The Hollister School District Board of Trustees expressed strong
support for a study that would evaluate the feasibility of
establishing two magnet schools.
Hollister – The Hollister School District Board of Trustees expressed strong support for a study that would evaluate the feasibility of establishing two magnet schools.
Magnet schools are specifically-themed public schools that offer special curriculum, such as a focus on mathematics, science or the performing arts. Unlike regular public schools, enrollment in the special schools is voluntary.
Interim Superintendent Ron Crates proposed the district look into two kindergarten through eighth grade magnet schools, one of which would focus on dual immersion and international studies and the other would center around an accelerated achievement program specifically aimed at gifted students.
The Board was enthusiastic about the idea, voting 4-0 to approve the study.
“I couldn’t support this strongly enough,” Board member Randal Phelps said Tuesday. “We need to flex to meet the needs of the community. I look at this as nothing but an upside for our district.”
Crates, who was instrumental in establishing 17 magnet schools at his former post in Redwood City School District, will form a committee to study the idea. The committee will be composed of parents, teachers, administrators and community members, and will examine a variety of issues. These will include facility and space requirements, contractual issues, curriculum and instruction programs, and entrance requirements.
Neither of the two magnet schools would necessarily have entrance requirements, but the issue would need to be looked at by the committee, Crates said.
“I’d love for the accelerated achievement program to have qualifiers, in other words the student would have to qualify to get into the school,” he said. “But to make sure it’s done not just on student achievement but also a matrix that would reflect the economic diversity of our community – the last thing we would want to do is create magnet schools that would be seen as elitist.”
Crates told the board he would submit a timeline for the study at the next meeting on Nov. 15. He also told the board that implementing the magnet school’s would take over a year to complete and could be controversial.
“It’s going to create a lot of change,” he said.
Magnet schools are funded in the same manner as other public schools, based on average daily attendance. When a student leaves a school to transfer to a magnet school, the funding would follow. However, Crates said the committee would need to establish a policy for deciding how to transfer both students and teachers to magnet schools.
The magnet schools would likely be ready for operation in the 2007-2008 school year. The district would not build new schools, but would probably convert existing school’s already owned by the district into magnet schools, Crates said.
Crates believes the benefits of magnet schools will be seen both monetarily and academically.
“There’s a lot of potential funding with these schools,” he said. “And it creates more choices for families and kids.”
District teachers are interested in participating in the magnet study committee, Hollister Elementary Schools Teachers Association President Jan Grist said Wednesday.
“HESTA is open to any ideas that will generate money for the district,” she said. “We will join any committees with an open mind.”
California is home to about 460 magnet schools or schools with magnet programs, California Department of Education Consultant Lynn Hartzler said. He said creating a magnet school with specific academic entrance requirements can be problematic.
“If the governing board doesn’t consider the needs of the community, they could have a lot of trouble on their hands,” he said. “Especially if the school is seen a exclusionary in nature.”
Brett Rowland covers education for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or br******@fr***********.com
