In advance of the expected passage of the community schools resolution, Wake County school administrators said today they had eliminated the use of socioeconomic diversity in filling nearly all the magnet school seats this year.

In the absence of diversity, priority was given to applicants who had siblings in magnet schools or who were applying from crowded schools Previously, priority was also given to applicants from more affluent areas.

Only at the Wake Early College of Health and Science, where the goal is to attract prospective first-time college applicants, was diversity used to pick applicants.

Changes are looming for how students will be selected to fill Wake County's magnet schools.

Asst. Supt. Chuck Dulaney told board members on Tuesday that his staff will be working on a formal board policy on magnet schools. This would help formalize the year-to-year guidelines that his staff develops.

One of the goals of the new board policy would be to try to address how some non-magnet schools are being negatively impacted by magnet schools. In other words, you could see changes that make it harder for some students to get into the magnet program.

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