Blue Plan--What's Missing?

Before the BOE votes on which of the two plans to pursue, they really need to take some time to think about what information is missing from these plans. There are several pieces of information that I would like to see released and questions answered so we can better understand how the plan will affect each of us.

Proximity & Capacity

• How many students live within 1.5 miles of each school?
• Maps showing each school's 1.5 mile assignment area.
• How many students have each school as their 'closest' school?
• Maps showing each school's 'closest school' assignment area.
• How many seats are available in each school? How is that capacity determined? Will capacity be manipulated to ensure achievement balance?
• How many 'achievement choice' seats are being set aside in each school?
• Maps for each achievement school showing which low performing nodes have that school as an achievement option.
• Maps for each school showing which nodes have that school as one of their base options.
• Which schools have enough capacity (after the achievement seats are set aside) to accommodate all the children living within 1.5 miles? Which can accommodate all children who have each school as their closest? How many seats are left over at each school after accommodating all 'closest' and 'achievement' students?
  

Magnets

• What is the percentage of magnets seats set aside for magnet application students? Will it be the same percentage for each magnet school? If not, how will the percentage be determined for each magnet? Currently, magnets range from about 7% to 73% magnet application students.
  
• How will the magnets located in higher wealth areas be handled? We currently have several magnets that have their low income students bused in from outside the surrounding base nodes. Those are also the magnets that have experienced overcrowding and lowered the number of magnet acceptances to deal with that crowding.
• How will magnet seats be doled out? Will it be a true lottery? The green plan mentions using achievement as the criteria but there is no mention of any criteria at all in the blue plan. (Unless I am missing something--I looked and looked. If I'm wrong, somebody please point it out to me!)
  
• "In addition, a set percentage of non-magnet school seats will be reserved to accommodate calendar and achievement choices for students living in close proximity to magnet schools". What exactly does this mean? Are there seats set aside in each of the non-magnet choices on their list? What percentage?
• Is there enough room for all students who live near magnet schools to get a traditional calendar? Is there enough room in their proximate school options for all who want to stay close to home? Washington Terrace students (node 76), for example, are given the following elementary school choices (in proximity order): Hunter, Powell, Olds, Green, Dillard & Weatherstone. Hunter and Powell are both magnets with a limited amount of seats available to area students and Olds is one of our smallest elementary schools. How many students living in node 76 can be placed in those 3 schools? Green is Year Round, which has proven to be unpopular with lower income families. That leaves Dillard and Weatherstone as their remaining 2 traditional options; Dillard is about 6 miles away and Weatherstone is 16 miles away. I fear that low income children will still be bused far away for 'balance' whether they want to be or not.

Calendar

• What will be done to ensure calendar choice for people who only have one traditional or year round choice in their list of schools? If the only school with the calendar you desire is not your closest school, what are the chances you will get in?
• Will track continuity be guaranteed for elementary and middle school? The plan states ". . . track preferences will not be guaranteed other than the assurance that families with more than one student in a year-round school will be guaranteed track continuity within the family." Does that mean more than one student in a particular year round school or more than one student on the year round calendar? I would assume that it would be the latter but I have learned over the years that you can't assume anything.
  

Achievement

• Will we have access to achievement scores for all schools, with the data for each component of the calculation? Is it possible that an achievement school can be failing its low achieving students?
• Will feeder patterns be logical or will they be developed with achievement balance in mind? For instance, will a high performing, sought after elementary feed into a lower performing under enrolled middle school to increase achievement? Will a low performing elementary school feed into a high achieving middle school for balance?
• If parents do not participate in the choice process, where will they be sent? The plan states "Families who decline to make selections will be assigned to a school by the school system based on available seats consistent with the overall intentions of the plan". Will they be assigned to one of the base schools on their list or could they be placed anywhere the system wants to send them for achievement balance? If the latter is the case, then there isn't much incentive for WCPSS to promote parent participation.
  

Magnet Lottery 2011

So what are your chances for getting into a magnet school next year? If WCPSS uses the same criteria as last year, they will be as follows:

Rounds 1 and 2: Your base school must have a current crowding factor at least 95% of the adjusted building capacity. Round 1 is for applicants who submitted an application for the same program last year.

Adams YR
Apex
Aversboro
Baileywick
Baucom
Brassfield YR
Brentwood magnet
Briarcliff
Brooks magnet
Cary
Cedar Fork
Combs magnet
Davis Drive
Dillard Drive
Douglas magnet
Durant Road YR
Farmington Woods magnet
Forest Pines
Forestville Road
Fuller magnet
Green Hope
Heritage YR
Hodge Road YR
Holly Springs YR
Hunter magnet
Jeffreys Grove
Jones Dairy YR
Joyner magnet
Kingswood
Lockhart YR
Lynn Road
Millbrook magnet
Mills Park
North Forest Pines YR
North Ridge
Northwoods
Oak Grove YR
Olds
Partnership magnet
Poe magnet
Powell magnet
Root
Stough
Swift Creek
Underwood magnet
Wake Forest
Washington magnet
Wiley magnet
Yates Mill

Carnage magnet
Centennial magnet
Davis Drive
Dillard Drive
Fuquay-Varina
Heritage YR
Leesville Road
Ligon magnet
Martin magnet
Wake Forest-Rolesville
Wakefield

Athens Drive
Broughton
Cary
East Wake School of Arts, Education & Global Studies
Enloe magnet
Garner magnet
Green Hope
Holly Springs
Leesville Road
Millbrook magnet
Panther Creek
Sanderson
Wake Forest-Rolesville

Round 3: Base school must have a current crowding factor of 90% or greater.

Brier Creek YR
Carpenter YR
Conn magnet
Fuquay-Varina
Lacy
Leesville Road
Morrisville YR
Pleasant Union YR
Rolesville
Sycamore Creek YR
Turner Creek YR
Vance YR
Vandora Springs
Wildwood Forest

Apex MS
East Millbrook magnet
Reedy Creek

Apex HS
East Wake School of Engineering Systems
East Wake School of Health Science
Fuquay-Varina


Round 4: Base school must have a current crowding factor of 85% or greater.

