Let me say that I’ll be shocked and amazed if the CMS Board does anything major to CMS’ magnet programs. A few lightly used offerings might be shuttered or consolidated and motions will be made in the direction of entrance requirements for some academic programs, but nothing meaningful. This is because the magnet moms will come out of the woodwork to tell the board no — the hue and cry over losing Piedmont Open Middle alone will be huge.
Also, CMS has no interest in going down the path of testing students in order to determine which classes they should take. Such “slotting” is a no-no in a regime which has actively encouraged and subsidized students who take advanced classes they have no hope of excelling in. So why is Pete Gorman bringing the magnet subject up?
Managerially the magnets are a big headache. They are expensive, require tons of staff time and attention, and they do not comport to the rigid, top-down structure Gorman manifestly favors for CMS. Anything done to chop the appendage down to size will be progress in his eyes. The process is also a clever way to demonstrate CMS “listening” to a very motivated public that will leave the process with what they want — and be advocates for CMS and Gorman in the future.
