Could the Wake County school board make one more change to the student assignment plan for this fall?
The only change the board made last week was to accept the staff recommendation to increase the percentage of magnet seats at Poe Elementary School. But school board member Jim Martin unsuccessfully tried to call for a vote on having staff keep magnet schools within their projected percentage of magnet seats.
Wake has divided the magnet schools into three groups.
The group one magnets like Brentwood, Hunter and Washington elementary schools are supposed to have 55 to 60 percent of seats set aside for magnet students.
The percentage of magnet seats drops to 40 to 45 percent at group two schools like Brooks, Joyner and Wiley elementary schools.
It falls to 10 to 20 percent at group three magnets like Farmington Woods and Wendell elementary schools.
Some people are worried that the new plan is putting in so many proximity students at some schools that they'll fall below the number of magnet students they should have.
After the Poe vote, Martin proposed his motion.
Board member Debra Goldman objected by raising a parliamentary inquiry. She said Martin was adding an item to the agenda and that board policy says staff has to have appropriate warning and time to bring items to the board for full review.
Ken Soo, serving as the board's attorney, said it was board chairman Kevin Hill's prerogative to determine if Martin's motion fell within the agenda item of making changes to the plan. Hill said he wasn't sure.
Board member John Tedesco said the agenda was only to vote on the change to Poe. Board member Susan Evans said the item on the agenda didn't list specific schools.
Soo then said Martin's item was distinct enough to be considered a separate item that wasn't placed on the agenda at the start of the meeting. It would have taken a two-thirds majority at that point to add items to the agenda.
Hill told Martin that he can request it to be added to the next board meeting agenda.
The next board meeting is March 20. By then, notices would have gone out to families with the first round selection results. Any changes for this fall would have to involve the round two applicants and later walk-in signups.
Earlier in the day, Martin had questioned in the board work session why staff hadn't brought up recommendations for Carnage Middle School's magnet percentage. He has frequently raised concerns that proximity students are taking up too many seats at the school.
Chief Transformation Officer Judy Peppler said changes to Carnage's percentage would be recommended for the 2013-14 school year. For now, she said they'll fill remaining openings at Carnage for this fall with magnet students.
Comments
Carnage
Mon, 03/12/2012 - 16:18 — jenandjonA little frustrating to those of us who would have picked Carnage if the number of AG magnet seats were greater than "less than 5 available". If there are "remaining openings" at Carnage that are going to be filled with magnet students I'd like the opportunity to apply for those "remaining openings".
The "number of seats available" is looking like a very fluid number in every instance of this "choice" plan.
<5 is meaningless
Tue, 03/13/2012 - 09:58 — RWTI know there was a big thread on game theory and hedging one's bets, but if you wanted Carnage, you should have chosen it. During the magnet lottery, that's just how much room there was before anyone had a chance to join the proximity lottery. Just because someone is pre-assigned to a school doesn't mean they want to schlep their kid there every day at oh-dark-thirty. Witness Tropicalgal. If she doesnt't get her daughter out this year, she'll apply to get out next year. Then a space will open up, and it won't be during the magnet lottery. Someone will be asked in off the waiting list.
There is a difference though...
Tue, 03/13/2012 - 11:21 — jenandjonMy understanding was that there was a finite number of magnet seats available at Carnage.
The only way a seat would open up would be if someone in the magnet program applied in the choice round to another school, was seated at one of their choices and then the person at the top of the magnet waiting list for Carnage would be selected to fill the spot left by the student that particpated in the choice process. I understand that completely. We are in that position for my daughter at Washington Elementary. That is not what I am frustrated about.
I am frustrated that (based on the information in the article) additional magnet seats are going to be opened up at Carnage... not as a result of magnet students leaving Carnage in the choice process, but rather, by means of wcpss board decision. I would like the opportunity to apply for one of those additional magnet program seats that have been opened up by the board/administration. That is new information that was not available to me at the time I was required to make my decision.
Make sense?
The "new" magnet seats
Tue, 03/13/2012 - 16:41 — RWTA lot of them may be from people who were pre-assigned to Carnage from its magnet feeders but did not want to go there. Those people did not have to express an intent to retain their assignment, and thus their seats were considered unavailable until after the first choice round, when they applied to go to local schools.
However, I do remember hearing that the number of magnet admissions are not set in stone until they have an idea of what the base numbers were. I heard that on a tour of one of the AG magnet middles back in 2011 when the old plan was in effect.