Bugg magnet
Fox Road
Holly Ridge
Laurel Park YR
Lead Mine
Middle Creek YR
Olive Chapel YR
Timber Drive YR
West Lake YR
Wilburn YR

Durant Road YR
Lufkin Road YR
Moore Square magnet
West Lake YR
West Millbrook

Knightdale HS
Middle Creek
SE Raleigh magnet


Last 10% Round: 10% of magnet seats are reserved for students applying from schools with less a crowding factor less than 85%

Alston Ridge 42.7% YR
Ballentine 81.3% YR
Banks Road 61.6% YR
Barwell Road 79.5% YR
Carver 71.7%
Creech Road 74.3%
East Garner 76.5% YR
Green 72.8% YR
Harris Creek 71.4% YR
Herbert Akins 71.1% YR
Highcroft Drive 71.9% YR
Hilburn 68.3%
Holly Grove 78.1% YR
Knightdale 80.2%
Lake Myra 52.5% YR
Lincoln Heights 58.6%
Penny Road 83.7%
Rand Road 67.9% YR
Reedy Creek 68.1%
River Bend 61% YR
Salem 83.7% YR
Sanford Creek 83.7% YR
Smith 79.9% magnet
Wakefield 76.9% YR
Wakelon 79.6%
Weatherstone 72%
Wendell 79% magnet
Willow Springs 81.9% YR
York 72%
Zebulon 79.9% magnet

Carroll 79.7%
Daniels 80.9%
East Cary 63.2% YR
East Garner 84.2% magnet
East Wake 71.7% YR
Holly Grove 58.3% YR
Holly Ridge 79.3%
Mills Park 84%
North Garner 81.6% YR
Salem 84% YR
Wendell 80.8%
West Cary 60%
Zebulon 57.9% magnet

East Wake School of Integrated Technology 74.8%
Heritage 48.9%
Wakefield 82.9%

A Partial Victory

As you may know, WCPSS changed the magnet lottery last year to remove the F&R status of your node and your assigned school. This was a great step towards making the magnet lottery a fair process for all students, but it is still not a true lottery. Your base school's crowding percentage is what determines whether or not you get into a magnet school now. While I do understand the reasoning behind this, we need to give all of our students an equal chance to take advantage of these amazing opportunities.

In addition to wanting an equal shot for each student, I'm concerned that the capacity numbers being used to determine your fate are not accurate. I spoke at the last board meeting and gave 3 examples of schools whose numbers were a bit misleading.

Daniels Middle School is listed by WCPSS as being at 81% of capacity, which would place Daniels in the last 10% round. But at a recent work session, that capacity was called into question. It seems that while Daniels has extra classroom capacity, they do not have cafeteria capacity to handle that many students.

Wakefield High School is listed at 83% of capacity, but much of that extra space is unused trailers that are going to be moved. I don't think that a date has been set for moving them, but it was pretty clear at that same work session that they have no intention of using those trailers anytime soon.

Wakefield Elementary School was one of the 22 schools converted to the year round calendar and has been under capacity ever since. It is currently at 77% capacity and the BOE has declined to convert it back to traditional, citing the need to save that capacity for future growth. In the meantime, those students are penalized in the magnet application process.

See for the facilities utilization report that lists the capacity and student population figures for each school.

Please send an email to the board members asking for a true lottery. All of our students deserve an equal chance to take advantage of the wonderful opportunities that magnet schools provide.

Elementary School Magnet Lottery 2010-11

As you may know, some board members like John Tedesco are looking to change the magnet criteria this year to make it more equitable. Others are resistant to any changes at all or want to wait for at least a year before any are made. IF the criteria do not change, this is what your chances will be for getting into an elementary school magnet for next year. A full 1/3 of the elementary schools are in the 'last 10%' round.

Rounds One & Two-23 Schools
****Must live in a node 33% or less F&R, base school must be 33% or less F&R, and crowding factor must be greater than 95%. Round 1 is for those who meet all the criteria and applied for the same program last year but were denied. Round 2 is the same except for the 'applied last year' criteria.

Apex Elementary
Brassfield
Brooks (magnet)
Carpenter
Cedar Fork
Combs (magnet)
Davis Drive
Durant Road
Forest Pines
Fuller (magnet)
Jones Dairy
Lacy
Laurel Park
Leesville Road
Morrisville
North Forest Pines
Oak Grove
Olds
Partnership (magnet)
Pleasant Union
Underwood (magnet)
Vance
Wiley (magnet)

Round 3-15 Schools
**No node criteria, but base school must be 33% or less F&R and at least 85% crowded.

Cary
Farmington Woods (magnet)
Fuquay-Varina
Green Hope
Heritage
Holly Ridge
Holly Springs
Joyner (magnet)
Northwoods
Olive Chapel
Penny Road
Salem
Swift Creek
Turner Creek
Weatherstone

Round 4-30 Schools
**Base school must be less than 40% F&R and be at least 60% crowded.

Adams
Baileywick
Ballentine
Banks Road
Baucom
Briarcliff
Brier Creek
Douglas (magnet)
Harris Creek
Herbert Akins Road
Highcroft
Holly Grove
Hunter (magnet)
Jeffreys Grove
Lincoln Heights
Middle Creek
Mills Park
Rand Road
Reedy Creek
Rolesville
Root
Sanford Creek
Sycamore Creek
Wake Forest
Wakefield
Washington (magnet)
West Lake
Wildwood Forest
Willow Springs
Yates Mill

Lottery for the remaining 10% of seats-34 Schools

Aversboro-54.9% F&R
Barwell-62.2% F&R
Brentwood-77.9% F&R new magnet for 2009-10
Bugg-54.7% F&R magnet
Carver-54.7% F&R
Conn-41.7% F&R magnet
Creech Road-66.6% F&R
Dillard Drive--43.4% F&R
East Garner-61.3% F&R
Forestville Road-55.1% F&R
Fox Road-64.5% F&R
Green--49.8 F&R
Hilburn Drive-44.7% F&R
Hodge Road-65.2% F&R
Kingswood-44.2% F&R
Knightdale-58.9% F&R
Lake Myra--47.7% F&R
Lead Mine-40.6% F&R
Lockhart-52.5% F&R
Lynn Road-50.5% F&R
Millbrook-60.7% F&R magnet
North Ridge--40.9%
Poe-48.1% F&R magnet
Powell-53.9% F&R magnet
River Bend-57.1% F&R
Smith-66.7% F&R new magnet for 2009-10
Stough-44.9% F&R
Timber Drive-47.4% F&R
Vandora Springs-44.7% F&R
Wakelon-66.0% F&R
Wendell-52.9% F&R magnet
Wilburn-59.3% F&R
York-44.9% F&R
Zebulon-59.6% F&R magnet

Fear Mongering on Election Eve

It has come to my attention that an email containing falsehoods is circulating this evening. Written by Diana Bader and Roxie Cash, the email claims that if the 4 candidates supported by WSCA get elected, it will mean the disappearance of magnet schools. This is FALSE. None of our candidates have ever said that they would get rid of magnet schools. This rumor has appeared before and when asked directly if he would get rid of magnet schools in low income areas, Chris Malone responded "No. Why would we get rid of a successful program?" Other candidates have expressed interest in expanding magnet opportunities and ending the magnet acceptance policy that discriminates against low income children and any child assigned to a school over 40% F&R.

