EBR board OKs Lee High Magnet program

Advocate staff photo by HEATHER MCCLELLAND -- Theresa Porter, administrator of the magnet program for the East Baton Rouge Parish school system, explains the priorities for student admittance to the proposed Lee High School magnet program to the parish School Board Thursday. The board voted to approve the project moving forward for the 2013-2014 school year.

The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on Thursday agreed unanimously to convert Lee High from a traditional neighborhood school to a dedicated magnet program that all students living in south Baton Rouge’s attendance zone would be potentially eligible to attend.

The high school, which reopened in April after three years of being closed, will increase from 223 students to an estimated 450 students in the 2013-14 school year, and to 600 students the following school year.

Superintendent Bernard Taylor had originally called for adding only a small magnet program that would operate alongside the traditional neighborhood school program.

But Taylor released a revised plan Thursday morning in which the entire school would be a magnet program. Students would have to apply and submit for an interview, as well as take an “aptitude” test designed to determine what magnet theme they should pursue.

School Board member Barbara Freiberg, whose district includes Lee High School, had opposed Taylor’s original idea, but came out in support of the superintendent’s revised version on Thursday.

“I can only tell you about those who have emailed since the recommendation, but they are excited about it,” Freiberg said.

The new Lee High program would focus on science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, plus arts, making the acronym STEAM. The arts part focuses on digital animation and visual and performing arts.

During a lengthy debate at meeting March 7, Freiberg had said she wanted a sizeable magnet program at Lee, especially with hundreds of students on waiting lists to get into other magnet programs, including Baton Rouge Magnet High.

“I would rather see this school be all magnet or majority magnet with perhaps some traditional seats,” she said then. “The way I’m reading this, this is a traditional school with a small magnet program.”

Board member Connie Bernard, whose district includes part of south Baton Rouge, said she liked Taylor’s revised concept and said it should allow for most of the students who live in the Lee High attendance zone to remain there.

“There’s almost no one that wouldn’t qualify for the program,” Bernard said.

Unlike Baton Rouge Magnet High, where students need high enough test scores and a minimum 2.5 GPA to get in, students interested in the proposed Lee High magnet would have to fill out an “interest inventory/aptitude” form. To remain in the program, students would have to maintain a 2.5 GPA, as well as good attendance.

On Thursday, Taylor added some new wrinkles.

In 2013-14, under Taylor’s plan, the first preference for admission would go to students in the Lee High attendance zone, followed by students in attendance zones for McKinley, Tara and Woodlawn high schools, and then everyone else.

In 2014-15, the top preference would go to students who graduated from a middle school magnet program in the parish. Second preference would then go to those living in the Lee High zone, followed by those in the three neighboring high schools and then everyone else.

The most controversial aspect of the plan is what happens to students in the Lee High zone either don’t apply, don’t successfully get in, or fail to maintain a 2.5 GPA and have good attendance. Those students would be reassigned to McKinley and Tara high schools.

“We’re telling kids that don’t get into the magnet program, they won’t be able to attend their neighborhood school?” asked board member Tarvald Smith.

Lee High is slated to be torn down this summer and rebuilt at 1105 Lee Drive, a $58.5 million project that won’t be complete until summer 2015. During the two years the school is under construction, Lee High will operate on the campus of Valley Park Alternative School, which in turn is moving to the Towne South Shopping Center on Staring Lane.

The Lee High magnet program will begin in August, the school system plans to hold a recruiting campaign from April 1 to May 6.

The rebuilt Lee High is supposed to have room for at least 1,200 students. Valley Park, an old junior high, has room for a little over half that many students.

To help pay for the hundreds of thousands of dollars a year the Lee High program will need to operate, the school system is seeking a federal Magnet Schools Assistance Program grant worth up to $4 million a year for Lee and three other schools. The school system will find out in the fall whether it has been awarded the grant.

Comments

1) Comment by janiea - 22/03/2013

I know lots of folks with children that live in the Lee district and they do not attend public schools period. I believe that making Lee a magnet would benefit those who are willing to be in a school that holds standards. You might be surprised how many kids, private and public would apply to attend. My daughter graduated BRHS and her freshmen orientation the Principal stated " Look to your left and look to your right. One of those kids you are sitting next to will not be here next semester". That was the truest statement ever made. Lots of kids were no longer there after first semester. We need another full time magnet high.

2) Comment by nimby? - 22/03/2013

to be discussed at a later date . but don't worry , we know what we want to do ...

