The New Wake County School Board - Saviors or Destroyers?

[ncary42long]

I'm surprised there has been no chatter on CP regarding the recommended policy changes adopted by the new school members.

Specifically, the recent policies to do away with busing to achieve diversity (i.e., "neighborhood schools") and MYR schools, and the hiring of attorney Thomas Farr. There has been considerable debate in the media, among "pro-diversity" groups and parents about the way these resolutions are being introduced and adopted without prior advance notice and without an opportunity for public comment. And of course, there is the growing fear that these changes will not lead to academic excellence but rather to over-crowded schools, tax increases, and neighborhood and racial disparities.

I'd like to hear some comments regarding the School Board's methods and motives, and/or perhaps a response to this January 5 Op-Ed piece by Chris Fitzsimons of NC Policy Watch.
It's a lengthy piece, but worth reading, whether you agree with it or not.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The clear MO of the Wake County Gang of Five
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
By Chris Fitzsimon

After the third meeting of the new Wake County School Board Tuesday, one thing is clear about the Gang of Five that now runs the board. The democratic process will not stand in the way of their single-minded pursuit of their ideological agenda.
The board voted 5-4 to potentially reassign thousands of students next year by changing the year-round school assignment procedure, ending what the new board majority calls mandatory year-round schools. The vote came with little debate and no public notice. Just after the meeting began, Gang of Five member Deborah Prickett moved to add the resolution to the agenda and the board agreed by the inevitable 5-4 vote.
Year-round schools were expanded in the system as part of a deal between the school board and the Republican-led County Commission in 2006 to keep the size of a proposed school bond issue under a billion dollars by increasing the capacity of existing school buildings.

Now many of the same forces who were part of the deal to use year-round schools to save money are railing against them. (Not Margiotta. He even fought the smaller bond that the voters overwhelmingly approved.)

The action on year-round schools was taken, as several members of the public pointed out, even though the proposal didn’t address the cost of the change, where the school system would find the money, and what happens if schools are overcrowded. The Gang of Five couldn’t answer those questions, but approved the change anyway.

The vote seems to make a survey approved earlier in the day by a committee of the full board irrelevant, though the process used to approve the survey is also enlightening.
Two weeks ago a committee of all board members decided that the best way to survey parents about year-round schools, also an idea pushed by the new majority, was to use a combination of online responses and traditional mail to make sure all parents had an opportunity to respond.

The committee approved a timeline for the survey that would allow all parents to have input and bring the results to the board for consideration in April, too late to make any changes in student assignments for the 2010-2011 school year.

When the committee met again Tuesday, the timeline had shifted and the survey will now be online only, unless a parent calls a school and asks to be sent a hard copy.
Apparently after last month’s meeting Board Chair Ron Margiotta directed the staff to speed up the process. The survey will now be finished by January 22 and presented to the board in February, theoretically in time to affect next fall’s student assignments.
The change caught several board members off guard, including Kevin Hill, who asked if he had missed a meeting somewhere. Not a meeting, just a unilateral decision by Margiotta to circumvent what the committee had decided.

Then there is the matter of Thomas Farr, a Raleigh attorney with close ties to the Republican Party. The new board approved a resolution at its first meeting in December to hire Farr to audit the board’s current legal expenses and provide additional legal advice.
Margiotta negotiated on his own with Farr, whose former wife led a small rally in support of the Gang of Five before the last meeting. The board was scheduled to vote Tuesday on what Margiotta said he negotiated on New Year’s Eve, to hire Farr at $250 an hour, significantly more than the amount charged by the current counsel, Ann Majestic of the firm Tharrington Smith in Raleigh.

The Gang of Five doesn’t seem to trust Majestic, who has served the board tirelessly for years, because her firm is headed by a prominent Democrat, Wade Smith.
What better way to show that there’s a fresh, new, bipartisan spirit than to hire the former attorney for the North Carolina Republican Party, handpicked for the board by “prominent citizens,” according to Gang of Fiver John Tedesco. Several board members have asked why the board should spend scarce resources on another attorney and why the audit wasn’t put out for bid, questions that have never been answered.

The vote on Farr’s contract was delayed at Tuesday’s meeting after a mix-up about where it was listed on the agenda, which Margiotta said meant somebody was up to something, bringing to mind a pot and a kettle. He plans to call a special meeting of the board to take up Farr’s contract.

The mix-up was the only good news Tuesday, providing more time to discuss Farr’s contract and why his services are needed.

But don’t expect many answers as the grand, orchestrated plan to take Wake County back 50 years continues—fairness, common sense, and the democratic process be damned.

[d4vendel]

Unlike some people elected in 2008 (How's that CSPAN coverage of the health care discussions going? Guantanamo still open? Troops still in Iraq and Afghanistan - including a build-up of troops in Afghanistan? etc., etc), the newly elected members of the School Board are doing EXACTLY what they said they would do if elected. I know that an elected official doing what they said they would do while on the campaign trail is confusing to some, but I, for one, find it refreshing.

[Ankur]

The problem really is that the current board is energized by initial backlash to MYR and reassignments that happened almost 2 years ago.