Supporters of the status-quo are willing to say anything they have to to maintain control of our school system. WSCA and the candidates we support, John Tedesco, Chris Malone, Debra Goldman and Deborah Prickett do not advocate for the removal of magnets nor do we advocate throwing everything out and starting from scratch. These candidates will do what current and former Board of Education members have been unwilling to do: honestly assess what is working and what is not working in WCPSS and make recommendations for improvement.

I urge you all to see through the lies and half-truths being spread and vote for positive change tomorrow!

2009-10 Magnet Criteria--Elementary Schools

I posted your chances of getting into a magnet earlier in the year, but I was using last year's selection criteria. The Growth Management and the BOE tweaked the criteria a bit this year and it does actually make some people's chances of getting in a bit better. I'm not sure why they raised the max F&R for the 1st 3 rounds to 33% (system average) from the previous 27% (5 percentage points below system average). Chuck Dulaney did say that the minimum crowding percentage was lowered from 100% to 95% because growth has slowed. A big change was the removal of the 20% max of students performing at Level 1 or 2. Changes in the EOGs last year caused test scores to be lower across the board and it would have sharply reduced the odds for getting into a magnet.

Rounds One & Two-27 Schools
****Must live in a node 33% or less F&R, base school must be 33% or less F&R, and crowding factor must be greater than 95%. Round 1 is for those who meet all the criteria and applied for the same program last year but were denied. Round 2 is the same except for the 'applied last year' criteria.

Apex Elementary
Brassfield
Brooks (magnet)
Cary Elementary
Cedar Fork
Combs (magnet)
Davis Drive
Forest Pines
Fuquay-Varina
Holly Grove
Holly Ridge
Hunter (magnet)
Jones Dairy
Lacy
North Forest Pines
Northwoods
Oak Grove
Olds
Partnership (magnet)
Penny Road
Root
Swift Creek
Turner Creek
Underwood (magnet)
Weatherstone
West Lake
Wiley magnet

Round 3-12 Schools
**No node criteria, but base school must be 33% or less F&R and at least 85% crowded.

Ballentine
Briarcliff
Carpenter
Heritage
Leesville Road
Lincoln Heights
Middle Creek
Morrisville
Olive Chapel
Pleasant Union (94.8%--could be rounded up to 95 which would place it in Round One/Two)
Vance
Willow Springs

Round 4-29 Schools
**Base school must be less than 40% F&R and be at least 60% crowded.

Adams
Baileywick
Baucom
Brier Creek
Dillard Drive
Douglas (magnet)
Durant Road
Farmington Woods (magnet)
Fuller (magnet)
Green
Green Hope
Harris Creek
Highcroft
Holly Springs
Jeffreys Grove
Joyner (magnet)
Laurel Park
Mills Park
North Ridge
Rand Road
Rolesville
Salem
Sanford Creek
Sycamore Creek
Wake Forest
Wakefield
Washington (magnet)
Wildwood Forest
Yates Mill

Lottery for the remaining 10% of seats-31 Schools

Aversboro-52.1% F&R
Barwell-58.8% F&R
Brentwood-69.8% F&R new magnet for 2009-10
Bugg-49.2% F&R magnet
Carver-57.7% F&R
Conn-42.8% F&R magnet
Creech Road-64.3% F&R
East Garner-58.9% F&R
Forestville Road-43% F&R
Fox Road-60.5% F&R
Hilburn Drive-42% F&R
Hodge Road-59.9% F&R
Kingswood-40.1% F&R
Knightdale-55.7% F&R
Lead Mine-43.5% F&R
Lockhart-44.7% F&R
Lynn Road-46.7% F&R
Millbrook-55.6% F&R magnet
Poe-45.2% F&R magnet
Powell-52.3% F&R magnet
Reedy Creek-41% F&R
River Bend-56.2% F&R
Smith-68.1% F&R new magnet for 2009-10
Stough-46.4% F&R
Timber Drive-40.3% F&R
Vandora Springs-46.7% F&R
Wakelon-66.7% F&R
Wendell-49.6% F&R magnet
Wilburn-57.8% F&R
York-47.3% F&R
Zebulon-57.2% F&R magnet

Middle and High School Magnet Odds

Middle and high school magnet applications get a little more confusing. They are accepted according to the same priorities and criteria that elementary magnet students are except for one. As with elementary magnet applicants, siblings of current magnet students at that school/program are given first priority. A second priority is added for middle and high school applicants--students moving on from one magnet school to another. I have heard that the priority is for magnet students moving on to a magnet in the same program. For example, if a magnet student at an IB elem school applies for an IB middle school. But I am unsure of other instances.

what about base students at a magnet elementary school who aren't assigned to a magnet middle school? Do they have priority in getting accepted to a magnet middle school to continue the program? What about magnet elementary or middle school students who want to move on to a middle or high school magnet that offers a different program? For example, an IB elementary student applying for a GT middle school? Would they get priority over a student who went to a non-magnet elementary school? I'm waiting for clarification on these questions but until then we can still look at what round your base middle school qualifies for. As I said, the criteria for each round are the same for middle and high schools as they are for elementary schools.

To refresh your memory, the criteria states that the F&R% of a node & school should be at least 5% less than the county average. The county average for middle schools is 29.5 so I used 25%. For high schools, the average is 21.6%, so I used 17%.

