Wake County school officials announced today that 14 magnet schools have received national awards.

Combs, Douglas, Joyner, Washington and Wiley elementary schools and Southeast Raleigh High School received the School of Excellence Award from Magnet Schools of America, a trade organization. Those six schools are now in the running to win the Simpson Distinguished Merit Award, which goes to the top magnet school in the nation.

In addition, Conn, Farmington Woods, Hunter, Millbrook and Underwood elementary schools; Carnage and Ligon middle schools and Millbrook High School received the School of Distinction award.

"We're proud of all of the schools that Magnet Schools of America recognized this year," said Wake Superintendent Tony Tata in a statement. "Our magnet schools are a thriving, dynamic part of our school system, and their success is due to the hard work of students, teachers, and our supportive community."

Are the complaints that have come in about the new feeder patterns worth the consequences of delaying their implementation in Wake County's new student assignment plan?

As noted in today's article, the Democratic board members cited all the complaints they've received to suggest a one-year delay in implementation. But the Republican board members and staff warned that could pose major problems to the plan.

If the feeder patterns are delayed, staff thinks that will require all rising sixth- and ninth-graders to have to apply for a school this year. The students currently in middle school and high school would be grandfathered with transportation but could apply to go elsewhere.

The Mordecai families who attend Conn Elementary as their base school got what they wanted at tonight's Wake County student assignment meeting at Broughton High School.

Superintendent Tony Tata told the parents that he had made the decision today to recommend that Conn's base students not be placed in the new feeder pathway that will send the school's magnet students to Southeast Raleigh High. Instead, the base students will keep the historic feeder pattern that will let them stay at Broughton.

Tata is doing the same thing for the Conn base students as what he decided to do Monday for their peers at several other magnet schools.

Since Monday, the feeder pattern for Broughton has been adjusted for it to now include base students from Conn, Joyner, Underwood and Wiley elementary schools. How this impacts Broughton remains to be seen.

Wake County school officials announced today that an additional meeting on the student assignment plan has been scheduled for Monday at Millbrook High School.

No reason was given for the Millbrook meeting. But the revised feeder patterns released on Monday made a pretty substantial change to Millbrook's feeder pattern.

Before Monday, staff had proposed that Douglas, Fox Road, Joyner, Millbrook and North Ridge elementary schools feed into Millbrook High.

But following parental complaints, the base students from Douglas and Joyner were dropped from the recommendation. Staff replaced them by adding Baileywick and Brassfield elementary schools to the feeder pattern.

Wake County school administrators are dialing back their recommendations to have K-12 magnet feeders as part of the new student assignment plan.

As noted in today's article, the revised draft feeder plan list posted on Monday includes a number of changes requested by parents. Those parents mounted aggressive campaigns to keep their existing feeder patterns as opposed to being put in new ones that would have them go to magnet secondary schools.

Some of the most vocal opposition came from families at Brooks, Douglas and Joyner elementary schools. They wanted to keep their historic feeder patterns that had them going to closer non-magnet secondary schools.

Here's an abbreviated recap of today's update on the Wake County student assignment plan.

Staff is proposing splitting the magnet schools into three groups with varying level of magnet and application seats. Group one schools, largely those around Southeast Raleigh, would have 55 to 60 percent magnet application seats.

Group two schools in less high-poverty areas such as Brooks, Joyner and Underwood elementary schools would have 40 to 45 percent magnet seats.

SEE THE END OF THE POST FOR THE HANDOUTS FROM THE MEETING

Should Wake beef up its foreign language instruction to offer an immersion program in one or more schools?

That's an idea being studied by the school board's student achievement committee. The issue could come up at Tuesday's committee meeting.

In a dual immersion program, students would spend a significant part of the day learning in both English and another language. They'd often be paired with native speakers in that other language.

It's will be even tougher getting a slot in some popular magnet schools this year.

As noted in today's article, plans are underway to raise the percentages of low-income students at some magnet schools. It's a two-step approach involving increasing the base by reassigning in more students and restricting the number of magnet applicants who are accepted.

So the acceptance rates should fall at Hunter, Underwood and Wiley elementary schools and Enloe High. It will also get tougher making it into Partnership Elementary, which Asst. Supt. Chuck Dulaney will recommend getting magnet status.

Beteena Person thinks diversity is a good idea.

But as noted in today's article, she thinks it stinks when it means reassigning her kids out of Smith Elementary School in Garner, which is six miles from her Southeast Raleigh home. They face going to Middle Creek Elementary in Apex, which is 15 miles away and on a different calendar.

"My kids are already very diverse," said Person, who adopted four children after initially taking them in as foster kids.

UPDATE

Staff is recommending dropping the Smith to Middle Creek moves.