elementary and got moved to a school 25 minutes away. Far away schools and being moved around constantly have been a way of life in st pete for decades. Choice has been better because once you were in a school, at least you knew they wouldn't move your child mid-elementary etc... There was also no common track for kids going to middle and high school.Like I said, that's why I do believe in the neighborhood plan.It was hell getting shifted around.My parents gave up and I went to private school.

[Flora]

Well, if they weren't they never once sent a kid we knew in our neighborhood or the surrounding areas to another school. Not once in elementary, middle, or high school. The same group of kids went to all the same schools from the time I moved into the district (2nd grade) to the time I graduated.

[Julia]

Flora - I grew up here in the 80s and it was not neighborhood schools. Every couple of years, the districting was redrawn to keep the racial balance quotas. I had friends that were moved their senior year of hs. As I have said, I agree w/ neighborhood schools. I think the plan needs to pass. This area sorely needs stability. I just see no reason to change Bay Point, Perkins, or the three fndmtl schools. They are performing well above average, so why mess with it.

[Julia]

The other thing I wanted to add about school funding is that magnets are more expensive to run. Keep in mind though, that magnets usually get a lot of funding from the federal govt. Your school may not get as much funding because it is not Title I (neither is mine). Again, a high % free/reduced lunch funding comes from the federal govt, not local. If these magnets went away, that $ would just go back to the federal govt. It would not go to your school. Just something to think about. As I said, fndmtls are very low cost schools to run, check the numbers.

[Flora]

I have to say, I agree with R. When I was a kid and in Pinellas schools - elementary in the 80s and on - there was no stress as to where and what you got. You went to the closest school. The end. You went with friends, you got up 30 minutes before the bell rang if you walked, you got home in time for cartoons. It was easy for parents to be involved, they didn't have to drive across this heavily congested county for Open Houses or parent-teacher meetings.

Focus on making the schools equal instead of the ridiculous pick and choose that the Choice Plan has caused. Quit leaving kids behind.

[R]

Your "Regular school" cost includes busing etc. Exclude that and I GUARANTEE that per student costs for a regular school are lower than any "special" school. My kid's school's budget is $300k/yr. It is a neighborhood school and it is slated to be closed.

The next thing to go is Bright Futures where kids are rewarded for academic excellence. It will probably all be diverted to those in "special" schools, not "Regular Schools". "Regular Schools" are the FOUNDATION of the school system. Lets FIX the foundation instead of making special schools for the privileged few.

[john]

Dear Editor,

Please be sure to provide every parent in Pinellas county with the names of all the School Board members. Please provide this information as often as possible so that at the time to elect a school board we have a real good idea of who to vote for. People who aren't sucking money like drinking from a big mouth bottle. THANK YOU!

[Julia]

I believe in neighborhood schools too. However, i love my fundamental.Kids can be booted out. Look at the school board web site. Fndmtl gets no buses at all. Period. The average funding at a fundamental is about 4500 K per student. At a regular school, it is around 6000, in some cases, 8K. So, actually your kid is getting more $ than mine. Look at the school board web site spending per student before making statements that fndmtl students receive more$. That's why Wilcox wants more fndmtls, because they cost less to operate.

That said, they should vote on this.There are many magnets that are underutilized that could be eliminated. Fndmtals and magnets could be moved to closing schools if there is a seat shortage in some areas. Then, everyone would be happy.

[R]

What makes anyone think we can continue to afford sending other people's kids to magnate schools. The parents can't afford it so it becomes the tax payer's burden. I'm sick of it. LOCAL SCHOOLS ONLY!!!

If the local school is apathetic, even for the teachers (and parents) there then it's their own fault. Get involved, do something about it. My son's school gets the least funding of all schools in Pinellas and they have done wonders.

[teacher mom]

Our kids get their own transportation to the magnet school they go to. The bus system is unreliable as it is. They would drown in the apathy that is the neighborhood school I teach in. We can't afford private school, so I'm glad we have a choice.

[R]

Magnate/Fundamental = more money! Schools should be funded based on number of children at their school, period. If parents want their children to go to another school, they should transport AND if magnate/fundamental schools exist then they should pay more money to put them there.

Maybe that will make parents take some pride in their own neighborhood and local schools, become involved, and develop their own community. Take care of your own neighborhood AND kids.

This school district is screwed up. People need to face the fact that their kids should go to the school they are closest too. If you bought a house near Gibbs, then your child should go to Gibbs not Lakewood. Only a few select schools should have magnets, and the students/parents should be responsible for the transportation, not my tax dollars.

[R]

Just get rid of magnate and fundamentals. If the focus was on the kids and making their schools better maybe the parents would make it happen in their LOCAL school. They are shutting down my kid's local school. I have NO sympathy for all the "special" kids that just cost me more money while mine is getting ripped off at his current school because of the HUGE underfunding. $300K annual funding for my son's school vs. millions at other schools/year. It's amazing what they have done with that money and how much progress has been made.

I'm sick of all this priority donned out for a precious few. Time to even the $s and school system. LOCAL SCHOOLS for everyone, no grandfathering, put the kids into their local schools, including the ones bussed or privileged now! LOCAL ONLY!

[Suzy]

Astley, It isn't the board this time. Wilcox didn't get his way so he pulled the item. The board didn't ask for a last minute change, they asked him to go back and consider the directive they gave him before he changed the plan again. He's sulking and not getting his way so he dropped it from tonight's meeting.

then they should just shut down teh magnets - -
parents finally get used to a wierd plan and make it work for their kids and now these politicians are screwing around with it. mess it up too much and my kids are parochial school bound.

[Jeff]

More delays and more money wasted on needless transportation costs. Have you seen our schools, they are not being maintained to high standards in order to pay for the increased cost of busing. Class size forced increase in teacher cost and ADMIN cost are never lowered, so MAINTENANCE is cut. So we will be busing kids to overgrown, dirty and deteriorating schools instead of a maintained and clean school that they are close to. Board Members do not tell me you Care about EDUCATION, SAFETY, and MAINTANANCE when you budget for TRANSPORTATION over all else.

[Julia]

Leave the fundmentals and magnets alone.If there is a seat shortage in s. cnty, move some of the magnets/fndmtls to closing schools like Clearview/Rivieria.Or dispose of unpopular/underapplied to magnets at Campbell, Gulfport etc...Giving a % to neighborhood will not be enough to be meaningful help and be a drain on the fnmtl/magnet sys.If it works, leave it alone!Neighborhood schools need to happen, but fndmtl and magnet are a separate process and need to be treated as such.Choice is already creating neighborhood schools, but w/ wasted tax $ for buses.

[Astley]

How long have they had to come up with issues and options? And they are STILL unsure and just coming across problems?

Perhaps therein lies the problem.