A framework for the possible revamp of Houston's magnet schools is slated to be released to school principals Wednesday morning and to the general public on Thursday, a top Houston school administrator said.

The proposed magnet regulations won't name specific schools but will include funding formulas for the district's 100-plus magnets, said Michele Pola, chief of staff to Houston Independent School District Superintendent Terry Grier.

The new magnet regulations have the potential to be highly controversial for the school system, as many anxious parents fear their child's magnet program -- or future magnet program -- may be shut down or lose some of its funding as part of the revamp. Even without individual schools' names, parents will likely parse the Thursday release for predictions of the future of their magnet program.

HISD hired an outside non-profit, Magnet Schools of America, to do a review last year of the district's magnet programs. The group recommended eliminating almost half of them.

The school system is spending close to $17 million this school year on its magnets.

"I know Grier has mentioned that there are 40 schools that will either be seeing cuts or program expansions," HISD parent Mary Nesbitt said during the Tuesday parent meeting. "When are we going to see the list of schools that will be impacted by board policy, and when are we going to see all the details?"

The framework will be given to the districts' principals' ad hoc committee Wednesday at will be made public during Thursday night's trustees' meeting, Pola said, at which time it will also be published on the HISD Website and circulated in a press release.

"I know there have been questions about, 'So, when do we put this out?'" Pola said. "There's always that piece of letting the board have it first, making it public or giving it to our principals. Right now we have a framework, and we are presenting that tomorrow to all of our principals."

The funding formulas will be based on comparisons from across the country and were compiled by HISD administrators. Pola said the district did look at individual school budgets while preparing the recommendations to see what money has been spent on in the past.

Trustees are slated to discuss Thursday the 2011-12 district budget and the school closure policy.

A magnet policy proposal will be on the agenda for the trustees to consider for approval at the March 10 board meeting, Pola said.

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Contact Lynn Walsh at 713-228-2850 or lynn@texaswatchdog.org or Twitter at @LWalsh.