GREENWICH PUBLIC SCHOOLS Greenwich, Connecticut

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1 GREENWICH PUBLIC SCHOOLS Greenwich, Connecticut Title of Item Discussion and Possible Action on InterDistrict Magnet Schools and Regional Vocational Technical Schools Agenda No. 6.b. REQUEST FOR BOARD ACTION OR PRESENTATION OF INFORMATIONAL ITEM By: January 24, 2008 X Action Required _ Informational Only Submitted By: John Curtin Position: Assistant Superintendent/Research & Evaluation I will be present at Board meeting to explain if called upon: X Yes No Synopsis of Proposal: Information regarding the participation of Greenwich students in interdistrict magnet schools is attached. Recommended Action (if appropriate): Governance Issue: The State Department of education will accept authorization for participation in an interdistrict magnet from either the Superintendent of Schools or the Board of Education. Over the last fifteen years, the Greenwich Public Schools has entered into two interdistrict magnet agreements with the Superintendent s authorization and two agreements with both the Board of Education and the Superintendent s authorization. In the future, interdistrict magnet school participation agreements should be authorized by both the Board and the Superintendent.

2 Participation of Greenwich Students in Interdistrict Magnets Interdistrict magnet schools are designed to voluntarily reduce racial, ethnic and economic isolation among school districts. They seek to attract students from one school district to another by offering a special, high-quality curriculum. Admission to these schools is open to all students in participating school districts. The three magnet schools in Greenwich (Hamilton Avenue, International School at Dundee and Julian Curtiss) are not open to students from other school districts and would be characterized as intradistrict magnets. While Greenwich does not operate any interdistrict magnet schools, students in Greenwich are eligible to attend interdistrict magnet schools located in neighboring towns. The costs of constructing and operating an interdistrict magnet school are partially underwritten by the Connecticut State Department of Education. Usually, the town in which the interdistrict magnet is located or a regional service center, such as Cooperative Education Services, operates the school. Towns which send students out of district to an interdistrict magnet school may pay tuition or be responsible for providing transportation to and from school. The terms of participation are outlined in an agreement between the district or service center operating the school and surrounding partner districts. A recent amendment to section l of the general statutes provides that interdistrict magnets are open, if space is available, to students from non-participating districts. The board of education otherwise responsible for educating the student must pay the per-student tuition, if any, charged to participating districts. If the board of education fails to pay the tuition, the commissioner can withhold ECS funds from the school, up to the amount of the unpaid tuition, and transfer it to the fiscal agent for the magnet school as a supplementary operating grant. State statutes regarding the responsibilities of districts participating in interdistrict magnet programs are attached. In the early 1990 s, the Greenwich Public Schools agreed to participate in the Center for Global Studies located at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk. Despite extensive recruiting efforts, no Greenwich student has ever elected to enroll at C.G.S. C.G.S. is no longer listed as an option for students in the Greenwich High School Course of Study Guide. In September 2002, the Greenwich Board of Education voted unanimously to approve the participation of interested Greenwich students in two interdistrict magnet schools: 1) the Academy for Information, Technology and Engineering (A.I.T.E.) located in Stamford and operated by the Stamford Public Schools and 2) the Academy for the Performing Arts (A.P.A.) located in Trumbull and operated by Cooperative Educational Services. Both A.I.T.E. and A.P.A. serve students in grades nine through twelve. The governance agreement for A.P.A. is attached. It was understood that the Greenwich Public Schools was responsible for transporting Greenwich students to and from these interdistrict magnets and that the district would be eligible for up to $1,200 per year in state reimbursement for each student who was transported. There GPS Research and Evaluation January 16, 2008 Page 1

