Student Assignment in School
Although the School Board has broad, general authority to prepare and implement student assignment plans subject to limited statutory restrictions (see Virginia Code Sec. 22.1-79). Newport News Public Schools remains, legally subject to a general student assignment plan approved by the Federal District court in 1971 and refined in 1981. The result of this court involvement is that assignment plans for all schools, with the exception of grades K-2, must be developed with sensitivity to the racial composition of the student body of each school. Modifications can be made as long as student assignment plan changes are made within the context of a clear understanding of their impact upon minority students within the school division. Because the City's neighborhoods are becoming more racially diverse, federally mandated student assignment plans should be revisited. A return to neighborhood schools should be actively pursued through the courts.
Magnet schools were developed in 1995 to give students and families a choice of a school assignment based on interest. The development of magnet programs is an alternative to busing in order to achieve racial diversity. The magnet programs focus on environmental science, engineering and technology, fine arts, aviation, math, science, and international studies. Magnet programs are offered at elementary, middle, and high school. Students apply to magnet programs and acceptance to a magnet school is based upon a random lottery selection.
Newport News Public Schools offers twelve magnet or specialty programs where students are able to focus on a particular discipline and participate in specialized courses and activities not available in other schools.
Busing
Because Newport News is geographically long and narrow, the majority of the city’s students require transportation between home and school. The school system maintained a fleet of 384 buses in FY 2008. The total cost of bus transportation for the 2007-2008 school year was $18,205,875. Busing for integration accounts for less than 3 percent of the total school busing cost. Busing is necessary for the magnet school programs to move children between schools and special events. However the court ordered busing should be eliminated to achieve neighborhood elementary schools to better serve communities, and improve accessibility for parents to teachers and school programs.