Since then a majority of parents have fallen in love with YR schools. YR schools have prooven good for kids continuous learning, parents work-life balance as well as 'off-peak' vacations. Additionally growth has slowed down - helping reduce reassignments due to growth. This board will soon find that parental choice will soon be 'neighborhood YR schools'.

Elected officials need to be nimble and create policies based on fresh information.
"I am doing it because I said so a year ago" is not smart.

Additionally, I am OK with administration taking time to study issues and making informed choices vs. hesty and costly actions of previous administration.

[dhyatt]

The problem really is that the current board is energized by initial backlash to MYR and reassignments that happened almost 2 years ago.

Since then a majority of parents have fallen in love with YR schools. YR schools have prooven good for kids continuous learning, parents work-life balance as well as 'off-peak' vacations. Additionally growth has slowed down - helping reduce reassignments due to growth. This board will soon find that parental choice will soon be 'neighborhood YR schools'.

Elected officials need to be nimble and create policies based on fresh information.
"I am doing it because I said so a year ago" is not smart.

Additionally, I am OK with administration taking time to study issues and making informed choices vs. hasty and costly actions of previous administration.

There's certainly some truth in the fact that many families prefer YR schools. I would hope the transition away from MYR schools doesn't impact the families that have come to prefer that schedule.

[MattD]

...The newly elected members of the School Board are doing EXACTLY what they said they would do if elected.

They are the majority and can do as they vote. However, the issue I have is HOW they are doing it. At the last possible second, they are placing major policies on the agenda without regard to the other Board members, staff or the public. How can we have open and honest discussions when everything/everyone is kept in the dark?

[CatherineE]

...The newly elected members of the School Board are doing EXACTLY what they said they would do if elected.

They are the majority and can do as they vote. However, the issue I have is HOW they are doing it. At the last possible second, they are placing major policies on the agenda without regard to the other Board members, staff or the public. How can we have open and honest discussions when everything/everyone is kept in the dark?

Has there been any public uproar or protest by students/parents against the decision to end mandatory year-round assignment? Obviously MYR was implemented as a cost measure to guard against raising taxes to build more schools. What remains to be seen is whether sufficient numbers of families will opt for year-round over traditional schedules if what Hyatt says is true of their preferences. And this coming school year's assignments and requests will be the first true measure.

Clearly the new republican school board majority is making hay while they own the advantage. While it may not appear fair, unless the majority is violating regulations or parliamentary procedure, the minority opposition is going to have to rethink its strategy (now being the ideal time to get one). Does it stink to be blind-sided? Of course, but until someone does something more than complain, this will become standard tactic -- just as it was when the Democrats held the majority advantage.

As a democrat, while I may not always agree with the School board members decisions, I do believe the new majority is attempting to respond to its constituents, however ungracefully.

[ncary42long]

Unlike some people elected in 2008 (How's that CSPAN coverage of the health care discussions going? Guantanamo still open? Troops still in Iraq and Afghanistan - including a build-up of troops in Afghanistan? etc., etc), the newly elected members of the School Board are doing EXACTLY what they said they would do if elected. I know that an elected official doing what they said they would do while on the campaign trail is confusing to some, but I, for one, find it refreshing.


Considering that 89% of the registered voters in Wake County didn't bother to vote in the October school board race (and not all of the remaining 11% who DID vote, voted for the new school board members), I would hardly call it "a mandate" to systematically dismantle a nationally-recognized school system.

And even if they are trying to keep their campaign promises to the minority that voted them into office, you have to question the veracity of their actions and their blatant disregard for protocol and transparency.

[CatherineE]

Unlike some people elected in 2008 (How's that CSPAN coverage of the health care discussions going? Guantanamo still open? Troops still in Iraq and Afghanistan - including a build-up of troops in Afghanistan? etc., etc), the newly elected members of the School Board are doing EXACTLY what they said they would do if elected. I know that an elected official doing what they said they would do while on the campaign trail is confusing to some, but I, for one, find it refreshing.


Considering that 89% of the registered voters in Wake County didn't bother to vote in the October school board race (and not all of the remaining 11% who DID vote, voted for the new school board members), I would hardly call it "a mandate" to systematically dismantle a nationally-recognized school system.

And even if they are trying to keep their campaign promises to the minority that voted them into office, you have to question the veracity of their actions and their blatant disregard for protocol and transparency.

Ruth, when four of the school board seats go to one party with a unified message, it is mandate (yes, I know Debra P is unaffiliated). FYI, low % voter turnout is the norm.

[ncary42long]

Unlike some people elected in 2008 (How's that CSPAN coverage of the health care discussions going? Guantanamo still open? Troops still in Iraq and Afghanistan - including a build-up of troops in Afghanistan? etc., etc), the newly elected members of the School Board are doing EXACTLY what they said they would do if elected. I know that an elected official doing what they said they would do while on the campaign trail is confusing to some, but I, for one, find it refreshing.

Dave,

If Obama had acted as our school board has, we would already have a national health insurance plan, would have left Iraq and Afghanistan, and we would have taken steps to reduce global warming. Instead, Obama has taken a slower approach, much to the chagrin of many of his supporters, trying to build consensus; remembering that he is the president of Democrats and Republicans. Maybe our school board should consider a similar approach.