3 was no tuition cost for A.I.T.E., while A.P.A. carried a tuition fee of $2,200 per student. The Board reserved the right to withdraw from the governance agreement chartering the two interdistrict magnets if costs to the district became prohibitive. In June 2004, the Greenwich Superintendent of Schools agreed to support and participate in the Six to Six Interdistrict Environmental Magnet School (grades pre-kindergarten through eight) located in Stamford upon its completion in September of Under the terms of the agreement, there is no tuition cost for Greenwich students attending the environmental magnet. In addition, parents are responsible for transporting their children to and from school. A sending district may elect to transport students and become eligible for a state subsidy of $1,300 per student to offset costs. The Greenwich Public Schools remains responsible for special education services provided to students who participate in the magnet. A copy of the agreement is attached. During the first two years, a handful of students attended A.I.T.E. and A.P.A. The cost of transporting students to and from Trumbull became prohibitively expensive (over $20,000 to transport two students in ) and the district withdrew from participation in A.P.A. beginning with the school year. Participation in A.I.T.E. has increased over the years to its current level of eleven students in grades nine through twelve. Last year, the Stamford Public Schools assumed responsibility for transporting Greenwich students to A.I.T.E. reducing the cost of participation for Greenwich students to zero. A.I.T.E. continues to be an option for Greenwich students listed in the Greenwich High School Course of Study Guide. A.I.T.E. staff annually present the program to prospective students and parents in the three Greenwich middle schools. It is important to note that the 11 Greenwich students attending A.I.T.E. are not included in the Greenwich Public Schools enrollment count. Since the B.E.T. funding formula is based on the number of students attending the Greenwich Public Schools, the district does not receive funding for these students from the Town of Greenwich nor is the district eligible for educational cost sharing (ECS) from the State of Connecticut. While it is not an interdistrict magnet school, Greenwich students are eligible by state statute to attend the regional vocational technical school, J.M. Wright Technical High School in Stamford. Historically, there has been minimal enrollment of Greenwich students at Wright Tech; in , two students (both seniors) were enrolled, and this year no Greenwich students are enrolled. Districts do not pay tuition for students enrolled in regional technical schools but are required to pay for transportation costs. GPS Research and Evaluation January 16, 2008 Page 2

4 Participation of Greenwich Students in Interdistrict Magnets and Regional Vocational Technical Schools by Year Grades Academy for Information, Technology and Engineering - Stamford Academy for the Performing Arts (part time) - Trumbull Center for Global Studies - Norwalk J.M. Wright Technical High School - Stamford Total Participation of Greenwich Students GPS Research and Evaluation January 16, 2008 Page 3

5 FEATURES OF INTERDISTRICT MAGNET SCHOOLS The purposes of interdistrict magnet schools are to reduce, eliminate or prevent the racial, ethnic or economic isolation of public school students while offering a high-quality curriculum that supports educational improvement. Magnet schools offer programs in Grades PK-12. A magnet school is a publicly funded school operated by a local or regional school district, regional educational service center or by cooperative agreement involving two or more districts. Each magnet school has an educational theme or focus. Students choose to enroll based on interest in the school s theme. The performing arts, college preparation, science, technology and Japanese studies are examples of the wide range of magnet school themes serving elementary, middle and high school students. All students in the school districts participating in the magnet school program are eligible. Districts may limit the number of participants and must hold a lottery if there are more applicants than spaces available. No student may be denied enrollment because of race, ethnicity or disability. Operating costs are funded through (1) state grants; (2) contributions from local boards of education; (3) federal grants; (4) corporate contributions; and, (5) in some limited cases, tuition paid by the parent. The district where the school is located must provide transportation for resident students. Magnet schools or participating school districts receive state grants if they choose to transport out-of-district students, but are not required to do so. The responsibility for holding planning and placement team meetings belongs to the district where the student lives. The magnet school is responsible for ensuring that the student receives the services required by the student s individualized educational program (IEP), whether those services are provided by the magnet school or by the school district in which the student resides. NORWALK CENTER FOR GLOBAL STUDIES Brian Fagan Center for Global Studies at Brien McMahon High School 300 Highland Ave. Norwalk, CT Tel. (203) ext Fax (203) fagab@norwalkpublicschools.net Grades: 9-12 GPS Research and Evaluation January 16, 2008 Page 4

