During a Board of Ed work session this morning, board members decided to postpone decisions on any redistricting plans at least for now. A new Accelerated Learners Task Group of community members, parents and BOE staff was announced by Superintendent Fredericksen to begin meeting this week to review the Magnet program and look at ways to provide more accelerated learning groups in all elementary schools. When the Task Force work is complete, the board will look to merge those recommendations with the Redistricting task force proposals and then seek public input before making any changes.
Several community members in attendance also reported that the board will remove Magnet changes from the Tier 1 budget items that were recommended to be cut for next year.
Dr. Fredericksen and the board heard loud and clear from Magnet parents who spoke at the budget hearing two weeks ago that they did not want to give up the Magnet centers at North Salisbury and Pemberton.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
25 comments:
It's about time they woke up at the BOE. Thanks for listening to the people. Remember...it's for the children.
Let the magnet parents pay for it.
Bite me 3:43. If we had enough money to do that they would be in private school. Unfortunately the regular classrooms can be rather disruptive with students that don't want to learn.
Kids are bused to Special Learning Center, Alternative Learning Center, Tenth Grade VoTech, Choices, etc. Let their parents pay for it, too!
Anonymous said...
Let the magnet parents pay for it.
3:43 PM
They already do...idiot!
anon3:43 Go to hell>
Good Job BOE for listening to the Tax Payers.
Thank you for keeping the Magnet Program as it is today.
3:43PM - Pay for what? These kids would be in classes either way. Are you recommending that we overcrowd our existing classrooms in order to save money on education? All Magnet does is allow capable students to have an environment that pushes them to achieve their potential in a deteriorating educational system. Truth is that if we maintained high standards in our schools then the Magnet program would be highly unnecessary (Thank you "no child left behind"). I know it is not a pleasant thing to find out that you or your kid are not "magnet" material, but it is no reason to dismiss an excellent program that has proven results.
Magnet Grad
Joe, I heard a rumor that 5th graders in Delmar will attend Delmar Middle next year. Any validity to it?
There are special education kids with their own personal assistant full time. One adult paid to work with one kid. Does anyone say let their parents pay for it? If the public ever looked closely at the special education millions, they would have a fit.
I don't know. I'm not smarter than a 5th Grader. LOL
There is no reason why accelerated learning programs shouldn't already be available in all schools with the kids that are there. All students should be challenged if the schools are doing what they should be. Most of the Magnet kids just move at a faster pace and many - but I agree not all - are a grade level ahead in their core subjects. They shouldn't be held back by their slower peers. Wicomico schools have special ed classes for physically and emotionally disadvantaged kids, english language learning classes for kids that don't speak English, career technology classes for kids that want to be cosmetologists or auto mechanics and African American leadership Academies for minority kids that need encouragement and attention. Every one of these programs require that kids travel to one location or that kids are bunched together homogeneously. They even have a Choices program for disruptive kids and pick those kids up and drop them off at their home door. Why shouldn't there by a program for accelerated learners too or do some just want to continue to dumb down the whole system?
Oh you silly parents...the money will have to come from somewhere. So Magent is saved for now - at what price? Who or what is next on the chopping block? You may have won this little fight for a tiny percentage of the student population, but what comes next might be a lot worse. I think this is a sad day for the "average" kids in our county. Those average kids will be the ones that have to suffer for this special group of students to have all the best teachers, the pleasant environment etc. I for one am not celebrating this decision.
6:33
Magnet involves about 600kids, which is the twice the size of Glen Avenue School. It's not exactly that small.
Hope some of the central office coordinators are let go. Those should not be full time jobs.
Not sure what you mean about environment. The magnet rooms at Pemberton and at North are no different than those of any other students' in the building, except magnet classes are usually much larger than homeschool classes.
The truth is, the magnet program was designed for the top 3 - 5% of students. The reality is the program has been dramatically watered down since it's first two years and far more students attend magnet than was intended. We do have programs such as TAD (Federally funded program for gifted students) that are available.
If more students attended their homeschool rather than magnet two things would occur: 1) There would be enough students in each school to have one or two accelerated classes and 2) by leaving these students in their home schools, there would no longer be a disproportionate number of behavior problems in the home schools Oh, but then parents couldn't say, "my kid goes to magnet."
Anonymous said...
Let the magnet parents pay for it.
3:43 PM
It amazes me how people like this moron think the Public School system is nothing more than a baby sitting service for their inbred children. The ones that grow up to vote for people like Obama.
The magnet program has become nothing more than a publically funded private education. many of the parents who have children in this program are elitist snobs who are trying to segregate their kids from the real world. I support TRUE magnet class students receiving a specialized education, and indeed it is the BOE's responsibility to address this, but this whole program has grown wildly out of control. I think the Super is right on the ball on this one. The Supervisor of this program, Mrs. Lee Powell has fought long and hard for these kids, but she will be the first one to tell you that any child not meeting the criteria should not be there. The problem is that she, and the Principals involved in this have been over ridden by the previous acting Super, Tom Field many times. I think this program should be cut as Dr. F wanted to do and save the money for the additional students who are simply bright but don't qualify. To those parents who's children don't make the grade, quit your complaining - this whole county is going to hell in a handbasket and is one of the most crime ridden cities in the state. I can't blame parents from wanting to protect their children, but just because you pay taxes doesn't mean your child can go to magnet.
