For prep athletes, attending right school can make the difference

It was not an easy decision, but Naseline Charles says moving her family into an apartment within Plant High's district four years ago was one of the best choices she's ever made as a parent.

Transferring a child from one school to another is a choice many parents consider, and not just Charles, whose son, Orson, is one of the best football players the Tampa Bay area has ever produced. Whether your kid plays sports or not, finding the school that best fits their needs is an important decision.

But in recent years, parents of promising athletes are making moves between high schools because of a possible payoff: a college scholarship worth thousands of dollars.

In Charles' case, the switch took him out of Riverview High for his senior year and into one of the state's most successful football programs and one of the of the county's top schools academically. In just one season playing tight end on a pass-oriented Plant team, Charles went from making 16 receptions the previous fall at Riverview to state-leading totals of 75 catches and 21 touchdowns for the state-champion Panthers.

More importantly, says his mother, Charles made it to Plant's honor roll and went from one college scholarship offer to one from nearly every major program in the nation. Eventually, Orson chose Georgia, where last season he earned all-American honors at tight end.

Today, the 6-foot-3, 242-pound Charles is preparing to enter the upcoming NFL draft, where he is projected to go in the early rounds. Some say he could even go in the first. Either way, he could soon be a millionaire.

Had Charles not transferred to Plant, well, no one can say with certainty all this would've happened anyway. But his mother is certain transferring to Plant played a major role.

"Going to Plant maximized Orson's abilities and his opportunities,'' said Naseline, who still lives in south Tampa with her middle-school aged son, Romello Walters. "If you are a family that can't afford college for your children, you have to do what you can to maximize their opportunities. And there's no doubt that Plant did that for Orson.''

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In a way, landing an athletic scholarship is like hitting the lottery. Armwood head coach Sean Callahan says a five-year scholarship can be worth as much as $125,000. And after 11 Hawks from last season's state championship squad signed a National Letter of Intent this month, his program can boast the scholarships represent about $1 million.

Among Armwood's signees was linebacker Keionne Baines. Like Charles, he transferred to what his father, Ken Baines, considered a better opportunity for his son. But Baines' switch from East Bay to Armwood was more the result of misfortune than a calculated plan.

Ken Baines said following an argument with Keionne's mother, Alicia Nelson, he and Keionne moved out of her Riverview apartment. Initially, they had no place to go and, for a few nights, slept in Ken's truck. Eventually, Ken found an apartment he could afford near Armwood and Keionne was enrolled in the Seffner school.

Keionne wasn't an immediate success with the Hawks. In fact, Callahan was so fed up with his lack of work ethic early on he told Ken to take Keionne back to East Bay, where he was a starting running back and linebacker. But the message finally got through and en route to Armwood's state title, Keionne wound up leading the team in tackles and earning a scholarship to the University of Akron.

Now, Baines, whose mother and father are now reunited, will become the first member of his family to attend college. And had he not transferred to Armwood, all this might not have ever happened.

"Sometimes I knock myself on the head and think maybe we should've had that argument three or four years ago'' Ken Baines says with a laugh. "But to me, there's no question Armwood and coach Callahan is why my son has a college scholarship and if he had stayed at East Bay, he wouldn't have it.''

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Moving from one assigned area of Hillsborough County's public school system to another is just one way to transfer between schools. Since the mid-1990s, the district has offered an increasing number of what it calls "choice options,'' a lottery-type online application process that allows students to attend a school outside their assigned area.

Initially, these options took the form of magnet schools like Tampa Bay Tech, which offers specialized career training. But the choice program has grown to include a wide variety of programs and special courses.

Choice also allows students to apply for non-magnet schools that are not at capacity, or ''under cap.'' According to Terrie Dodson, Manager of Choice Communications for the district, nearly half the county's high schools were under cap during the last application period.

Students can also apply to switch schools outside their assigned area under a hardship option, but they must submit documentation to prove it.

Dodson says no student can apply for choice options or a hardship for athletic reasons. Of course, parents have been known to apply under false pretenses. Robinson football coach Mike DePue says many parents "play the system.''

"School choice is fine,'' DePue said. "It's the people who subvert the system that make the transfer period ugly. People are finding all sorts of creative ways to abuse the rules.''

But with more than 190,000 students in the Hillsborough County school district -- the eighth largest school system in the nation -- district officials admit it's nearly impossible to check every address. Usually, the responsibility is left to the school's administrators but it's a Herculean task.

"Our administration at Plant is extremely diligent but there's no way they can check the address of every student in our school," said Plant football coach Robert Weiner, winner of four state titles in the past six seasons. "I have 207 kids who are working out with us right now and short of assigning someone to follow each of them home every night, I just don't see how they can check all of them."

Keeping the students you're suppose to have at your school -- especially one with a struggling football program -- can be even harder. Ask longtime principal Bob Heilman at Riverview, who just hired new head coach Mike Thornton to hopefully revive the Sharks' football program.

"With Orson, who is one of the nicest young men you'll ever meet, we were running the Wing-T at Riverview and I could understand why he would want to go to Plant,'' Heilman said. "But if your football team is losing year after year, you're going to see kids and their parents leave for what they think could be greener pastures. It's inevitable.''

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There was a time when coaches were accused of recruiting athletes to their team. But many say that's no longer necessary because the long-term success of a program is the best recruiting tool.

"Nowadays, kids moving between schools is parent-driven,'' said Callahan, whose football program has produced three state crowns since 2003. "I may be naive, but I really don't think coaches are on the phone offering starting positions to kids or their parents. People recognize which teams and which coaching staffs are getting it done and they're finding a way to get their kids into that school.''

If your child is a promising wrestler, 22-time state champion Brandon and coach Russ Cozart is almost irresistible. In softball, Chamberlain, which has played more than 40 games in the state playoff series, and coach Bob Diez is a visible place. Even girls cross country has a strong draw, with Plant boasting 10 state titles under coach Roy Harrison. Problem with getting into Plant, is, they're above capacity. The only way in is to move in.

Under the current guidelines set by the school district and the Florida High School Athletics Association, there's little that can be done to stop students transferring between schools. In fact, in order to help maintain diversity, the district encourages choice options. Several years ago, county athletic director Lanness Robinson voted for a rule on the FHSAA Representative Assembly that would force a student to sit out a year of varsity play after a transfer, but the Florida Legislature struck down the proposed rule.

Robinson says unless something like that rule is on the books, transfers will continue.

"Kids and their families are always going to be looking for the best situation possible,'' Robinson said. "The unfortunate part is if they are doing it (transferring) for athletic purposes, they are doing something that is against the rules.''