This has not been a great week for marketing Wake County to the rest of the nation.
As noted in today's article, Wake's family-friendly reputation has been replaced with images of shouting students and police handcuffing protesters. Critics of the new Wake County school board majority say they're tarnishing the area's national reputation while supporters are blaming the problems on outside agitators, some of whom have a lengthy record of political activism and arrests.
Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker said the situation is causing such as black eye for Wake that the county commissioners need to exert control over the school board. Meeker, who spoke at the Friends of Diversity Press Conference the day before the election in October, is married to school board member Anne McLaurin.
"It's time for the county commissioners to step into this disorderly situation," Meeker said. "Things have gotten so bad."
Yevonne Brannon, chairwoman of the Great Schools in Wake Coalition, said the new board majority's policies are causing people to be reluctant to move here or to bring their businesses.
"We've been the standard for how to do it right," Brannon said. "It has got to be amazing to the national media and the national education community how we're doing it wrong now."
Brannon agrees that the protesters "got out of hand" on Tuesday and shouldn't have been disrupting the meeting by chanting so loudly.
Brannon says she realizes that school board chairman Ron Margiotta was doing what he thought was right by walking up to the protesters in the hallway. But she said he made things worse.
But Joey Stansbury, who runs the Wake Community Network blog and PAC, thinks the three who got arrested were deliberately trying to do so. He called them "paid political agitators."
In the case of Dante Strobino, 29, of Raleigh, Tuesday's arrest was from his first. State court records show that Strobino has been arrested four times for trespassing, twice for resisting a police officer and once for breaking and entering during his many protests.
Strobino is a union organizer affiliated with Raleigh F.I.S.T. (Fight Imperialism Stand Together), a self-professed socialist group. He's a former N.C. State student who was well known for his activism on campus.
Duncan Edward Hardee, 21, of Asheville also has been arrested before for his political activism. State court records show that the former Carnage Middle and former Enloe High student has been arrested once for resisting a police officer, once for trespassing and once for indecent exposure.
Hardee was also apparently arrested but never charged for civil disobedience at a 2008 "Vets for Peace" protest in St. Paul, Minn., during the Republican National Convention. He was apparently pepper sprayed by police.
The third person arrested on Tuesday was Rakhee Devasthali, 22, a UNC-Chapel Hill student from Fayetteville. State court records showed her arrest on charges of obstructing a police officer was her first.
Devasthali is described as "a student known for activism" in Thursday's Daily Tarheel, the UNC-Chapel Hill student newspaper. The article said she's a women’s studies major and member of the group Student Action with Workers.
Devasthali was one of the protesters who was nearly arrested after they started chanting their opposition to increased tuition and fees at a state legislative hearing this month.
Devasthali didn't return calls or e-mails Thursday. Hardee couldn't be reached for comment.
Strobino declined comment Thursday, saying a press conference would be forthcoming.
UPDATE: CORRECTED LINK FOR HARDEE'S ARREST RECORD
Comments
Jenman
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 22:37 — JaneknowsbestDon't mean to be snarky but you and Jeannie can drink coffee and sing kumbaya (sp?) till the cows come home and it isn't going to make one bit of difference if the majority won't listen to anyone but themselves and their "experts"
It is incorrect to say the
Wed, 03/31/2010 - 11:01 — woodstockIt is incorrect to say the new board members are not listening to
anyone. They HAVE listened to the overwhelming number of parents,
taxpayers and voters of Wake County who are seeking long overdue change
that will lead to increased academic achievement and a more family-friendly system. It is why Tedesco,
Goldman, Prickett, and Malone are sitting in the BoE seats that status
quo board members USED to sit in.
From my perspective is appears you and the rest of the small
fringe opposition are just unhappy with being in the the minority. You see,
a vast majority of people in Wake County don't want to cling to the
antiquated and failed status quo policies that have led to declining
test scores and plummeting graduation rates among our most vulnerable
students.
So..
Sat, 03/27/2010 - 08:44 — Bob_SconceYou're buying into the faulty premise "If you listened to me, you'd be doing what I want you to do." AS Kevin Hill famously pointed out to Wakefield families recently (and as I point out to my kids at least once a week), that premise is wrong.
The old majority did not listen either
Sat, 03/27/2010 - 08:12 — MomknowsbestThe old majority did not listen either. That's why the change of hands.
