This could either be a very good day or bad day for Broughton High School.
In a pair of separate meetings this afternoon, Broughton will find out whether it keeps its magnet program and if it will get its request approved for more parking on the front lawn.
Staff isn't recommending demagnetizing Broughton, but then again that didn't help Daniels Middle School when the school board pulled the plug earlier this month.
Click here for the handout that staff gave the board for the review of the magnet secondary schools.
The school board will discuss the magnet schools during the committee of the whole meeting that begins at noon in the board conference room, 3600 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh.
An hour later, the Raleigh City Council will deal with Broughton's parking lot request. City Manager Russell Allen will present some alternatives.
While the school, staff and students want the parking expansion, the alumni have fought the proposal.
The City Council meets at 1 p.m. in its chambers, 222 W. Hargett Street.
UPDATE
Click here for an op-ed piece in today's paper supporting keeping the school's magnet program.
Comments
lack of good arguments to retain magnet status
Tue, 10/21/2008 - 11:38 — EqualtreatmentSupporters of retaining magnet status generally make two unfounded or unsupported arguments:
1. Demagnetization would "penalize" a school for being "successful."
If successful means no longer meeting the criteria for getting/retaining a magnet program, then demagnetization is not a penalty. It is simply a recognition that the outcomes hoped for have been obtained and it is time to devote those resources to more needy schools. After all, why should a "successful" school continue to retain those funds in an environment when more needy schools (under the criteria) are going without? Let's give the demagnetized schools a "good job, well done" and move the resources to where they are needed.
2. Demagnetization would lead these former magnet schools to return to the conditions that existed when they were first awarded magnet status.
This is an argument that requires more than an assertion. The populations of neighborhoods in any school's base area regularly turn over due to age, economic conditions, and other factors. Base areas today at the schools in question are different today than 5-10 years ago. They will be different still in the future. With proper data at the neighborhood level, educated guesses can be made about what is likely to happen. But people who make this "return to the past" argument haven't put forth the necessary data to support their assertions, including the writer of this op-ed. This is the big "bogeyman" argument we hear about the dangers of demagetization. We need evidence to support it. There may be a legitimate point here for any particular school, but let's see the evidence to support it.
Having said all of that, I do believe that the Board/staff should release this information as part of the debate since they can access data needed to make these judgments.
Regarding demagetization of Broughton, Beverly Clark has been privately saying for some time that Broughton should not have magnet status and would not have gotten it if she had been on the Board at the time when it was granted. Let's hope that she follows through on this now that she has to publicly take a stand.
It's not going to happen.
Tue, 10/21/2008 - 14:09 — Anonymous (not verified)It's not going to happen. Too many *special deals* going on between ITB schools and school board members. They may threaten, but won't go through with it.
Hmm...
Tue, 10/21/2008 - 09:57 — Bob_SconceThe op-ed piece was fairly well-written, but seems to make the case for pushing the IB program into more schools., which I fully agree with. Why should we allow what the columnist calls "mediocre" schools elsewhere?
I agree with Bob
Tue, 10/21/2008 - 12:24 — JSB (not verified)"Those parents who genuinely want an IB education for their children can start them at primary or middle school IB programs with easy access. Every magnet eighth-grader at Daniels and East Millbrook, IB feeder schools, secured a spot at Broughton last year."
This (from the writer of the article) sounds lovely! If only it were so easy to just "start them at a prmiary or middle school IB program"!! Since when is getting into a primary or middle school IB program "easy access"???
Getting access to an IB program is luck of the lottery. If we can create more IB seats by pushing the IB program into more schools - YAY! The bottom line is doing so costs money - of which there is little to go around, so they say. Magnet schools get extra money to provide resources and opportunity to students that may other wise never get any sort of extra chance to try something new. If a school no longer fits the profile of having students (mostly) that will never have additional opportunity to try something new - then the magnet funds - and status - need to be moved somewhere that does. I thought that was the whole fundamental reason for creating a "magnet".
Now - the idea of doing away with magnets altogether and just spreading funds/resources across many schools to offer *SOME* additional opportunity and cirriculum interest to *ALL* students - that is something I would love to see the Board explore on a much deeper level and figure out how it could benefit. Don't reassign kids out... and don't rip away the entire "program" so to speak - just figure out how to leverage resources and $$ at additional schools so they too can become "more than mediocre". No child, no family, no citizen - and no leader in charge of student well being - should ever be satisfied with mediocre.
I think the magnet program
Tue, 10/21/2008 - 09:37 — Anonymous (not verified)I think the magnet program should be dropped. Broughton will be a fine school without it and then they wouldn't have to reassign students.
Don't be overly confident
Tue, 10/21/2008 - 06:29 — No One Is Safe (not verified)Don't be overly confident Broughton. Your ITB connections might come in handy to grease a few palms, but no one is immune.
Just look at Daniels and Leesville, both blindsided 2 weeks ago. WCPSS is on the warpath of destruction, and unfortunately you could be next.
bet the BoE doesn't have the
Tue, 10/21/2008 - 06:26 — bigwinniebet the BoE doesn't have the cajones to follow through with THIS one......only one destruction at at time and it's Leesville's "time" now apparently.....