Wake County School Board Setting Us Back

I am not a disgruntled parent. But I am on the verge of being a disgruntled citizen.

I live in a city where schools have been historically pretty damn good and are now on the verge of two giant leaps backwards. Wake County’s school system enjoyed national accolades, and other cities modeled their schools after ours. Now, years later, Stephen Colbert mocks our schools. Though in all honesty, his satire hits closer to home than our leaders want you to believe. Note that I use the word “leaders” loosely. Very loosely.

The travesty that has occurred over the past two years has my world in a whirlwind. I feel the need to do as much as I can to right the wrongs that have been, and continue to be, done to students, teachers and our community as a whole. This is a public issue, whether you have kids in the school system or not. There is a blatant disregard for the disenfranchised and disadvantaged among us. Money talks to this current board majority, and the currency of political clout prevails. I realize this is the way of the world, but my bleeding heart naive self believes there is more good in this world that needs an opportunity to shine.

Next Tuesday, October 4, the school system’s reassignment task force will present the new proposed school assignment “choice” plan. In typical hasty fashion, the board just might vote on this plan that will be implemented for the 2012/2013 school year. There are no details and budgets squared away. There are no reasonable justifications to warrant this major overhaul. There is no plan. There is haste and waste.

Never mind that the proposed plan is confusing. Never mind that the plan is incomplete. Never mind that the plan changes daily, literally. Never mind that it will cost taxpayers a fortune. Never mind that the public has yet to see any details. Never mind that the board itself is clueless about the logistics. Never mind that at two different points (in a survey and an online school choice simulation) parents by and large commented that they are happy with their current schools.

Wake County’s strength as a community has been in our vigilance in advocating for EVERY CHILD. It is in part this sense of community that recently landed Raleigh on Business Week’s list of top cities in America. But lately, the tides have turned tumultuous again; the board majority has reverted to its worst practices of the past year . They are cramming in last minute items on the agenda, having no discussion and rushing through votes. They have completely stopped having public hearings all together.

Take this week’s meeting as an example… The board of education majority voted to fund two new, expensive and unproven single-gender academies–without any discussion and without full disclosure of the costs and consequences. These academies will displace our most vulnerable children–special education students–without parent notification. Irresponsible at best, corrupt at worst. This latest egregious action being taken by the board is to approve two single sex “academies” with no planning or discussion of cost and implementation. The one for all males will be housed at the Longview School site, which currently accommodates up to 100 students needing an alternative education environment (might be students with disabilities or behavior issues). The board agreed to move these kids to other locations (where? to be determined…no plan for that!) and create a program for up to 400 poor (mostly black) boys in the same location. There has been no notice given to the families that will be ousted and no opportunity for public comment on this plan. There was no discussion of the cost of planning and implementing this program at the last board meeting. The current facility will require a major overhaul to accommodate this many students, and there is no land available for expansion (looks like they will have to build up, not out, and parking will be a major issue). The neighboring residences have not been informed or consulted.

Is this yet another move to keep black kids in “their neighborhood” and out of the suburban schools? Does the “neighborhood school” catch phrase the board has been using have racist undertones? It sure reeks of racial undertones at the very least. Walnut Creek Elementary was the first move to racially and socioeconomically segregate students. The administration committed to opening that school with 755 students and ensure maximum classroom size of 20, yet over 870 kids have been assigned thus far, and they are already talking about putting trailers at this brand new school! I wonder how many of these students will have the opportunity to attend their middle and high school magnets in their neighborhoods or will they be pushed to go to the single sex (racially identifiable) academies, thus leaving seats for magnets student from the ‘burbs.

Wake County is home to major universities and the state capital. It is perched among global, forward thinking corporations. It rests amidst a wealth of medical and technological innovation. Yet our school board is moving us backwards. Irony at its finest.

The board is moving too quickly and continues to operate with no transparency. Trust dwindles. There is little to no time for the public to respond. The school board election is 2 weeks away, and the current board continues to railroad decisions with little research and discussion about them. It’s been a charade of leadership, ripe with a criminal disregard to data. The shenanigans of school board meetings would make for prime time drama if my brother the filmmaker were here to experience them.

The school board election is October 11. There are plans to approve a new student assignment plan on October 4. I’ve been to multiple assignment/feeder school meetings, and the message at each one has been that the board vote will likely be after the municipal election on October 11. What’s the board scared of? Why bury this vote in the hubbub of municipal elections? Why the haste? Why the bait and switch (again)?

We can’t sit back and read headlines. We must all take action. Now. If you share these concerns, I encourage you to write a Letter to the Editor (only 200 words!) to the News & Observer. Attend the October 4 board meeting. Stand up and speak (only 2 minutes!). Email Superintendent Tata and the board.

Please, speak up, speak out.

This is for our kids, our teachers, our schools, our community, our future. It’s also a matter of doing what’s right. Don’t let me down, Raleigh.

