Lotto of Learning : Nervous Parents Attend Drawings for Open Enrollment

It had all the trappings of the Big Spin but the prize wasn’t money. It was a chance to attend Hale Middle School.

About 50 parents waited nervously in the school’s auditorium Tuesday morning to find out whether their children were among the 75 lucky ones to enroll at Hale. Under the new state-ordered open enrollment policy, parents could choose schools outside their neighborhoods as long as space was available and ethnic balances remained intact.

For schools like Hale and others particularly in the west San Fernando Valley but scattered throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District as well, too many applications and not enough space meant lottery-style drawings Tuesday. Students’ names were drawn from boxes and cookie jars both for enrollment and to create waiting lists.

As Hale’s principal, assistant principal, a parent and office manager stood on the stage drawing 173 names for 75 openings, parents sat on the edge of their seats. Some hugged when it was over and others left shaking their heads in frustration.

“Yes!” said Ahmad Hosseini, as his daughter’s name was selected. “Fantastic!” he said raising his fist in the air and beaming.

Others were not quite as ecstatic. “Lindsay didn’t get in and now I’m annoyed,” said Kay Arzberger, whose daughter was number 158 on the waiting list.

“My son is going to be so sad,” said a visibly disappointed Linda Glickstein, whose son was number 163 on the waiting list. “All his friends are in but he’s not.”

Principals determined the amount of space for open enrollment--raising the question that some administrators chose to underestimate--or exaggerate--their capacities. Even with the new students, most schools still will not be full.

Hale Principal Jeannie Leighton, who said the school’s capacity is 2,400 and who expects between 2,100 and 2,200 students next year, said the campus would be too full with more students and that she does not want to take too many students from neighboring middle schools.

“I do not want to rob from Columbus or Parkman” middle schools, Leighton said. “If I’d opened my enrollment to 200, I feel I am robbing their enrollments and their ADA (Average Daily Attendance or per-pupil funding).”

Parents whose children were not selected said they were disappointed that the school did not accept more students but that they would not want their children to attend overcrowded campuses.

“It’s probably a delicate decision,” said Joan Singer, whose daughter was not selected. “But it is frustrating.”

Some schools had dozens of parents attend the drawings, others had none. Parents were allowed to apply to as many campuses as they wished.

About 30 parents turned out to watch the lottery at Sherman Oaks Elementary, where 151 students applied for 70 slots.

“When a name was called, the parent would jump up and scream like they’d just won the lottery,” said Sherman Oaks Principal Ed Krojansky. “It makes you feel good that people want to come to this school.”

At Welby Way Elementary in West Hills, just one parent showed up for the drawing. The school received 140 applications for 15 openings.

Adele Levine, the sole parent, said she wanted her daughter to attend the school because her son is enrolled at the magnet center located on the campus. The first-grader was not among the lucky 15. “Well, where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Levine said when the drawing was over.

Several parents whose children were placed on waiting lists said they would seek other kinds of permits. At least a half-dozen parents at Hale, for example, said they would try to get child-care permits, meaning that they have baby-sitters close to the campus.

District officials said there is no limit to the number of child-care permits schools can accept--as long as space is available--but that they must be legitimate. “If they can get in on a child-care permit, well and good,” said Joyce Peyton, who oversees the district office coordinating the open-enrollment process.

Many of the applications came from students who live nearby but outside of the campuses’ attendance boundaries. Some parents said they wanted their children in schools with better reputations. But few are traveling long distances to attend the schools.

Some, in fact, are moving closer to their homes. Lupe Sonnie, the principal of Lincoln High in East Los Angeles, said she received 100 applications for 100 openings--many from students who are voluntarily attending schools outside their neighborhoods. “Kids are returning to their community,” she said. “That’s a good sign.”

While district officials had said they would not keep systemwide tallies of the numbers of students leaving or entering new campuses, board members said they would like to see the total numbers. “I think it’s a real interesting experiment that’s going on,” said board member Julie Korenstein. “I’d like to see some information coming back.”

The board approved the new policy after state legislation mandated that parents should be allowed to choose schools, as long as classroom space was available and ethnic ratios were not dramatically altered.

Some parents, however, complained about the new system and the fact that lotteries had to be held.

Estella Brown, who wanted her daughter to attend Hale, said the students should have been selected on a first-come, first-served basis. “I turned my application in on the first day,” Brown said. “I think it’s unfair. I shouldn’t have to go through this.”

Brown’s daughter was selected in the lottery, however, but she said she still resented the process.

Mansur Amini, whose daughter was not selected for Hale, left the auditorium, shaking his head.

“That’s the Los Angeles educational system--you can’t do anything about it,” he said. “What more can I do?”