This research explored the politics of educational choice through a case study of one public school testing the limits of difference in the British Columbia (Canada) school system in the 1990s. The Fine Arts elementary school was created by the school board based on pedagogical ideas from teachers. This fine arts magnet offered teachers a great deal of input into decision making. Parents, students, and teachers, who wanted the school to be more distinctive as a fine arts school, were described as promoting a "private" school in the public system. According to some community members the magnet school was "private" because it restricted admission to students who were particularly talented or motivated in the fine arts, was more selective in hiring teachers, and insisted on an integrated fine arts curriculum across the subject area. In an effort to keep the school "public," they called for admissions to all, a curriculum useful to all students, and a policy to hire any qualified teacher. As this school was established, there was an implicit conflict about the meaning of equity. The school might be considered elitist because families with more energy, ability, or knowledge might have less difficulty in using a school outside their neighborhoods. It might, however, provide opportunities for those who would have been denied them, resulting in more equal opportunity. The prevailing view of equity in the public school system is likely to meet similar challenges in the future. (Contains 24 references.) (SLD)