MSA District of the Year

Overview

MAGNET MANIA OVERVIEW

Magnet Mania is MSA’s District of the Year contest designed to increase the visibility of our members and magnet schools across the country. The competition is a bracket-style tournament starting in February and ending in April at our national conference.

The goal of Magnet Mania is to highlight the many ways that school districts lead and succeed in advancing the mission and purpose of magnet programs.

2026 PARTICIPATING DISTRICTS

  • Clark County School District
  • Clayton County Public Schools
  • East Baton Rouge Parish School System
  • Hillsborough County Public Schools
  • Huntsville City Schools
  • New London Public Schools
  • Norwalk Public Schools
  • Orange County Public Schools
  • School District of Palm Beach County
  • Seminole County Public Schools
  • Tangipahoa Parish School System
  • Wake County Public School System
  • Wichita Public Schools

For membership inquiries, please email support@magnet.edu.

Guidelines

Magnet Mania is MSA’s District of the Year contest designed to increase the visibility of our members and magnet schools across the country. The competition is a bracket-style tournament starting in February and ending in April at our national conference. The goal of Magnet Mania is to highlight the many ways that school districts lead and succeed in advancing the mission and purpose of magnet programs.

ELIGIBILITY

All MSA District Members are eligible to participate.

2026 TOURNAMENT RULES

Tournament Format

  • Swiss-style format; all districts remain in competition for all rounds.
  • Five total rounds, one per MSA pillar.
  • Each round consists of six matches and one bye.
  • Districts compete in one match per round, unless assigned a bye.

Match Results

  • Match outcomes are determined by vote totals.
  • Wins and losses are recorded for each match.
  • A bye counts as a win for that round.

Byes

  • One bye is awarded per round.
  • The bye is assigned to the district with the highest total cumulative votes at the start of the round.

Pairings

  • Districts are ranked after each round by:
    1. Match record (wins/losses)
    2. Total cumulative votes, highest to lowest
  • Matchups are paired top-down by record, matching districts with similar records.
  • No rematches are permitted during the tournament.

Standings

  • Total votes are tracked cumulatively throughout the tournament.
  • Standings are updated after each round based on match results and vote totals.

CONTEST GUIDELINES

  • Match-ups for the first round in each regional bracket will be randomly generated.
  • The tournament will include five rounds, each round corresponding to one of MSA’s Five Pillars.
  • Depending on the total number of participating districts, one or more rounds may include byes, meaning that some districts may not have a match-up in some rounds and will instead automatically advance to the next round.
  • Prior to January 23, 2026, each participating district must complete this form, uploading a district logo and providing basic information about the district’s accomplishments and achievements for each of the Five Pillars. (a 150 word max per pillar)
  • During the first week of each round, MSA will update the contest bracket with the content provided by the district in the submission form that describes the district’s accomplishments and achievements relevant to the Pillar that corresponds to the round. MSA will also post the match-ups to social media (Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn).
  • In posting content to social media, MSA will use the hashtag #MagnetMania.
  • Districts are strongly encouraged to promote their accomplishments relevant to the round through their own communications channels, including social media, newsletters, emails, etc. All social media posts should tag MSA (@MagnetSchoolsOfAmerica) and use the hashtag #MagnetMania.
  • Voting will be open to the public.

SCHEDULE

VOTING PROCESS

  • Voting will occur during the second week of each round. Voting will be open to the public. MSA will promote the voting period through its own communications channels (e.g., social media, Magnet Minute), and each district is encouraged to promote the voting period as well.
  • Vote tallies will not be made public. MSA will announce the winners of each match-up on Thursday of the second week of each round, except for the final round, which will be announced at MSA’s National Conference on Magnet Schools in San Diego on April 17.

PRIZES & RECOGNITION

  • The overall District of the Year will receive a commemorative trophy or plaque.
  • The District of the Year will receive a cash prize of $2,500 from MSA.
  • The runner-up’s district will receive a cash prize of $500 from MSA.
  • Additional prizes will be available throughout the tournament, such as cash prizes for the top vote-getter in each round or for the most-viewed video, etc., to be determined at MSA’s discretion and in accordance with the eligibility guidelines outlined above.

FAQs

Q: When does the contest start and end?

A: The contest begins the first week of February and ends at the MSA Annual Conference in April.

 

Q: Who is eligible for the contest?

A: All MSA District Members are eligible.

 

Q: Is MSA providing a media kit with hashtags, messages, etc. to help with engagement and voting?

A: Yes, MSA has this dedicated webpage with more details about the competition’s guidelines and rules. We will also release a toolkit to help spread the word on your social channels.

 

Q: Does Magnet Mania take the place of the previous Superintendent of the Year? 

A: Yes, it will take the place of the previous Superintendent of the Year award.

 

Q: What is the expectation in terms of district-based involvement?

A: Prior to January 23, 2026, each participating district must complete this form, uploading a district logo and providing basic information about the district’s accomplishments and achievements for each of the Five Pillars. (a 150 word max per pillar)

 

Q: Will all districts in the competition participate in each round until eliminated?

