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November 3, 2017 Wake County Board of Education Wake County Public School System 5625 Dillard Drive Cary, North Carolina 27518

RE: Proposal to Expand Base Area of Brooks Museums Magnet Elementary School in 2018-19 School Year

Dear Staff and Members of the Wake County Board of Education, My name is Matt Cunningham, and I am the father of two students at Brooks Museums Magnet Elementary School. I am writing to address the Office of Student Assignment’s 2018-19 proposal to transfer approximately one hundred (100) students from the Green Elementary base area to the Brooks Elementary base area, in an effort to balance the achievement levels of our respective schools. While parents at our school have just become aware of this proposal, we are coming up to speed as quickly as possible. I have spoken to many Brooks parents who share the concerns below, and who are generally supportive of the proposed solutions below. Based on my understanding of this situation, I have two specific concerns that I am hopeful the Board and Staff of WCPSS can address through revisions to the currently proposed plan, but I want to start my correspondence by plainly and clearly stating one thing that is NOT a concern for Brooks parents:

We are NOT concerned about the socioeconomic status of any catchment area that WCPSS proposes to add to the Brooks Elementary base area.

Every child that walks through the doors at Brooks Museums Magnet Elementary School is welcome and valued. We have been, and always will be “one Brooks.” We also believe that Green Elementary is a great school and an integral part of our community. As a fellow parent and community member, I want to help Green Elementary continue to grow and succeed. I am hopeful the proposals below will do so.

I. OUR CONCERNS My concerns relate to the capacity of our facilities and our magnet program. This letter sets forth both my concerns and a few proposed solutions to address those concerns while still achieving the Board and Staff’s goals:

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Concern No. 1: Our Facilities and the 2018-19 Legislative Class Size Mandate At present, our school’s capacity is 584 students, and we have 596 students in our building. Each of our classrooms is already in use. Adding 100 new students across all grades would be a challenge in the best of times. Unfortunately, this is not the best of times. I am aware that the Board cannot control the controversial new legislative K-3 class size restrictions that the NC legislature has imposed across our state. (I wish you could!) However, the legislature’s mandate will exacerbate the effects of overcrowding our school. At a minimum we will lose some or all of the classroom space for our Art, Science, and Music programs. At the same time, Green Elementary will become underpopulated. Green has consistently received around 40 magnet applications per year, and accepted somewhere in the range of 25 of those applications.1 The net negative effect on Green’s student population is acknowledged within the current WCPSS proposal.2 So many elementary schools in Wake County already face overcrowding problems – adding Brooks to that list is an avoidable problem. Concern No. 2: Our Magnet Program Brooks is blessed with a strong magnet program, which has thrived and helped turn our school around over the past decade.Brooks parents were excited when the Board and WCPSS adopted the “Group 2A” magnet priorities, which would provide magnet students from low- and middle-SES populations priority at magnets located within high-SES areas. I believe this is an elegant solution for increasing SES diversity within all magnet schools. In particular, I love the fact that the Group 2A magnet priorities actually give children in low SES catchment areas – for the first time – a real chance to attend magnet schools in other parts of the County. The addition of 100 base students will have a profound impact on our magnet program. Our Science, Art and Music programs – our MITs (Museum Integration Team) – are the heart and soul of our magnet program. Displacing our MITs from their permanent classrooms would fundamentally, and adversely, affect our museums magnet theme. Moreover, as you know, Brooks is one of the most popular magnet application options in Wake County. We routinely exceed 170 applications per year. If we add 100 additional base students to the number of base students inside Brooks today, our base students would exceed 75% of the

1 See, for ease of your reference, the enclosed spreadsheet of applications and admissions by school. 2 See page 33 of the initial draft proposal, as excerpted and enclosed. Please note that I believe that the projected capacity/utility numbers shown in the proposal for Brooks Elementary, if anything, are underestimated, considering that (i) we are presently over capacity, (ii) North Hills is a growing/redeveloping area, (iii) we have just moved back into an essentially new school and (iv) we consistently receive a large number of applications from hopeful magnet students each year.

