The School Board of Pinellas County, Florida
Student Assignment Plan
December 1 8 , 2007
Effective for the 2008-09 School Year
I. Guiding Principles of the Student Assignment Plan
The principles of the Student Assignment Plan are based on aspirational goals and the Board agreed upon parameters developed prior to the inauguration of the Choice Task Force. The Plan aspires to provide:
· Predictable feeder patterns
· Multiple school options to address individual family circumstances
· Schools close to home
· Students with access to peers from multiple cultures and diverse backgrounds that possess a broad variety of diverse skills, talents and abilities
· That transportation issues for parents and families are reduced, along with transportation costs for the district
· A simple application process
· A uniform set of rules for the entire county
· A commitment to equitable funding to schools based on, but not limited to, concentrations of economically and educationally disadvantaged students, non-gifted Exceptional Student Education (ESE) students and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students. The degree of funding will be determined during the annual budget process. Some examples of equitable funding strategies are lower teacher pupil ratios; redistribution of Title I funds; the provision of additional materials and staff and services to schools; and a commitment to a Success Zone for identified schools.
II. Capacity
A program capacity will be determined annually for all schools before the Student Assignment Plan is operationalized each year. The following will be taken into consideration when assigning students to schools.
· Density of population
· Program capacity of school facilities
· Cost of facility maintenance
· Transportation patterns
· Educational offerings
· Placement of countywide programs and schools, and
· The guiding principles of the plan
Program capacity will be controlled through a five-year plan just as are construction and capital improvements. Any additional changes to program capacity should be made between school years unless program needs require an immediate adjustment to be made.
School Closings
After careful consideration of the cost of facility maintenance and student attendance patterns, the following schools are recommended to be closed: Riviera Middle School, South Ward Elementary School and Largo Central Elementary School. Clearview Avenue Elementary School will be evaluated annually to determine if closing the school should be considered.
Placement of Relocatable Classrooms
If the projected enrollment exceeds the total capacity of the permanent facilities, the district may place relocatable classrooms at a school. Relocatable classrooms should be assigned based on documented need and a school's ability to support them. A school's ability to support relocatables is determined by the size of the dining area, the size of the site, and the number of restrooms at each school.
Allocation of Capacity
The program capacity of the permanent facilities, plus the program capacity of the relocatables placed according to the above principles will be the total program capacity for each school. Student assignments will be made to schools according to the capacity available.
III. Student Assignment Guidelines and Process
General Guidelines
· Students enrolled in a Pinellas County school in grades K-4, 6-7, 9-11 will be assigned to their current school for the following year and will be allowed to remain at that school through the highest grade offered.
· Students who qualify for Exceptional Student Education and English for Speakers of Other Languages programs will exercise their options from among the schools that offer the needed services. These students will not be disadvantaged in the assignment process.
· Assignments will be made first by using the sibling preference (see III-B) followed by proximity (see III-A). All assignments will be based upon the availability of seats.
· A sibling preference for students will be honored (see III-B). However, transportation will be offered to the incoming sibling for the first four years. Reasonable efforts will be made to keep siblings together contingent upon such variables as program availability and capacity.
· Home Education students wishing to participate in extracurricular activities and/or dual enrollment opportunities may exercise their options in sections B-D below.
· Changing schools during the school year may occur only when there is a change of address, substantiated hardship or administrative reason.
· The students who have extended grandfathering privileges under the October 2000 Student Assignment Plan will continue to be eligible for these privileges.
Process
The assignment process will be done in the following order. The timeline will be announced each year.
A: Fundamental schools, magnet schools and programs and career academies
1. A separate application will take place as early as possible at the start of the second semester pursuant to Board policy.
2. All elementary magnets will be 100% application schools.
3. Campbell Park Elementary, Gulfport Elementary, Maximo Elementary and Lakewood Elementary will accept applications from an area extending from Tampa Bay and I-275; west of Gandy Boulevard; south on U.S. 19; west on 54th Avenue North; and south through Cross Bayou and John’s Pass to the Gulf of Mexico. Any seats not filled during the application period will be offered to students living in close proximity to the school who agree to participate in the magnet program.
4. All other magnets will accept applications from students living anywhere in the district except the International Baccalaureate Programs and Center for Wellness Programs (Students living north of Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard may make application to the north county locations of these programs. Those living south of Ulmerton Road may make application only to south county locations of these programs. Students living south of Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard and north of Ulmerton Road may make application to either location, but not both).
B: Kindergarten, Grade 6 and Grade 9 Students and Those New to the District
1. All incoming kindergarten, grade six and grade nine students and those new to the district will be assigned to a close-to-home school.
· Grade six and nine students will be assigned to the close-to-home school on a space available basis.
· Incoming kindergarten students and those new to the district must visit a school to complete the initial registration process to be assigned to a school on a space available basis.
· Students new to the district after the application period are assigned as defined in Section E.
2. If the younger student has a sibling at a non-close-to-home school, the younger sibling will be assigned to the same school as the older sibling.
3. If the younger sibling wants the close-to-home school, the parent must visit a school to initiate the request. The older sibling may also request the close-to-home school but will be assigned to that school on a space available basis.
4. Assignments will be made based on a student’s proximity to the school in the event there are not enough available seats at the requested school.
C: Open Enrollment Period
All other assignments for the following year will be made during an open enrollment period.
1. If the parent wants a different school, they must apply during this period.
2. Assignments will be made based upon the availability of seats at the school and available school options at the time of the request.
3. Parents wishing to have their child attend a school close to the parent’s work or child’s day care may apply to do so during this period.
4. Students will not lose their current seat assignment when seeking a different school during the open enrollment period. However, if a parent accepts the new seat assignment, the previous assignment is surrendered and may not be requested again unless there is still an available seat at the school.
