The vote to move the start time for Middle Creek Elementary School to 8:30 a.m. for this fall was approved unanimously and with some melodrama.
During public comment, Middle Creek parents supporting the change thanked Superintendent Tony Tata for bringing it forward. Board member Susan Evans said the credit should go to board member Jim Martin for "pleading their case."
Martin thanked Evans but said that Tata and other people had worked hard on it too.
The Middle Creek Elementary bell schedule change, the new student assignment plan and the magnet school review make up most of the topics for the 22 speakers at tonight's Wake County school board meeting.
Former school board member Beverley Clark went right after Superintendent Tony Tata during her three minutes. She charged that teachers and principals say that Tata has created a "culture of fear and intimidation" and is only "paying lip service" to listening to teachers and principals.
Clark also charged that Tata has created an assignment plan that says "let's only teach the ones who mater." She said that group consists of families who apply to "esoteric academies" or who spend hours researching where to go.
Clark also urged the school board not to separate behavior from academic grade.
The Wake County school board is facing a lengthy agenda on Tuesday, including extending school waiting lists, changing the bell schedule for Middle Creek Elementary and votes on the Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy and the career and technical education high school.
Staff is recommending extending the waiting lists for students who didn't get into their first-choice school from June 29 to July 18. Any later could result in a student withdrawing after the 10th day of classes in a year-round school and thus not being counted at the new school.
The board will also vote on moving Middle Creek Elementary from a 9:15 a.m. start time to 8:30 a.m. According to the board agenda, it's being done to treat Middle Creek Elementary, West Lake Elementary and West Lake Middle as a single campus because of their close proximity.
The Wake County school board appointed one new principal and one interim principal tonight.
Michael Armstrong was named principal of Bugg Elementary School with a salary of $74,439. He has been an assistant principal at Combs Elementary since 2008.
Charles Langley was named interim principal of Middle Creek Elementary with a salary that would be equivalent to $113,972 over a full year. Langley has filled in across the district since retiring at principal of Willow Spring Elementary in 2008.
UPDATE
Click here for the bio sheets.
The Wake County school board appointed three new principals this evening.
Mary Bohr was named the new principal of Penny Road Elementary in Cary and will receive a salary of$90,079. She has been the principal of Columbia Elementary School in Rochester, Ind., since 2004.
UPDATE
SEE END OF POST FOR BIO SHEETS OF NEW PRINCIPALS
The Wake County school board announces principal changes tonight affecting two schools.
Charles Miller will be the new principal of Powell Elementary School in Raleigh. Miller, who will receive a salary of $75,155, has been principal of Middle Creek Elementary since 2006.
UPDATE: SEE END OF POST FOR BIO SHEETS
Beteena Person thinks diversity is a good idea.
But as noted in today's article, she thinks it stinks when it means reassigning her kids out of Smith Elementary School in Garner, which is six miles from her Southeast Raleigh home. They face going to Middle Creek Elementary in Apex, which is 15 miles away and on a different calendar.
"My kids are already very diverse," said Person, who adopted four children after initially taking them in as foster kids.
UPDATE
Staff is recommending dropping the Smith to Middle Creek moves.