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capacity of our school, leaving far too few magnet seats to meet the school system’s goal of 30-40% magnet participation at Group 2A magnets.

II. OUR PROPOSED SOLUTIONS Proposed Solution No. 1: Let Our Magnet Attract … We are proud of our science program at Brooks, and one thing that I’ve learned is that magnets attract – particularly strong magnets like Brooks! Our status as a magnet school gives the County the means to shift students – voluntarily – within the magnet program. By granting students in low SES areas priority for 30% of the seats at Brooks and other Group 2A magnets, the County has already started this process for Brooks. I believe that, as low-SES area students become more aware of these opportunities, these special priority criteria will produce wonderful results. In order to meet the Board’s goal of moving Green students over to Brooks, while also ensuring that the movement of students takes advantage of our magnet program (rather than adversely affecting our magnet program, as noted above), I suggest further refinements of the Group 2A magnet priorities, to (i) increase the percentage of low SES priority from 30%, and/or (ii) grant a special priority to low SES student applicants within the Green Elementary base area. Brooks could even partner with Green to highlight this option for low-SES Green Elementary students who might otherwise be unaware of the new opportunity. Such an adjustment would help Green without hurting Brooks! In other words, give the Group 2A magnet system a chance to work toward achieving its intended effect. Every magnet school and student in Wake County will be better off, if the Group 2A magnet rules prove that magnets can diversify schools in high SES areas too! Proposed Solution 2: Transfer a Smaller Catchment Area … One hundred new students is a lot to absorb (especially for a school that is at or above capacity), and as I noted earlier, the legislature is driving every school into uncharted territory next year. Please do not make us absorb 100 extra students in such a time of uncertainty. If Wake County Public Schools simply must transfer base students to Brooks Elementary, please allow our school to absorb a smaller catchment area from the Green Elementary base map. (And, if at all possible, allow us to absorb that smaller catchment area in 2019-20, so our staff can see and start to address the effects of the legislature’s mandate next year!) Green is not overcrowded at present, so moving a smaller catchment area to Brooks will still provide the sought-after benefits to Green, without drastically under-populating Green. I would also note that there is no reason that Proposal 2 cannot be combined with Proposal 1 above, to more effectively move students and balance student achievement between the schools.

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Proposed Solution 3: Obtain Additional Information … The relatively new 2A categorization, created in part to encourage and attract low-SES population to Brooks, was quite successful in its first year, and may be even more successful next year. A sudden increase in Brooks' base numbers (and, thus, a reduction in its magnet numbers) may have the unintended consequence of curtailing that trend before that thoughtful 2A plan can be fully implemented and developed, because fewer of those targeted magnet applications would be accepted under the current proposal. Therefore, a final suggestion is to delay the proposed base change for at least a year, to give everyone one more set of data and additional time to process and interpret the rapidly-shifting numbers inevitable with the combined effect of the class-size legislation and the 2A categorization. Please consider these options. I know that Brooks parents want to help, and I believe that the above-described proposed options will offer the greatest benefit to every student at Brooks Elementary and Green Elementary. I would welcome a dialog with the Board and Staff of WCPSS on these matters. In particular, I am available anytime by telephone, at (919) 523-4475, or by reply email. Thank you for your time and consideration,

