The deal to house the Wake County school system's two new single-sex leadership academies at William Peace University fell apart in a matter of days this week.

As noted in today's article, the turning point came during Tuesday's school board meeting. The lobbying from Peace alumnae and students against the deal culminated in a lengthy closed-session board discussion that resulted in new questions for Peace that the university decided not to answer.

Peace's response was the terse statement saying it was walking away "due to the division and controversy on the Wake County Public School System board."

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST WITH STATEMENT ISSUED TODAY BY THE PEACE ALUMNAE WHO OPPOSED PLACING THE LEADERSHIP ACADEMIES ON CAMPUS

Peace University just issued this statement walking away from the deal for the single-sex schools:

STATEMENT

“William Peace University has requested that the Wake County Public School System remove the university from consideration for the leadership academies due to the division and controversy on the Wake County Public School System board. We wish the Wake County Public School System the best as they continue to consider whether to move forward with the leadership academies.” – William Peace University

It looks like the Wake County school board will need to use its contingency plans for the schools.

UPDATE

Here's the statement the Wake County school system released in response to Peace's statement:

"The Wake County Public School System and William Peace University have been unable to reach an agreement on the location of the early college portion of the Leadership Academies. We will continue discussions in the future at a time that works for both of us to determine what is in the best interest of both organizations and their students."

Wake County Schools Superintendent Tony Tata is reassuring parents at two new single-sex schools that they’ll open this fall even if a deal to house the academies at William Peace University falls through.

In this letter Wednesday to families at the new schools, Tata told them that the contingency plan would be to house the men’s leadership academy at a modular school site next to East Millbrook Middle School in North Raleigh.

Tata said the backup plan for the women’s leadership academy would be to house them at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in downtown Raleigh.

School officials said there’s enough space next to East Millbrook that they could house both the men’s academy and the new Abbotts Creek Elementary School if needed. Abbotts Creek received so few applicants in the first round of the school selection process that the school’s opening may be delayed.

More details to come, but the three new Democratic Wake County school board members are making a bid today to derail the two new single-sex leadership academies.

During the presentation at today's work session (click here for the handout), school board member Susan Evans said it wasn't fiscally responsible to start the academies now.

"Maybe it’s late in the game to have this discussion, but we haven’t had the chance to discuss it until now," Evans said.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST

The official public hearing on Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata's budget proposal will take place tomorrow after all.

An earlier district media advisory had said the hearing would be at the March 27 school board meeting. But a revised district media advisory and the official board agenda lists the public hearing for Tuesday.

During the work session, the board will receive a "school innovation update," which is the catch phrase for a presentation on housing the leadership academies at Peace University and the Gov. Morehead School for the Blind and the CTE high school at the former Coca-Cola bottling factory.

The discussion could result in the leases being added to the regular meeting agenda.

As you guys may have seen in today's article by Martha Quillin and Amanda James, the YWCA of the Greater Triangle abruptly closed Wednesday because of budget woes.

The YWCA was known for various social service programs. But those involved in the Wake County school diversity fight also know the group as having played an active role in that issue in the past two years.

The YWCA was involved with groups such as N.C. HEAT and the Wake Youth Organizing Institute. It sponsored marches protesting the end of the diversity policy. It worked with federal investigators probing the school system.

The YWCA criticized the single-sex leadership academies. It honored Yevonne Brannon.

Is the Governor Morehead School for the Blind the right place to house some of the students in the Wake County school system's new single-sex leadership academies?

Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata told state legislators on Tuesday that he's been negotiating with the state Department of Public Instruction to lease space at the Morehead School to house 300 students. It's part of State Schools Superintendent June Atkinson's ongoing efforts to find alternative funding to avoid closing the Morehead School.

Later at Tuesday's school board meeting, Tata provided more detail to board members. He said the plan is to house the middle school students from the leadership academies at the Morehead School.

The Wake County school board has a lot crammed on its agenda today, including student assignment, school bus routing, the math placement policy and selling the Noble Road property.

That doesn't include the other items that may crop op, such as revisiting the mediation issue with the school board protesters and extending Superintendent Tony Tata's contract.

Let's start with the work session agenda, where we'll see if the new Democratic board majority heeds calls from its supporters to change the student assignment plan. Staff will give an update on the plan.

Here's a condensed recap of today's press conference held by Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata.

Tata said his staff will work through the weekend to be able to present at Tuesday's school board meeting the impact of making adjustments to the feeder patterns. He didn't go into specifics but said they're addressing some areas of concern that have been raised.

Tata said they'll also present info on the feasibility of making changes such as raising student achievement over proximity in the selection process and setting aside 15 percent of the seats at the high-performing regional choice schools for applicants from low-performing areas.

Is the Wake County school system undergoing "militarization" under the tenure of Superintendent Tony Tata?

That's a charge leveled in this Dec. 16 article by Jason Langberg and Lewis Pitts from the liberal Advocates for Children's Services. The article points to Tata's military career, the requirement of Junior ROTC for the new single-sex leadership academies and Wake's recent involvement in cybersecurity competitions.

The authors start by calling the Occupy Wall Street movement an "education justice movement." The piece charges that public education has "undergone a corporate coup" with the "mega-buck mafia’s buyout of public education."