Are there glitches in the selection algorithm for Wake County's new student assignment plan?

As noted in today's article, some parents and school board members say the first-round results may indicate that the software from Michael Alves has produced some errors. But Chief Transformation Officer Judy Peppler said the algorithm is working fine and processing applications correctly.

School board member Christine Kushner said she's heard from enough parents to think there might be a problem with the algorithm, especially in cases where applicants live within the walk zones of two or more schools. In those cases, she said some applicants didn't get placed at all or wound up in a school outside the walk zone.

Could the development of feeder patterns be more of a hold-up on the new Wake County student assignment plan than coming to an agreement on achievement-choice schools?

As noted in today's article, staff's update on the student assignment plan included discussion on achievement schools and a presentation on sample feeder patterns. During the meeting, board members said zilch on the achievement schools but went into detail on the feeder patterns.

"We know this is contentious," Superintendent Tony Tata said to board members in response to the feeder pattern concerns. "This is high stakes. We want your feedback to make this right."

It looks like Wake County teachers want to work in more affluent schools.

The most requested schools for teacher transfers are typically those in more affluent parts of the county. Wake schools with higher poverty levels tend to see far fewer requests from teachers to work there. (The requests are made by current teachers who want to work elsewhere in Wake.)

Excluding the new schools opening this summer, the five most requested schools this year are Davis Drive Middle, Holly Springs Elementary, Salem Middle, Brier Creek Elementary and Holly Ridge Elementary.

Most speakers actually talked about year-round schools at Tuesday night's hearing at Leesville Road High School on school calendars.

As noted in today's article, the year-round calendars at Leesville Road elementary and middle schools dominated much of the discussion. It's a departure from the first three CEM meetings in which turnout was light and neighborhood schools and the diversity policy were discussed more than the calendar.

Both sides of the Leesville fight turned out in large numbers. They tried to out cheer each other when one of their speakers finished talking.

Wake County school board member Deborah Prickett is not giving up her quest to convert both Leesville elementary and middle schools back to a traditional calendar.

As noted in today's North Raleigh News article, Prickett said she's weighing the calendar survey results versus the school capacity situation in the area. Even though a majority of Leesville Road Elementary parents who responded in the survey backed keeping the year-round calendar, Prickett pointed to the empty seats at nearby Sycamore Creek Elementary.

“It’s important what the parents said in the survey, but I take a look at Sycamore Creek, and they’re 300 seats below capacity,” Prickett said in the article.

We've got new principals tonight for Brier Creek and Sanford Creek elementary schools.

The school board announced that Ve-Lecia Council will take over at Sanford Creek Elementary in Rolesville. She replaces Jamee Lynch, who is now principal of the East Wake School of Integrated Technology.

Council has been principal of Baucom Elementary in Apex since 2005.

UPDATE

Bio sheets now at the end of the post. 

We got a taste last night of how Lacy Elementary parents are arguing they shouldn't be reassigned to Stough Elementary.

During last night's hearing at Fuquay-Varina High, Hunt Choi argued that there was no need to reassign Lacy students to Stough or Root Elementary. Previously, the Lacy parents have been talking with school board members in private.

Choi argued that Lacy wasn't overcrowded, one of the reasons given for moving students out of the school. He said the school district's growth projections for the school are too high.