Many Schools Scramble to Fill Classroom Openings : Education: Parents used new open enrollment policy to apply at several Valley campuses.

Despite lotteries and waiting lists, the deadline for open enrollment in the L.A. Unified School District found most schools this week scrambling to fill openings. Because parents shopped for schools last spring--applying at several campuses--many administrators were left with extra space at some of the most popular schools in the Valley. Students failed to show up, for instance, at Taft and Granada Hills high schools, because they were accepted at other campuses.

Schools where the number of applications exceeded the amount of classroom space available held lotteries last spring and created waiting lists of students who didn’t get in. This is the first year of the district’s open enrollment policy.

At many popular Valley schools, where lotteries were held and parents complained when their children were put on waiting lists, dozens of students failed to enroll this week. At Hale Middle School, which held a lottery in June, 75 students were expected but 55 showed up. At Granada Hills High, which accepted 125 students and had 200 on a waiting list last spring, only about 100 actually enrolled.

School officials say they had no way of knowing who would enroll until classes began this week. When the students failed to show, school clerks and office workers began calling parents on the waiting lists. Even then, however, they found numerous students who were no longer interested in their schools.

“Some people were definitely school-shopping and signed up at several schools,” said Joan Lewis, assistant principal at Granada Hills High School. “This was the first time we’ve ever dealt with this--we didn’t know exactly what to expect.”

Said Taft High School Principal Ron Berz: “There are some quirks in the system. You think these kids are coming to you, but you don’t know.”

Taft had more than 600 students apply for 600 open slots. Berz said about 40 students failed to show up and the school began calling students this week from the waiting lists.

District officials said they anticipated that parents would apply at regular schools and magnets and then choose where to send their children.

“In order to make sure they get in, the parents are going to apply at different schools,” said Joyce Peyton, who oversees the open enrollment program. “It is an inconvenience but if you’re going to allow people to choose schools, there’s going to be some inconvenience.”

Next year, the district expects to begin the open enrollment process earlier so that parents and administrators have a better idea on how many students plan to attend the campuses. This year, the district allowed students to apply until June 14, when lotteries were held. But applications were accepted until Friday.

The district adopted an open enrollment policy last year in line with state legislation to allow parents to choose campuses outside their neighborhoods as long as space was available and ethnic balances remained intact. The district does not guarantee bus transportation.

Many of the open enrollment applications came from students who live nearby but outside campus attendance boundaries. Some parents said they wanted their children in schools with better reputations. Few are traveling long distances.

Taft, in fact, enrolled about 160 students from private and parochial schools, Berz said.

While officials are not yet keeping districtwide tallies on open enrollment, they say they had 9,100 open classroom seats in the Valley. But because the policy allows siblings to attend the same campuses, officials say more than 10,000 students are attending new campuses this year.

Some administrators say they were taken by surprise when students failed to show up this week. “They didn’t tell us this wasn’t their first choice--we assumed we were everyone’s first choice,” said Michael Bennett, the principal at Parkman Junior High, where 65 fewer students enrolled. “Some people just hedged their bets.”

Because of the large numbers of students who turned up in some grade levels and not in others, some schools will be reorganizing classrooms earlier this year. “We have too many students in some classrooms,” said Ed Krojansky, principal at Sherman Oaks Elementary. “It’s somewhat disconcerting but we’re sorting it out.”

Sherman Oaks had 70 spaces and enrolled 91 because of siblings who were also allowed to attend the campus. On the first few days of school, however, 18 students failed to show up.

The schools also found that most students applied for the lower grade levels. At Parkman, more sixth-graders enrolled, and at Taft, more ninth- and tenth-graders enrolled.

Despite the numbers of students who didn’t show up, administrators said they generally are pleased with the new program. “I think it’s great--it allows parents freedom of choice,” Krojansky said.