Rounds One and Two
**Must live in a node 25%(17%) or less F&R, base school must be 25%(17%) or less F&R, crowding factor must be greater than 100%, and 2 year avg of Level I or II performance must be 20% or less. Round 1 is for those who meet all the criteria and applied for the same program last year but were denied. Round 2 is the same except for the 'applied last year' criteria.
Davis Drive Middle
Heritage Middle
Leesville Middle
Martin Middle--magnet
Wakefield Middle
West Cary Middle

Apex High
Leesville High
Panther Creek High

Round Three
**Must live in a node with 25%(17%) or less F&R, base school must be 25%(17%) or less F&R crowding factor must be greater than 85%, and 2 year avg of Level I or II performance must be 20% or less.
Apex Middle
Lufkin Road Middle
Salem Middle
West Lake Middle

Green Hope High
Holly Springs High

Round Four
**No requirement for F&R of your node, base school F&R must be less than 40%, crowding factor must be at least 85%, and 2 year avg of Level I or II performance must be 20% or less.
Centennial Middle--magnet
Ligon Middle--magnet

Athens Drive High
Broughton High--demag'ed
East Wake School of Engineering Systems
East Wake School of Health Science
Enloe High--magnet
Fuquay-Varina High
Garner High--magnet
Knightdale High
Millbrook High
Sanderson High
Wakefield High

Lottery for the Remaining 10% of Seats
**Comments after each school indicate why it wasn't considered in the first 4 rounds. For schools who missed the other rounds solely because of Level I/II performance, I put which round they would otherwise qualify for in bold.

Carnage Middle--magnet (45% F&R, 25.4% Level I/II)
Carroll Middle (43.8% F&R, 27.5% Level I/II)
Daniels Middle--demag'ed this year (21.4% Level I/II) Round 3
Dillard Drive Middle (40.1% F&R, 20.8% Level I/II)
Durant Road Middle (71.3% crowding, 20.9% Level I/II)
East Cary Middle(42.7% crowding)
East Garner Middle--magnet(50.4% F&R, 33.8% Level I/II)
East Millbrook Middle--magnet (43.8% F&R, 30.4% Level I/II)
East Wake Middle (77.6% crowding, 49.6% F&R, 29% Level I/II)
Fuquay-Varina Middle (23.6% Level I/II) Round 4
Holly Ridge Middle (22.2% Level I/II) Round 3
Moore Square Middle--magnet (79.8% crowding, 32.1% Level I/II)
North Garner Middle (30.8% Level I/II) Round 4
Reedy Creek Middle(40.9% F&R, 23.9% Level I/II)
Wake Forest-Rolesville Middle(25.5% Level I/II) Round 4
Wendell Middle(51.3% F&R, 33.8% Level I/II)
West Millbrook Middle(79.1% crowding, 41.7% F&R, 29% Level I/II)
Zebulon Middle--magnet (49.1% F&R, 32.3% Level I/II)

Cary High (78.1% crowding)
East Wake School of Arts, Education & Global Studies (44% F&R)
East Wake School of Integrated Technology (82.9% crowding, 44.2% F&R)
Middle Creek High (81.5% crowding)
SE Raleigh High--magnet (78.4% crowding)
Wake Forest-Rolesville High (76.3% crowding)

What's Your Chance, 2009?

It's magnet application time again so I thought I'd update my 'what are your chances' list. The News & Observer has reported that there will be no major changes to the selection criteria that they used last year. One potential problem is the criteria that a school's Level I or II performance on the EOGs for the past two years must be 20% or less. This wasn't an issue last year because the only elementary school that had more than 20% of its students getting a Level I or II was Brentwood. Since Brentwood was over 40% F&R, students assigned to Brentwood didn't qualify for anything but the last 10% of seats anyway. So I never even mentioned that criteria last year.

However, you may remember that EOG reading scores fell last year because of changes to the test. As you will see from the lists below, this would have significant impact on applicants from several schools. I sent an email to the Board asking if they will stick with this criteria or not. When I hear from them or when the criteria are officially decided upon, I will change the following list if I need to.

One of the criteria for acceptance into a magnet is the F&R% of your node. If you live in a node that is more than 27% F&R, you are not eligible for selection until Round 4. Without knowing the F&R% of your particular node, we can still see which base schools give you the best chance of being accepted to a magnet. According to WCPSS, 31.6% of all elementary students participate in the Free & Reduced Lunch Program. I rounded that up to 32% then considered 27% to be 5% points below the average. After siblings are placed, the earliest you can be accepted into an elementary magnet based on your current base school is:

Rounds One and Two--8 Schools
**Must live in a node 27% or less F&R, base school must be 27% or less F&R, crowding factor must be greater than 100%, and 2 year avg of Level I or II performance must be 20% or less. Round 1 is for those who meet all the criteria and applied for the same program last year but were denied. Round 2 is the same except for the 'applied last year' criteria.

Cedar Fork
Davis Drive
Forest Pines
Lacy
Oak Grove
Turner Creek
West Lake
Wiley (magnet)

Round Three--12 Schools
**Must live in a node with 27% or less F&R, base school must be 27% or less F&R crowding factor must be greater than 85%, and 2 year avg of Level I or II performance must be 20% or less.

Ballentine
Brassfield
Brooks (magnet)
Carpenter
Heritage
Holly Grove
Jones Dairy
Leesville Road
Morrisville
Olive Chapel
Pleasant Union
Willow Springs

Round Four--14 Schools
**No requirement for F&R of your node, base school F&R must be less than 40%, crowding factor must be at least 85%, and 2 year avg of Level I or II performance must be 20% or less.
Apex
Dillard Drive
Farmington Woods (magnet)
Fuller (magnet)
Hunter (magnet)
Joyner (magnet)
North Ridge
Northwoods
Olds
Penny Road
Root
Wake Forest
Washington
Weatherstone

Lottery for the Remaining 10% of Seats--65 Schools
**Comments after each school indicate why it wasn't considered in the first 4 rounds. For schools who missed the other rounds solely because of Level I/II performance, I put which round they would otherwise qualify for in bold.