For your emailing pleasure:

Superintendent Tata atata@wcpss.net
Chris Malone (District 1) cmalone2@wcpss.net
John Tedesco (District 2) jtedesco@wcpss.net
Kevin Hill (District 3) klhill@wcpss.net
Keith Sutton (District 4) ksutton@wcpss.net
Anne McLaurin (District 5) amclaurin@wcpss.net
Carolyn Morrison (District 6) cbmorrison@wcpss.net
Deborah Prickett (District 7) dprickett@wcpss.net
Ron Margiotta (District 8) rmargiotta@wcpss.net
Debra Goldman (District 9) dgoldman@wcpss.net

Kia says

October 17, 2011 at 3:03 PM

There are things i like and things i don’t about this plan. its not perfect and neither is the current plan. I live in one of the areas were we are bussed out to raise the socio-economic balance of other schools. I never complained about it but the issue of poorer families unable to volunteer because of the distance also works that richer families don’t want to bother to travel to across town to the school in I-40 rush hour traffic to do the same. The school in the end suffers.

I’ve been to the meetings and the daily changes i saw as a good thing, it mean they were listening still tweaking and the plan wasn’t set in stone. The single-sex schools i don’t have an issue with it is a long time coming. Longview as far as i know houses potential dropouts and behavioral problems. The hire of the new Special Education superintent is a huge plus that parents like me have been asking for. Those students with disabilities don’t end up in Longview, even those Wake is not perfect in its handling of disabled students its far better than other districts in that they aren’t lumped together with behavioral students. I would like to know what they plan to do with the Longview students. Every school district should have an alternative high school we can’t get rid of it, but i heard musings that the 9th grade centers that were created from the abandoned Winn-Dixies have been a success so the board may look into that route for space again.

I don’t love the new plan but i like it. Its a much better plan if you have younger children than older one like i do, there’s the choice to keep families happy but it won’t create neighborhood schools. no way no how, giving them 5 choices and you bet next door neighbors will choose separate schools. The cost which is still hidden makes me think 2 things will happen, another bond votes which will raise taxes which i always vote for school bonds, or this plan gets scrapped in 3 years because the price tag is too high. The latter is much more likely. Transportation costs are going to be much more than they think with the grandfathering option on the table. I see them dropping this new unlimited grandfathering for the current option available to 4, 7, 10, and 11th graders.

Sorry for the book. Always willing to discuss this over coffee.

Comments

KeAnne says

September 27, 2011 at 6:26 PM

I don’t live in Wake County, but I’ve been watching this battle closely. I am still sickened over the tactics the board is taking and like you, I cannot help but think the assignment plan has racist overtones. If it does not, it will soon as property values in poorer areas will begin to fall. I commend you for continuing to take a stand on this issue.
Carol says

September 27, 2011 at 8:31 PM

This just makes me sick to my stomach. Does the public have no recourse? Can they not look into filing a lawsuit? This just can’t be!
Anonymous says

September 27, 2011 at 8:50 PM

I lived in Wake and had my kids in the school system for many years. They failed to mention in this article that one of the main reasons they want to go to neighborhood schools is that they will bus a “poor” kid (they will not use that term) to a “rich” school, all in the name of diversity, even if it is an hour away, preventing the parents who can not afford to go to after school activities or kids who can’t participate in school activities because of no ride home. The school system is already backwards!

Most kids never go to the SAME school all through their school career there…a child living in the SAME house from K to 12 could go to 4-5 different schools because of the already constant redistricting. In fact, the child that goes to one school one year, can have a next door neighbor friend that goes to a totally different one. How is this any different, really, than what they are already doing? Trying to keep kids in the same school, with the same friends, is something almost all the states do…and it works well for them!
Anonymous says

September 27, 2011 at 9:13 PM

FYI PLEASE do not take it as criticism or bashing. It just strikes a nerve with me 🙁 I do not mean to be condescending in any way!
Ilinap says

September 27, 2011 at 9:23 PM

No worries. We all have a right to our opinions, and we all base our own reality on our unique experiences. I’m happy to see comments from all perspectives.
Kia says

October 17, 2011 at 3:03 PM

There are things i like and things i don’t about this plan. its not perfect and neither is the current plan. I live in one of the areas were we are bussed out to raise the socio-economic balance of other schools. I never complained about it but the issue of poorer families unable to volunteer because of the distance also works that richer families don’t want to bother to travel to across town to the school in I-40 rush hour traffic to do the same. The school in the end suffers.

I’ve been to the meetings and the daily changes i saw as a good thing, it mean they were listening still tweaking and the plan wasn’t set in stone. The single-sex schools i don’t have an issue with it is a long time coming. Longview as far as i know houses potential dropouts and behavioral problems. The hire of the new Special Education superintent is a huge plus that parents like me have been asking for. Those students with disabilities don’t end up in Longview, even those Wake is not perfect in its handling of disabled students its far better than other districts in that they aren’t lumped together with behavioral students. I would like to know what they plan to do with the Longview students. Every school district should have an alternative high school we can’t get rid of it, but i heard musings that the 9th grade centers that were created from the abandoned Winn-Dixies have been a success so the board may look into that route for space again.

I don’t love the new plan but i like it. Its a much better plan if you have younger children than older one like i do, there’s the choice to keep families happy but it won’t create neighborhood schools. no way no how, giving them 5 choices and you bet next door neighbors will choose separate schools. The cost which is still hidden makes me think 2 things will happen, another bond votes which will raise taxes which i always vote for school bonds, or this plan gets scrapped in 3 years because the price tag is too high. The latter is much more likely. Transportation costs are going to be much more than they think with the grandfathering option on the table. I see them dropping this new unlimited grandfathering for the current option available to 4, 7, 10, and 11th graders.

Sorry for the book. Always willing to discuss this over coffee.

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