Secondly, I looked at each of the new School Board members' campaign websites, and what they said they would do is completely different than what they have done so far on the Board. What was consistent in their statements was their promise that if they were elected, they would listen and respond to all parents and to offer greater accountability and transparency while in office. Yet that is NOT what they are doing. Instead, they are railroading policy changes without advance notice, Board review, or input from parents.

Read what they say on their websites and tell me they are keeping their word. I've also included similar statements made by a few of the groups who endorsed and/or supported them.

“Our citizens are not satisfied with sitting on the sidelines while important school policy decisions are made. They want to be heard and they want to contribute. Today, those citizens are not given the voice that they deserve. Our school system is not family friendly (no kidding!). As a concerned citizen, I have learned that true progress in our schools is not possible without involvement and support from the community. We expect and deserve better.” -- Debra Goldman, https://electdebragoldman.com/

“As Wake County continues to grow and our financial resources are stretched, we have seen our school system significantly challenged……But what we do agree on is our children. We want the best for them, and we want to have a say in the process that shapes them and our community.” - John Tedesco, http://www.4wakekids.com/

“If you feel ….[the status quo] has become unresponsive to the concerns of the people of our county, then I am your candidate. If you are tired of special interest politics (is he including The Wake Schools Community Alliance PAC; Wake Cares; Wake County Tax Payers Association; Wake County Parents.com; Take Back Wake Schools PAC; The Executive Committee of the Wake County Republican Party; and Triangle Labor Council, AFL-CIO? They’re all “special interest groups” who endorsed and/or financially supported the four school board candidates)... then help me by volunteering!....I will set up a “Kitchen Cabinet" of concerned citizen activists that will ensure the voices of Wake County parents are heard, respected. ” -- Chris Malone, http://maloneforschoolboard.com/

“The Wake Schools Community Alliance is a non-partisan, diverse cross-county network of citizens taking action towards a better WCPSS solution. In Oct '09, the citizens of Wake County elected all four (4) WSCA-backed candidates to the Board of Education. Each of these new board members has promised to listen and respond to parents and citizens first.” - http://wakesca.org/

“We look forward to a culture that connects the community to the public school system and gives all families an opportunity to be a part of the decisions and the process, provides stability, increases expectations and opportunities for all students, and offers greater accountability and transparency. –Wake Cares: http://www.wakecares.com/?p=330

"We, the Wake County Taxpayers Association (WCTA), are particularly concerned about effective education spending as well as the need for high performing students in our schools. The performance of our schools is improving dramatically and the financial stewardship is also getting better." http://www.wcta.org/about.html. (that doesn't sound like a need for change to me).

[d4vendel]

Considering that 89% of the registered voters in Wake County didn't bother to vote in the October school board race (and not all of the remaining 11% who DID vote, voted for the new school board members), I would hardly call it "a mandate" to systematically dismantle a nationally-recognized school system.

And yet this is the same level of turnout that we typically have for school board elections. By this reasoning, none of the previous school board have ever had the OK to do anything.



And even if they are trying to keep their campaign promises to the minority that voted them into office, you have to question the veracity of their actions and their blatant disregard for protocol and transparency.

While agree with the decisions that they have made, I also agree that the way they have been going about it stinks. I think the opportunity for real, constructive change is getting squandered in the way the board is conducting itself.

I am sure that statement is going to get me into hot water with some, but, quite frankly, I think it needed to be said.

[Icorpse]

Let the new board come out with school assignments and clear policies first. Then we can judge the members within reason. In the meantime, NC-NAACP is threatening legal action, which goes to show why this once important organization is now a joke as far as most folks are concerned.

A simple solution that I would urge new board members to look at is building new/spare capacity into desirable schools and offering parents whose kids attend failing schools (EOG pass rate <60%) an opportunity to send their kids elsewhere.

I have absolutely no problem with anyone getting bussed in to attend schools in Cary. I do have a problem with our kids being bussed out though. I wonder how many fellow parents feel the same way?

[VVActivist]

Let the new board come out with school assignments and clear policies first. Then we can judge the members within reason. In the meantime, NC-NAACP is threatening legal action, which goes to show why this once important organization is now a joke as far as most folks are concerned.

A simple solution that I would urge new board members to look at is building new/spare capacity into desirable schools and offering parents whose kids attend failing schools (EOG pass rate <60%) an opportunity to send their kids elsewhere.

I have absolutely no problem with anyone getting bussed in to attend schools in Cary. I do have a problem with our kids being bussed out though. I wonder how many fellow parents feel the same way?

A joke? Not hardly - legal action could stop the board in it's tracks while the court sorts this out. Can you say "Leandro"?

So how come it's OK to bus kids into Cary from other places, but not bus kids out of Cary to other places? Or is this a care of one-way NIMBY?

[NewHillBilly]

Online survey to shape schools
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local_state/story/278191.html
Reader Comment:
“Family Feud" would be a great format for presenting SURVEY SAYS... hosted by "Game Show Gary" from the NC Education Lottery.
(Please note the “Pointy-Headed Liberals” appearing on stage left.)