Adams (76.7% crowding)
Aversboro (52.1% F&R, 28.5% Level I/II)
Baileywick (20.8% Level I/II) Round 4
Barwell (58.8% F&R, 37.2% Level I/II)
Baucom (61% crowding)
Brentwood (82.3% crowding, 69.8% F&R, 42.2% Level I/II)
Briarcliff (22.3% Level I/II) Round 4
Brier Creek (74.7% crowding)
Bugg (49.2% F&R, 26.8% Level I/II)
Carver (78.1% crowding, 57.7% F&R, 25.8% Level I/II)
Cary (20.9% Level I/II) Round 4
Combs--magnet (21% Level I/II) Round 4
Conn--magnet (42.8% F&R, 27.4% Level I/II)
Creech Road (64.3% F&R, 32.6% Level I/II)
Douglas--magnet (24.4% Level I/II) Round 4
Durant (29.6% Level I/II) Round 4
East Garner (70.2% crowding, 58.9% F&R, 49.3% Level I/II)
Forestville Road (43% F&R, 25.9% Level I/II)
Fox Road (60.5% F&R, 28.3% Level I/II)
Fuquay-Varina (23.9% Level I/II) Round 4
Green (71.4% crowding, 26.1% Level I/II)
Green Hope (74.2% crowding)
Harris Creek (82.2% crowding, 27% Level I/II)
Highcroft Drive (64.9% crowding)
Hilburn Drive (79.7% crowding, 42% F&R)
Hodge Road (59.9% F&R, 35% Level I/II)
Holly Ridge (21.1% Level I/II) Round 1
Holly Springs (76.2% crowding)
Jeffrey's Grove (23.8% Level I/II) Round 4
Kingswood (40.1% F&R, 23.9% Level I/II)
Knightdale (77.6% crowding, 55.7% F&R, 29.3% Level I/II)
Laurel Park (78.4% crowding)
Lead Mine (43.5% F&R)
Lincoln Heights (23.1% Level I/II) Round 4
Lockhart (69.9% crowding, 44.7% F&R, 22% Level I/II)
Lynn Road (46.7% F&R)
Middle Creek (21.1% Level I/II) Round 3
Millbrook--magnet (55.6% F&R, 28% Level I/II)
Mills Park (75.9% crowding)
North Forest Pines (27.2% Level I/II) Round 3
Partnership--magnet (23.5% Level I/II) Round 1
Poe--magnet (45.2% F&R, 30.1% Level I/II)
Powell--magnet (52.3% F&R, 24.8% Level I/II)
Rand Road (82.1% crowding)
Reedy Creek (41% F&R, 22% Level I/II)
River Bend (56.2% F&R, 31.8% Level I/II)
Rolesville (22% Level I/II) Round 4
Salem (82.9% crowding)
Sanford Creek (68% crowding, 37.7% Level I/II)
Smith (74% crowding, 68.1% F&R, 36.6% Level I/II)
Stough (46.4% F&R, 27.3% Level I/II)
Swift Creek (25.1% Level I/II) Round 4
Sycamore Creek (75.2% crowding)
Timber Drive (40.3% F&R, 23.9% Level I/II)
Underwood--magnet (23.3% Level I/II) Round 1
Vance (23.3 % Level I/II) Round 3
Vandora Springs (46.7% F&R)
Wakefield (78% crowding, 22.7% Level I/II)
Wakelon (66.7% F&R, 37.5% Level I/II)
Wendell (49.6% F&R, 27.4% Level I/II)
Wilburn (64.5% crowding, 57.8% F&R, 32.2% Level I/II)
Wildwood Forest (23.7% Level I/II) Round 4
Yates Mill (21.3% Level I/II) Round 4
York (74% crowding, 47.3% F&R, 24.3% Level I/II)
Zebulon (72.5% crowding, 57.2% F&R, 23.9% Level I/II)

Why Should I Care and What Can I Do?

Some of you may be wondering what the big deal is. Maybe you aren't interested in magnet programs for your children or maybe you think its all a bunch of fluff that detracts from basic academics. So why should you care? Because your non-magnet base school is limited in what it can offer to your child. No 'regular' elementary schools can offer band or orchestra. They cannot offer a foreign language as anything more than a once a week special. Your middle school children can only take 1 elective each semester. Non-magnet base schools are prohibited from offering anything more than the basics because then the magnet schools won't be so appealing. Not enough of 'you' will apply to the magnet schools to help them achieve their goals.

I think most of us have learned to accept this even if we don't like it because we are led to believe that all magnets are located in crime-ridden, high-poverty neighborhoods. We're led to believe that we are giving low income kids opportunities that they might not otherwise have like exposure to the arts and violin lessons. But as I've illustrated, some of the magnets are not located in high-poverty areas. So not only are our children denied opportunities at their base schools, we are subsidizing those opportunities for children living in homes that most of us could never afford. And we are paying for them to get those opportunities at their neighborhood school where they can walk or ride the bus with their neighborhood friends.

That is why you should care.

So what can you do? Write to the BOE to let them know that it is not acceptable to have magnet schools serving middle to upper income base nodes. Magnets should be located in high poverty areas or at the very least, only serve high poverty base areas.

">

Magnet Review Time redux

Now is the time to act. The BOE is conducting their magnet review to determine which schools, if any, are not fulfilling the goals of the magnet program. Remember, the goals are to:
1) Reduce high concentrations of poverty and support diverse populations
We are generally led to believe that magnets are located in such high poverty areas that they must use special programs to entice non-F&R students to attend. Therefore, magnet schools should be located in high poverty areas and have F&R base populations. I would further propose that elementary magnets should be at or near the 40% F&R threshhold set by the BOE for healthy schools and that middle and high magnets be at or near the county average. Magnets receive extra funds to provide their programs and magnet families are generally involved and motivated to see their children succeed. A magnet with 40% F&R has an advantage over a non-magnet with the same 40% F&R.
2) Maximize use of school facilities
The idea behind this is that some of these older schools are in neighborhoods that have aged out. There aren't enough kids in the surrounding areas to fill the school so a magnet program must be in place to attract other students.
3) Provide expanded educational opportunities
I interpret this to mean expanded opportunities to all students in WCPSS.

So which schools aren't living up to these goals and why?

Elementary Schools

Underwood
As illustrated in a previous post, Underwood is not located in a low income area. Instead, it draws its low income students from downtown. The two base nodes directly next to Underwood have no F&R students and the median single family home price is around $400,000.

Underwood is overcrowded so 2 low income nodes were removed in last year's reassignment plan. In that same plan Growth Management noted that at 29%, Underwood's F&R is "slightly lower than desirable for a magnet school. However, staff did not identify a change in base area to recommend at this time". Perhaps they should have removed the higher income nodes near the school and let the low income nodes stay. And by the way, the 2 low income nodes were moved to Green Hope Elementary--18 miles away.

