Board members call for clearer reporting on magnet-school lottery, recommend audit of lottery process

Committee members raised concerns about transparency and perceived favoritism in the district’s magnet‑school lottery process and asked the administration to present current procedures and controls for public review.

Marissa Estimera Jimenez said she could not find a discrete "lottery policy" on the district site and suggested a reporting mechanism to improve transparency rather than drafting a standalone policy. Committee members and the superintendent agreed that changes to lottery procedure must preserve state funding rules attached to magnet programs.

Several members encouraged a public‑facing, documented process: holding a visible lottery event (for example, livestreaming or posting recorded lottery draws), cross‑checking lists of admitted students against the lottery results to detect anomalies, and publicly describing any exceptions (for example, staff‑related or other allowable exceptions) so the community understands when and how exceptions occur.

Superintendent Dr. Avery said the district will review how the lottery is run and bring the operations team to a future meeting to explain the process.

Why this matters: magnet lotteries affect admissions to specialized schools and can influence public confidence; transparency steps or audits can improve trust and ensure funding requirements are met.

Next steps: administration to provide the committee with the current lottery procedures and to consider additional reporting or audit controls; committee asked staff to present options for increased transparency at a future meeting.