Student Assignment Committee Meeting, October 12, 2010

Assignment Committee Handouts:

Student Assignment Committee Meeting, October 12, 2010

After last week's resolution abandoning the zone plan, Chair John Tedesco and Board member Chris Malone said they were back at "square one" in realigning student assignment in the county's school system.  Speaking at the end of the 2-1/2 hour meeting, Mr. Malone said last week's actions "put us back to where we were before the elections" last year.  However, any future changes will follow Policy 6200, which no longer has "maintaining diverse student bodies" as a component of student assignment. 

Mr. Malone referred to the vote where Board member Debra Goldman joined members Keith Sutton, Kevin Hill, Anne McLaurin and Carolyn Morrison in voting to end development of the zone model for student assignment.  And he congratulated Mr. Sutton on "catching us off guard"-in getting Ms. Goldman's vote for squelching the zone plan.  See the WRAL story online, the NBC 17 story, and the N&O story online.

In addition, saying the zone plan would have solved her district's many problems with assignment, Board member Deborah Prickett--also speaking at the end of the meeting, after discussion had already taken place on next steps--listed several changes she wants for her district, District 7.  Her list included converting Hilburn Elementary School to a sixth grade center, adding more advanced classes to Leesville and Green Hope high schools, and making York Elementary School a magnet school.  These issues have not been discussed before in an open school board meeting or committee meeting.   There was no discussion of the ramifications of reassigning the entire elementary school population at Hilburn to make room for a 6th grade center.

Ms. Prickett also proposed two node changes-for the Black Horse Run area-nodes 337.1 and 337.2, saying that neighborhood wants Pleasant Union Elementary, West Millbrook or Leesville middle school, and Leesville High School.  No capacity analysis was presented.   Ms. Prickett's complete list is online on the N&O.  She claims that having no magnet schools in District 7 is "inequitable."  In the past, magnet schools have been used to better utilize school facilities, as well as reduce the socio-economic and ethnic isolation of students.  The Leesville and Green Hope zones (as drawn under the now-defunct zone plan) have low poverty rates, 15 percent and 8 percent, respectively.  Leesville and Green Hope high schools also have among the most advanced level courses in the county.

Board members Malone, Tedesco, Morrison, McLaurin, Hill, Prickett, and Sutton attended Tuesday's meeting.  Members Debra Goldman and Chair Ron Margiotta did not attend.  In addition, seven of the nine appointed "Citizen Advisors" also were in attendance.  Representatives from District 4 and 8 did not attend.

At one point at the start of the meeting, Mr. Tedesco stated that before last week's vote, he had planned to adjust the zones, to break up the Central Zone, joining Athens Drive with Cary and Broughton with a north Raleigh zone, keeping the Enloe/Southeast Raleigh high zone as a countrywide zone.  But the new directive thwarted his attempts at realignment.  He did not explain why he didn't mention this realignment before the vote last Tuesday.

Staff presented several detailed reports on how resources are allotted to each school and explained the formulas that determine resource allocation.  In sum, the resources drawn down by school sites depend upon three things:  the number of students, determined by the 10th day enrollment; the types of students, including but not limited to AG-identified, Limited English Proficiency, or Title I students; and the types of programs, such as magnet, special education, or Title I.  For example, if a middle school is under enrolled, as a result, the school lacks the months of employment to hire enough teachers to offer many arts classes or electives, such as foreign language, those classes beyond the core curriculum.  Some schools are able to offer arts programs and second languages, while others are not.  Dr. Morrison stated she wants the Student Assignment committee to examine under enrolled schools to make sure they have the student base that will enable them to offer a fuller curriculum.

There was discussion of foreign languages and whether such courses should be considered part of a basic education at a middle school.  Committee members appeared to agree that offering foreign languages was important in middle, and even elementary, schools, but they questioned whether the funding could be found to do so.

Mr. Tedesco asked committee members for "Ah-ha" moments--when they heard data that struck them as significant or surprising.  Mr. Sutton said he understood the importance of site-specific decisions by principals in formulating their programs at their schools, to meet the needs of their schools' students.  One "Citizen Advisor" commented on the importance of not having "cookie cutter" schools, that some schools need different resources based on their student populations.   Another "Advisor" stated that Months of Employment, which allots teachers and staff to schools, is part of a formula driven by student assignment--the numbers of students at each school.  Thus Student Assignment plays an important role in curriculum at each school.

There was discussion of magnet schools and allocation of resources.  Mr. Tedesco referred to "extreme disparities."  It was noted that some schools have JrROTC and others don't, and that almost all high schools have Career and Technical education programs.  Interim Supt. Donna Hargens said one goal is to determine whether all High Schools could have such CTE programs and allow for transfers for students interested in specific programs.  For example, Apex High School has an Information Technology Academy, and Broughton High School has a transportation academy.  Students receive career-based training around a specific occupational theme.

Magnet administrator David Ansbacher presented information on "reverse magnets" operating in school districts in San Diego and Jacksonville, Florida.  In such models, students from high poverty or racially and ethnically isolated communities are able to apply to attend schools with themed academies outside their neighborhoods.  Wake County used such a model for year-round schools between 1998 and 2001 for students performing below grade level.  The program ceased when the district moved to the application year-round school model.