Joyner
Again, refer to the previous post on Underwood and Joyner. Joyner has 4 base nodes with median home prices ranging from a low of $390,000 to a high $760,000. While this school does have some low income areas assigned to it, I question why it is a magnet school.

Solution? De-magnetize Joyner and assign the non-F&R base nodes from Underwood to Joyner. There is legitimate concern that if both Underwood and Joyner were de-magnetized, there wouldn't be enough students in that area to fill the 2 schools while keeping them both under 40%. Since Underwood only has the 2 non-F&R base nodes it would be easier to move them over to Joyner.

Wiley
Although I haven't done all the research on Wiley's nodes like I did for the other schools, a quick look at zillow.com shows very similar home prices, so I think this school is worth mentioning. Wiley has an F&R of only 28% and like Underwood, Growth Managment recognizes that it is too low for a magnet. But like Underwood, they were unable to recommend a change to the base area. May I suggest that if Growth Management can't come up with a way to raise Wiley's F&R, then perhaps it should no longer be a magnet? Wiley could draw new base nodes from Lacy, which is overcrowded and already shares an assignment boundary with Wiley.


Middle Schools

Daniels Daniels has an 80% base population yet only has an F&R of 30%. Clearly, Daniels is not located in a high-poverty area, especially when compared to E Millbrook MS, which is 74% base and 44% F&R. Some of the most expensive and elite areas of central Raleigh are assigned to Daniels. See my previous entry on Joyner and Underwood nodes for an example--those nodes are all assigned to Daniels.

While your child has to choose between taking Band and Spanish or between Spanish and Art, students at Daniels get 2 elective periods each day. Daniels runs on a tri-mester schedule so students can take up to 6 different electives each school year, which helps with fitting in the Keyboarding course that middle school students must take.

Martin Martin has a 36% base and only 23% F&R, well below the WCPSS middle school average of 29%. Additionally, Martin pulls in low income nodes from downtown/SE Raleigh, a sign that it isn't located in a high-poverty area. You can see the price ranges for homes in Martin's base nodes in my previous post.

Martin is a gifted & talented magnet and offers an incredibly wide array of electives, including four different foreign languages. Martin students have 3 elective periods each day and electives are either year long, semester long, or quarter long giving students the opportunity to take up to 12 electives each year.

Solution?
De-magnetize Daniels and transfer the non-F&R base population from Martin to Daniels. Nodes that have both lower-income apartment complexes and homes selling for an average $500,000 should be split to allow the lower income children to stay at Martin. I would also increase Martin's low income base to bring it closer to 30% F&R.

High Schools

Well, there's only one high school to address, and that's Broughton. I cannot figure out why Broughton was made a magnet in the first place since it has always been the base school for the most expensive and elite areas of Raleigh. With a 67% base and a 21% F&R it doesn't appear to be a magnet candidate. I have heard rumblings for a few years now that Broughton is up on the magnet chopping block. One solution I have heard is to move the IB program to Millbrook High, which has been hurting in recent years. At 29% F&R, its not struggling as much as East Wake, Garner or Knightdale High but it is located down the street from East Millbrook Middle which has an IB program. So it would be a logical choice.

Additionally, Broughton has a very supportive alumni foundation that raised almost $500,000 in 2007. Given our limited funds, there are high schools that need a magnet program more than Broughton.

That's it for this post, although I could go on--and I will in the next entry. :-)

Martin Middle School

In my last post I addressed the higher income base nodes for Joyner and Underwood Magnet Elementary Schools. Now I'll tackle Martin Middle School, a gifted and talented magnet. Students at Martin get to take 4 electives each semester while students at non-magnet middle schools get to take 1 per semester. Martin offers an amazing array of electives including four different foreign languages, modern dance, civil war history, mythology, and printmaking. You can view the electives catalog here. Martin is comprised of a 36% base population and has an F&R of 22.8%, which is lower than the WCPSS middle school average. Several low income nodes are bused in from downtown/SE Raleigh but the majority of the base assignment area is located in neighborhoods surrounding the school. You can see a base assignment map here

The following table shows all of the base nodes that are in the surrounding area. Again, this table is abbreviated and the full data can be seen at Martin

More Magnet Questions

In my last entry I mentioned something that has bothered me: the number of non-F&R families who are given magnets as their base schools. Their children not only get to take advantage of the special programs that the rest of us are denied, but they get to walk to school or ride their neighborhood bus. WCPSS lets us believe that magnets are located in high poverty neighborhoods, but that isn't always the case. So just who is getting magnet schools as their base? Two examples that should shock you are the base populations of Joyner and Underwood, both elementary magnets.

To be fair, both schools do have low income nodes assigned to them. Joyner is located in an interesting area that is a mix of apartment complexes, condos and single family homes. Across the street from Joyner is a new development of homes starting in the $700Ks (The Oaks at Fallon Park) while behind Joyner is a large apartment complex where a lot of the low income kids live. Underwood, on the other hand, has to bus in their low income kids from downtown because there aren't a significant number near the school.

At one point in time, both of these schools (and their surrounding areas) may have struggled. But as you will see in the following tables, neither school is located in a high poverty area as we are typically led to believe. So why are they still magnets? Even more frustrating is the fact that in last year's reassignment plan, it was noted that Underwood has too low of an F&R for a magnet (29%) but they couldn't figure out how to raise it. If you can't raise a magnet's F&R above 29%, then perhaps its time to rethink its magnet status.




Both of these tables are abbreviated versions. The full tables, including information for each property that sold are available at: Joyner
and Underwood

Magnet Review Time

Holy cow its been a long time since I last updated! I've still been plugging away doing my research and speaking with lots of other frustrated parents around the county. Aside from the upcoming reassignment plan, the big news is the magnet review. As many of you may have read, the BOE has given preliminary approval for 2 new magnet schools--Brentwood and Smith. Both schools were approaching 70% F&R last year so it's about time that they do something for them.

So while that is good news, the BOE still has to do their review of current magnet programs to decide which aren't living up to the goals of the magnet program. Something that bothered me during our magnet years was the number of non-F&R families who are given magnet schools as their base. Also troubling is the low F&R at some of the magnet schools. So I put together a chart showing the base percentage at each magnet as well as the F&R.

