News-Record.com

A reprint of an article from TODAY's Charlotte Observer. When will we see these headline's here? I hope we won't wait three years like Meck. Co. did!

Posted on Wed, Oct. 26, 2005


MECKLENBURG COUNTY

SCHOOL BOARD DROPS CHOICE EXPERIMENT

With students now assigned, magnet program is revised

ANN DOSS HELMS

Staff Writer

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools laid its 3-year-old "choice plan" to rest Tuesday -- with a last-minute twist in how students will be admitted to magnets in 2006-07.

Tuesday's decisions capped 10 months of public discussion. The school board scrapped the complicated lottery that drew about 30,000 applications a year and had families making long-shot bids for seats in crowded neighborhood schools.

The board also approved new boundaries for Shamrock Gardens Elementary, which is adding a magnet program, and for new schools opening in the Highland Creek, Westmoreland and Winget park areas in 2006.

-more

Ohhhhhhhhh Yessssssssssss!

Wake up School board, wake up!!!!!!!!

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools laid its 3-year-old "choice plan" to rest Tuesday -- with a last-minute twist in how students will be admitted to magnets in 2006-07.

Tuesday's decisions capped 10 months of public discussion. The school board scrapped the complicated lottery that drew about 30,000 applications a year and had families making long-shot bids for seats in crowded neighborhood schools.

The board also approved new boundaries for Shamrock Gardens Elementary, which is adding a magnet program, and for new schools opening in the Highland Creek, Westmoreland and Winget park areas in 2006.

Starting in January, most students will automatically be assigned to their neighborhood schools for 2006-07. The choice plan offered families the chance to request assignment to any school in the county; in 2006-07 most neighborhood schools will be open only to students living in their zones.

Students can still apply for seats in underfilled neighborhood schools and magnets -- specialized academic programs where everyone attends by choice.

Magnet applicants will face a controversial and complicated allotment system that got no public airing before Tuesday. Magnet seats will now be allocated by geography in an attempt to revive racial and economic diversity.

The board approved member Louise Woods' proposal on a 5-4 vote, with everyone acknowledging the impact is far from clear. Opponents said the change sabotages simplicity and penalizes the black and low-income students who dominate the pool of magnet applicants.

"I'm not convinced this has one iota of impact on diversity, and I'm convinced that it's not fair," said Chairman Joe White, who joined George Dunlap, Larry Gauvreau and Kaye McGarry in opposing Woods' motion.

About 19,000 of the district's 123,800 students attend magnets.

Most magnets were created in the 1990s to help CMS meet court-ordered desegregation goals. Racial quotas ensured a balance of black and white students.

Those quotas led to the court challenge that overturned the desegregation plan; CMS replaced it with a choice-based, race-neutral plan in 2002.

Under that plan, white families have tended to stick with their neighborhood schools, while blacks have been more likely to apply for magnets.

Woods urged colleagues to restore racial and economic balance. Her revision allots magnet seats based on elementary school zones that feed to each magnet. Race and family income are not factors, but are often linked to where students live.

For instance, Woods said, the change might entice students from the Davidson Elementary zone to apply for Piedmont Middle, a popular magnet that has seen white enrollment shrink, because a certain number of seats would be set aside for students from that zone.

Vilma Leake, Kit Cramer, Molly Griffin and Liz Downing joined Woods in supporting the motion, though many voiced qualms.

Dunlap argued that magnets have provided an alternative to high-poverty, struggling neighborhood schools created by the choice plan. By setting aside magnet seats for students from more affluent areas, CMS is further limiting options for those families, he said.

Assistant Superintendent Susan Agruso said after the meeting she doesn't think the allotment will bring major changes in magnet admissions next year -- unless large numbers of new families suddenly take an interest in magnets.

Check Details

Boundaries and policies approved at Tuesday's meeting are available at www.cms.k12.nc.us; click on board meeting highlights under "news."

https://extranet.cms.k12.nc.us/news/stories/internetNews/pdf/2950-JCA%20Approved%20102505.pdf

Check out this little linkie.

MoreWond.News:

could you type this link again please. It is not working. thank you.

Several others and myself had written the SB and Dr. Grier several weeks ago regarding cameras on school buses. This was before the SB retreat. I was basically told it did not get on the agenda on time.

I was also told by Dr. Grier that there is no money at this time for the cameras. I sent several ideas on ways to get the funds and at least to start with a few buses. It seems like this could be a start in restoring some order in problem areas that exist. (Remember a month or so ago when the kid was shot outside the bus near Grimsley?) It could happen anywhere.

I am still waiting for this topic to be put on the agenda (but not holding my breath).

I don't see why ideas that promote safety and well-being for all of our students are not addressed. Why do safe schools seem to not be a priority?

I read the brief clip in the N & R on the gang discussion. I believe the Greensboro officer said, "it is the human thing to do" referring to safe schools and controlling gang activities.

Is this another area that comes under "noncompliance" being too subjective?

