The San Diego school district secured a $10 million federal grant for six of its magnet schools to help keep them running. KPBS reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.
District officials aggressively pursued the grant because there's pressure to compete with public charter schools.
Amanda Hammond Williams is the principal at Birney Elementary, a new magnet school with a rigorous international studies program. She says it takes a lot of time and money to maintain magnet schools.
Williams : These resources are going to help us build in time for planning and build in the materials so that we can maintain our magnet focus.
School board member Katherine Nakamura is pleased there's more money available. She believes district officials like to give the magnet school label to a campus, but don't always deliver the goods.
Williams : You know some of the others, the residue of the magnet is still there but the magnet is long gone.
Three new and three existing magnet schools will get the funding.
Ana Tintoclais, KPBS News.
