District Offers Magnet Programs, Voluntary Busing as Alternatives

Parents frustrated by the conditions of their neighborhood schools can apply to two alternative programs offered by the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Magnet programs: There are two types of magnet programs. One allows students to specialize in a particular area, such as the performing arts, business or medicine. The other type offers alternative, gifted or fundamental programs on a regular school campus or at a specialized magnet school.

About 36,000 students participate in 105 magnet programs throughout the district. The programs range from the Euclid Avenue Elementary gifted bilingual program, which attracts English- and Spanish-speaking students, to the 32nd Street/University of Southern California Magnet School, which accepts students interested in the performing arts.

The district’s magnet programs, created as part of a court-ordered integration plan, tend to have smaller class sizes and receive additional funding for special activities or equipment, said Richard Battaglia, director of the program.

However, competition for the programs is fierce. Some 36,000 students applied for about 10,000 openings this year, an increase of 5,000 applicants from the previous year, Battaglia said.

After applying, students are randomly selected for the various programs by a computer that takes various factors into consideration. For instance, students who attend an overcrowded school, a predominantly minority school or have been on a magnet waiting list have an increased chance of being selected for the program.

Voluntary busing: Students who choose to take part in the Permits With Transportation program are bused to racially balanced campuses throughout the district. Last year, about 11,000 students were voluntarily bused, said Modesta Bassity, who oversees the program.

Johnathon Briggs, who recently graduated from Chatsworth High School and now attends Stanford University, said his mother urged him to take part in voluntary busing when he was in the third grade because he was struggling in school.

Briggs, who at the time lived near USC, said he is glad he went through the program, but he added that it may not be for everyone. “I would recommend it, but I adapt easily to new things,” he said. “Some people may have a hard time.”

Information: (213) 625-4177.