6 Enrollment: 200 Participating Districts: Bethel, Bridgeport, Darien, Fairfield, Greenwich, Milford, New Canaan, Newtown, Norwalk, Redding, Ridgefield, Stamford, Stratford, Weston, Westport, Wilton The Center for Global Studies (CGS) provides students with an opportunity to study the Chinese, Japanese and Middle Eastern cultures through courses in language, literature and history at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk. The core curriculum includes Chinese, Japanese and Arabic language study. In the literature courses, students are provided with a survey of world literature titles that have universal thematic connections. Through Chinese, Japanese and Middle Eastern history courses, students explore the social, political and economic dynamics of these cultures. Additional courses required by students home schools are met through Brien McMahon s mainstream classes. In March, CGS hosts Japanese high school students who stay with CGS families and attend classes in the magnet school and Brien McMahon. Each May, CGS students travel to Japan for a two-week home-stay and study tour. The home-stay component matches students with Japanese families and host brothers and sisters, while they attend classes in Japanese high schools. In April, CGS students travel to China for a similar experience there. Our Arabic concentration is new for the school year and a future study tour for that component is under discussion. STAMFORD ACADEMY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Paul L. Gross Academy of Information Technology 381 High Ridge Road Stamford, CT Tel. (203) Fax (203) pgross@ci.stamford.ct.us Grades: 9-12 Enrollment: 296 Participating Districts: Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Ridgefield, Stamford The Academy of Information Technology (AIT) is a Stamford interdistrict magnet high school attracting students interested in the integration of information technology in academic and elective courses. AIT provides students with a college preparatory academic environment in which essential information technology and communication skills, knowledge and understandings are emphasized. The technology focus, built around a core elective program of information technology and pre-engineering courses, is not just for those students with particular interests in these fields. The emphasis on technology represents a strategy for making lifelong learners out of our students. All core content courses are taught at the college preparatory level, and there is a full complement of honors and Advanced Placement courses. GPS Research and Evaluation January 16, 2008 Page 5

7 TRUMBULL ACADEMY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Diane Wheeler Academy for the Performing Arts 30 Lindeman Drive Trumbull, CT Tel. (203) Fax (203) Grades: 9-12 Enrollment: 50 Participating Districts: Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Ridgefield, Stamford, Weston and Trumbull Academy for the Performing Arts (APA), a program of Cooperative Educational Services, is a part-time magnet high school serving students in Grades APA s students represent the diversity of Greater Norwalk. Students attend their local public high schools in the morning and APA Monday through Thursday from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Elective high school credits, which may be applied toward graduation requirements at the discretion of the sending school district, are earned at the school through the study of dance, theatre, musical theatre, film/video production and some creative script writing. These classes, taught by professional artists, provide a broad understanding of the history and criticism of the arts through interdisciplinary study. APA s performing arts training program is designed to prepare students to pursue professional careers and postsecondary studies. Syd Abramowitz J.M. Wright Technical High School Scalzi Park, 1 Bridge St. Box 1416 Stamford, CT Tel. (203) Fax (203) jm.wright@ct.gov J.M. WRIGHT TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL Program Offerings: Automotive Collision Repair and Refinishing; Automotive Technology; Carpentry; Culinary Arts; Electrical; Hairdressing/Barbering; Health Technology; Interactive Media; Plumbing and Heating Enrollment: 445 Source: Public School Choice in Connecticut (State Department of Education) GPS Research and Evaluation January 16, 2008 Page 6

8 Legislation Applying to Interdistrict Magnet Schools Sec l of the general statutes stipulates: (a) The Department of Education shall, within available appropriations, establish a grant program to assist local and regional boards of education, regional educational service centers, the Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges on behalf of Manchester Community College, and cooperative arrangements pursuant to section a with the operation of interdistrict magnet school programs. All interdistrict magnet schools shall be operated in conformance with the same laws and regulations applicable to public schools. For the purposes of this section "an interdistrict magnet school program" means a program which (1) supports racial, ethnic and economic diversity, (2) offers a special and high quality curriculum, and (3) requires students who are enrolled to attend at least half-time. An interdistrict magnet school program does not include a regional vocational agriculture school, a regional vocational-technical school or a regional special education center. On and after July 1, 2000, the governing authority for each interdistrict magnet school program that is in operation prior to July 1, 2005, shall restrict the number of students that may enroll in the program from a participating district to eighty per cent of the total enrollment of the program. The governing authority for each interdistrict magnet school program that begins operations on or after July 1, 2005, shall (A) restrict the number of students that may enroll in the program from a participating district to seventy-five per cent of the total enrollment of the program, and (B) maintain such a school enrollment that at least twenty-five per cent but not more than seventy-five per cent of the students enrolled are pupils of racial minorities, as defined in section a. (b) Applications for interdistrict magnet school program operating grants awarded pursuant to this section shall be submitted annually to the Commissioner of Education at such time and in such manner as the commissioner prescribes. In determining whether an application shall be approved and funds awarded pursuant to this section, the commissioner shall consider, but such consideration shall not be limited to: (1) Whether the program offered by the school is likely to increase student achievement; (2) whether the program is likely to reduce racial, ethnic and economic isolation; (3) the percentage of the student enrollment in the program from each participating district; and (4) the proposed operating budget and the sources of funding for the interdistrict magnet school. If requested by the commissioner, the applicant shall meet with the commissioner or the commissioner's designee to discuss the budget and sources of funding. The commissioner shall not award a grant to a program that is in operation prior to July 1, 2005, if more than eighty per cent of its total enrollment is from one school district, except that the commissioner may award a grant for good cause, for any one year, on behalf of an otherwise eligible magnet school program, if more than eighty per cent of the total enrollment is from one district. The commissioner shall not award a grant to a program that begins operations on or after July 1, 2005, if more than seventy-five per cent of its total enrollment is from one school district or if less than twenty-five or more than seventy-five per cent of the students enrolled are pupils of racial minorities, as defined in section a, except that the commissioner may award a grant for good cause, for one year, on behalf of an otherwise eligible interdistrict magnet school program, if more than seventy-five per cent of the total enrollment is from one district or less than twenty-five or more than seventy-five per cent of the students enrolled are pupils of racial minorities. The commissioner may not award grants pursuant to such an exception for a second GPS Research and Evaluation January 16, 2008 Page 7

