Board OKs no change

The Charleston County high school with a national reputation for academic excellence will continue admitting only the top student applicants for next school year.

The county school board voted 7-2 to follow the district administration's recommendation that Academic Magnet High School maintain its current practice of accepting the highest scoring students in rank order. Board Chairwoman Nancy Cook and Vice Chairman Hillery Douglas were the dissenting votes.

The issue was brought to the board to decide because officials realized that the school's admissions policy was different from what the board last approved.

The board also agreed in a 6-3 vote to establish a task force to compare admissions policies in each of the county's magnet schools with the board-approved policies for those schools. The task force will study students' data and achievement levels and give the board information to consider for future years. Those members who voted against the majority were David Engelman, Arthur Ravenel Jr. and Ray Toler.

Current and prospective members of the Academic Magnet community have been buzzing about the school's admissions policy, with some favoring a lottery for those who meet admissions qualifications. But many — including the school's faculty, leadership team and School Improvement Council — supported the district administration's recommendation.

Douglas disagreed with the board majority. He said if students qualify for the school, they can be successful in it. Some of the criteria that applicants are judged on are subjective, such as teacher recommendations, and doesn't necessarily determine whether students would be more suited for the school, he said.

Douglas said he wanted the district to look at accommodating students who qualify for Academic Magnet but aren't accepted by starting a similar program elsewhere for next school year. He suggested combining some of the elementary schools with low enrollments to provide space for the program.

Board member Brian Moody agreed with the idea, saying it doesn't make sense for the board not to explore options.

The district plans to look at the issue further this spring.