The HISD board of trustees approved the establishment of seven new magnet schools at its November meeting, following up on promises made by Superintendent Millard House II in his five-year plan to address "magnet deserts"—parts of the district where students previously could not access magnet programs close to them.
Magnet programs covering science, technology, engineering and math will be established at Attucks, Fonville and McReynolds middle schools and Madison High School; a program designed to set students up for medical careers will go in at Patrick Henry Middle School and at the Houston Math, Science & Technology Center High School; and Worthing High School will get new programs for agriculture and aquatic science careers. A public policy magnet program will also be established at McReynolds Middle School.
Several trustees initially called for delaying the November vote due to concerns that included HISD not providing enough information to board members and schools not receiving additional funding to support the new programs. District 9 Trustee Myrna Guidry specifically expressed concerns about Worthing High School at the meeting.
"They're barely maintaining their [career and technical education program], and now you're saying their CTE funds are going to be used to manage this magnet, and they don't have the funding," she said. "It will fail."
HISD officials said coordinators at each campus will be added to help market the new magnet programs across the district.
"As they market it, the hope is increased enrollment, which would derive additional funding based on the ... allocation we get from the state," HISD Executive Officer of Innovation Michael Love said at the November meeting. As part of the strategic plan, the district is also looking at its magnet school funding model to identify possible changes, Love said.
Trustees ultimately passed the item to allow the new programs to be marketed a school choice fair that took place Dec. 10. Additional school choice fairs will happen Jan. 21 and Jan. 28 at Heights High School and Westside High School, respectively. In the meantime, officials said they would work to address trustee questions.
House said HISD plans to add another seven new magnet programs for the 2024-25 school year, a batch that could include more elementary schools.
Once the application process starts, students can apply to magnet schools through Feb. 2. Notifications on acceptances will begin being sent out April 5.
HISD offers magnet programs at around 100 of its campuses in total with programs ranging from fine arts to STEM to dual language. A map of magnet schools with the school level and program type can be found on the HISD website.