Some caveats: these figures are for the 2007-08 school year and I am missing the figures for some magnet schools. Also, Douglas and Brooks had some base nodes moved out to make room for magnet applicants. So their numbers should be different this year. The other magnets should remain about the same.



Most troubling to me is Daniels Middle School with a base population of 80% and an F&R of only 30.3%. Compare that to East Millbrook or East Garner and I've got to seriously question why Daniels is still a magnet school. The same could be said for Broughton as well.

What Did MYR Conversions Do To Your Chances?

I was struck by a few of the converted schools that were so underenrolled that they didn't qualify for any of the rounds in the magnet lottery. Since they had F&R low enough to qualify, I wondered how the conversions affected their chances.

This year's criteria were very similar to last year's. The only differences were Round One going to the 4 demagnetized schools and the capacity figure of 85% used in later rounds. Last year's capacity figure was 90% for the later rounds. Following is a table that shows the earliest round that each converted elementary was eligible for last year as well as this year. I adjusted this year's rounds by removing the special consideration for the demagnetized schools. So Rounds 2-5 became Rounds 1-4 this year to make the comparison more in line. As you will see, not all of the schools were affected but Baucom, Green Hope, Middle Creek and Wakefield were the most negatively affected by the conversions.

45 out of 96?!?

Students from 45 out of the 96 elementary schools get to compete for the last 10% of magnet seats. Interesting and frankly, a bit shocking and sad.

Only 25 base school applicants have to compete for the first FOUR rounds of magnet selection. Even sadder.

So What Are Your Chances?

I posted the criteria for getting selected for a magnet program in the last post. But what does that mean for you?

Even without knowing the F&R% of your particular node, we can still see which base schools give you the best chance of being accepted to a magnet. According to WCPSS, 31.6% of all elementary students participate in the Free & Reduced Lunch Program. I rounded that up to 32% then considered 27% to be 5% points below the average. After siblings are placed, the earliest you can be accepted into an elementary magnet based on your current base school is:

Round One--4 Schools
Base or Magnet students at Root, Olds, Forestville,and Lincoln Heights.

Rounds Two and Three--15 Schools
**Must live in a node 27% or less F&R, base school must be 27% or less F&R, and crowding factor must be greater than 100%
Baileywick
Brassfield
Cedar Fork
Davis Drive
Forest Pines
Hunter (magnet, not sure they have any base nodes under 27% F&R)
Lacy
Oak Grove
Partnership (magnet, not sure they have any base nodes under 27% F&R)
Pleasant Union
Turner Creek
Wake Forest
Weatherstone
West Lake
Wiley (magnet at 27.7%--not sure how WCPSS would treat this)

Round Four--6 Schools
**Must live in a node with 27% or less F&R, base school must be 27% or less F&R, and crowding factor must be greater than 85%
Ballentine
Brier Creek
Highcroft
Jones Dairy
Morrisville
Salem

Round Five--26 Schools
**No requirement for F&R of your node, base school crowding factor must be at least 85%, and no more than 40% F&R
Adams
Apex
Brooks (magnet)
Combs (magnet)
Dillard Drive
Douglas (magnet)
Durant Road
Farmington Woods
Fuller (magnet)
Fuquay-Varina
Green
Harris Creek
Hilburn Drive
Holly Ridge
Jeffrey's Grove
Joyner (magnet)
North Ridge
Northwoods
Penny Road
Rolesville
Swift Creek
Timber Drive
Underwood (magnet)
Washington (magnet)
Wildwood Forest
Yates Mill

Lottery for the Remaining 10% of Seats--45 Schools
**Comments after each school indicate why it wasn't considered in the first 5 rounds.
Aversboro (53.3% F&R)
Baucom (82.3% crowding, but only 12.1% F&R)
Barwell Road (57.9% F&R)
Brentwood (65.8% F&R, 24.3% Level 1 or 2)
Briarcliff (40.9% F&R, but 112.5% crowding)
Bugg (magnet, 44.4% F&R, but 129.4% crowding)
Carpenter (73.2% crowding, but only 14.7% F&R)
Carver (61.8% F&R, 71.6% crowding)
Cary (40.9% F&R, but 120.6% crowding)
Conn (magnet, 44.8% F&R, but 117.4% crowding)
Creech Road (62.4% F&R, but 109.8 crowding)
East Garner (59% F&R, 52.4% crowding)
Fox Road (52.9% F&R)
Green Hope (82.9% crowding, but only 5.9% F&R)
Hodge Road (58.6% F&R)
Holly Springs (78.7% crowding, but only 17.3% F&R)
Heritage (79.1% crowding, but only 24.4% F&R)
Holly Grove (82.3% crowding, but only 16.9% F&R)
Kingswood (41.4% F&R, but 120.8 crowding)
Knightdale (62% F&R, 83% crowding)
Leesville Road (76.7% crowding, but only 12% F&R)
Leadmine (41.7% F&R, but 101.1% crowding)
Lockhart (45.8% F&R, 75.7% crowding)
Lynn Road (41.7 % F&R, 74.3% crowding)
Middle Creek (77.4% crowding, but only 20.5% F&R)
Millbrook (magnet, 55.5% F&R, but 107.6% crowding)
North Forest Pines (66% crowding, but only 21.6% F&R)
Olive Chapel (81.7% crowding, but only 4.9% F&R)
Poe (47.2% F&R, but 111.7% crowding)
Powell (57.7% F&R, but 115.1% crowding)
Rand Road (82.7% crowding, but only 25.6% F&R)
Reedy Creek (83.6% crowding)
River Bend (57.5% F&R)
Sanford Creek (64.9% crowding)
Smith (70.8% F&R, but 106.8% crowding)
Stough (46.4% F&R)
Vance (75.5% crowding, but only 20.4% F&R)
Vandora Springs (52.2% F&R)
Wakefield (82.4% crowding, but only 25.6% F&R)
Wakelon (78.9% crowding, 63.5% F&R)
Wendell (46.8% F&R, but 105.6 crowding)
Wilburn (79.4% crowding, 53.5% F&R)
Willow Springs (82.8% crowding)
York (49.2% F&R, but 103.7% crowding)
Zebulon (equity magnet, 75.2% crowding, 56.6% F&R)

The Magnet "Lottery"

I was talking to an acquaintance a few weeks ago about school issues and something really surprised me. She had no idea that the magnet lottery wasn't a 'true' lottery. She thought that everybody had an equal chance of getting in--that they just drew the names out of one big "pot". This woman is highly educated and very involved in her childrens' lives and she didn't know this. It made me wonder how many other people don't know this simple truth about our system. I suspect that its a lot.

