It’s that time of the year when hundreds of calls pour in to the Broward County School District’s Innovative Programs office — all from eager parents wanting to learn more about the district’s magnet programs.

With the Feb. 15 deadline to submit applications creeping closer, Innovative Programs Director Leona Miracola likens the chaotic movement at the office to the post office during tax season : “Everyone waits to the last minute.”

In preparation for the onslaught of applications and questions, the district organized several web chats for parents, mailed flyers and hosted various magnet school open houses starting in January, but it’s still not too late for parents to learn more about the different programs.

“Even now, our magnet coordinators are available,” Miracola said. “If a parent has specific questions they can certainly call up the school and speak with the coordinator.”

MAGNET PROGRAMS

From robotics lessons at Dillard High School to Japanese courses at McNicol Middle, Broward schools have offered dozens of magnet programs for more than 30 years.

While the programs were first established as a way of diversifying schools after desegregation, the offerings have since spread to 47 schools and have become highly competitive.

This year, applications are up by 20 percent compared to last year, when roughly 12,000 applications were submitted. Of those applicants, about 44 percent get placed. Students are allowed to apply for multiple programs, and if not admitted into their first pick can request entry into another program, depending on availability.

High demand for placement at some magnet schools, like Virginia Shuman Young Elementary in Fort Lauderdale, Beachside Montessori Village in Hollywood and Pompano Beach High School, forced the district to turn to a computerized lottery system at those schools.

Last year, faced with 900 applications and only 350 open seats at Pompano Beach High’s International Affairs and Informational Technology program, hundreds of students were turned away. Students not selected via lottery at their school of choice can opt to stay in a school’s “waiting pool” Miracola said, so that if openings become available, another drawing will be held.

Still, she recommends parents talk with their kids about their interests to determine if other magnet schools with similar focuses can serve as an alternative.

“We ask our parents to please consider their children’s interest,” she said. “If we’re interested in certain things, it makes it feel less like work and more enjoyable.”

Fueling parent’s interest in Broward’s magnet programs are the high marks several of the schools receive annually when letter grades are issued by the state.

When the Florida Department of Education released school rankings for 2011, several Broward magnet schools - including Pompano Beach High, Virginia Shuman Young Elementary, Fort Lauderdale High and William Dandy Middle School - were listed among the top 200.

“If there’s one school model that worked for all students, it would be used,” Superintendent Robert Runcie said after the rankings were released Monday. “I think we have a lot of good schools, and a lot of good options, and it’s about finding the right school for your kid.”

STEM

The district’s newest offerings include six STEM middle school programs launched last year to coincide with the national push to prepare students for future careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

Instructors at Florida Atlantic University have teamed up with program coordinators at the six middle schools - Apollo, McNicol, Parkway, Lauderhill and Silver Lakes - to develop some of the curriculum and students participate in a science summer camp before the start of the school year.

“We want to prepare them to compete in a global economy,” Miracola said.