Confirming his status as the Wake County school board member that liberals most dislike, John Tedesco is the subject of a column today by Chris Fitzsimon

In today's column, Fitzsimon, executive director of the liberal N.C. Policy Watch, focuses on what he considers to be Tedesco's inconsistency. Fitzsimon contrasts Tedesco's fiery speech against social engineering at the April 15 Tea Party rally with his willingness to work with critics and consider use of economic diversity in student assignment.

"The last ten days have brought us Tea Party Tedesco, Tempered Tedesco, and tough to follow Tedesco," Fitzsimon writes. "That ought to be enough to put the brakes on the push by the Gang of Five to dismantle the current assignment system. You shouldn't change direction if you don't know where you want to go."

Chris Fitzsimon is bashing the Wake County school board majority for Tuesday's votes on the voluntary desegregation resolution and the budget.

In a column Wednesday, Fitzsimon, executive director of the liberal N.C. Policy Watch,criticizes the "Gang of Five" for rejecting board member Carolyn Morrison's amendment about making every effort to avoid minority group isolation.

"For some reason that was too much for the Gang of Five who all voted against the resolution," Fitzsimon writes. "Maybe they wanted only a half-hearted effort, or more likely, no effort at all."

In his latest attack on the new Wake County school board majority, Chris Fitzsimon takes shot at them for Tuesday's student assignment changes.

In a Wednesday column, Fitzsimon, executive director of the liberal N.C. Policy Watch, points to decisions such as "sending some children of well-connected political donors back to Lacy Elementary and moving some students from Garner High to Southeast Raleigh with no notice or public hearing."

Is today's vote on returning the Lacy to Stough nodes a case of political payback or a righting of a wrong by the old Wake County school board?

As noted in today's article, families in the three Lacy Elementary nodes worked hard to back members of the new school board majority who are poised to reverse the assignment today.

Residents in the three nodes gave more than $2,600 in last fall's campaign to either the candidates directly, the Wake Schools Community Alliance or the Wake County Republican Party.

Chris Fitzsimon is painting last night's vote by the Wake County school board majority in stark racial terms as he labels their actions as "madness."

In a column today, Fitzsimon, executive director of the liberal N.C. Policy Watch, notes how Tuesday's vote in favor of community-based schools was by "an all-white majority." He said he's hoping their decision "will not stand."

UPDATE

It's not actually part of the post, but this is the easiest way for people to see the info. Click here to view the reassignment changes and grandfathering rules that were approved by the school board on Tuesday. 

Chris Fitzsimon is putting a lock of stock in Wednesday's Great Schools in Wake Coalition press briefing and questioning why the Wake County school board's student assignment committee is meeting this afternoon.

In a column today, Fitzsimon, executive director of the liberal N.C. Policy Watch, says the 14 reports presented Wednesday show "that concentrating poor students in schools is a mistake and makes it far more difficult for the students to learn." He argues that's just what would happen under school board member John Tedesco's community zone model.

"This week's presentation of the research gives the Gang of Five another chance to show what's more important to them, making thoughtful decisions after understanding and discussing the vast body of research about student assignment and academic achievement, or continuing their blind allegiance to an ideological agenda regardless of the consequences for the students and the community," Fizsimon writes.

UPDATE

I'll go into more detail tomorrow. But for now, here's the online story recapping the meeting.

Wake County school board chairman Ron Margiotta is drawing flak for reiterating an idea he's supported for years — splitting up the county into smaller districts.

The difference now is that Margiotta is the chairman and he's got more of an ability to impact things. It's unlikely the Democrat-controlled General Assembly would approve legislation allowing deconsolidation, but the new board majority could try to accomplish it through the proposed community assignment zones.

The latest ruckus is from a question Margiotta took about magnet schools after a speech he gave at Thursday night's Northern Wake Republican Club meeting. The question led to him talking about how he thinks the school district is too large.

Wake County school board member John Tedesco is taking exception to a Progressive Pulse blog post that detailed a private conversation he had Friday while at Helios Coffee in Raleigh.

Tedesco submitted a reply Monday to the Progressive Pulse in which he questioned the "creepy stalker manner" of the blog post. Chase Foster, who wrote the blog post, said he just happened to be at Helios when he overheard the conversation and took notes.

Tedesco's reply goes on to elaborate on the statements attributed to him that were in the blog post. He also included to Foster a response he had sent to an Enloe High student who accused him of backing resegregation.

Critics of the new Wake County school board majority are again hammering the connection between board members and conservative businessman Art Pope.

A group of N.C. students sent out a press release today announcing plans to protest tonight's on-campus speech that's organized by a group funded by the John W. Pope Foundation. According to the press release "protesters will voice their concerns about the role this ideological foundation has played at their University and as a force behind the new Wake County School Board majority."

"How much influence have [Pope']s dollars had on my education, and how much money are he and his buddies spending to install misguided puppets who are set on dismantling Wake County's nationally recognized diversity policy and sending us back to the Jim Crow segregated South?" said Vidya Shankar, an NC State undergrad, in the press release.

Wake County school board member John Tedesco may lose his job because of his outspoken views on the diversity policy and community-based schools.

Tedesco acknowledged his employer, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle, has been getting pressure from supporters of the diversity policy who've questioned whether he should continue working for the non-profit. He said Big Brothers has not asked him to resign despite the lobbying from outside the group.

Rumors have been swirling that Tedesco was being targeted by those who argue his opposition to the diversity policy is at odds with his employer's work helping at-risk children, most of whom are poor and minorities. Big Brothers doesn't have an official position on the diversity policy.