Polk County
Schools
Magnet/Choice
Enrollment Plan
Carolyn Bridges, Senior Director
Office of Magnet, Choice and Charter Schools
A Magnet School Assistance Program
(MSAP) Project
1
A1
A2
Historical Perspective 1963 - 1991
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1963: Mills v. School Board of Polk County, FL
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Purpose:
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Parties to the lawsuit:
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End operation of dual school system
Desegregate the district’s schools
Plaintiffs: initially Althea Mills on behalf of son, Herman
Henry, Jr.; recently Legal Defense Fund
Plaintiff - Intervenor: U.S. Department of Justice
Defendant: School Board of Polk County
1963-1991: Almost three decades of various
student assignment plans and Federal court orders
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Extensive school clustering and rezoning of schools
School closures/conversions and new construction
A3
Desegregation Strategies
1960s-1970s
Freedom of Choice
within school clusters
in municipal areas
1980s
Fixed attendance zones
within municipal areas
1990s-Present
Expanded Choice at Magnet and
Choice Schools
- Large attendance zones
- Controlled open enrollment
- Waiting lists
A4
1992 Consent Order/Consent Decree
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Desegregation plans for each community
developed by diverse Citizens’ Committees.
Magnet schools and variety of choice
programs established.
90+ major changes made in school zones
Students and staff reassigned.
School facilities and resources equalized.
Hiring practices modified.
ESE and student discipline policies altered.
A5
1992 Consent Order: Magnet Schools
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Eight magnet schools created in four Polk
County geographic areas.
Student admission by choice within larger
attendance zone, but controlled to achieve
desegregation.
Admission determined via lottery; no
prerequisite admission requirements.
Limited neighborhood priority practiced to
maximize minority student school choices.
Student transportation provided by school
district to support diverse enrollment.
Kindergarten enrollment preference given to
siblings in same school.
A6
2000 Final Order from District Court
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Order from U.S. District Court withdrawing
direct federal oversight
Granting of Unitary Status to school district
Deferring to Settlement Agreement to
address unresolved issues
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Opening new middle and elementary schools in
Winter Haven
Completion of permanent arts facilities at Jewett
School of the Arts
Maintaining progress made in student
and staff assignments and facilities
A7
A8
2007 Supreme Court Rulings
Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No.
1 with Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education
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Preventing racial isolation and obtaining diverse
student enrollments are compelling interests.
School districts may use race-conscious measures to
address those interests.
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Race-conscious objectives may be acceptable.
Race cannot be the only factor or variable.
School districts currently using race of students as a
factor in individual assignment determinations should
carefully examine their student assignment plans in
light of the Supreme Court’s various opinions.
A9
Polk County Schools’ Response
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Temporary solution: Merged the two
existing magnet school waiting lists for
12,000 students.
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Effective for Short-term:
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Students accepted in pairs: One minority and
one non-minority.
Ineffective for Long-term:
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Depleted minority waiting lists leaving only
non-minority students on the waiting lists.
A10
Polk County Schools’ Action
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Developed a long-term solution for
Magnet School enrollment.
Submitted a Magnet School Assistance
Program (MSAP) federal grant proposal.
Received federal grant award for $11.3
million on October 1, 2010.
Submitted student assignment plan to
School Board on December 5, 2011.
A11
Polk County Schools’ Student
Assignment Plan
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Builds on existing processes.
• Continues existing waiting lists.
• Continues current magnet zones.
• Parents continue to apply for each child
during Open Enrollment annually.
• Parents must continue to submit a
separate application for each child
every January until enrolled into a
Magnet or Choice school.
A12
Solution Strategies
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Evaluated Berkeley Unified School District
(BUSD) model to craft Polk County student
assignment plan.
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BUSD plan
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Successfully tested in state courts.
Polk concept plan
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Includes work with BUSD.
Reviewed and approved by the Office for
Civil Rights (part of magnet grant review
process).
A13
Solution Strategies
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Revise enrollment strategies based on
2007 Supreme Court rulings.
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Assign magnet school applicants using targeted
selection based on both non-race and race
indicators.
Assign an individual student identifier based on
geographic residence.
Identify membership in one of three “pools”
based on comparison to overall population of
the magnet school zone.
A14
A15
Solution
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Reviewed and eliminated using existing school zones,
divided school zones and zip codes.
Create Priorities based on county grids.
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Findings:
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Grids are numbered using range, township, and section.
Grids are consistent throughout the county.
Grids are fixed – and do not change.
Use of grids can support development of objectively determined
school zones.
Builds on existing processes.
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Maintains existing waiting lists.
Maintains current magnet zones.
Parents apply for each child during Open Enrollment annually.
B1
Magnet and Choice School Enrollment Plan
B2
Overview
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Move from a multi-year waiting list to an
annual applicant pool.
Use county grids as basis for existing magnet
zones.
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Lakeland
Bartow/Mulberry/Frostproof/Ft. Meade/ Lake
Wales
Winter Haven/Auburndale
Haines City/Davenport
Based on AYP demographic factors.
Part of an overall review of attendance and
enrollment through existing requirements for
class size, school size, transfers, etc.