Regards,

Matthew S. Cunningham 803 Shelley Road Raleigh, North Carolina 27609

www.wcpss.net 33

Impacted Areas Proposed 2018-19 Base Areas

Operational Efficiency a) Increase Base Attendance Area (cont.) – Brooks ES

2016-17Capacity

Capacity w/ Trailers 2018-19 Util

2018-19 Util w/ Trl 2020-21 Util

2020-21 Util w/ Trl

Academic Proficiency (Grades 3-5)Base School Res Base Non-Base Agg Actual

BROOKS ES 584 584 91% 91% 85% 85% 68% 68% 81% 74% 72%GREEN ES 566 566 97% 97% 94% 94% 47% 39% 64% 45% 45%

1150 1150 94% 94% 90% 90%

2018-19Capacity

2018-19 Utilization

2020-21 Utilization

Academic Proficiency (Grades 3-5)Base School Res Base Non-Base Agg

BROOKS ES 584 584 106% 106% 101% 101% 61% 62% 81% 70%GREEN ES 566 566 81% 81% 78% 78% 50% 41% 64% 47%

1150 1150 94% 94% 90% 90%

2013-14 Magnet Offers and Denials by School, by Grade

Siblings are included in the AC column. magnet over time2.xls-3.xlsx

Grade 2017-18 2016-17 2015-16 14-15 Total 13-14TotalAppl 2011-12 2010-11

Magnet School AC DN Total AC DN Total AC DN Total AC DN Total AC DN AC DN Total ACElementary

Brentwood 31 42 73 28 60 88 41 17 58 30 7 37 46 19 65 103 11 114 109Brooks 45 128 173 35 138 173 16 146 162 34 147 181 37 110 147 62 197 259 79Bugg 34 26 60 30 46 76 55 88 143 61 44 105 42 79 121 141 124 265 166Combs 79 193 272 97 195 292 52 243 295 54 153 207 70 155 225 88 333 421 117Conn 30 37 67 42 62 104 24 43 67 56 41 97 40 50 90 101 82 183 131Douglas 68 73 141 44 29 73 39 24 63 29 72 101 63 42 105 96 63 159 130Farm. Woods 68 46 114 77 55 132 49 90 139 37 79 116 118 29 147 73 119 192 144Fox 7 0 7 7 1 8 6 0 6 7 0 7 5 0 5 0 0 0 0Fuller 65 63 128 81 60 141 71 141 212 57 166 223 74 108 182 92 303 395 87Green 33 15 48 26 22 48 18 16 34 17 2 19 36 2 38 0 0 0 0Hodge Road 43 2 45 6 12 18 1 13 14Hunter 112 104 216 99 133 232 61 149 210 121 66 187 73 95 168 78 284 362 51Jeffreys Grove 36 84 120 41 49 90 22 34 56Joyner 39 65 104 70 49 119 41 72 113 44 93 137 46 103 149 71 112 183 83Kingswood 65 88 153 61 85 146 34 58 92 65 31 96Lincoln Heights 0 0 0 2 0 2 3Millbrook 17 7 24 10 13 23 23 14 37 21 10 31 43 12 55 127 40 167 121Olds 0 0 0 2 0 2 4Partnership 41 0 41 39 1 40 43 0 43 41 13 54 61 18 79 83 39 122 86Poe 39 6 45 33 4 37 25 15 40 23 8 31 70 15 85 82 65 147 96Powell 33 53 86 30 53 83 23 14 37 48 9 57 16 29 45 52 49 101 50Root 0 0 0 0 0 0 6Smith 25 0 25 14 0 14 25 9 34 31 2 33 21 17 38 119 2 121 61Stough 26 2 28 25 6 31 11 3 14Underwood 37 63 100 41 72 113 34 82 116 47 57 104 44 59 103 77 73 150 43Washington 59 179 238 121 154 275 60 196 256 52 202 254 55 242 297 189 198 387 88Wendell 50 24 74 27 41 68 29 2 31 18 13 31 15 26 41 62 1 63 36Wiley 20 29 49 21 48 69 12 92 104 19 103 122 25 74 99 30 148 178 35Zebulon 15 0 15 15 0 15 15 0 15 9 1 10 7 10 17 35 1 36 14Errors 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 4 0

Middle 0Carnage 182 61 243 197 77 274 245 73 318 253 122 375 289 135 424 426 149 575 283Carroll 45 62 107 48 38 86 48 109 157 52 55 107 59 18 77 0 0 0 0Centennial 74 49 123 87 53 140 128 124 252 153 158 311 172 62 234 130 194 324 99

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Selection)Priorities)201712018)

Elementary/Middle/High))

Magnet!Priorities!Criteria!for!the!following!schools:!Brooks!ES,!Joyner!ES,!Martin!MS,!Underwood!ES,!Wiley!ES!

