SHERMAN OAKS—Millikan Middle School, tucked a few blocks behind Norte Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, may see its magnet program cut down. Proposed California State budget cuts may force some magnet schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to close their doors.

Sherman Oaks Brentwood Science Magnet School is just one of the LAUSD Magnet schools that could lose millions of dollars.

   
As much as $113 million could be taken from K-12 school funding and $38.2 million in bus and transportation funding. With magnet schools, public schools a specialized or focused curriculum, with receiving even more applicants this year, these cuts may seriously hinder the programs. Many attendees come from different parts of Los Angeles and rely on the buses. Academic programs, with more and more students applying, may also be shrunk down if teachers and coordinators cannot be paid.

To help assuage the flux of applicants, Steve Zimmer, a member of the school board, announced he is promoting a resolution to fairly distribute these magnet schools across a 710 square mile area.
   
“I still remember things I learned back there,” Suzie Soghoyan, a Millikan alumna, told Canyon News. “I was a member of the Civics Academy for two years. Our eighth grade project was to make a difference in our community. We noticed that a crosswalk near our school wasn’t synchronized and called the mayor’s secretary and had it fixed.”
   
“We also repainted a fire parking zone to help reduce the number driver’s being ticketed for stopping there. Everyone had a chance to do what they wanted to do,” she added. Teachers and councilors at the school are dedicated to the performing arts magnet, providing an even more personalized and individual experience.
   
David Gasparian, another alumnus, expressed concern over the potential cuts to magnet programs. “The community felt like a family to me and I stuck with those people throughout my three years there. They shouldn't [cut programs] because it doesn't give the kids in the magnet programs the opportunities that I had.”

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