How do they choose the 'winners' of the magnet lottery if they don't just draw their names out of a hat? First, any siblings are given preference, as are students moving from a magnet elementary or middle to a magnet middle or high school. Those two criteria make sense and although it can make it harder for newcomers or students transfering from a non-magnet to get in, it is understandable. Diversity is the next and most significant criteria in choosing who gets the coveted magnet and voluntary year round seats. Higher income students coming from low poverty schools have a much better chance of getting a seat than higher income students coming from high poverty schools. Under our system, higher income students (and their families) are far too valuable to high poverty schools to let them out. If the low poverty school is overcrowded, then that's an even bigger advantage for the higher income student.

The converse is true as well. If a lower income student wants to leave a low poverty school to attend a magnet, his chances are pretty low. Not only do they need him to 'diversify' the low poverty school, but chances are that the magnet he's applying to has enough of his kind already. (Unless its a western ITB magnet, but that's a different issue altogether and one that's been addressed somewhat by the demagnetization of Root and Olds). Actually, low income students get treated the worst under this system.

Low poverty schools need low income students to diversify their student populations and it doesn't matter how they get there. If they already live in a base area near a low poverty school, they have a lower chance of being granted admission to a magnet and if they live elsewhere they can be bused into a low poverty school from as far as 15 miles away. If they live near a magnet school like Hunter or Ligon they are likely bused out to make room for the suburban/higher income students. If they do remain at the magnet school, they are often segregated from the higher income children by virtue of the special programs that are offered. The final 10% of magnet seats are drawn as a true lottery and I have talked to one BOE member who mentioned being surprised that a higher income student was let out of a high poverty school until s/he realized that the student got into the magnet under the '10% rule'.

As awful as the above instances are, the most distressing thing to me is that nowhere is the welfare or academic achievement of individual students taken into account. Diversity in our school system is a good thing, but when it is taken to the extreme it becomes a liability. When we think of our students solely as F&R numbers and not as children with individual academic, family, and social needs it is a travesty.

Now What?

Well now that the BOE voted to demagnetize Root, Olds, Lincoln Heights, and Wake Forest Elementaries what's the next step? Obviously they will be looking at other schools at which to place the magnet programs, but how will they decide which schools? Beverley Clark has suggested Fox Road as a school to consider and it indeed has had a rocky history. Its doesn't have one of the highest F&R percentages in the county, but it has had trouble retaining its higher income base families. In the most recent reassignment plan, several nodes from North Raleigh were moved in to Fox Road, partly to lower the F&R percentage there. Many of those families objected to the move and it will be interesting to see how many will actually attend the school. In addition, I think that Fox Road is fairly underenrolled at the moment (I am operating without my laptop right now, which has all of my spreadsheets and documents on it).

It seems like a logical place to put a magnet program. Offer special academic opportunties and not only will the middle class base families will attend but more middle class families will enter through the magnet process. It's a win-win situation, right? It appears so, but it gets me thinking of other, unintended consequences. What does it say to the lower income families at the school? That the school is good enough for them but its only good enough for the middle class families if there are 'extras' available? That they don't deserve extra programs unless its to attract middle class students?

Perhaps all magnets should only have a low income base and then the rest of the seats can be filled by magnet applicants. That way, we won't have some groups of middle or upper class parents who get the magnet programs for 'free' while somebody who lives directly across the street from them but is in a different assignment node has to apply and hope that they get in. Of course it also begs the question "Why does anybody deserve the programs for 'free' while the rest of us must sacrifice"?

Removing the magnet programs from the 4 above mentioned schools was the right thing to do and it is a good first step. I'm not sure what the next step should be but I am hopeful that the decision process will open up the door for some honest discussion about fair access to magnet programs for all students in the county.

Magnet Status

As you may know, the school board decided back in May to eliminate the magnet programs at 4 elementary schools: Root, Lincoln Heights, Olds and Wake Forest. A final vote was scheduled to take place at the June 5th board meeting, but upset parents persuaded the BOE to delay the vote. What for? Magnet programs have been under review for a while now and with good reason. The magnet office did a study (although it has some flaws in my opinion), presented that information to the BOE, then the decision was made. In typical wishy washy fashion, the BOE let themselves be influenced by parent groups. The same thing happened with the original mandatory year round plan--we went from everybody converting to some form of year round to 30 schools to the final 22, all in an effort to placate some parents.

So why am I for the 'demagnetization' of these schools? Because they no longer meet the criteria for magnet schools--they are neither underenrolled nor in high poverty areas. Root has an F&R rate of 27.1%, Olds is 23%, and Wake Forest is 14.3%--well under the overall Wake County F&R rate of 32%. Admittedly, I do not know enough about Lincoln Heights and its base area to make a judgment, but I do know enough about the other three. Wake Forest Elementary is an Equity Magnet, meaning that nobody can apply to attend. It is only comprised of a base population that is 14.3% F&R, which is the 12th lowest F&R rate for Wake elementary schools. WFE students enjoy electives such as dance, foreign language, and orchestra in their own neighborhood school--no long bus rides downtown like the rest of us.

Root and Olds are true magnets, but they have large neighborhood base areas and actually bus low income children into their schools from downtown. So not only do they have low F&R rates, but many of the F&R children don't even live in the area around the school. This would be the equivalent of putting a magnet program in at Wakefield Elementary. You can take a look at their base attendance maps here:
Root Attendance Map

Olds Attendance Map

There has been some talk of Olds and Wake Forest finding their own funding so they can keep some of the magnet programs at their schools. Sounds reasonable, right? But what about the other schools that would like to offer extras to their students but are prohibited from doing so? Will the BOE and WCPSS allow any school to offer band, orchestra, or other extras if they come up with the money themselves? No, because then not enough families from those schools will apply to magnets and they want those higher income 'suburban' families to attend magnets. Although I can sympathize with the base families at Root, Olds and Wake Forest, if WCPSS allows them to keep their programs then all schools should be allowed to offer special programs.