Should the Wake County school board move quickly to extend Superintendent Tony Tata's contract?

As noted in today's article, Tata is generally getting good reviews as he hits the one-year anniversary mark of his tenure on Tuesday. But he also faces some challenges, including potentially from members of the new Democratic school board majority.

Republican school board members are talking about wanting the board to take action next month to extend Tata's contract past the June 30, 2014 end date.

Has the Wake County school system done enough to satisfy AdvancED's concerns to keep the accreditation for the district's high schools.

As noted in today's article, school officials say in their progress report that they've completed five of the seven action steps laid out by AdvancED in its March report. School officials say the other steps are in progress of being completed.

"As the above progress report clearly demonstrates, significant work has occurred over the months since the AdvancED review to improve the governance and cohesiveness of the Wake County Public Schools leadership team,” according to Wake’s progress report.

One of the arguments being used against AdvancED is that it accredits low-performing high schools in North Carolina and around the country.

For instance, Tuesday's letter to the editor from the Wake sponsors of the accreditation bill said that "AdvanceED (sic) has accredited the 44 worst performing high schools in North Carolina. Its (sic) accreditation standards are a sad joke."

It's a point that was also mentioned in an interview Wednesday by state Rep. Hugh Blackwell, a Burke County Republican and a main sponsor of the bill.

Should the Wake County school system take advantage of new legislation that  would allow it to seek state accreditation of its high schools in lieu of using AdvancED?

As noted in today's article, the bill approved by the state House and Senate would let school districts seek high school accreditation from the state Board of Education. The legislation was introduced because of the accrediting fights that Wake and Burke counties are having with AdvancED.

Wake school board member Chris Malone said staying with AdvancED depends on whether the group conducts an "objective investigation" or a "political investigation."

Wake County school board member Chris Malone focused on the AdvancED accreditation investigation during his speech at last Thursday's Northern Wake Republican Club meeting.

Malone related his "interrogation" with the AdvancED team saying that "one of the first things that happened to me was one of the fellas pointed his finger at me and said, 'I just want you to know that I don't like your policies.'"

"I thought, well okay," Malone said. "I said to him well obviously you're not a fan and we sat down and continued the interview, interrogation, whatever you want to call it."

You can credit the attorneys at Tharrington Smith with coming up with the new data linking student performance with busing distance in Wake County schools.

As noted in today's article, school board attorney Ann Majestic had requested the data from school staff in the past month to confirm whether minority students account for the majority of those who are bused involuntarily at longer distances. Once that was shown, she asked staff to add in academic achievement into the data.

Majestic said the reason for the request was that the state NAACP is alleging that eliminating the diversity policy would have a disparate impact on minority students. In response, she wanted to see if they could see if the old policy had a disparate impact on minority students.

Mark Elgart, president of AdvancED, repeatedly defended today his organization's contention that the Wake County school board's actions have created "a climate of uncertainty, suspicion, and mistrust throughout the community."

In an interview today on the Rick and Donna Martinez Show on WPTF, Donna Martinez asked Elgart whether he was referring to the whole board in the group's accreditation report. Donna Martinez, a columnist for the conservative Carolina Journal, has been an outspoken supporter of the board majority.

"It is the board's responsibility," Elgart responded. "We don't, we would not segment it and say it's only certain members. But collectively they're governing the system right now so they're all responsible for creating that type of atmosphere. But they're also in a position to change that."

How serious should the AdvancED report's findings against the Wake County school board be taken?

As noted in today's article, supporters of the board majority are downplaying the findings, focusing on how Wake is keeping its high school accreditation for now. Critics of the board majority are arguing that the report justifies the concerns they've raised over the past 15 months.

Mark Elgart, president of AdvancED, said parents don't have to worry right now because accreditation is safe through at least the 2011-12 school year. But he said the report raises serious concerns that Wake needs to address.

Is the new high school accreditation bill making its way through the General Assembly a possible escape route for the Wake County school system?

As noted in today's article, the bill would prohibit North Carolina-run universities, colleges and community colleges from using school accreditation to make admissions, scholarship and loan decisions unless applicants come from high schools accredited by a state agency. It also would require the state Board of Education to begin accrediting North Carolina public high schools at the request – and expense – of the school districts.

Not coincidentally, its sponsors include legislators from Wake and Burke counties, where the school districts are on AdvancED's radar.

Could the wording from the Oct. 5 resolution that killed the zone plan come back to bite the Wake County school board during the accreditation review?

As noted in today's article, Mark Elgart, president of AdvancED, said the review team will question how the school board will follow through on the wording in the Oct. 5 resolution to provide “equity and equal opportunity” for all students. It's part of the review of whether the school board is following its own policies and procedures.

“We’re telling them it’s their right to assign students as they wish,” Elgart said. “But when you have a resolution that says you will ensure equality of opportunity, you have to say how you will do that.”