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l37/adgc/NCLotteryConeheads.jpg

[CatherineE]

So how come it's OK to bus kids into Cary from other places, but not bus kids out of Cary to other places? Or is this a care of one-way NIMBY?

Parents take issue with bussing their kids into failing schools when there are perfectly good schools in their neighborhood/township. A good education begins with sending kids to a good school. Are there any failing schools in Cary?

Parental concerns with the school board's method of "fixing failing schools" through reassignment boiled down to diluting the problem by importing high-achieving students and/or exporting low-achieving students, not race which was how the issue was unfortunately framed during the election. The four elected in 2009 are proof of that.

[Icorpse]

Let the new board come out with school assignments and clear policies first. Then we can judge the members within reason. In the meantime, NC-NAACP is threatening legal action, which goes to show why this once important organization is now a joke as far as most folks are concerned.

A simple solution that I would urge new board members to look at is building new/spare capacity into desirable schools and offering parents whose kids attend failing schools (EOG pass rate <60%) an opportunity to send their kids elsewhere.

I have absolutely no problem with anyone getting bussed in to attend schools in Cary. I do have a problem with our kids being bussed out though. I wonder how many fellow parents feel the same way?

A joke? Not hardly - legal action could stop the board in it's tracks while the court sorts this out. Can you say "Leandro"?

So how come it's OK to bus kids into Cary from other places, but not bus kids out of Cary to other places? Or is this a care of one-way NIMBY?

The law suit will be without merit as neighborhood schools are the norm across the nation, not the exception. There is no forced segregation. This was pointed out correctly in the NandO article.

I think Ms. E very lucidly pointed out why it is not ok to bus students out of good schools and assign them to poor performing schools to achieve diversity goals. Last time I checked, Cary has pretty darn good schools. If the goal is to educate kids in a good school then busing kids that need help/encouragement to a good school makes a lot of sense.

The hard question to ask is why WCPSS's growth office has failed to MISERABLY to manage growth? Why do we need trailers in schools after two years of operation?

[NewHillBilly]

The hard question to ask is why WCPSS's growth office has failed to MISERABLY to manage growth?
Disconnect between Wake County Planning/Permits and the WCPSS.
I recall a PTA meeting at Apex Middle in the late 1990's with Dr. Raney Beavers of WCPSS. More than anything he really wanted anyone to call his office if they noticed a clearing for neighborhood development or apartment complexes. Seems they are not "in the loop".
This was over 10 years ago and apparently little has changed....

[johnshaw]

So how come it's OK to bus kids into Cary from other places, but not bus kids out of Cary to other places?
It is a matter of voluntary vs. involuntary transfer to another part of town. Some parents want their kids to go to school in their community. Some parents want their kids to go to school in some other community.

I don't think there will be many parents in Cary who want their kids to go to school in S. E. Raleigh, but the reverse may be true.

[dhyatt]

[snip]

The hard question to ask is why WCPSS's growth office has failed to MISERABLY to manage growth? Why do we need trailers in schools after two years of operation?

Part of the problem is that high growth areas have higher land costs so WCPSS tends to avoid them if they didn't get in early and buy some land. Their reliance on fewer, larger schools exacerbates the problem by fostering a climate of 'bring the kids to a school' instead of 'putting schools where the kids are'. When new schools are built with trailer pads ready and waiting, it seems like there's a problem somewhere.

However, there is a flip side to the equation, one that the Raleigh/Cary/Apex are hasn't really seen yet, and that is the fact that a school filled to capacity today could very well be half empty in 15-20 years. I'm not at all a fan of cross town busing (though I do like Hendrix Cross Town Traffic (http://s0.ilike.com/play#Jimi+Hendrix:Crosstown+Traffic:17264:s14521.2 130.10780624.1.1.14%2Cstd_e90388fb91f22a10c6fb7786 4ca25a3b) :-) ) but it does serve a purpose of load balancing the schools - something that is essentially required if the larger and fewer schools approach is in place.

It's really no different than most issues, where convenience, quality, and cost fight it out. It's rare that taxpayers get all three.

[StanN]

Dr. Saunders of SAS EVASS says that socio-economic backround does not determine student performance. "Schooling" and individual teaching is the key.

Richard Kahlenberg also uses statistics to draw another conclusion, i.e. SES is a major determinant of student performance.

Consider this recent news article fron the Charlotte Observer http://www.charlotteobserver.com/education/v-print/story/1171102.html. It shows that often the most qualified teachers and principals work in middle class schools and the most needy schools get the newest and least qualified teachers and principals particularly in school systems that use assignment by neighborhood.

Financial incentives to attract the best and brightest to the the neediest schools is expensive and assumes that they are not needed in middle class schools. It further assumes that there is an inexhaustible supply of highly qualified teachers or that the middle class students would not be hurt by their loss. Really?

It seems to me that the two opposing theorists could agree on upgrading all teachers, i.e. more funding for training and mentoring. Admirably, SAS is offering such training.

In tune with his fellow far-right school board chairman, Commissioner Tony Gurley paints Wake's performance as a plot to make Wake's schools look better than they actually are. This is contrary to Dr. Saunders presentation. This is the same old Tony, making a career of beating up the old school board. Does Gurley have a solution? How much will it cost? You can only beat an old horese so many times before the public catches on.

