Task Force on Magnet Schools
Meeting Minutes
November 15, 2005

The meeting was called to order by Rep. Andrew Fleischmann, co-chair.

Task Force Members present: Rep. Fleischmann, Rep. David Labriola, Sen. Herlihy, Betty Sternberg, Bruce Douglas, Cheryl Saloom, Nancy Cetorelli, Robert Smalley, Tom Scarice, Kathy Demsey.

SDE Staff present: Mark Stapleton, Karen Flanagan, Bill Magnotta, Janice Dinnall, Jack Hasegawa, Mark Linabury and Laura Anastasio.

I. Minutes of the November 1, 2005, meeting were approved.

II. SDE Presentation:

A. Expenditures (B. Brewer)

1. Comparison data on per pupil expenditures.
2. It was noted that the comparison would not be exact due to differences between magnet school expenditures and school district expenditures, e.g. special education and transportation included for school districts.
3. Members asked SDE to provide data with certain expenditures removed from the per pupil expenditures to provide a clearer comparison.

B. Sheff v. O’Neil (K. Flanagan)

1. Goal of the agreement is to provide minority students in Hartford the opportunity to be educated in a classroom with reduced economic/ethnic/ racial isolation.
2. The goal of the agreement is that by its end date in 2007, 30% of the minority students in Hartford will have an educational experience with reduced isolation, through magnet school programs, open choice programs, and interdistrict cooperative grants.
3. There will be two magnet schools with a capacity of 600 students opened each year in Hartford. Hartford has opened seven magnets as of this year.
4. Open choice: the agreement calls for an additional 200 students per year to participate in the program. There should be 1400 students participating this year; the numbers for this year are below 1400.
5. Next step for Sheff: There is an opportunity to negotiate a new agreement when the term for this agreement ends and these efforts will start very soon.

C. Racial Diversity (B. Magnotta)

1. Data shows that magnet schools generally provide a more racially

diverse environment for students who reside in urban areas.
2. Magnets that are starting up tend to have higher numbers of minority
students for the first few years.

D. Transportation Funding (B. Brewer)

1. Four options for changing the transportation funding (see materials for meeting).
2. Members need to consider the options and decide upon a recommendation for the report.
3. Members asked for additional information to be provided via email to the co-chairs.

III. Future meeting: Tuesday, November 29, 2005, at 2:00 p.m., room 2E of the LOB.

IV. The meeting was adjourned.