Magnet Applications to Be Available Soon

Applications for fall 2001 magnet programs in the Los Angeles Unified School District will be available to parents by mid-month, officials said Wednesday.

The district will offer 155 magnet programs next year in specialties ranging from math to technology to environmental sciences and law enforcement.

Participating schools in the San Fernando Valley include the Center for Enriched Studies in Sherman Oaks; Birmingham High, which specializes in journalism and technology, and Pacoima Middle School, which offers computer-math-science and television-theater-fine-arts programs.

An entrance exam is not required for admission into magnet schools but students now enrolled in magnet programs will receive priority, as will students in overcrowded district schools and those in which the minority student population is more than 70%, officials said.

Students who have been on a waiting list the past three years and those with siblings already enrolled in the program also will receive priority.

Applicants will receive notification letters in May. Applications, available in various languages, must be postmarked by Jan. 26.

Parents of students now enrolled in district schools will receive the brochure and application in the mail. Blank applications also will be available at area schools by Dec. 15 or when school resumes after winter break in January, officials said.