U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced the award of $100 million in Magnet School grants to 41 school districts in 17 states. The awards will help school districts create more school choices for parents, bring diverse groups of children together and help create innovative educational programs.

The grants range in size from less than $1 million to more than $3 million.

"When parents have options it empowers them with the ability to decide what's best for their children," Spellings said. "These grants will help create innovative educational programs for students and increase options for parents."

The funds awarded today will help school districts establish new magnet schools or expand existing magnet programs that are part of a school district's court-ordered or federally approved voluntary desegregation plan.

The purpose of the program is to:

• eliminate, reduce, or prevent minority group isolation in elementary and secondary schools with substantial proportions of minority students;
• develop and implement magnet school programs that will assist in achieving systemic reforms and provide all students the opportunity to meet challenging state academic content standards and student achievement standards;
• develop innovative educational methods and practices that promote diversity and increase choices in public elementary and secondary schools;
• promote courses of instruction within magnet schools that will substantially strengthen students' knowledge of academic subjects and attainment of tangible and marketable vocational, technological, and professional skills;
• improve the capacity of school districts to continue operating magnet schools after federal funding ends; and,
• ensure that all students in magnet schools programs have equitable access to high-quality education that enables them to succeed academically and continue with post-secondary education or productive employment.

The Magnet Schools Assistance Program is authorized under Title V, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Act, as amended in 1994 and is administered by the Office of Innovation and Improvement.

Following is a list of grantees:

Magnet Schools Assistance Program
FY 2007 New Award Recipients

Arkansas

• Jonesboro Public Schools District #1 — $2,055,988
  Jonesboro, Arkansas

• Texarkana Arkansas School District No.7 — $3,106,355
  Texarkana, Arkansas

California

• ABC Unified School District — $539,726
  Cerritos, California

• Fresno Unified School District — $3,187,626
  Fresno, California

• Long Beach Unified School District — $2,916,205
  Long Beach, California

• Moorpark Unified School District — $496,793
  Moorpark, California

• San Diego Unified School District — $3,518,188
  San Diego, California

• San Jose Unified School District — $2,038,446
  San Jose, California

• San Mateo-Foster City School District — $2,598,626
  Foster City, California

Colorado

• Colorado Springs School District 11 — $1,878,252
  Colorado Springs, Colorado

• Pueblo School District No. 60 — $2,440,246
  Pueblo, Colorado

Connecticut

• Area Cooperative Educational Services — $314,683
  North Haven, Connecticut

• Cooperative Educational Services—Six to Six Magnet School — $690,755
  Trumbull, Connecticut

• New Haven Public Schools — $2,214,677
  New Haven, Connecticut

Florida

• Duval County Public Schools — $3,649,461
  Jacksonville, Florida

• Hillsborough County Public Schools — $3,120,638
  Tampa, Florida

• School Board of Miami-Dade County, FL — $3,471,495
  Miami, Florida

• Seminole County Public Schools — $654,899
  Sanford, Florida

• The School District of Palm Beach County — $3,467,721
  West Palm Beach, Florida

Illinois

• Chicago Public Schools, District # 299 — $3,482,356
  Chicago, Illinois

Indiana

• South Bend Community School Corporation — $3,162,528
  South Bend, Indiana

Louisiana

• Lafayette Parish School System — $2,551,452
  Lafayette, Louisiana

Massachusetts

• Springfield Public Schools — $3,152,415
  Springfield, Massachusetts

Michigan

• Kalamazoo Public Schools — $3,026,017
  Kalamazoo, Michigan

• Lansing School District — $1,689,398
  Lansing, Michigan

Minnesota

• Independent School District #196 — $1,767,020
  Rosemount, Minnesota

• Northwest Suburban Integration School District #6078 — $3,647,439
  Brooklyn Center, Minnesota

• Saint Paul Public Schools — $2,192,137
  Saint Paul, Minnesota

Mississippi

• Cleveland School District — $2,158,462
  Cleveland, Mississippi

North Carolina

• Cumberland County Schools — $1,731,967
  Fayetteville, North Carolina

• Guilford County Schools — $1,509,072
  Greensboro, North Carolina

• Wake County Public School System — $3,582,151
  Raleigh, North Carolina

• Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools — $1,665,768
  Winston-Salem, North Carolina

New York

• NYC Dept of Ed-Community School District 10 — $1,434,921
  Bronx, New York

• NYC Dept of Ed-Community School District 20 — $2,971,034
  Brooklyn, New York

• NYC Dept of Ed-Community School District 25 — $2,549,661
  Flushing, New York

• NYC Dept of Ed-Region 6 — $2,310,269
  Brooklyn, New York

• Yonkers Public Schools — $3,305,466
  Yonkers, New York

Ohio

• Lorain City Schools — $3,425,931
  Lorain, Ohio

Oklahoma

• Tulsa County Independent School District No. 1 — $3,875,688
  Tulsa, Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

• The School District of Philadelphia — $2,838,341
  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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