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Tag: magnet school

  • Fairfax Co. families worrying new high school could become magnet school – WTOP News

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    Some Fairfax County families are worried that the long-promised new high school in the western part of the district could become a magnet school instead of a traditional, community-based campus.

    Some Fairfax County families are worried that the long-promised new high school in the western part of the district could become a magnet school instead of a traditional, community-based campus.

    Almost 300 people signed a petition urging Superintendent Michelle Reid and other county leaders to make it a regular public high school as it prepares to welcome students. A decision on what type of programming the school will offer hasn’t been made yet, but school board documents suggest the school could begin to welcome 9th and 10th grade students next fall.

    The community fears come just over a month after the school division finalized the sale of the former King Abdullah Academy in Herndon. The district bought the private school and all of its furniture and technology for $150 million. County leaders said hundreds of millions were saved by not having to build the campus from scratch.

    The almost 33-acre site has libraries, study rooms, multi-purpose halls, basketball courts and soccer fields. At a work session last month, the school board contemplated different ideas for what type of school it may become.

    “Having a magnet school there, when we have a magnet school already, is not necessarily a step in the wrong direction, but I do think it’s a side step,” parent Kerin Hamel said. “The best move forward is making it a public school, to ease the overcrowding.”

    Students who attend nearby Carson Middle School then go on to several different high schools, separating them from friends, parent Steve Pierce said. Using a magnet model for the new school may not address overcrowding, he said, and “if they care about equity, there is nothing that creates more winners and losers than a highly selective magnet program where only the best and the smartest and brightest get in.”

    At an Aug. 26 school board work session, board members discussed several models, including a traditional school, traditional with academies, a school within a school, a magnet school and a campus with a traditional framework organized in a unique way.

    According to school board documents, the school could have an official name by December, and program selection could come in November. The campus could open to some students by the fall, and its first graduating class could finish by June 2029.

    “We are talking about literally $150 million taxpayer dollars here, and wanting to make sure that money is used in a way that actually benefits kids and communities,” Pierce said.

    Asked about the community concerns, a school system spokesman said there’s not a push for a specific type of school or program at the current stage of the process, and “multiple options will be carefully considered as we weigh up the best use of this exciting new space for our students.”

    Hamel, who has a child in elementary school and another in middle school, said a new magnet school could be a significant addition in the future, but the traditional public school is necessary “because that’s really, again, what’s been promised.”

    “I understand that a traditional public school is not necessarily going to solve all of those issues overnight,” Hamel said. “But I think a lot of people, if you have school-aged kids, and you’ve been thinking about high school or they’re already in high school, you already know the situation is pretty dire. We’ve got schools that are at capacity or going to be at capacity really, really soon if drastic measures aren’t taken.”

    Pierce, meanwhile, said several school board members and someone on the superintendent’s staff acknowledged the petition and its message. He’s hoping school leaders are transparent about the next steps in the process.

    “My hope and my belief is that if they hear us, they will listen to us and they’ll do the right thing,” he said.

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    Scott Gelman

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  • CT education department cites local district for underfunding some schools. Gap now substantial.

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    A Connecticut State Department of Education financial analysis of Hartford magnet school operations found that the district is not funding magnet schools as required by the law and a court order that developed a new educational ecosystem to end racial, ethnic and economic segregation in Hartford schools.

    Justin Cleary, associate accounts examiner for the Office of the Internal Audit for the CSDE, and Matt Venhorst, staff attorney for the CSDE, presented the report’s findings to the state Board of Education.

    The 1989 Sheff V. O’Neill lawsuit over the disparity in education between Hartford students and their suburban peers brought about a new educational ecosystem, creating both the Open Choice program to bus Hartford students to suburban schools and the CREC magnet schools.

    The historic agreement promised to meet the demand for school choice by adding 2,737 seats for Hartford students in magnet programs and surrounding districts.

    “We have to have these magnetic high quality 21st century schools with appealing extracurriculars in order to attract students and create integration educational opportunities for students of different backgrounds to attend,” said Venhorst referring to the stipulation in the Sheff agreement.

    Legislation passed in 2009 requires additional funding for Sheff region magnet schools.

    “The estimated per pupil across Sheff operators should be equal but Hartford’s is significantly less than CREC and Goodwin’s because of the local share,” Venhorst explained in his presentation to the board, referring to the local taxes schools receive.

    Venhorst said to ensure a fair funding formula it may require a legislative proposal.

    Hartford’s 21 magnet schools are funded through a magnet school operating grant, Education Cost Sharing grant and local funding. Cleary said 18,799 students attend magnet schools.

    Preliminary findings in the report found that more funding was going toward neighborhood schools – referring to public schools assigned to students based on where they live – than magnet schools.

    “In 2019 operating funding for magnet schools was approximately $650 per pupil less than neighborhood schools,” Cleary said in his presentation. “By 2024, this funding gap increased to $3,300 per pupil.”

    Overall, he added total budgets for all revenue sources on a per student basis have been significantly less for magnet schools compared to neighborhood schools.

    From 2019 to 2024 the gap in student enrollment and high-need student populations between magnet and neighborhood schools reduced significantly. Even so, during the same time frame operating funding per student for neighborhood schools increased by 21% more than magnet schools, Cleary told the Board.

    He said during that time period magnet schools received approximately between $9 to 12 million compared to neighborhood schools, which received more than $35 million.

    Budget deficits over the years have negatively impacted Hartford schools leading to layoffs, lower salaries and a more challenging environment. This has contributed to the chronic teacher shortage.

    Last June, the state Department of Education stepped in to oversee the district’s finances amid allegations that some state grant money was left unused.

    Hartford Superintendent Andrae Townsel, who assumed the role this summer, said in an email that he learned of the information recently and is reviewing the findings carefully.

    “Hartford Public Schools is committed to equity in both resources and outcomes and we will work collaboratively with our partners, the Board of Education, and the Connecticut State Department of Education to address the concerns raised,” he said.

    “While I cannot speak to the historical factors that led to these funding differences, I can assure you that our district remains focused on ensuring every Hartford student, whether in a neighborhood or magnet school, has access to high-quality educational opportunities. We view this as an opportunity to strengthen our systems and reaffirm our commitment to fairness and transparency.”

    Townsel said the district’s next step will be to engage “all stakeholders and take corrective action where necessary so that our schools are positioned to serve students at the highest level.”

    Hartford Board of Education Chair Jennifer Hockenhull said because the board just learned of the report and doesn’t have access to the full report she has no comment at this time.

    Carol Gale, president of the Hartford Federation of Teachers, said that she is aware that over the years Hartford has invested less and less into the magnet themes in schools, which are specialized curriculum.

    She cited the Kinsella Magnet School of Performing Arts and how the district has reduced its number of offerings.

    As a result, she said, the school is not able to give students the full experience of what it means to be a performing arts school.

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