Board to consider magnet procedures

Parents wanting employee, military, sibling and other preferences for student admissions into magnet schools next year might get their wish - at least for the time being.

During Tuesday's Hernando County School Board meeting at 7 p.m. in the board office, school board members will consider returning to an earlier admissions procedure for magnet schools while a committee is formed to determine what the new procedure will be in later years.

The older procedure includes giving preference first to children of magnet school staff members, then to those in the military, those with siblings in the school and last to those considered through portfolios and a lottery.

The last category of students to be considered would be selected based on a formula where 70 percent of applications would come from portfolios, 30 percent from a lottery system.

That means, for example, if 100 seats at a specific magnet school are open, 70 of those would be selected from portfolios while the remaining 30 would be initially selected using a lottery number system.

According to the draft, the lotteries will be drawn during the last Friday in February.

Jim Knight, director of student services, said the recommended changes are based on ideas that came out of the October board workshop when board members agreed to backtrack on the matter to not interfere with current magnet school applications being processed for next year.

However, all that could change during the 2010-11 school year when parents go to apply.

"Basically, it's been indicated that this is the last year for the sibling preference," Knight said.

That matter was also partially bolded on the draft for school board members, stating applicants will not be eligible for sibling preference, "... for the 2011-2012 academic school year or any year thereafter."

The draft also states only one application can be filled out per family and that they must live in the school district.

In other business, school board members are expected to:

• Hold a public hearing and consider approving a project called At High Expectations and Dreams - a federal program that requires school districts to provide an education that's "free and appropriate" to all students under 22 years old and who haven't earned a regular high school diploma. According to a school district report, that applies to students who've received a special diploma or a special certificate of completion.

• Consider an agreement with the Hernando Classroom Teachers' Association concerning health insurance premiums. Changes include an increased school district contribution from $441.50 to $503.42 per month and six paid holidays instead of five.