Colbert

[yamut]

Hey,

Wake County was mocked on the Colbert Report!

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/371414/january-18-2011/the-word---disintegration

John Tedesco is such a little weasel.

[dhyatt]

Hey,

Wake County was mocked on the Colbert Report!

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/371414/january-18-2011/the-word---disintegration

John Tedesco is such a little weasel.

I really do not understand why this is getting such national attention. It's good thing Cary is stretching into Chatham County, I might have to move there just to avoid being associated with all this nonsense. You want your kid to go to a school right down the street? You're a racist. You want your kid to not have to get on a bus for an hour at 6:30 in the morning? You're a racist. You want your kid in a traditional calendar school? You're a racist. You want your kind a year round school? You're a racist.

I'm sick of it.

[MattD]

Hey,

Wake County was mocked on the Colbert Report!

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/371414/january-18-2011/the-word---disintegration

John Tedesco is such a little weasel.

I really do not understand why this is getting such national attention. It's good thing Cary is stretching into Chatham County, I might have to move there just to avoid being associated with all this nonsense. You want your kid to go to a school right down the street? You're a racist. You want your kid to not have to get on a bus for an hour at 6:30 in the morning? You're a racist. You want your kid in a traditional calendar school? You're a racist. You want your kind a year round school? You're a racist.

I'm sick of it.

Of course families that move to Chatham County (but still live in Cary) would have their children bussed even further than the avg Wake County kid....

If we can move away from the "your a racist" b.s. the facts are the vast vast vast vast majority of kids DO go to neighborhood schools and the vast vast vast majority of kids are NOT bussed 45 minutes away. And for many of those kids who do not go to a neighborhood school, it's done by choice.

And don't kid yourself about bussing. Kids in Brier Creek now have their "home base" school at Mills Park Middle, despite closer schools in the area. Something about "political promises" being kept. So these kids will be on a school bus, on a freeway, pass a toll road, down a highway and then go another 3 1/2 miles to get to school. So much for them being in a neighborhood school.

At Mills Park, the majority of parents surveyed WANTED year round school. The VAST majority of those kids live in Cary Park, Amberly and other close by neighborhoods. So why did the school board change it to traditional when the parents were happy with the current system? Oh, and the fall-out is now spilt neighborhoods. Parents that wanted a year-round calendar are - yup you guessed it - moving their kids to schools further away. So much for neighborhood schools.

[dhyatt]

Hey,

Wake County was mocked on the Colbert Report!

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/371414/january-18-2011/the-word---disintegration

John Tedesco is such a little weasel.

I really do not understand why this is getting such national attention. It's good thing Cary is stretching into Chatham County, I might have to move there just to avoid being associated with all this nonsense. You want your kid to go to a school right down the street? You're a racist. You want your kid to not have to get on a bus for an hour at 6:30 in the morning? You're a racist. You want your kid in a traditional calendar school? You're a racist. You want your kind a year round school? You're a racist.

I'm sick of it.

Of course families that move to Chatham County (but still live in Cary) would have their children bussed even further than the avg Wake County kid....

If we can move away from the "your a racist" b.s. the facts are the vast vast vast vast majority of kids DO go to neighborhood schools and the vast vast vast majority of kids are NOT bussed 45 minutes away. And for many of those kids who do not go to a neighborhood school, it's done by choice.

And don't kid yourself about bussing. Kids in Brier Creek now have their "home base" school at Mills Park Middle, despite closer schools in the area. Something about "political promises" being kept. So these kids will be on a school bus, on a freeway, pass a toll road, down a highway and then go another 3 1/2 miles to get to school. So much for them being in a neighborhood school.

At Mills Park, the majority of parents surveyed WANTED year round school. The VAST majority of those kids live in Cary Park, Amberly and other close by neighborhoods. So why did the school board change it to traditional when the parents were happy with the current system? Oh, and the fall-out is now spilt neighborhoods. Parents that wanted a year-round calendar are - yup you guessed it - moving their kids to schools further away. So much for neighborhood schools.

I understand the arguments are often lame and not supported by the facts on the ground. But that doesn't stop people from making them and it certainly doesn't stop those people from being called racists for wanting nothing more than what they think is best for their own family. Once the NAACP jumped into the fray and the Rev made a point of being arrested, I stopped paying attention because it stopped being about the kids and their education and instead became little more than political grandstanding. Now it's devolved all the way down to trench warfare over an ideal that doesn't and never did exist.

I'm sick of it and it's stupid. I'm sick of it because it's stupid.

[MattD]

Hey,

Wake County was mocked on the Colbert Report!

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/371414/january-18-2011/the-word---disintegration

John Tedesco is such a little weasel.

I really do not understand why this is getting such national attention. It's good thing Cary is stretching into Chatham County, I might have to move there just to avoid being associated with all this nonsense. You want your kid to go to a school right down the street? You're a racist. You want your kid to not have to get on a bus for an hour at 6:30 in the morning? You're a racist. You want your kid in a traditional calendar school? You're a racist. You want your kind a year round school? You're a racist.

I'm sick of it.

Of course families that move to Chatham County (but still live in Cary) would have their children bussed even further than the avg Wake County kid....

If we can move away from the "your a racist" b.s. the facts are the vast vast vast vast majority of kids DO go to neighborhood schools and the vast vast vast majority of kids are NOT bussed 45 minutes away. And for many of those kids who do not go to a neighborhood school, it's done by choice.

And don't kid yourself about bussing. Kids in Brier Creek now have their "home base" school at Mills Park Middle, despite closer schools in the area. Something about "political promises" being kept. So these kids will be on a school bus, on a freeway, pass a toll road, down a highway and then go another 3 1/2 miles to get to school. So much for them being in a neighborhood school.

