Magnet school committee coming together

Changes to a proposed magnet school committee now allows more seats for district parents to research and discuss magnet school admission procedures.

Following public outcry and one school board members' request for a committee roster change, the new committee now includes an even four-parent, four-administrator ratio along with two teacher seats and one community member - John Mitten, owner of Chick-fil-A of Hernando County who's representing the Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce.

Before, the magnet school committee's make-up consisted of two seats for parents, four seats for school and district administrators, two for teachers, two for high school students and one community seat with a former school administrator selected for that position.

Upon learning about the committee, magnet school parents complained that the committee was unbalanced and didn't allow for enough parent and community input.

Andrew Caamano, a magnet school parent who's been one of the more vocal on the issue, was surprised to learn Thursday from Hernando Today that he was selected to sit on the committee. Parent seats are made up of two magnet, and two nonmagnet.

While he was pleased to be a member, he said he was more thrilled that Mitten would be sitting on the committee as well and praised district officials for their choice.

"I think the district should be applauded for remaking the committee and include a more diverse group. I think they made a smart decision," Caamano said. "I'm honored that I get to sit on a committee with John Mitten."

School Board Vice Chairwoman Sandra Nicholson brought the issue to light in November during a school board meeting and stated she would like to see more parent and community involvement on the committee and someone other than a former school administrator sitting in the "community representative" seat.

Upon learning about Caamano's committee membership and the change in representation, she said she was pleased with the outcome.

"I'm glad to see it's more balanced," Nicholson said. "I think the committee will have more of an impact with ideas coming from members with a variety of backgrounds."

Other magnet school committee representatives are:

• Magnet school parent: Esperanza Prevatte.

• Nonmagnet school parents: David Donato and Rachel Becker

• Teachers: Matthew Goldrick and Jason Neuman

• School administrators: Toni-Ann Noyes, principal of Nature Coast Technical School, and Marvin Gordon, principal of Spring Hill Elementary School.

• District administrators: Undecided, but will consist of two staff members from school services.

Last year, school board members were applauded for agreeing to go back to an original plan for magnet school applications and selecting students - 70 percent applications from portfolio and 30 percent from a lottery system.

Board members also agreed to form the committee to review admissions and other issues at the three magnet schools, which are Chocachatti Elementary School, Challenger K-8 School of Science and Math and Nature Coast Technical High School.

Board members are expected to approve the committee make-up in the coming weeks so that members can meet between February and August. They are expected to research admissions and transportation policies across the state and have a presentation ready for board members by September.