Edited to add: I now see that these are new seats. I blame presbyopia. Clearly i need to stop trying to read this stuff on my phone. However, I maintain that the people who took a chance and ranked carnage first and are thus on the wait list should get first shot.
"Additional seats"
Wed, 03/14/2012 - 10:26 — jenandjonYeah... kind of wish I had that piece of information about "magnet admissions are not set in stone until they have an idea of what base numbers were". Never heard any of that in all the meetings I attended, blogs I read, tours I took, ad nauseum. Guess that's what I get for being "new" to wcpss (5 years). Thanks for sharing that piece of info. Good to know for the future.
I understand your position on those who "took a shot". I just happen to disagree. Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, so we are Ligon for 12-13, but Mommy is driving every morning at 7:00 am with two younger ones at home with Daddy getting them up and out the door for 9:15 ES (ugh). Knowing that they can "tinker" with the magnet numbers afterwards may have tilted the scale for me in my decision process.
I still think it's a joke that the board may have "adjusted" availability or made "seat reserves" etc. after families made their "choices". It just comes off as an attempt to make the public think they are being transparent while manipulating the numbers so that the district achieves its goals. Maybe they should call this "modified choice".
agree
Wed, 03/14/2012 - 11:54 — EBDarcyMany people I've talked to believe they should have held the magnet and proximity lotteries simultaneously. Or the proximity lottery first.
simultaneous
Wed, 03/14/2012 - 14:53 — turnerk1I agree, the lotteries should all be held at once. I don't see the point of having them at different times.
Maybe they should call this
Wed, 03/14/2012 - 10:35 — jenmanMaybe they should call this "modified choice".
I've always said that the key is that this is a controlled choice model. They conveniently leave that word out of the title. This isn't a choice plan. It's a controlled choice plan. Not that I think it can be a free for all where everybody can go exactly where they want, but they should be honest about what this plan is and isn't.
I got so frustrated at those info sessions when they kept saying "for the first time, parents get to choose where to send their kids to school". No, they don't. Parents get to tell WCPSS where they'd like their kids to go, but WCPSS still has ultimate control.
Agreed. This is more choice, not free choice.
Sat, 03/17/2012 - 16:53 — raleighlauraBut you know,most of my choices are limited by practicality. I would love to choose between a rolls Royce and a Mercedes. But in reality, I'm a carmax shopper, so those are potential choices but are highly unlikely. I would like to choose my political leader,but if he or she doesn't make it out of the primary, I might not be able to vote for my preferred option.
Controlled choice seems normal to me as a truer free for all would cause tremendous inefficiency, and since the taxpayers are buying, we can't get our rolls royce today (unless you are proximate to Lacy, Hunter or Sycamore. Then, you are very lucky!).
...
Mon, 03/12/2012 - 14:14 — SideburnsMore Carnage.... Save Jim Martin's son.
He's looking out for my kid
Tue, 03/13/2012 - 23:40 — allkidsfirstHe's looking out for my kid too, and all the kids at the elementary schools that feed into Carnage, and the AG students of Wake county who already had a hard time getting a seat at an AG middle school. I'm glad that he shares the perspective of all those families and will make their concerns known, just as you are glad to have board members that represent your concerns.
As someone else noted, the change will not have much impact on his son, who will only attend one year of the new plan. If anything, he benefits from the choice plan with feeders, because Carnage students from Fuller, Washington and Bugg will now be guaranteed a seat at Enloe instead of just having priority like before. But it will have a huge impact on rising 6th graders this year, and an even bigger impact on their younger schoolmates.
No valid...
Tue, 03/13/2012 - 08:19 — bpuli9999argument to make. Start personal attacks. Nice.
reason to be concerned
Mon, 03/12/2012 - 21:25 — stepbystepJim has good reason to be concerned as it doesn't seem the numbers ever really worked in various calculations about Carnage. Sure his son goes there now, but he'll be gone after next year, I think. If the magnet % drops significantly at Carnage, problems will last much longer than young Martin's tenure. Historically, Carnage and Ligon have been strong magnet schools and popular choices that have helped the whole county on several fronts, giving good return for the magnet dollars invested. It's wise to keep those assets thriving.
Y'all
Mon, 03/12/2012 - 13:15 — ScoreOnebetter double check with TT before messing with his plan. He gets reeeeeeaaaal touchy when you make suggestions to his plan, question his judgement, or even think thoughts that are different than him.
It's only one way at the good ol' WCPSS....get the "general direction" ?