At Mills Park, the majority of parents surveyed WANTED year round school. The VAST majority of those kids live in Cary Park, Amberly and other close by neighborhoods. So why did the school board change it to traditional when the parents were happy with the current system? Oh, and the fall-out is now spilt neighborhoods. Parents that wanted a year-round calendar are - yup you guessed it - moving their kids to schools further away. So much for neighborhood schools.

I understand the arguments are often lame and not supported by the facts on the ground. But that doesn't stop people from making them and it certainly doesn't stop those people from being called racists for wanting nothing more than what they think is best for their own family. Once the NAACP jumped into the fray and the Rev made a point of being arrested, I stopped paying attention because it stopped being about the kids and their education and instead became little more than political grandstanding. Now it's devolved all the way down to trench warfare over an ideal that doesn't and never did exist.

I'm sick of it and it's stupid. I'm sick of it because it's stupid.

So putting all of the political theatre behind - what SHOULD the policies of Wake County be? Was the previous system perfect... no. But was it THAT bad for the entire system to be shaken up?

[dhyatt]

[snip]

So putting all of the political theatre behind - what SHOULD the policies of Wake County be? Was the previous system perfect... no. But was it THAT bad for the entire system to be shaken up?

I think it's easy to believe in retrospect that the system was fine the way it was but the reality is that the previous system is what led us to where we are.

The issues never were about people in gated communities getting "poor" on them and it's insulting when complicated issues are portrayed that way.

The issues were and remain the fact that families want choice AND stability and with a growing suburban population and choices in new school location driven by land prices and politics, the result is frequent reassignment and/or lousy choices for families.

To illustrate by absurdity the situation as it stands, imagine if the diversity issue was handled by simply drawing circles around all the poor neighborhoods, closing all the schools within 5 miles of those neighborhoods and busing all the kids to more affluent neighborhoods. Diversity problem solved!

Anyway, in an effort to answer your question more directly...



School board and commissioners need to be willing to work with and listen to Cary leaders instead of adopting a confrontational stance. Former Mayor Lang probably started it but it's time to end the whisper war about where to place schools. You put the new schools where the new growth is. Period.
Stop hiding behind magnet schools as the diversity solution when schools like Enloe are in reality a diversity joke with two very different schools sharing one campus.
Get everyone out of the debate who don't actually have or would like to have children in the WCPSS. The debate has been so twisted by those with selfish agendas that it's become very distorted.
Build (or convert existing) one or two technical/trade high schools where kids can learn a trade and make sure those schools don't have a diversity mandate.
Discourage realtors from promoting locations based on school assignments that they know could change.
If you're going to have buses, outfit some with tables so at least the kids have the option of doing something productive on long bus rides.
Use census blocks as the starting point for assignments and make it clear that you're doing so. This will educate the citizens as will as dampen the argument for keeping neighborhoods together.
Cap the number of year round schools OR make them all year round. The traditional vs year round option has caused more trouble than its worth.
And be willing to look a poor kid in the eye and tell him life isn't always fair and yes he will have to work harder to succeed than some of his more affluent friends.

[Icorpse]

I urge everyone to go watch this movie called "Waiting for Superman". Playing now at the $1.50 theater. Our schools are failing our children.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFN0nf6Hqk0

We need to radically change the way we educate our kids. Unless we as parents take an interest in our children, nothing will change and I have always argued that having little Johnny go to a school down the street might just help his parents become a bit more involved in his education.

[BlueStateBlues]

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/10/16/1566654/pope-money-cant-buy-you-votes.html#story_tab_comments#disqus_thread

Why is it that the Campbells get a free pass from the N&O? They contributed tens of thousands of dollars to school board candidates with whom they agreed and no one seems too care that they are influencing the elections with their Big Pharma bucks. I really don't like to see any individual campaign contributors, be it Art Pope or the Campbells, wielding so much power over elected officials.

[d4vendel]

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/10/16/1566654/pope-money-cant-buy-you-votes.html#story_tab_comments#disqus_thread

Why is it that the Campbells get a free pass from the N&O? They contributed tens of thousands of dollars to school board candidates with whom they agreed and no one seems too care that they are influencing the elections with their Big Pharma bucks. I really don't like to see any individual campaign contributors, be it Art Pope or the Campbells, wielding so much power over elected officials.

It is very simple when asking the question about the N&O and most mainstream media outlets. Let me sum it up for you:

Art Pope (and anyone who thinks like him) + lots of money donated = evil that must be removed from the face of the earth.

George Soros (and anyone who thinks like him) + lots of money donated = the salvation of the known universe.

[MattD]

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/10/16/1566654/pope-money-cant-buy-you-votes.html#story_tab_comments#disqus_thread

Why is it that the Campbells get a free pass from the N&O? They contributed tens of thousands of dollars to school board candidates with whom they agreed and no one seems too care that they are influencing the elections with their Big Pharma bucks. I really don't like to see any individual campaign contributors, be it Art Pope or the Campbells, wielding so much power over elected officials.

It is very simple when asking the question about the N&O and most mainstream media outlets. Let me sum it up for you:

Art Pope (and anyone who thinks like him) + lots of money donated = evil that must be removed from the face of the earth.

George Soros (and anyone who thinks like him) + lots of money donated = the salvation of the known universe.

I guess the N&O was paying attention to Cary Politics.... today's paper has an article on the Cambells (see link) http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/10/31/1608547/couple-fuels-school-races.html

Happy now?