CCSD's School Choice Stress Reveals District's Weaknesses

Would anyone really care about magnet schools if all schools in the Charleston County School District were equal in quality?

Okay, I'll give you Academic Magnet, but I'm really thinking about the elementary schools where it all begins. Can we focus on them?

You see, it all began with Buist Academy. Now, Buist has a somewhat checkered history in regard to the fairness of its lottery and secret waiting lists. Actually, that situation has improved in transparency as the number of magnets has risen.

Even so, long-time watchers of CCSD still wonder why no Buist II has ever appeared.

"Applications for seats in Charleston County School District's public magnet, charter and Montessori schools have more than tripled since 2015, while the number of seats in those schools has stayed roughly the same. A record 6,035 students submitted 12,991 applications for 2,339 available seats via the district's online school choice system this year, often applying to several schools at once. Most schools conducted a lottery to determine who would get the available seats."

Too bad the reporter couldn't give readers a breakdown by elementary, middle, and high schools, instead relying on vignettes regarding individual students. Where the emphasis should be is on the elementary schools. It's a sad fact that too many students in "failing neighborhood schools" do not receive the foundation to thrive at a magnet middle school. In one story, "friends gasped when [a couple] decided to send [their daughter] to preschool at the traditional public school in their attendance zone, Chicora Elementary. Beyond the stigma of a high-poverty school in a crime-troubled neighborhood, the Akerys say they love the teachers at Chicora."

So, naturally they applied to Buist for kindergarten. Their child is on the waiting list.

Believe it or not, this mother thinks "It's crazy . . . that we have a school system where parents are so worried about where their kids are going to go to school." 

As though it wouldn't make any difference.

Let's face it. School choice frees families from stretching to live in the most expensive neighborhood possible. That was the old way of ensuring that your child attended a good elementary school.

This is the new way.

Get over it.