7:02
First, T.A.D. is not federally funded. It is funded by the county.
Next, some schools have only three or four students per grade in magnet. If returned to their home school, that little handful of kids could in no way make up one or two classes. They'd just be put in classes with students much slower than they are. In those schools there will never be enough advanced kids to make up a class. That's why they're bused to a county center.
Third, magnet is not the only county center. Kids are bused to the Alternative Learning Center, to Choices, to the Special Learning Center, to VoTech and other places. The high school VPA is a center for kids talented in art and music, even though each high school has music and art classes. Why the big uproar over magnet and not these other places?
The redistricting proposal that people have been working on for months is this: keep everything like it is except for moving some students from Prince Street. WOW! We're going to merge recommendations with that. What a crock. It's call we have no real plan for anything so we'll postpone everything.
Magnet was never designed just for the top 3-5%. That is the percentage of the population considered gifted. That group would be included, but magnet was designed for highly able students, about the top 15%. T.A.D., not magnet, is the program designed for gifted elementary students.
I still believe that the real issue needs to be that the redistricting be further investigated. If it was like it was originally where pre-k through 5th or 6th grade was all in one school that was closest to their neighborhood..that would make transportation a lot easier for one thing. Sending kids from one part of town to a school all the in another neighborhood is not good for the kids or the parents. They need to be closer to their homes. Having prek-2nd grade in one school and 3rd through 5th in another just seems ridiculous to me. Personally, I homeschool my kids because I didn't want to send them across town into a neighborhood that isn't safe.
Boy, there sure are some nasty people on this blog. I don't have children in the system any more. But they were bright and it amazes me today how people beat up the smart kids for being smart. By all means, send them back to their schools where they can be ridiculed for being smart by junior versions of you adult green with envies.
The parents are snobs? Well, if that isn't the oldest complaint from those who celebrate their own ignorance.
I know quite a few of the parents who have children in the magnet program. They are the ones who always made sure the home schools had cupcakes for their events, bring in extra supplies for the kids who have not, etc. etc. etc. Every one of them that I know volunteers for the schools (not just the magnet school as most have children at other schools), volunteers in the community, and only a couple of them are stay-at-home parents.
If the Board of Ed and the superintendent had communicated a great plan to these parents, I'm sure they would have supported it. But it sounds like they were clueless.
This country should invest in its best and brightest if we are ever to bring our economy back and compete in this world.
What about the one mile rule, no one has said anything about that changing. I can't be the only one who sees a problem with little children having to walk by theirselves to school a mile. That spells danger. I have trying to change this for years and no one will listen to me.Sad.....
Hoooray for publicly provided private school and institutionalized segregation! The magnet program is nothing more than a solution to those stuck up parents that can't afford private school, but don't want their precious children to associated with the general population of students in the County. Look at the composition of students in the program, I can guarantee that one or more of three things exist among each student:
1. The student is of a middle to upper class family
2. The parents requested/demanded that the student be put in the program
3. The student is white and would have attended a home school of a much higher ethnicity.
Trust me, as a former magnet student, I attribute none of my success in life to the magnet program. I truly believe that if the County conducted a study on the job placement, salary ranges and college attendence of magnet students vs non-magnet students that there would not be substantial evidence to support the continuance and funding of the program. The County usually wants to conduct a study on every single thing it spends money on, why not this?
Why should the majority of the tax payers in Wicomico County pay for a service that a the minority utilizes? I bet that the parents of the magnets students are the same individuals that are highly against other government subsidaries! If you want this additional service and actually think that it is worth it then why don't those parents pay for it? It's simple, they think that they have a right to it! If you wanted to be a lawyer you could go to UMD, but if you wanted to get a better law degree then you would have to pay more to go to Harvard. It is a simple fact of life-if you want more, then you pay more!
However, if the County decides to adjust how the magnet program is administered, what right do the parents have to complain? NONE! It is a free ADDITIONAL service! You can't complain about a FREE benefit that your child is receiving by priviledge! If anything, the County should restructure the program so that it is by invite only-no more admittance into the program by request! You child will have to be invited into the magnet program based on solely on the recommendations of teachers and evaluation of a knowledgeable staff or committee. Once in, the student should be required to maintain a certain level of aptituded throughout his/her education in order to remain enrolled in the program. These requirements already exist, but are not enforced or standardized what-so-ever.
To all you stuck up parents out there-QUIT YOUR WHINING! You kid probably isn't even that smart anyway!
Magnet students should be invited to enroll in the program, based on strict guidelines that are followed by everyone involved. A parent who goes over a principal's head to complain at the Board should not be given what they want. Once some parents learned the principals would be overuled nearly 100% of the time, that was the beginning of a mess. The elementary director did not want the parents going over her head to the supt. so she gave into their demands. A promise from the Board that guidelines will be followed is a good idea.
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