NHCS committee narrows student-assignment language, preserves open access to specialty schools

The New Hanover County Schools (NHCS) policy committee on Sept. 11 amended proposed changes to Policy 4150 so the district's student-assignment plan will not add a geographic restriction that would limit countywide applications to specialty schools. The change removes proposed text that would have required students to apply only to the magnet or year-round school nearest their domicile. The committee also added a new, separate requirement that NHCS administration will develop an admissions rubric for Cooperative Innovative High Schools and that "this rubric and any alterations to it must be approved by the board." The revision followed a staff presentation by Assistant Superintendent Miss Barnum, who summarized current practice: "All lotteries will provide an equal chance for students to be selected. No weighted preferences shall be made." Barnum also described how year-round schools Eaton and Coddington operate under a split attendance zone while specialty elementary schools such as Rachel Freeman, Gregory and Snipes accept applicants countywide. Committee members pressed staff on how the changes would affect transportation and seat availability. Barnum said transportation is provided for those specialty elementary programs and that year-round schools were at capacity with a combined wait list of about 70 students at Eaton and Coddington, while specialty schools still had open seats: "Our specialty schools are not [at capacity], so we would like to welcome applicants from any place so that we can continue to provide seats there." (evidence: staff report and wait-list counts provided during the meeting.) A longer debate focused on Cooperative Innovative High Schools (CIHS) and how the admissions rubric should treat applicants whose parents did not continue education beyond high school. Barnum cited state statute language and rubric scoring: "The total points from the rubric are 78 points and then plus the 5 for first time college making a total 83." She said the rubric currently includes a five-point bonus for first-generation college students, and that in recent admissions cycles those bonus points admitted some students but did not displace other eligible applicants. Committee members and legal counsel discussed whether the state statute (cited in the meeting as General Statute 115C-238.5) creates a strict requirement to target students who are first-generation college attendees, students at risk of dropping out, or students who would benefit from accelerated instruction. Legal counsel and staff said the rubric as written does address those categories, and recommended keeping the rubric and its approval as a board-reviewed appendix to the student-enrollment and assignment plan. Miss Mason moved to remove the geographic-proximity language under the lottery-assignment section, to specify that cooperative innovative high schools are not included in that lottery language, and to add a new section requiring board approval of the CIHS admissions rubric. The motion was seconded and passed by roll call in committee 3-0. The amended Policy 4150 will be forwarded to the full board for consideration. The committee separated three types of actions in its discussion: (1) discussion of how lotteries and specialty programs operate and seat availability; (2) direction to staff to add the CIHS rubric to the student-enrollment and assignment plan and bring it to the board for approval; and (3) formal action to amend the draft language and send the amended draft to the full board. Members asked staff for additional follow-up data, including the frequency with which the CIHS rubric's extra points have changed admission outcomes and longer-run enrollment trends for accepted versus enrolled students. Staff agreed to provide those numbers when the rubric is returned for board approval. The committee vote amending the policy was recorded as follows: Miss Justice: yes; Miss Mason: yes; Miss Duldeboy: yes. The committee recorded the outcome as an amendment approved for referral to the full board.