The Wake Education Partnership is, to put it mildly, not happy with the Wake County school board's decision to change direction on the student assignment plan.

In a statement issued this afternoon, Steve Parrott, president of the WEP, said they were "extremely disappointed in the decision-making process used by the school board and frustrated by the absence of a collaborative approach." The WEP was heavily involved in the new choice plan, working directly with Michael Alves.

As for the board meeting Tuesday, Parrott writes that "late-night, partisan debate is not how a world-class organization would conduct its strategic work and is not representative of the skills and behaviors demanded from our students for college and career success."

UPDATE

I've reposted the WEP document as a PDF file.

The issue of Michael Alves' unannounced private meeting with the new Democratic members of the Wake County school board won't seem to go away.

The issue was revisited with some heated comments during Tuesday's board meeting. The discussion, more of which is detailed later in the post, shows the continuing wariness between the Republican and Democratic members.

More recently, Terry Stoops, director of education studies for the conservative John Locke Foundation, brought up the issue in a Thursday blog post.

Education Week is checking in on the Wake County school diversity fight as part of its weekly focus on a school district.

Today's article focuses on the school board's decision to have Superintendent Tony Tata review the Wake School Choice Plan as part of his efforts to develop a new long-term student assignment plan. The article calls the decision a step "that may turn down the temperature of the intense debate."

Going forward on the blog, I'm just going to call the proposal from the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and the Wake Education Partnership the Wake School Choice Plan.

The State of Things will tackle the Wake County school board's hiring of Anthony Tata as superintendent on today's radio show.

Among the guests expected on the show will be N&O reporter Thomas Goldsmith, Kathleen Brennan of Wake CARES, former school board member Beverley Clark of the Great Schools in Wake Coalition and Steve Parrott of the Wake Education Partnership.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

CORRECTED TO SAY THAT STEVE PARROTT WILL APPEAR FROM THE WAKE ED PARTNERSHIP

CORRECTED TO SAY THAT BEVERLEY CLARK AND NOT YEVONNE BRANNON IS REPRESENTING GREAT SCHOOLS IN WAKE

Will the tense relationship between the Wake County school board majority and the Wake Education Partnership become more relaxed now?

As noted in today's article, members of the board majority are saying that the hiring of Steve Parrott to be the WEP's new president is a good sign. The traditionally good relationship between the board and the WEP has been strained over the elimination of the diversity policy.

“Our relationship hasn’t recently been the best,” said school board chairman Ron Margiotta. “It’s been strained. Hopefully we have someone now who will look at all the facts and not blindly support the past practices that were in place.”

The Wake Education Partnership has turned to a businessman to be the group's next president.

It was announced today that Steve Parrott, a former telecommunications executive who now runs an investment company, will replace Ann Denlinger as the WEP's president. Denlinger is retiring from the position.

While Denlinger was a retired educator, Parrott had climbed the ladder at Sprint, and later Embarq, from the late 1970s to 2009. Earlier this year, Parrott formed Summerset Investment Group, a residential real estate investment and property management company focused on the Raleigh and Wilmington markets.

UPDATE

Click here for the WEP press release.