And what is the new BOE's parent driven position? Eliminate "Whacky Wednesdays"...a low cost way of sharing knowledge among teachers. What will they replace it with?

Poor students may not get CMS's best teachers
Fewer highly trained teachers, with National Board Certification, are working at high-poverty schools.

By Ann Doss Helms
ahelms@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Sunday, Jan. 10, 2010

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools celebrated a surge in teachers who have earned National Board Certification, even as they acknowledged that many of the students who most need those teachers are least likely to have them[b/].

The district added 221 board-certified teachers last month, bringing the total to 1,281. CMS is a national leader in the voluntary credentialing program, which requires teachers to spend hundreds of hours writing essays and proving they can help kids learn.

Superintendent Peter Gorman says CMS students who have certified teachers fare better on all elementary and middle school exams and most high school ones.

But those teachers are more likely to be working in relatively affluent, high-performing schools than working with struggling students in impoverished neighborhoods, an Observer analysis shows.

[b]The gap is most pronounced in middle schools, where certified teachers are scarcest and the contrast between successful and failing schools is starkest.....

"We know that we need our best teachers in our highest-need schools," said Barbara Ann Temple, a board-certified teacher who heads CMS' efforts to improve teaching.

Gorman agrees, and says he's trying to entice them with financial rewards and good working conditions, including the best principals. It's an approach the certified teachers recommended a couple of years ago, when they met to talk about improving weak schools without resorting to forced teacher transfers.

"We're going for pull, rather than push," Gorman said. "We really need them everywhere."

Where are they?

Teachers must have three years of experience to apply for the certification. Earning it usually takes two more. They must write about how they teach, tape and analyze classroom activities, and convince judges they have the classroom skills to reach their students.

North Carolina was among the first to plunge in when the certifications began in 1995. The state has almost 15,700 certified teachers, leading the nation. Only four districts nationwide, including Wake County, have more than CMS.....

Still, the odds of having certified teachers are better at low-poverty schools...

The Observer's analysis shows almost 34,000 students attend schools with poverty levels below 25 percent; those schools average one certified teacher for every 82 students.

About 33,500 students go to schools where poverty tops 75 percent; they average one certified teacher per 146 students.

Who's effective?

Identifying good teachers is one of the biggest challenges facing Gorman and education leaders nationwide. North Carolina's pay scale rewards teachers for experience and credentials, and CMS kicks in local money to compete with other districts....

Still, the credential is not the only gauge of good teaching. Some top teachers are unable or unwilling to tackle the estimated 400 hours of work. Others may be talented but too inexperienced to apply - and high-poverty schools are more likely than others to rely on teachers who have just started their careers.

Many board-certified teachers believe they can help fix failing schools. When they talked in 2007 about making that happen, they agreed that money helps - but working for a great principal as part of a strong team was more important.

Gorman is using that approach with his "strategic staffing" effort, bringing in new principals for 14 schools and giving them money and freedom to bring in proven teachers. Many of those schools, which have high poverty and a history of weak performance, have average or above-average levels of certified faculty now.

At others, certified teachers remain scarce. Steve Hall, brought in to lead Bruns Avenue Elementary, has two for his 500-plus students, who mostly come from impoverished homes. Three more teachers are working on their credential, he says.

Hall agrees that board certification, which demands on-the-job skill, is more valuable than a graduate degree, which can rest on theoretical knowledge. But it's not the first thing he looks for.

"I'm really much more interested in how their skill set and heart relate to the population they'll be working with."

[Cindy]

The survey will let us know how many families really like YR. I for one do not nor do many people I have spoken to. It has wrecked havoc on my family and vacations are almost nonexistent. While I do not agree with the way the school board is operating I do agree with the outcome. Like it or not they are doing exactly what they said they would do with the exception of listening to the opposition. They are however listening to and responding to the very people who voted them into office. I do wish that they would put these items on the agenda and I do not understand why that is a difficult task. I for one am working towards positive changes in our schools. I look forward to a school system where education is the top priority not busing.

[dhyatt]

The survey will let us know how many families really like YR. I for one do not nor do many people I have spoken to. It has wrecked havoc on my family and vacations are almost nonexistent. While I do not agree with the way the school board is operating I do agree with the outcome. Like it or not they are doing exactly what they said they would do with the exception of listening to the opposition. They are however listening to and responding to the very people who voted them into office. I do wish that they would put these items on the agenda and I do not understand why that is a difficult task. I for one am working towards positive changes in our schools. I look forward to a school system where education is the top priority not busing.


Are you one of those families unfortunate enough to have kids in both YR and traditional schedules? If so, that's pretty lousy.

[VVActivist]

The survey will let us know how many families really like YR. I for one do not nor do many people I have spoken to. It has wrecked havoc on my family and vacations are almost nonexistent. While I do not agree with the way the school board is operating I do agree with the outcome. Like it or not they are doing exactly what they said they would do with the exception of listening to the opposition. They are however listening to and responding to the very people who voted them into office. I do wish that they would put these items on the agenda and I do not understand why that is a difficult task. I for one am working towards positive changes in our schools. I look forward to a school system where education is the top priority not busing.