9 consecutive year. (c) (1) The maximum amount each interdistrict magnet school program, except those described in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (3) of this subsection, shall be eligible to receive per enrolled student shall be determined as follows: (A) For each participating district whose magnet school program enrollment is equal to or less than thirty per cent of the magnet school program total enrollment, ninety per cent of the foundation as defined in subdivision (9) of section f; (B) for each participating district whose magnet school program enrollment is greater than thirty per cent but less than or equal to sixty per cent of the magnet school program total enrollment, a percentage between sixty and ninety per cent of said foundation that is inversely proportional to the percentage of magnet school program students from such district; and (C) for each participating district whose magnet school program enrollment is greater than sixty per cent but less than or equal to ninety per cent of the magnet school program total enrollment, a percentage between zero and sixty per cent of said foundation that is inversely proportional to the percentage of magnet school program students from such district. The amounts so determined shall be proportionately adjusted, if necessary, within the limit of the available appropriation, and in no case shall any grant pursuant to this section exceed the reasonable operating budget of the magnet school program, less revenues from other sources. Any magnet school program operating less than full-time but at least half-time shall be eligible to receive a grant equal to sixty-five per cent of the grant amount determined pursuant to this subsection. (2) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, and each fiscal year thereafter, the commissioner may, within available appropriations, provide supplemental grants for the purposes of enhancing educational programs in such interdistrict magnet schools, as the commissioner determines. Such grants shall be made after the commissioner has reviewed and approved the total operating budget for such schools, including all revenue and expenditure estimates. (3) (A) Each interdistrict magnet school operated by a regional educational service center that enrolls less than fifty-five per cent of the school's students from a single town shall receive a per pupil grant in the amount of six thousand two hundred fifty dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, and in the amount of six thousand five hundred dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, and for each fiscal year thereafter. (B) Each interdistrict magnet school operated by a regional educational service center that enrolls at least fifty-five per cent of the school's students from a single town shall receive a per pupil grant in an amount that is at least three thousand dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, and for each fiscal year thereafter. (4) Within available appropriations, the commissioner may make grants to regional educational service centers that provide summer school educational programs approved by the commissioner to students participating in the interdistrict magnet school program. (d) Grants made pursuant to this section shall be paid as follows: Fifty per cent by September first and the balance by January first of each fiscal year. The January first payment shall be adjusted to reflect actual interdistrict magnet school program enrollment as of the preceding October first, if the actual level of enrollment is lower than the projected enrollment stated in the approved grant application. (e) The Department of Education may retain up to one-half of one per cent of the amount appropriated for purposes of this section for program evaluation and administration. GPS Research and Evaluation January 16, 2008 Page 8