A: Not necessarily. Because there may be an uneven number of participating districts, the tournament may include byes, meaning that some districts may not be required to participate in some rounds. These assignments will be generated randomly. 

 

Q: Who receives the cash prize?

A: The overall District of the Year will receive a commemorative trophy or plaque. The District of the Year will receive a cash prize of $2,500 from MSA. The runner-up’s district will receive a cash prize of $500 from MSA. These prizes will be awarded at MSA 2026.

Previous Winners

2026 District of the Year

Congratulations to East Baton Rouge Parish, the winner of the 2026 District of the Year Award.

Runner-Up: Orange County Public Schools

2024 Superintendent of the Year ◊ Dr. Jose Dotres

Dr. Jose Dotres

Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Florida

Dr. Dotres is a passionate life-long educator and has served as Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the third largest school system in the United States, since February 2022. Prior to his appointment as Superintendent, Dr. Dotres held numerous instructional and administrative leadership roles over the course of his career as an educator, including Teacher, Principal, Region Administrative Director, Region Superintendent, Chief Academic Officer, Chief of Staff, Chief Human Capital Officer, and Deputy Superintendent. Dr. Dotres earned his bachelor’s degree in public administration from Florida International University. He subsequently received a master’s degree in Reading from Barry University, an educational specialist degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Miami, and a doctoral degree in Leadership and Innovation from St. Thomas University.

2023 Superintendent of the Year ◊ Kurt S. Browning

Kurt S. Browning

Pasco County Schools, Florida

Awarded Magnet School Superintendent of the Year, Superintendent Browning has been – and continues to be – the driving force behind the transformation in Pasco County Schools. He has been remarkably effective in implementing innovative magnets in place at all grade levels and in every area of the school district. Perhaps most important, he has provided the appropriate support to ensure quality, equity, and success.

2022 Superintendent of the Year ◊ Cathy Q. Moore

2022 Superintendent of the Year, Cathy Q. Moore, Wake County Public School System, North Carolina

Cathy Q. Moore

Wake County Public School System, North Carolina

This annual award recognizes the important work of leadership within our school districts to keep magnet schools a priority in the portfolio of school choice options.

Cathy Moore has been superintendent of Wake County Public School System for the past 3.5 years. The strongest recognition of Superintendent Moore’s commitment to students, staff, families, and community partners occurred in 2018 when the local Board of Education’s changed her contract from an annual renewal to a rolling two-year contract. In 2019 and again in November 2021, the BOE extended her contract for two additional years. The BOE noted that this move was done to [publicly demonstrate their support and confidence in Cathy Moore’s leadership.

2020 Superintendent of the Year ◊ Dr. Michael A. Grego

2020-2021 Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Michael A. Grego, Pinellas County Schools, Florida

Dr. Michael A. Grego

Pinellas County Schools, Florida

This annual award recognizes the important work of leadership within our school districts to keep magnet schools a priority in the portfolio of school choice options. This year’s winner – Superintendent Dr. Grego’s dynamic and visionary leadership has led to record graduation rates, monumental school improvement, and successful efforts to narrow the achievement gap.

2019 Superintendent of the Year ◊ Warren Drake

2019 Superintendent of the Year, Warren Drake, East Baton Rouge Parish School System, Louisiana

2019 Superintendent of the Year, Warren Drake, East Baton Rouge Parish School System, Louisiana

Warren Drake

East Baton Rouge Parish School System, Louisiana

This annual award recognizes the important work of leadership within our school districts to keep magnet schools a priority in the portfolio of school choice options. This year’s winner – Superintendent Warren Drake – recognizes the importance of school choice and the role of magnet programs in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. He has supported the expansion of magnet schools and increased the number of seats where possible to ensure parents are provided with additional choice options.

Mr. Drake has been continuously praised for his efforts to expand theme-based programs in his school district. During the 2017-2018 academic year, Woodlawn Middle and High School launched new magnet programs focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The district also secured a $15 million STEM-based grant from the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) under Mr. Drake’s leadership.

The East Baton Rouge Parish School System has 28 programs serving students from three years old to high school seniors. The programs were instrumental in helping the school district achieve unitary status in 2007, which ended one of the longest-running desegregation cases in the United States.

2018 Superintendent of the Year ◊ Dr. Stephen Hefner

Dr. Stephen Hefner

School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties, South Carolina

This annual award recognizes the important work of leadership within our school districts to keep magnet schools a priority in the portfolio of school choice options. Dr. Hefner’s unyielding focus on expanding school choice by creating magnet options in District Five has been the catalyst for school improvement districtwide. Spanning nearly 30 years, Dr. Hefner has facilitated the creation of numerous magnet schools and programs in two South Carolina districts, many of which have been recognized by Magnet Schools of America as Schools of Excellence and Schools of Distinction and achieved designation as Nationally Certified Magnet Schools. In District Five, Dr. Hefner has also helped school leaders secure two multi-million dollar federal Magnet School Assistance Program (MSAP) grants, including a $10.3 million grant in 2013 and a $13.7 million grant announced last fall.

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