AND HE HAD MISSPELLED WORDS ON AN OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT FORM. THE MAN IS CHARGED WITH FRAUD.
>>> MAGNET SCHOOLS AND HISD ARE
AT A CROSSROADS.
DISTRICT LEADERS ARE TALKING
ABOUT POTENTIAL CHANGES TO HOW
MAGNET SCHOOLS ARE FUNDED, WHERE
THEY’RE LOCATED, AND WHAT WHAT
ELSE TO INCLUDE.
-- WHAT PROGRAMS TO INCLUDE.
WHY THE REASON WHY, SOME BOARD
MEMBERS WHO CLAIM RACIAL AND
FUNDING INEQUALITIES.
RACHEL McNEILL LOOKED AT HOW
EACH CAMPUS IS FUNDED.
TONIGHT SHE’S SHARING THOSE
RESULTS ALONG WITH ONE IDEA TO
ADDRESS THE CONCERNS.
>> Reporter: EVERY YEAR PARENTS
AND STUDENTS ANXIOUSLY CROWD
HISD’S MAGNET SCHOOL ENROLLMENT
FAIRS HOPING TO GET A SPOT IN
FINE ARTS, MEDICINE, EVEN
AFGHANISTAN PROGRAMS.
>> THERE ARE FAR TOO MANY PEOPLE
APPLYING FOR TOO FEW SPOTS.
>> Reporter: AVA LIFTS NEAR --
LIVES NEAR COULTER.
HER MOTHER HAS BEEN TRYING TORE
THREE YEARS TO GET INTO THIS
SCHOOL’S LANGUAGE PROGRAM.
>> THE REASON I FOUND IT
IMPORTANT TO HAVE MY CHILD IN A
MAGNET SCHOOL WAS BECAUSE OF THE
TEST SCORES.
[SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE]
>> Reporter: SOPHIE AND EMMA
ATTEND THE MANDARIN IMMERSION
SCHOOL.
>> IT’S PART OF A CULTURE
HERITAGE THING THAT I WANTED MY
KIDS TO LEARN.
[SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE]
>> Reporter: NOW PARENTS HAVE
ANOTHER CONCERN.
IN FEBRUARY HISD HELD WORKSHOPS
TO DISCUSS POTENTIAL CHANGES TO
HOW MAGNET SCHOOLS ARE FUNDED.
THEN SUPERINTENDENT RICHARD
CARRANZA SAID THIS.
>> THERE ARE VAST NEIGHBORHOODS
IN OUR CITY AND OUR DISTRICT
THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SERVED WELL
FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
>> Reporter: PARENTS ALSO WORRY
THE DISTRICT WILL TAKE FROM
EXISTING PROGRAMS TO CORRECT
WHAT SOME BELIEVE IS A RACIALLY
AND ETHNICALLY UNBALANCED
SYSTEM.
BOARD MEMBER JONES.
>> IT IS BY DESIGN THAT ALL OF
THE SCHOOLS THAT EVERYBODY WANTS
TO GO TO WANTS THEIR KIDS TO GO
TO HAVE -- PRIORITY OF WHITE
STUDENTS.
FOR THE MOST PART.
LIKE WELL ABOVE THEIR PERCENTAGE
WITHIN THE DISTRICT.
>> Reporter: FOLLOWING JONES’S
COMMENTS, WE LOOKED AT FUNDING
AT EVERY MAGNET SCHOOL AND EACH
CAMPUS’ RACIAL MAKEUP.
WHITES MAKE UP 8% OF HISD’S
TOTAL STUDENT POPULATION.
THERE ARE 108 MAGNET SCHOOLS.
68 HAVE WHITE STUDENT
POPULATIONS BELOW 8%.
HISD INSISTS MAGNETS ARE FUNDED
BASED ON GRADE LEVEL AND PROGRAM
TYPE, NOT RACE OR NEIGHBORHOOD.
KASHMERE HIGH SCHOOL PERFORMING
ARTS PREPARE HAS THE HIGHEST
LEVEL OF FUNDING AT MORE THAN
$1500 PER STUDENT, LESS THAN 1%
OF ITS MAGNET ENROLLMENT IS
WHITE.
DeBAKEY HIGH SCHOOL’S MEDICAL
PROGRAM SPENDS $1225 PER
STUDENT, WITH A WHITE POPULATION
OF JUST OVER 9%.
THE FINE ARTS PROGRAM RECEIVES
$1150 PER STUDENT AND 44% OF ITS
STUDENTS ARE WHITE.
HISD WOULD NOT PROVIDE AN
ON-CAMERA INTERVIEW FOR THIS
STORY AND LEADERS HAVE YET TO
TELL US HOW THEY DETERMINED
EXACT DOLLAR AMOUNTS.
DURING THAT FEBRUARY WORKSHOP,
CARRANZA SAID THIS.
>> WE COULDN’T EXPLAIN WHY THESE
PROGRAMS GET FUNDED AT CERTAIN
RATES.
>> Reporter: AND THIS STATEMENT,
OUR SCHOOLS ARE STILL
SEGREGATED.
IN SCHOOLS THAT HAVE AN
OVERREPRESENTATION OF ANGO AND
AND -- ANGLO AND ASIAN STUDENTS.
I’M SAYING IT’S A SYSTEMATIC
PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED.
ONE PROPOSED FIX, A QUADRANT
SYSTEM TO HELP CHILDREN IN ALL
NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE EASIER ACCESS
TO MAGNETS.
>> IT’S JUST A WAY FOR US TO
MAKE SURE THAT PROGRAMS GET
SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE
DISTRICT AND SO THAT THERE ARE
PROGRAMS CLOSER TO WHERE ALL OF
OUR STUDENTS LIVE AND THEY’RE
NOT CONCENTRATED IN ONE PART OF
THE CITY.
>> Reporter: CLEARLY, THERE IS A
LOT MORE DATA THAT FACTORS INTO
THIS DEBATE AND THE CONCERNS
OVER ANY CHANGES TO THE MAGNET
SCHOOL PROGRAM ARE DIVERSE.
UNDER THE INVESTIGATIONS SECTION
OF CLICK2HOUSTON.COM, WE HAVE
MAPS, SHOWING THE LOCATION OF
EACH MAGNET SCHOOL IN HISD.
THE RACIAL MAKEUP OF EACH OF
THESE CAMPUSES, THE PROGRAMS
OFFERED AT THESE CAMPUSES, AND
THE PER-STUDENT FUNDING.
IT’S ALL UNDER THE THE THE