5. Assignments will be made on the basis of “first come, first served” contingent upon space availability.
D: Special Circumstances
Student Assignment Department staff will assist in the assignment process of:
· Homeless students as defined in School Board Policy 4.12 (2)
· Students in foster care
· Full-time school based employees who request for their children to attend the school where the employee works full-time and/or the related feeder pattern (based upon space availability)
· Unanticipated attendance issues that arise due to custody issues, legal situations and administrative circumstances
Staff will make reasonable efforts to provide an assignment that is appropriate for the individual circumstances.
E. Assignment Process After the Application Periods
A separate assignment process will be used for students who:
· Enter the district during the school year
· Move from one close-to-home area to another during the school year and want to change schools. The student may remain at the current school until the end of that school year. Transportation may be available on a space available basis to eligible students.
· Have been dismissed from magnet or fundamental schools
· Were assigned to a school using false information
· Are assigned to a different school by the Superintendent, or designee, or Directors of School Operations pursuant to Board policy.
Parents will visit a school to initiate the registration and assignment process. All assignments are based upon available space at schools.
IV. Appeals
An appeals process will be available to parents who believe the established procedures regarding the assignment process have not been followed as written. The Student Assignment Appeals Committee will determine whether the assignment guidelines have been followed and whether reconsideration of assignment is appropriate.
Membership of the Student Assignment Appeals Committee will be coordinated by the Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Operations and shall include six voting members.
a. One school-based representative (principal) and one district-based representative appointed by the Associate Superintendent for the respective region.
b. Two representatives from the Pinellas County Council of PTAs (PCCPTA), and two from the Pinellas SAC Association appointed by the respective organization.
Each meeting of the committee must consist of no more than six voting members and a representative from the Student Assignment Department. Voting members will include one (1) school-based representative who will chair the meeting, one (1) district-based administrator and two (2) representatives each from PCCPTA and Pinellas SAC Association. In case of a tie, the Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Operations will review the appeal and cast the deciding vote. For each meeting of the committee, the members present will reflect a racially diverse representation. The Student Assignment Appeals Committee will meet as needed.
Process to use when filing an appeal:
· Step 1: Parents must attempt to resolve the decision by first contacting the staff at the Student Assignment Department.
· Step 2: If the issue is not resolved in Step 1, the parent may submit an appeal to the Assistant Superintendent of Student Assignment within ten days of being notified of a school assignment. During the appeal process, the student will attend the district assigned school.
· Step 3: If not resolved in Step 2, information provided by the parent and Assistant Superintendent will be presented to the Student Assignment Appeals Committee for review. The Student Assignment Appeals Committee will review the information in a confidential manner. Parents may also present the information in person to the appeals committee.
· Step 4: The results of the decision of the committee will be mailed to the parent within five working days after the meeting of the appeals committee. The decision of the appeals committee is final.
V. Transportation Provisions
There will be two types of transportation services provided in this plan.
· Arterial service for countywide programs for eligible students.
· Regular routing using state and School Board guidelines for eligible students. This includes:
o Students attending a school in 2007-08 that is not their close-to-home school who wish to remain at that school until the highest grade offered
o Younger siblings of the older students who opted to remain at their 2007-08 school are eligible for transportation for the first four years of this Plan.
o Students assigned to their close-to-home school
o Eligible Thurgood Marshall Middle (those eligible for transportation in 2007-08 will continue to be eligible) and Osceola High School students.
VI. Magnet/Fundamental School Programs/Career Academies/Centers of Excellence
Countywide magnet programs and schools, fundamental schools, career academies and Centers of Excellence will continue to be open to application for all students living in Pinellas County under policies applicable to those programs.
All new magnet programs, fundamental schools and career academies will be countywide.
VII. Eligibility for Extracurricular Activities
The determination of eligibility for extracurricular activities for high school students will be in accordance with Pinellas County Schools’ policies as well as rules and regulations of any governing body recognized by the Pinellas County School Board.
VIII. Obtaining Information about the Student Assignment Plan
Introduction
The student assignment plan needs to be effectively communicated throughout the community. Parents needing information should go to any school or visit the district’s website (www.pcsb.org/Choice/newplan.html). Resources at the school shall include but not be limited to:
· School options
· Specific information about available schools
· Directions for selecting a school
· Transportation information
· Exceptional Student Education information
· Assistance for parents who do not speak English or with limited literacy skills
· Magnet, fundamental, career academy, Centers of Excellence and charter school opportunities.
Parent Outreach
District staff members will employ various outreach strategies, including, but not limited to, visiting libraries, day-care centers and community centers and speaking to parent groups about the registration process, the academic programs and opportunities for parental involvement in their public school. There will be an aggressive marketing plan directed to the economically and educationally disadvantaged populations to inform and educate them about special programs in the district on an annual basis.
IX. Superintendent’s Authority
Consistent with School Board Policy 6.15(8), the Superintendent may assign a student to any school or educational program if it is deemed in the best interest of that student or the school district.
X. Annual Review
The Superintendent shall conduct an annual review of the Student Assignment Plan to determine if any improvements are necessary or appropriate. The Superintendent shall be authorized to retain the services of an outside evaluation contractor to examine the effectiveness of the Plan in attaining the stated guiding principles. The contract amount shall be subject to Board approval if beyond the Superintendent’s delegated authority. The annual review will include, but not be limited to, consideration of the Plan’s effectiveness in creating schools close-to-home, creating predictable feeder patterns, providing multiple school options, and to the extent possible creating opportunities for students to attend diverse school assignments. The Superintendent, or designee, shall include the results of the review and any recommended changes to the Plan in the Superintendent’s annual report to the District Monitoring and Advisory Committee (DMAC) made pursuant to School Board Policy 2.21(12)(g).