Are you one of those families unfortunate enough to have kids in both YR and traditional schedules? If so, that's pretty lousy.

I know a family that had both kids in year-round schools. One of the children was diagnosed with ADHD, and they needed to put him into a charter school where they could deal with the ADHD better. That school was traditional calendar. They were able to move the other child from a YR middle school to a traditional middle school - problem solved.

Of course this family made it a point to move into a neighborhood where the kids could walk to school once they were old enough to do so. Part of our problem has always been that we never required the builders who tore up all the old farmland and woods to cram a house onto every possible square foot of land to set aside enough land for real neighborhood schools. So Cary kids will have to be bused to their Cary schools, but just not as far as if they were bused to a school in Raleigh.

So I wonder why if my less than politically-savvy friends in North Raleigh are able to make the current system work for them, why others who are more politically savvy can't do that as well?

And I agree with Dave Forvendal that the newly elected school board seems to be going down the same path as the board members they ran to replace - not listening to all the parents.

Of course I still have to shake my head in wonder about some of the Obama mamas who worked so hard to get Obama elected President in 2008 who worked so hard to elect candidates who were hell-bent on throwing out the diversity policy. Since none of the board members who they objected to were running again, they had a great opportunity to work with and influence the new board members from that same party - to get them to listen and do something. They chose instead to "jump ship" and work with people who wanted their support but now appear to be guilty of same conduct (not listening) as the people they replaced - albeit from a slightly different perspective. ;-)

[VVActivist]

So how come it's OK to bus kids into Cary from other places, but not bus kids out of Cary to other places? Or is this a care of one-way NIMBY?

Parents take issue with bussing their kids into failing schools when there are perfectly good schools in their neighborhood/township. A good education begins with sending kids to a good school. Are there any failing schools in Cary?

Parental concerns with the school board's method of "fixing failing schools" through reassignment boiled down to diluting the problem by importing high-achieving students and/or exporting low-achieving students, not race which was how the issue was unfortunately framed during the election. The four elected in 2009 are proof of that.

The four who were elected are proof of many other things. Some of that proof was that the whole YR concept was the concoction of a GOP-led County Commissioners who wanted to maximize the efficiency of the schools they had instead of letting them sit around vacant for three months of the year.

And I agree that YR is much more efficient utilization of our resources than traditional schools are. It also lets the kids learn more - since they don't have the chance to forget so much over the summer than they need to spend the first couple of weeks each Fall going over basic concepts to start their new subjects for the year.

Should we let most kids get dumbed-down by traditional school calendars just because some folks want to send their kids to sailing camp? What about the parents who can't afford to send their kids to sailing camp - or any camp for that matter? What about the families where both parents work and can't afford to full-time day care over the summer?

Part of the reason why the kids are doing so well in Cary and perhaps not doing so well in other parts of the county is related to poverty and education of the parents. By pooling so many under-achieving kids together, you make it more likely they will also be under achievers.

And the actions that Wake County is taking towards the so-called "neighborhood schools" is exactly what Charlotte-Mecklenburg has been doing - and overall they have more problems with failing schools than we do.

I don't understand how so many seemingly intelligent people feel that if we do the same thing that Charlotte has been doing, we won't end up with the same problems they have. They spend more money per capita and they have lower results to show for it. Clearly we have been doing it better and cheaper than Charlotte-Mecklenburg has been doing it, but what did we learn from it? Not much by the results of the last election.

Of course I think there is a segment of our society that wants to keep many people undereducated - all the better to pick their pockets and otherwise exploit them. Why do you think the literacy rates across rural NC are so low - all the better for the "landed gentry" to keep the peons down on the farm and happy with their lot in life.

Of course here in Wake County when we keep people down, their lowered expectations tend to be self-fulfilling prophecies - they are more likely to get into gangs and drugs, and be on dole and less likely to get a job that pays them a decent living wage.

[Cindy]

Yes. My children are on year round and traditional and have been for 3 years. My oldest also attended 7 different schools. The past school board caused so much pain for my family. I can not possibly support status quo. I have friends who have been forced to change tracks every year so they can get the services they need andy many more who have left public schools altogether. If I could have afforded it I would have left public schools so my family could have stability and family time. As for retaining more information that is a load of huey! The kids spend the first week of track in reviewing and setting up "shop" and the last week before track out cleaning house. How does this offer more instructional time?

[StanN]

email to a constituent who does not like YRS:


You are correct that some YRS are not fully utilized. I have the full list in front of me and some are overcrowded. I don't know the specific reasons for each and every case. It could well be that the majority of parents find that YRS are disruptive of their family life and other priorities. When MYRS were first proposed I argued against them with the BOE leadership at the time.

Here is a column I wrote for the N&O three years ago (prior to winning my election for the BOC) http://wakeupwakecounty.com/cms/node/61

But after several years and a change in perspective as an elected official rather than as a citizen-advocate, I have had to grudgingly modify my position. Digging a hole is easy, i.e. making the original decision several years ago. Getting out of a deep hole is tough. The sudden, unplanned, "shock and awe" approach to getting out of YRS (and diversity) offends me greatly ...