10 (f) Each local or regional school district in which an interdistrict magnet school is located shall provide the same kind of transportation to its children enrolled in such interdistrict magnet school as it provides to its children enrolled in other public schools in such local or regional school district. The parent or guardian of a child denied the transportation services required to be provided pursuant to this subsection may appeal such denial in the manner provided in sections and (g) On or before October fifteenth of each year, the Commissioner of Education shall determine if interdistrict magnet school enrollment is below the number of students for which funds were appropriated. If the commissioner determines that the enrollment is below such number, the additional funds shall not lapse but shall be used by the commissioner for grants for interdistrict cooperative programs pursuant to section 10-74d. (h) In the case of a student identified as requiring special education, the school district in which the student resides shall: (1) Hold the planning and placement team meeting for such student and shall invite representatives from the interdistrict magnet school to participate in such meeting; and (2) pay the interdistrict magnet school an amount equal to the difference between the reasonable cost of educating such student and the sum of the amount received by the interdistrict magnet school for such student pursuant to subsection (c) of this section and amounts received from other state, federal, local or private sources calculated on a per pupil basis. Such school district shall be eligible for reimbursement pursuant to section 10-76g. If a student requiring special education attends an interdistrict magnet school on a full-time basis, such interdistrict magnet school shall be responsible for ensuring that such student receives the services mandated by the student's individualized education program whether such services are provided by the interdistrict magnet school or by the school district in which the student resides. (i) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the enrollment of nonpublic school students in an interdistrict magnet school program that operates less than full-time, provided (1) such students constitute no more than five per cent of the full-time equivalent enrollment in such magnet school program, and (2) such students are not counted for purposes of determining the amount of grants pursuant to this section and section i. Section l of the general statutes is amended by adding subsections (j) as follows (Effective July 1, 2007): (j) After accommodating students from participating districts in accordance with the approved enrollment agreement, an interdistrict magnet school that has unused student capacity may enroll directly into its program any interested student. A student from a district that is not participating in the interdistrict magnet school shall be given preference. The local or regional board of education otherwise responsible for educating such student shall contribute funds to support the operation of the interdistrict magnet school in an amount equal to the per student tuition, if any, charged to participating districts. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, such tuition shall be in an amount that is equal to seventy-five per cent of the difference between the average per pupil expenditure of the magnet school for the prior fiscal year and the amount of any per pupil state subsidy calculated under subsection (c) of this section. If any such board of education fails to pay such tuition, the commissioner may withhold from such school district a sum payable GPS Research and Evaluation January 16, 2008 Page 9

11 under section h in an amount not to exceed the amount of the unpaid tuition to the magnet school and transfer such money to the fiscal agent for the interdistrict magnet school as a supplementary grant for the operation of the interdistrict magnet school program. For purposes of calculating grants pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, "participating district" includes districts whose students enroll directly in interdistrict magnet schools pursuant to this subsection. Section i of the general statutes stipulates: a) A local or regional board of education, regional educational service center, the Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges on behalf of Manchester Community College, or cooperative arrangement pursuant to section a which transports a child to an interdistrict magnet school program, as defined in section l, in a town other than the town in which the child resides shall be eligible pursuant to section e to receive a grant for the cost of transporting such child in accordance with this section. The amount of such grant shall not exceed an amount equal to the number of such children transported multiplied by one thousand three hundred dollars. The Department of Education shall provide such grants within available appropriations. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prevent a local or regional board of education, regional educational service center or cooperative arrangement from receiving reimbursement under section m for reasonable transportation expenses for which such board, service center or cooperative arrangement is not reimbursed pursuant to this section. (b) Grants under this section shall be contingent on documented costs of providing such transportation. Eligible local and regional boards of education, regional educational service centers and cooperative arrangements shall submit applications for grants under this section to the Commissioner of Education in such form and at such times as he prescribes. Grants pursuant to this section shall be paid as follows: In October one-half of the estimated eligible transportation costs and the balance of such costs in May. (c) Each local and regional board of education, regional educational service center and cooperative arrangement participating in the grant program shall prepare a financial statement of expenditures which shall be submitted to the Department of Education on or before September first of the fiscal year immediately following each fiscal year in which the school district, regional educational service center or cooperative arrangement participates in the grant program. Based on such statement, any underpayment or overpayment may be calculated and adjusted by the Department of Education in the grant for any subsequent year. (d) The Department of Education may retain up to one per cent of the amount appropriated pursuant to this section for program evaluation and administration. Section d of the general statutes stipulates: each local and regional board of education shall provide full access to regional vocational-technical schools, regional vocational agriculture centers, interdistrict magnet schools, charter schools and interdistrict student attendance programs for the recruitment of students attending the schools under the board s jurisdiction, provided such recruitment is not for the purpose of interscholastic athletic competition. GPS Research and Evaluation January 16, 2008 Page 10

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