Pinellas school officials signaled Thursday that a compromise is in the works over a proposal to force thousands of students into new schools next year.
The proposal would affect about 18,000 students who remain grandfathered into the elementary schools they got into under the old choice plan and who did not move to their new zoned school when the system changed last year.
It would require those students to move into their zoned schools in August, reducing bus routes and helping the district close a projected $48-million budget shortfall next year. Many parents have expressed outrage, saying the change would be disruptive.
But School Board Chairwoman Peggy O'Shea said the district was studying alternatives, even as the board prepares to vote on the issue Tuesday.
"We're looking to see what, if any, grandfathering we could possibly accommodate," O'Shea said. "Before we say no to everybody, we're trying to work out things that people want, in spite of the budget."
Calling the grandfathering issue a heartache, superintendent Julie Janssen said her staff has devised another option for the board: allow grandfathered students to stay in their schools but without bus service — a solution favored by many parents.
It would save almost as much money as eliminating grandfathering and would avoid disruption, Janssen said. Several board members appear to favor the idea, she said.
Also Tuesday, the board will vote on two other budget-cutting measures: closing five elementary schools and merging four middle schools into two.
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