Three schools have satisfied a court-order racial ratio and will retain all teachers hired.
By DONNA WINCHESTER
Published August 24, 2003
ST. PETERSBURG - Breaking out of the starting blocks with relatively problem-free opening days, Pinellas' three newest schools have cleared another hurdle: a districtwide roll call to find out where students have settled.
The principals at Douglas L. Jamerson Jr. Elementary, James B. Sanderlin Elementary and Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle School received official word last week that 10 days into the school year, they were in compliance with a federal court order that mandates the ratio of black to non-black children at their schools.
Equally heartening to the elementary principals was news that they attracted - and kept - enough students to avoid losing any of the teachers they had hired. Thurgood Marshall, which has about 200 students more than anticipated, can hire at least three additional teachers. Marshall's new building has room for hundreds more students, but it had planned to open at far less than capacity.
The schools, which are in predominantly African-American neighborhoods south of Central Avenue, attracted large numbers of black students in the district's first foray into a new student assignment plan that gives parents more choice in where their children attend school. To stay within the court order's 42 percent enrollment cap on black students, officials had to find nonblack children to place at the schools.
There was concern that if a significant number of the nonblack children transferred to other public schools or chose to attend private schools, the new schools would be out of compliance with the court order. If their numbers dipped too low, they could have lost teachers who were hired based on enrollment figures.
Kathy Walker, the district's director of student assignment, credited the principals' efforts to recruit students and the schools' special programs for the low number of "no-shows." While none of the schools reached their program capacities, they all exceeded the district's projections for first-year enrollment.
"It's encouraging, because a greater school community can be established," Walker said. "It allows the programs the principals have put in place to be realized, and allows for teachers who were sent to those schools to remain there."
An average of 440 children came to Jamerson each day during the first week of school, about 70 less than principal Robert Poth had expected. But by last Monday, the day the 10-day count was taken, the school had 470 students. The additional students were sent from the Family Education and Information Center, which is still placing students where capacities and ratios allow.
Sanderlin began the year with 433 students, about 55 less than expected. The school heard from about 25 families who decided to send their children to other schools, but more than half of the missing children are unaccounted for. No other schools have requested their student information, said Sanderlin principal Denise Miller.
According to district figures, Sanderlin's enrollment rose to 554 by the 10-day count. As was the case with Jamerson, most of the students were referred by the Family Education Center after school started.
First-day numbers for Thurgood Marshall were unavailable, but more students showed up than were expected, according to office personnel. The school continued to bring in additional students during the first two weeks until its projected 458 enrollment reached 576.
Principal Joan Minnis was happy with the numbers.
"It's a good problem to have," she said. "I think everyone has been pleasantly pleased with the ratios and the numbers."
Now that the 10-day count is past, students who have not shown up at schools where they were assigned will be removed from the schools' rolls. Officials have already begun going down each school's waiting list, which contains names of students who had chosen the schools as a first or second choice but didn't get in.
That could be good news for black children who wanted to attend one of the three new schools but were shut out because of the racial cap. Their odds of coming off the waiting lists are increased as more nonblack children are placed.
Overall, the numbers released at the 10-day count were encouraging, Walker said. Total enrollment in Pinellas schools was 112,246. Although elementary attendance dropped by more than 500 students since last year, high school attendance rose by more than 1,000, or 3.3 percent, resulting in a 510-student increase.
The largest jump, 23.3 percent, was at the district's three charter schools, where combined student attendance rose from 210 to 259.