When do we start enforcing the rules for all students?

Also is there a separate book of rules for the middle colleges?

Sam,

You ca get to it from here following the instructions.

Got to:

www.cms.k12.nc.us

Click on board meeting highlights "more information" and then section C "Click here to read the policy".

Enjoy it. Imagine if it were to happen here!

Hallelujah!

I jump with joy for the students in CMS!!!!!!

Perhaps Anita's map tonight will begin the process for GCS!!!!

Did anyone happen to hear about the vandalism at Andrews yesterday? Somebody went through the student parking lot and smashed windows of about 15 cars.

Would this type of vandalism make the news if it had occurred anywhere other than a High Point High School?

What kind of positive spin can they put on this?

Maybe cameras in the parking lots where there is no supervision could be added to the list.

Bruce/Jennifer,

Where's a copy of tonight's redistricting maps?????

Can you post????

Thanks!

Quest,

There don't seem to be any maps currently available. But if there are any introduced tonight, we'll bring them to you in tomorrow's paper and here on the Web site.

Bruce,
I agree that pictures don't lie, but they might belie the truth.

If my child paints a number 13 on his shoe because he saw it somewhere, and someone took a picture of it - that does not denote gang activity. It denotes gang influence (emulation).

There is a difference.

I understand that, but if the police say there are gangs in the schools - which is what they are saying - shouldn't we take that seriously?

Bruce,

I'm not surprised that school principals are expressing surprise about reports of gang activity at schools. This is the typical M.O. of principals any time something is reported or brought forward as a concern by parents.

You will recall the great paper escapade a few weeks ago. Parents were being told that schools were short of paper, and when they expressed concern to members of the school board or the administration, principals were coming forward to refute the concerns and saying that shortages did not exist in their schools. Reports of gang activites are the same thing. The administration has an excellent spin machine that puts the lid on any issues that arise. It seems that principals are well-trained and disciplined in the cover-up of concerns. I suppose that they had better be if they want to keep their well-paid position.

So, you see. These reports of gang activity and presence in the schools is just nonsense. There is no more any gang activity in schools than there are shortages of paper in the scools. The principals have said so, and that's just the way it is, because parents and law enforcement don't have any credibility in this county.

Being a teacher in another state where gang activity was high, principals never tried to cover anything up. In fact, the schools and the police worked together to stop gang activity within the schools. Teachers went to seminars given by local law enforcement.

Gangs are serious business and the schools should not try to cover this up under any circumstances.
If there is a gang problem in our schools, we have a right to know.

Bonnie,

I agree and appreciate the fact that in many other locations school personnel and police work together to solve common problems, such as gang activities in the schools. But, I am finding that doesn't seem to be the case in GCS.

As a matter of fact, there seems to be a resentment or mistrust among some members of the school board and school administration toward the police, both Greensboro and High Point. Last year, the Greensboro police wanted to inmplement a pilot School Watch program there that would work much like the Community Watch program in communities. That program met a roadblock when it met with the board. It seems that program was viewed as getting kids to snitch on other kids. You never heard anything about that program again.

In the last school budget review, efforts were made to remove funding for SRO's in middle schools as they were not needed. And there have been some discussion since about whether there was a need for SRO's in those schools. I get the impression that some of the board members don't trust the police to do the right thing in the schools. there seems to be that distrust of the police and their motives.

Now, presented with evidence of gang activity, there seems to be an effort to negate that report. Principals are coming forward to deny evidence of the existence of gangs. You would think that the principals would want all of the help that they can get in avoiding problems like this, but apparently, not so.

Along with the lack of reporting of violence, vandalism, and other school behavioral problems, is this to avoid having schools identified as "persistently dangerous" and the scarlet letter that goes with it?

It would appear that, at a minimum, there are some school vs. police politics at work here. Anyone else get the same sense? If so, why is this happening here?

David,

Pictures do not lie. So what is the resistance of GCS to put cameras on our buses, starting where most of the problems have occurred? Are some people afraid what truths may be discovered?

You are right; just because your son would paint a 13 on his shoe (maybe it is his lucky number or he likes Friday the 13th) wouldn't mean anything in itself. But if he was caught on camera doing something illegal and had a 13 on his shoe, there could be a connection.

Regardless the "13" would be a moot point if the activity was caught on camera and was illegal.

Truthfully, I don't think most kids would go around painting a "13" on their shoes once they found out if meant a certain gang. Kids talk; they know the score. I would think they would be more worried what the gang would do to them if they "owned" that number. I would be changing that "3" to and "8" real quick with a magic marker.

I'm sure now that his informed dad knows about the number "13" he won't be painting it on his SMOD shoes.

Barbara Ann - You would be correct. "12"? Maybe. "13"? Verboten.

If your child has not felt safe at school, can you please contact me?

Terrina Picarello
Health and Safety Chair, Guilford County Council PTAs
282-2182 or terrina@createyourbestlife.org

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