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Hernando Today

Sibling preference should be extended at magnet schools

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Hernando Today

Published: November 10, 2009

Updated:

Editor's note: The following letter was sent to Hernando County School Board members and is reprinted here at the authors' request.

During your workshop on Oct. 20, you made a very important and thoughtful decision for our county regarding the magnet school admission policy. You decided to take a step back from making another change to the admission procedure, and agreed to first form a committee that would research and gather information about magnet school policy, then report this information to you so you could develop a fair, equitable, and comprehensive policy for our county, that is reasonable and enforceable for the long term.

This is what our county deserves, rather than a continually changing policy with no clear direction. We applaud you for that decision and now we are asking that you please continue to stand by that decision.

It is going to take time for the committee to complete its task, for you to hear all the information and then put everything together to create the best possible policy. Collectively, the school board, school services and the superintendent have many issues in addition to the procedures for magnet schools on your agendas. However, this magnet school policy research needs to be completed before any major changes occur. Anything less would be a grave disservice to our thriving magnet schools.

The magnet school procedure is now a draft that is going to be voted on in December. The draft contains a note about when the sibling preference will end. We are asking that you please extend the sibling preference for one year. This will ensure that the committee will have adequate time to make the recommendations that you felt were necessary to move forward in the creation of our magnet school procedures.

Please stand by your decision and do not allow the possibility of a major change occurring now without the proper consideration and reflection that is to come through this committee.

Also, the note about ending sibling preference was added in 2007. Every family who enrolled a child into the magnet school before that time did so with the understanding that all their siblings would have preference. When you voted for a change, giving three years to phase it out was not enough time to allow everyone sibling preference who was told they would have it. Extending the sibling preference by another year allows more families to have the sibling preference they were promised. I believe it was Mrs. Nicholson who agreed two years ago and stated, "a promise is a promise."

This change is feasible and it makes sense. Now is the time to act. If discussion of the draft is added to the next workshop, it can be discussed then and changed before the vote in December. It is a change that does not affect anything for the applications being filed now. If, after hearing from the committee, you feel the best policy for our county should not contain sibling preference, it is still part of the procedures. Should you feel that a form of sibling preference should be part of our policy, you will have prevented unnecessary confusion and disruption for the families of this county.

There is a large amount of information and research on magnet schools. Our magnet schools are extremely successful and the county deserves their continued excellence. Please help ensure this happens: Extend the sibling preference for one year and allow for the time necessary to gather information and create the best, most effective and stable magnet school policy.

Vicki and Cliff Schultz

Laura and Jason Page

Anna and Kerry MacArthur

Mae Ann and Greg Shebosky

Sandra and Charles Vendura

Dana and Tom Walker

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