Durham parents have sent out the message they don't want to emulate some aspects of Wake County's magnet school application process.

As noted in today's article by Virginia Bridges, Durham Superintendent Eric Becoats announced Wednesday that the district was putting on hold a controversial revamp of its magnet program. Durham was looking at creating magnet pathway feeders, that they called "links," that would have reduced the number of open lottery seats.

If some of that sounds familiar, it may be because Caroline Massengill, Wake's former magnet director, was paid $22,500 by Durham to help develop the plan. Massengill and Becoats said that the changes would help improve Durham's chances of winning a federal magnet school grant.

But the changes produced a parental backlash. It looks like the biggest complaints came from parents upset that the changes would reduce the number of open seats at the Durham School of the Arts.

Wake County's magnet school selection lottery is being discussed for possible use in the  Houston Independent School District.

Houston school officials hired Ramey Beavers, Wake's former senior director of student assignment, and Caroline Massengill, Wake's former senior director of magnet programs, to be consultants. Houston school leaders are considering whether to go with Wake's approach of families applying to magnet programs instead of to specific magnet schools.

"Caroline has been across the country working with magnets," said Michele Pola, chief of staff in Houston schools in a Wednesday article on Texas Watchdog. "They were available, and she has extensive experience."

There was a lot of data and emotion coming from supporters of Wake County's school diversity policy at Saturday's Great Schools in Wake Coalition forum.

As noted in today's article, researchers presented national and state data on the challenges of high-poverty schools and the benefits of socioeconomically diverse schools. The message presented was that community schools would be the wrong step for Wake to take.

"It's very important that Wake County stay the course on their programs," said Richard Kahlenberg, senior fellow at the Century Foundation, which he called a 'progressive think tank.' "The plans to dismantle the socioeconomic diversity policy would have disastrous effects.”

Magnet Schools of America is raising concerns about Superintendent Del Burns' resignation and the future of Wake County's magnet program and the diversity policy under the new school board majority.

In a letter sent last week to school board chairman Ron Margiotta, MSA Executive Director Robert Brooks said he's "deeply concerned" that Burns is resigning in response to the board "embracing a 'neighborhood schools' model as opposed to the diversified magnet schools that have flourished in your district." Brooks asked Margiotta to reconsider the board's proposed plans.

"Instead of eliminating the district’s socio-economic diversity plan and the Magnet schools and programs supported by that plan, we urge the board to embrace them and we offer our assistance to the board to develop a plan that is in the best interests of the students and parents," Brooks writes.

It's looking more like the upcoming Great Schools in Wake Coalition forum on March 20 will be rallying cry for diversity policy supporters before the March 23 Wake County school board vote on the community schools resolution.

In a press release today, GSIW is calling the event "an important fact-sharing forum that celebrates the strengths of our public schools and addresses the challenges to maintaining national leadership and high student achievement in Wake County." They're calling it the "Won't You Be My Neighbor" forum.

By bringing in speakers like educational researcher Richard Kahlenberg, author Gerald Grant, former Wake Superintendent Bill McNeal and former Wake magnet director Caroline Massengill, the message will be why it's important to have socioeconomically diverse schools.

The Great Schools in Wake Coalition is organizing a trio of meetings to build community support for saving the school diversity policy.

In a press release Monday, the group announced a pair of February neighborhood forums "to educate the public about critical issues facing our schools." But the biggest event could be a March forum that will include Bill McNeal, Gerald Grant, Richard Kahlenberg and Caroline Massengill.

The first forum will be on Feb. 18 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at St. Matthews AME Church, 1629 Bennett St. in Raleigh. The speakers will include retired educator Dudley Flood, Margaret Rose Murray and Wake County Commissioner Lindy Brown.

Outgoing school board members Eleanor Goettee, Patti Head and Lori Millberg are backing candidates in at least some of this fall's races.

All three board members, whose terms will expire after November, are backing Horace Tart in the District 2 school board race. Tart is the lone incumbent seeking re-election this fall.

"He's brought great service to that district," Head said of Tart. "He's brought great common sense."