NORTH COUNTY - Although thousands of students in low-performing schools across North County qualify for tutoring that districts are required to pay for, only a small percentage of families have requested the service, officials said last week.

In total, 22 schools in North County have to offer the tutoring because students there failed to meet federal targets for at least three years in a row. School districts are required to offer tutoring for students from poor families who attend low-performing schools as part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Nine schools in the Vista Unified School District must offer the service, as must six schools in the Escondido Union School District and three in the Oceanside Unified School District. Two schools in Fallbrook, one in Bonsall and one in Valley Center also have to offer tutoring for poor students.

Of the three districts with the most eligible students, Escondido has the highest percentage of students who are signed up for the service. About 700, or roughly 18 percent, of the nearly 4,000 eligible students receive tutoring, district officials said.

Oceanside has the lowest percentage of students participating, with only 160, or 8 percent, of roughly 2,000 eligible students signed up. Vista is right in the middle with 542, or 11 percent, of the nearly 5,000 students who qualify.

The numbers are similar to those in districts across the state and country, said Jerry Cummings, a consultant for the California Department of Education. Typically, only about 12 percent of parents with eligible students request the tutoring, he said.

Low participation

The numbers may be so low because some students are being tutored in other before- or after-school programs, Cummings said.

Vista Unified has after-school programs - such as AM/PM services - that include academic help at nearly every campus, which has reduced demand for more outside tutors, said Sandy Gecewicz, chief academic officer for the district.

The district is working to make sure that help is available to all students, not only those who qualify for outside tutoring, Gecewicz said.

Busy schedules and transportation issues may also dissuade some parents, Cummings said. Districts don't have to offer students transportation to tutoring services, which often are not held on campus.

Still, the number of parents asking districts to pay for tutoring has steadily increased over the last few years, as more schools are placed on sanctions and more students become eligible.

Four years ago, roughly 550,000 students statewide qualified for the free tutoring and only 30,000 parents asked or the services, Cummings said. By the 2005-06 school year, roughly 900,000 students were eligible and 100,000 requested tutoring, he said.

Statewide numbers after 2006 are not yet available.

Parents' choice

School districts must pay for tutoring with money set aside for programs to help poor students catch up with their wealthier classmates. Typically, the state limits districts to paying about $1,200 per student.

"If it makes a difference for even a few kids, it might be worth it," said Katie Shanahan, testing coordinator for Vista Unified.

Students must be at a school that has failed to meet federal standards for at least three years in a row and must qualify for free or reduced-price lunch to be eligible for the tutoring.

School officials are required to send a letter to parents each year, letting them know about this requirement and how they can get the services. They are given a list of state-approved tutoring organizations, which can include nonprofit and for-profit companies as well as public and private schools.

"We encourage them to get the services," said Bess Bronson. director of program improvement for Oceanside Unified.

There are between 50 and 60 of these companies serving students in each school district in North County.

Though school officials have to provide information about each company, they're not allowed to recommend any to parents, Cummings said.

"The bottom line is, parents are to make the selection without interference," he said.

State education officials pick the companies that make up the lists each year out of the 150 or 200 that typically apply, Cummings said. This number includes organization that are reapplying, as they must do every two years.

As long as they can prove effectiveness, fiscal responsibility and credentials, organizations are approved, Cummings said.

Typically, between 60 and 80 percent of those who apply get on the list, he said.

More information on the tutoring requirement, including a list of approved providers, is available online at www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ti/supplemental.asp.

Contact staff writer Stacy Brandt at (760) 901-4009 or sbrandt@nctimes.com.