Note that the school system pays zero for the cost of new schools or for the debt service associated with the bonds that finance same. All construction related costs, by state statute, are paid by the county. So if the BOE takes an action that raises construction costs (e.g. reduces YRS) there isn't any immediate impact on the WCPSS operating budget. e.g. teachers, supplies, heating fuel, etc.

If the county hasn't sufficient funds for added school construction needs, then the money has to come from the county's operating budget, e.g. mental health, pre-natal care, educational grants to WCPSS, libraries, school nurses, environmental protection, parks, open space, - or it has to defer construction for jails, courthouses etc. Or the BOC has to raise the property tax. In today's environment, raising taxes means more foreclosures and more people relying on the county for their human service needs.

The job of balancing those needs is the biggest and most important job of the BOC. We will work on this over the next six months.

There are occasions when there is an immediate threats to health and safety and immediate action should be taken. But that is not the case here.

A common alternative over the past two decades is to give WCPSS less than it needs for permanent new construction. This, in turn, forced the the BOE to buy trailers, of which we use 1170=~25,000 seats. Although their first cost is lower per seat, their lifetime operating costs are higher than standard construction, e.g. maintenance and utilities. Trailers over-crowd the campus leading to 10 am lunches and lines at the water fountains and toilets. The high operating costs compete with instruction costs on the WCPSS operating budget. Prosperous Wake County has about a third of the trailers in the entire state!

In effect, a relatively small group of stakeholders, who have the political clout to demand an end to the inconveniences of YRS can be denying: a poor mom in SE Raleigh pre-natal care, a north Raleigh family access to a neighborhood library, specialized courses in nearby schools, employment to a teacher, precipitating bad investments in trailers, denying raises for county workers and eventually, higher property taxes for all. Since there are few who understand the system - the politically powerful parents can point to poor families who dislike YRS as an excuse.

The job of a parent is to advocate for their child and their cause. The job of an elected official is to represent the common good - to reject playing to special interest groups - to balance conflicting and competing needs. To prioritize needs - especially when money is as tight as it is now. The new BOE failed in its hasty, ill-planned, back-door decision to end diversity and create potentially huge, disruptive reassignments to support their campaign against YRS. Eventually it will be the BOC's turn at bat.

Stan Norwalk
Wake County Commissioner

[johnshaw]

I know a family that had both kids in year-round schools.
Do you know any families that have one kid in year round and another in traditional? (all high schools are traditional, many families have one high school and one middle school children.

Do you know any families that have two or more children in different tracks?

There are many families that have one kid in YR and one in traditional, or kids in different tracks. This is not just a matter of wanting to send the kids to sailing camp, but wanting to be able to have a family vacation... even if the vacation is to visit grandma out of town.

[StanN]

I haven't any problem with 100% standard calendar schools, if and when the stakeholders (taxpayers) say: "I have no problem with the added taxes and it won't affect my decision on how much to spend on education and operating those schools."

I have a big problem with those who lead the public to believe they can have it all. Lets hear the new school board members (and the others) say that.

There are no free lunches. If we spend more on "A" we have to take it away from "B". Ah..there's the rub.

All suggestions as to how to generate the revenues to reduce or eliminate YRS are welcome.

sn

[Icorpse]

I haven't any problem with 100% standard calendar schools, if and when the stakeholders (taxpayers) say: "I have no problem with the added taxes and it won't affect my decision on how much to spend on education and operating those schools."

I have a big problem with those who lead the public to believe they can have it all. Lets hear the new school board members (and the others) say that.

There are no free lunches. If we spend more on "A" we have to take it away from "B". Ah..there's the rub.

All suggestions as to how to generate the revenues to reduce or eliminate YRS are welcome.

sn

Stan --

You seem to ignore that fact that many parents prefer YR schools but they should not be made mandatory. The truth is that WCPSS has FAILED to manage growth in a manner that is satisfactory to a majority of parents. The election results were brought on by the arrogance of certain board members refusing to look at alternatives and listening to concerned parents. I have personally heard from several parents that communication between the board, WCPSS and parents has improved dramatically.

What you should be looking into as a commissioner is how to build schools for $6-7 million instead of $18 million that WCPSS spends now per school. Soliciting land donations from developers or mandating set aside land in larger developments is something all towns and Wake county should look into.

You can kep posting all you want here about the need for more money but parents are tired of pouring money into a leaky bucket. Fix the leaks first. Clean house and try to get some of the credibility back. It is a sad day indeed for moderates such as myself when a scumbag like Tony Gurley has more support in our county than any other commissioner.

[VVActivist]

I haven't any problem with 100% standard calendar schools, if and when the stakeholders (taxpayers) say: "I have no problem with the added taxes and it won't affect my decision on how much to spend on education and operating those schools."

I have a big problem with those who lead the public to believe they can have it all. Lets hear the new school board members (and the others) say that.

There are no free lunches. If we spend more on "A" we have to take it away from "B". Ah..there's the rub.

All suggestions as to how to generate the revenues to reduce or eliminate YRS are welcome.

sn

Stan --

You seem to ignore that fact that many parents prefer YR schools but they should not be made mandatory. The truth is that WCPSS has FAILED to manage growth in a manner that is satisfactory to a majority of parents. The election results were brought on by the arrogance of certain board members refusing to look at alternatives and listening to concerned parents. I have personally heard from several parents that communication between the board, WCPSS and parents has improved dramatically.