Priority)11!Incoming!entry!grade!(K!or!6th!grade)!siblings!of!current!magnet!students!wanting!assignment!to!the!same!school!–!!

Guaranteed)priority!if!the!selection!is!made!during!the!magnet!application!period!!

After&assigning&the&students&who&meet&the&above&criteria&and&vacancies&have&been&determined,&90%&of&these&vacancies&will&be&filled&from&priority&applications&in&the&following&order:&&

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Maximum of 70% of remaining seats can be filled from priorities 2-13 )

Priority)21!Current!magnet!students!who!follow!their!program!pathway.!(for%Martin%MS%only)%)Priority)31!Current!magnet!students!who!seek!to!change!their!program!pathway.!(for%Martin%MS%only)!)Priority)41!Base!!students!who!follow!their!program!pathway!pathway.!(for%Martin%MS%only)%)Priority)5)1)Live!in!an!area:!

• !That!is!considered!to!be!a!high!socioeconomic!status!area!of!the!district!!AND!!

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have a high socioeconomic status population AND

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have high crowding

)Priority)6)1)Live!in!an!area:!

• That!is!considered!to!be!a!high!socioeconomic!status!area!of!the!district!!AND

• assigned to a next school that is

Maximum of 30% of remaining seats can be filled from priorities 2-4 )

Priority)2)1)Live!in!an!area:!• That!is!considered!to!be!a!low!

socioeconomic!status!area!of!the!district!!AND!!

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have a low socioeconomic status population AND

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have high crowding

)Priority)3)1)Live!in!an!area:!

• That!is!considered!to!be!a!low!socioeconomic!status!area!of!the!district!!AND

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have a low socioeconomic status population AND

• assigned to a school that is projected to have medium crowding

)Priority)4)1)Live!in!an!area:!

• That!is!considered!to!be!a!low!socioeconomic!status!area!of!the!district!!AND

• assigned to a next school that is

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projected to have a high socioeconomic status population AND

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have medium crowding &

))Priority)7)1)Live!in!an!area:)

• That!is!considered!to!be!a!high!socioeconomic!status!area!of!the!district!!AND

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have a medium socioeconomic status population AND

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have high crowding

)Priority)8)1)Live!in!an!area:)

• That!is!considered!to!be!a!high!socioeconomic!status!area!of!the!district!!AND

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have a medium socioeconomic status population AND

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have medium crowding

)Priority)9)1)Live!in!an!area:)

• That!is!considered!to!be!a!medium!socioeconomic!status!area!of!the!district!!AND

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have a high socioeconomic status population AND

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have high crowding

)Priority)10)1)Live!in!an!area:)

• That!is!considered!to!be!a!medium!socioeconomic!status!area!of!the!district!!AND

projected to have a low socioeconomic status population AND

• assigned to a school that is projected to have low crowding

)!

!

!

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have a high socioeconomic status population AND

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have medium crowding

))Priority)11)1)Live!in!an!area:)

• That!is!considered!to!be!a!medium!socioeconomic!status!area!of!the!district!!AND

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have a medium socioeconomic status population AND

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have high crowding

)Priority)12)1)Live!in!an!area:)

• That!is!considered!to!be!a!medium!socioeconomic!status!area!of!the!district!!AND

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have a medium socioeconomic status population AND

• assigned to a next school that is projected to have medium crowding

))Priority)13)

• Non-entry grade sibling !!!

10%!of!vacancies!will!be!filled!randomly!from!all!remaining!applications.!!

data is broken down into High/Medium/Low

High= at or below the district average for students who receiving Free or Reduced Priced Lunch

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Med= no more than 10 points higher than the district average

Low= greater than 10 points higher than the district average

Crowding data is broken down into High/Medium/Low

High= ≥ 95% facilities utilization

Medium= 85% - 94.9% facilities utilization

Low= ≤ 84.9% facilities utilization

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