B3
Four Magnet
Area Zones for
Polk County
B4
Existing Magnet Data Based
on AYP Demographic Factors
Magnet
Area
Average
Lunch %
Lakeland
66
Winter
Haven
74
Haines
City
Bartow
83
73
Race %
W 53
B 22
H 18
O7
W 50
B 21
H 22
O7
W 27
B 20
H 47
O6
W 51
B 17
H 27
O5
*SWD: Students with Disabilities
W: White
B: Black
Average
SWD* %
Average
ELL** %
14
11
11
16
10
31
12
17
**ELL: English Language Learners
H: Hispanic
O: Other
B5
Four Zones Using County Grids
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Polk County grids
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Developed using the same method throughout
the state of Florida
United States National Grid (USNG) from the
Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)
Do not change
Identified by number that includes
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Range
Township
Section
B6
Polk County
Range,
Township,
and Section
(RTS) Grids
B7
Polk County
Range,
Township, and
Section (RTS)
Grid Map
Each dot
represents a
house that has
student
residents.
B8
Prioritizing Grids
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Prioritize each grid using four
demographic categories:
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Free or Reduced Lunch Status (FRL)
Race (R)
Students with Disabilities (SWD)
English Language Learners (ELL)
Determine grid designation.
Based on AYP demographic factors.
B9
Assigning Grids to Applicant Pools
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Assign pool for each grid with students
within Magnet Zone.
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Applicant Pool with points in low range for
the grids within this magnet zone.
Applicant Pool with points in middle range
for the grids in this magnet zone.
Applicant Pool with points in the high range
for the grids in this magnet zone.
B10
Student Assignment
to Magnet Applicant Pool
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All students residing within a shared grid
are assigned to the same applicant pool.
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Individual students in this grid may not
exhibit the same category values as the
grid in which they reside.
Increased likelihood that a student selected
from an applicant pool will reflect the
demographic categories of the identified
grid.
B11
Magnet Application Process
B12
Magnet Application Process
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Parents continue to apply for each child
during Open Enrollment annually.
Parents must continue to submit a separate
application for each child every January
until enrolled into a Magnet or Choice
school.
All applications are placed into one of the
three applicant pools based on their
residential address within a county grid.
Applicant pools are established at each
grade level.
B13
Student Assignment Process
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As a seat becomes available in a magnet
school:
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Review demographic category values for that
particular magnet school.
Determine which applicant pool is needed, based
on the student population of the magnet school.
Students on existing waiting lists will be
accepted prior to students in the
applicant pool.
A computer-generated lottery will be
conducted to select a student from the
appropriate applicant pool.
C1
Sibling Consideration
C2
Sibling Priority
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While consideration of siblings is a priority,
value at magnet schools is placed on:
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Reflecting diversity of the particular magnet
school zone.
Promoting diversity within the community
(magnet school zone) in which the school is
located.
C3
Sibling Priority Requirements
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Older sibling
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Is already enrolled in the magnet school at the
time the KG student’s application is submitted;
Will be returning to the magnet school for the
following year;
This does not apply if older sibling is in 5th grade.
KG application must be submitted during
the Open Enrollment period.
A Sibling Survey must be completed and
submitted.
C4
Sibling Objective
Create a sibling priority for Kindergarten
(KG) students with up to 50% of the
available KG seats filled by sibling. If
students are not selected for a sibling
seat, they will become part of the general
application pool.
C5
50% Sibling Priority
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Divide each of the KG applicant pools into
two smaller pools:
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When filling the KG seats at a magnet school:
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KG Siblings
Non KG siblings
Fill up to 50% of the available KG sibling seats using
random selection from the appropriate applicant
pool.
Fill remaining available seats with non KG siblings
from the appropriate applicant pool.
All remaining pool applicants:
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Reapply during the next Open Enrollment period.
C6
50% Sibling Priority Example
Sibling
14
Non Sibling
24
Sibling Non Sibling
38
119
Sibling Non Sibling
12 60
Applications Received
Initial Acceptance of 90 Seats
• KG Applicant Totals
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38 Blue (14 Siblings)
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157 Green (38 Siblings)
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72 Violet (12 Siblings)
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Blue: Randomly select 22
students (25% of 90 available
seats) Accept 11 Siblings, 11
Non Siblings
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Green: Randomly select 46
students (50% of 90 available
seats) Accept 23 Siblings, 23
Non Siblings
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Violet: Randomly select 22
students (25% of 90 available
seats) Accept 11 Siblings, 11
Non Siblings
C7
50% Sibling Priority Example
blue
16
green
111
violet
50
Ongoing Acceptances at 50%
• 9 Seats (6 Green and 3 Violet)
become available after Initial
Acceptance
• Students selected randomly from
remaining Non Sibling students in
the Green and Violet pools
C8
Questions
Brian Warren, Director of Magnet Schools
Assistance Program
Office of Magnet, Choice and Charter
Schools
Polk County Schools
Brian.Warren@polk-fl.net
C9
Additional Information
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Open enrollment will be from January 16 to
February 10, 2012
Apply online at www.polk-fl.net
There is no advantage/disadvantage to
when you apply
Applications must be received by 5:00 pm on
February 10, 2012
Copies of tonight’s presentation and answers
to questions will be found at www.polk-fl.net
keyword: School Choice