3) Comment by Noel Hammatt - 22/03/2013

I attended last night's Board Meeting, and tweeted that the first I heard about the fact that Lee High was being proposed as a dedicated magnet school was when I read the briefing book outside the boardroom. I had been the website, nothing there about it. I also a host of things were being voted on last night that had never been discussed before. While I agree that we shouldn't throw too many stones, isn't it reasonable to expect that the public's business would take place in the open, and not behind closed doors? I listened to Charles Lussier get up time and time again to ask why the materials had not been made available to the public. I heard one Board Member say that they had met the legal requirements of the law, and she then went on to claim that it was this board that started putting things online for the public to actually see before they got to the Board Meeting. She is correct, and of course, she might also have mentioned two minor points. First, that we had a rule, back when I was on the board. The public had two chances to discuss any item. First, at a committee meeting or a meeting of the Whole, and second, at the Board Meeting where it was to be voted on. Usually that meant the public had two bites of the apple of knowledge... with two weeks in between to actually discuss it. When the new board changed these policies, and often gave the public just one bite of the apple of knowledge, it made sense to ensure that at least we had some prior notice about just what it was the board was going to be voting on. The second thing she failed to mention was that it was my comments that led to the posting of the materials on the website. This was the only way to truly meet the intent of the "Open Meetings" law. As for last night, I didn't hear anyone really attacking the Lee High proposals, they were trying to understand it, since even the Board Members had not been provided the information they needed to cast a vote! Of course, when the "Lab School" proposal was brought up, it suggested that the school would start in 2013, and when I read the letter from Superintendent of the LSU Lab SChool, dated February 13th, it was clear that no one had ever seen or heard of this before last night! Lussier had mentioned the Lab School idea in an article earlier this week, but no details whatsoever were on the website about it. You can imagine that not one of the Board Members were aware that Wade Smith (He calls himself the Superintendent of the Lab School.) was proposing that he would basically be in charge of this school. He would have veto power over everything from curriculum and teachers to the custodians. Seems a bit much. I noted that none of them realized that LSU faculty and staff would have preference in getting into the school. I asked if the new "Lab School" would have no special education students, like the LSU Lab school, and if they would limit the percent of students qualifying for free meals to less than 3%, like the LSU Lab School does. I find it amazing that these last minute -no details policies are the best for our students. My hope is that students would learn that knowledge and understanding is necessary for leading, and that leaders don't do LAST MINUTE decisions without full knowledge and details. That would be the worst lesson we could teach our children.

4) Comment by PublicSchoolParent - 22/03/2013

I have to agree with foldgers and unity. a 2.5 is completely attainable and regular attendance should absolutely be mandatory. Also, it seems no one complains that BRMHS has an application process and turns away plenty of students for a myriad of reasons each year. If another high quality, competitive program can be built at Lee High, I say FANTASTIC. It's about time. Additionally, let's not throw too many stones at the Board. I don't see hundreds of citizens lining up to run for the School Board and I refuse to believe that anyone who does and is selected then spends their time trying to tear down the school system. Unless you're willing to step up to the plate how about a little support and thanks to those who take on these very large, multi-faceted problems. Pointing fingers and other negative feedback only feed the problem. If we want to set a good example for the children we all seem to be interested in educating, let's show them how problem solvers work together.

5) Comment by foldgers - 22/03/2013

"To remain in the program, students would have to maintain a 2.5 GPA, as well as good attendance." - - Huh? And this is a BAD thing? If I brought home a 2.5 on my report card, I was grounded, no tv, no video games until those C's were at least B's. And I will tell you this, I only received less than a 3.0 ONE time in my school career. And good attendance?? What is good attendance and how is that a bad thing for kids to maintain as well??? Keep lowering the standards so the lazy once who don't care about school can pass...and we wonder why our system is so bad.

6) Comment by unity - 22/03/2013

I'd like to thank the EBRPSS for unanimously voting to give the residents of our city another high quality choice for educating our children. It is my hope that the new Lee High will encourage the middle class to re-engage in public education. This is a fantastic opportunity for the community to get involved and have a school it can truly be proud of.

7) Comment by civitasiveritas - 22/03/2013

One of the few meetings I ever watched, and it certainly looked nothing like the reporting here suggests. The meeting was filled with last-minute major changes to the school system, many of which were never mentioned in meetings held around the parish by this superintendent. I can't bring myself to capitalize the titles of the people involved in last night's meeting. I heard this superintendent claim that he was just doing his job, while handing school board members a "Sophie's choice" to vote on. "Do you want to trust me on this, with no details and no groundwork having been done, or do you want the state to take over these schools. Doesn't matter to me, if you don't want me to run the system then I will leave. I don't mind." (This from a superintendent fired from his last two jobs, and currently suing his last board fro more money.) Where was he all year long, it is not that he just received grades from these schools. Instead of actually listening to citizens who came up to speak, he was busy playing with his computer. Was he getting orders from the RSD? He certainly hired enough former RSD people to run EBR schools! Not one of them from successful schools it seems. It is clear to me that this board has abdicated any responsibility for their lack of choices to their own failure to properly vet this superintendent, before hiring him in backroom meetings. It was nice to see some people speaking up last night from the audience. I wonder how many more would have been there had they known about what Freeman suggested was a major reorganization of the system. Right. With no real open conversations with the public about any of it. Had you heard that LSU Lab School was going to open a branch at Mayfair? Apparently neither had anyone else. Wonder if the leadership at LSU knew anything about principal Wade Smith's plan to pay himself to start another "Lab School." Wonder if this one will be as exclusive as the one he runs now?

8) Comment by Attila - 22/03/2013

Some folks are finding out how it feels when the worm turns..it was not that long ago that neighborhood schools were not a consideration. The only thing that mattered was putting white and black kids in the same classrooms. Now we are back to neighborhood schools again. Sounds like the Lee High program will be "Magnet High School Light".