Hollister
– The Hollister School District Board of Trustees voted
unanimously Tuesday to introduce two new
”
magnet schools
”
to the district for the 2007-2008 school year, a move district
officials hope will offer families more choice in their children’s
public education.
Hollister – The Hollister School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to introduce two new “magnet schools” to the district for the 2007-2008 school year, a move district officials hope will offer families more choice in their children’s public education.
“I think this is wonderful,” Board President Eugenia Sanchez said. “This is something positive we can do for families that’s different from what we’ve been doing in the past. I think it’s time for a change.”
“Magnet schools” are public schools that tend to focus on one particular subject area or are established with a specific purpose in mind and attract a particular kind of student. Since the 1970s, more than 1,000 magnet schools have been built across the country.
“Magnet schools follow all state content standards, but they have usually have a theme,” HSD Superintendent Ron Crates said.
Trustees approved two magnet school operations with separate focuses – A Dual Immersion School and an Accelerated Achievement School.
The Dual Immersion School, which will be housed at the Gabilan Hills Campus, is designed to ensure that students not only master state curriculum standards, but are proficient in both Spanish and English by the time they complete the program.
“Ideally, one-third of the student body will be Spanish speakers, one-third English-only, and one-third bilingual, so that they can learn from each other,” Crates said.
The Accelerated Achievement School, which will be housed at Ladd Lane School, is designed for students with academic potential and self-discipline. The curriculum is taught at a faster pace than in regular classes, leaving more time for advanced work and in-depth projects.
“It will be a good program for our GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) students,” Crates said.
In the long run, school officials hope the specialized programming will attract families whose children are currently enrolled in private school, or those with younger children who are considering other districts for when they are old enough to register for school.
The two magnet schools will be operated entirely separately from Gabilan Hills and Ladd Lane, with different staff and administration, sharing only facilities. Educators hope that between 350 and 400 students will enroll in each program, promoting a “small school” environment at both the magnet schools and regular schools. Many magnet schools require students to complete competitive applications in order to enroll, but HSD has not yet established what entry criteria may be imposed.
Officials believe the new programs will be relatively inexpensive, as the schools will use pre-existing facilities. Curricula must be developed and staff will require special training, which the district estimates will cost $20,000, but complete costs have yet to be calculated. The district does not yet know how many additional teachers will have to be hired to run the new schools.
“At this point we’re just inviting anyone who wants to join the party,” Crates said.
Crates added that time will be put aside to work with the teachers’ union before the schools open.
“We’re excited about the magnet schools and we think it’s a good step for the district,” said Jan Grist, president of the union. “But we hope that our members will not be involuntarily transferred and that they stick to the admissions guidelines they set for the students.”
The formation of the two magnet schools will dramatically reshape the district, Crates said. Both magnet schools will serve students in grades K-8, whereas currently the district has only K-5 grade schools and two 6-8 junior high schools. Educators plan for the district to evolve over several years to include four K-8 schools, four K-5 schools and two middle schools.
“I’m really pleased that the board chose to take this risk,” Crates said. “Because any time you have a huge reorganization effort like this, there’s some risk involved. But the bottom line here is that parents will have more choices for their children and their education.”
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected].
