It's dollars, folks. Weast is recommending that the school board increase the number of magnet school seats in county schools by 50 percent to at least 3,600 even though a recent survey indicated that three times that number are interested in these specialty schools. According to the plan, the system still would have 11 magnet schools. The plan would close three magnet programs in Greensboro and add three in High Point. School officials believe that Guilford's 11 magnet schools generally have strong academic track records, though they presented no data Tuesday to support this claim.
Many magnet schools are so popular that they have annual waiting lists.
School officials say parents generally are satisfied with magnets because they have chosen to enroll their children. This translates to higher levels of parent involvement at some other schools. Some magnet schools, most of which are located in predominantly black or mixed-race neighborhoods, have succeeded in drawing white students. Weast said magnet schools are a necessary part of the redistricting plan because they foster racial diversity in schools that otherwise would be dominated by students of one race. But magnet schools are expensive.