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Parents speak out against U-46’s lottery system

By Seth Hancock
  Is a lottery system to gain entrance into a gifted magnet academy really fair?
  School District U-46 announced last year that it would be using a lottery system as part of its entrance into gifted high school magnet academies.
  In September 2020, Superintendent Tony Sanders wrote in a message, which noted plans for the lottery system, that “equity and access” were at the forefront of what the district was doing.
  Equity and access,” Sanders wrote. “Are they just buzzwords, or will we really take the steps necessary to address the inequities that persist across our district, our state, and our nation?  I ask that in all seriousness.”
  Sanders added: “In order to truly address inequities, we must first acknowledge that we have built systems, and perpetuate systems, that marginalize some groups of students.”
  Included in the selection process is removal of “several barriers that have historically been in place, including testing and auditions for some programs,” Sanders wrote.
  However, two parents addressed the Board of Education this November asking for a logical explanation for this.
  Murugesh Patel said his son “has done all his work, hard work. Academically, he’s motivated, and he has maintained his grades. He knows he’s good in school and he’s working hard.”
  “How do you convince that kid all that doesn’t matter, your name did not get up in the lottery, you’re not lucky?” Patel asked.
  Adwitiya Balyan echoed those sentiments.
  “Lottery system means, to be honest, is either you’re doing random placement testing, or plain and simple laziness,” Balyan said. “What is going on? And that’s a very, very big problem for me.”
  Balyan said when children enter school, they should be pushed hard and they’re “trying to push themselves beyond what they are expected to do.” Now his son is asking why he worked hard at all if he’s not going to be rewarded.
  When attending open houses last year, Balyan said the common buzzwords were “equity and diversity.”
  “I want the board to really understand, equity and diversity has got no place in meritocracy,” Balyan said adding this does not prepare students for the real world.
  Balyan said “equity and diversity” should mean that at the “starting line” they have the same opportunities, but meritocracy then kicks in.