What you should be looking into as a commissioner is how to build schools for $6-7 million instead of $18 million that WCPSS spends now per school. Soliciting land donations from developers or mandating set aside land in larger developments is something all towns and Wake county should look into.

You can kep posting all you want here about the need for more money but parents are tired of pouring money into a leaky bucket. Fix the leaks first. Clean house and try to get some of the credibility back. It is a sad day indeed for moderates such as myself when a scumbag like Tony Gurley has more support in our county than any other commissioner.

Please explain how the School Board is responsible for growth in this county? We should have been demanding that builders set aside a certain amount of land for schools based on a certain number of houses, but the builders put $$$$ into supporting candidates who would not support such common-sense solutions. Republicans like Tony Gurley are forgetting that they were responsible for the irresponsible growth in the first place. But it is interesting that they suggested YR schools as a solution to the irresponsible growth but now are retreating from it because it's pissing off the parents - and are successfully redirecting the parent's anger at the Democrats who didn't create the problem in the first place.

There is more money needed for schools. Part of the problem with your request to build schools for 6 million instead of 18 million is that the land is valuable, and schools need to be built more durably than your house. You can't build a school with lumber scraps, beaverboard and masonite siding. And it's not only building around here that has driven up the cost of construction - the cost of concrete and masonry products has gone up because of the building boom in China.

And the short-term solutions of putting up trailers at schools to handle more students is actually more expensive in the long run than building brick and mortar buildings.

So if you want to lay the blame on anyone - don't blame the outgoing board members. Blame the people who allowed uncontrolled growth in Wake County without setting aside enough land for schools and community centers.

And you can also blame the parents who bought houses in former farm fields from greedy developers - both of whom didn't think far enough ahead to wonder if just because little Johnny will go to school at the Little Red Schoolhouse down the road, what happens to the overall balance when some other greedy developer bulldozes the woods that is between the school and the former farmland and puts in 300 more houses that little Eddy now lives in. Should Eddy's parents assume that he will go to the Little Red Schoolhouse because they are closer to it than Johnny's parents are? Or should Eddy go to a school much further away because the there is no more room in the Little Red Schoolhouse once Johnny and all his friends are already there?

These are complex problems and of course the parents feel the new school board members are listening to them - they voted for them and volunteered for them. Wait till they see Wake County public schools turning into Mecklenburg County public schools - with fewer passing students and spending more money per student. And then realize that the market can't solve all our problems - sometimes the market is the cause of the problems!

[StanN]

If you have read my previous posts, I have not ignored the many parents who speak out against YRS - nor the parents who prefer them.

Neither WCPSS or the BOE have any tools to manage growth, except by using YRS. The main thing they can do is forecast it and they have done as well as anyone can there.

Under present laws set by the NCGA, it is ONLY the County Commissioners that can react to their forecasts (ex a small amount from the NC lottery). Unlike the laws in 47 other states, NC school boards have no authority for raising tax revenues for building or operating schools. As a result, the BOE can do (or propose) things that raise cost without any direct, immediate consequences to the schools. If they were the ones raising taxes they would be a lot more cost conscious...or they would get thrown out of office at the first opportunity.

As to building schools for less money we already know how to do it...trailers, mobil units, modulars. There are about 1200 of them in Wake with a capacity of about 25,000 students - we are #1 in the state. (Orange has none due to concurrency powers they have). Trailers only last 20 years ...we have many schools over 50-60 years old.

Would you be OK with living in a trailer or having a trailer subdivision next to your home. Somehow I doubt it. So why is cheap construction OK for our children?

Even if you did (and Cary's building codes allowed you to do so) the lifetime cost of trailers is higher than for standard construction. The added maintenance and utility costs come out of school operating costs and compete with instruction costs. Standard construction can be financed at 4% interest. Most trailers are leased which means that we are paying (indirectly) much more than that to the lessor.

Unlike Raleigh and Cary, the County has no, zero, zilch, zilcherooni powers to enforce any law (impact fees or APFO's) to allow developers/builders to contribute anything to school construction. Hundred of local governments across the country have such powers. Several other NC counties have such laws...but not the county who has added the most to its school population...Wake.

So what's your solution?

SN

[StanN]

Rather, well informed citizens should be asking why the BOC was willing to authorize $379 per square foot office space as part of the new courthouse, when high schools can be built for $200/ sq. ft. Why was their no public support for lower cost construction? $200 million was at stake. Nobody gave a ****. Why the big fuss overr schools versus none over other construction costs?

sn

[dhyatt]

Rather, well informed citizens should be asking why the BOC was willing to authorize $379 per square foot office space as part of the new courthouse, when high schools can be built for $200/ sq. ft. Why was their no public support for lower cost construction? $200 million was at stake. Nobody gave a ****. Why the big fuss overr schools versus none over other construction costs?

sn

Folks,
I think Stan has a point here. Twice as much lavished on the ability to convict the ones we can't keep in school doesn't make a whole lot of sense.