It is not a matter of not
Wed, 03/31/2010 - 11:10 — woodstockIt is not a matter of not listenting. Each board listened to somone, they just listened to different people and entities. The old board listened to social engineering activists and business interests more concerned with happy overall stats than the needs of individual students. The new board listened, and continues to listen, to the parents, taxpayers, and voters of Wake County...as they should.
..
Sat, 03/27/2010 - 10:29 — Dove314This "do unto as I've been done unto" mentality is unproductive and does a disservice in every argument where this point is raised. The message this sends is whatever majority happens to be in power has no responsibility to listen. When do we as residents of the county change our mindsets and insist that a school board listen fairly to ALL the residents of the county?
Agree, but...
Sat, 03/27/2010 - 11:42 — Bob_SconceSo, you can't justify doing a wrong by "well, you did it too." But, the current board is finding that the previous board was, in fact, correct about some things. For example,"the fact that we didn't do what you wanted doesn't mean that we didn't listen to you" was often repeated by the previous board (and more recently by Kevin Hill in response to Wakefield families.) It's correct -- the board will never make everybody happy, and those who oppose the change in policy would do well to remember when their side made that argument.
"For example,"the fact that
Sat, 03/27/2010 - 15:40 — Apexter"For example,"the fact that we didn't do what you wanted doesn't mean
that we didn't listen to you" was often repeated by the previous board
(and more recently by Kevin Hill in response to Wakefield families.)
It's correct -- the board will never make everybody happy, and those who
oppose the change in policy would do well to remember when their side
made that argument."
Well said, Bob.
I'd make the additional point that the charges that the current board "doesn't listen" and that the most recent meeting violated open meetings laws just don't hold water. I can agree that the board has not responded to some of the demands made at the meetings, but as someone who as been involved with school board goings-on for about 9 years now, I would say that the opportunity for public comment is absolutely unprecedented.
The standard operating procedure all along has been for there to be 30 minutes for public comment near the beginning of the school board agenda; if more people wanted to speak than could be accommodated during that time, they were normally moved to the end of the meeting agenda. For the first couple of meetings, Mr. Margiotta allowed everyone who signed up to speak at the top of the agenda. More recently, he has moved to change this to allowing a full hour at the top of the agenda, with other speakers moved to the end of the agenda. In addition to this, the board held a number of community engagement meetings.
All speakers have been allowed to speak, even though some have behaved very badly. Contrast this to a community engagment meeting where prior board members had security escort a speaker from the premises for the offense of going past the 3 minute mark. At Community Engagment Meetings, Mr. Margiotta has kept all the board members present hearing the full slate of speakers, rather than making impromptu splits of the board between two different rooms at the host school, and leaving speakers wondering if the other half of the board would really sit down and listen to a videotape and hear their concerns. While he has cut the already short 3 minute speaking time to 2 minutes in order to allow more citizens to speak, Mr. Margiotta does ensure that all speakers were allowed to speak. Contrast this to earlier CEMs where the lines could arbitrarily be cut off for time. I personally have stood in line to speak at a CEM, only to have the meeting called for time just before I was to come to the podium (and I wasn't the last in line.) (And, yes, I believe Chuck took some personal delight in doing this.)
As for violating open meetings laws --- the board meetings since the new board has taken office have had far more sunshine than BOE meetings have ever had. Never before has the entire community been able to watch board meetings --- and even COW meetings! --- streamed online. (Some have been able to watch them on cable TV, but not all of us have cable, so this is a welcome opportunity for me.) I would submit that a meeting that is streamed and archived for later viewing is MORE open and accessible than one that must be attended live and in person. There are, in fact, fire codes that make it not only prudent, but mandatory, to limit attendance.
Mr. Margiotta made the right call in limiting the attendance at this meeting. I'll admit, though, that it would have been far better to have made the call jmore than 24 hours in advance. I still don't understand the reasoning behind requiring people who got tickets not leave the premises; that seems unreasonable and irrational to me. I don't know if that was his call, or security's. I didn't see the actual tickets that were given out. Could it have been that they didn't want people to leave the premises because they were afraid that people would leave and duplicate the tickets and hand them out to friends? For those who have suggested that the meeting should have been moved to a high school ---- No. The timing is not right. A volatile spectacle like this should not be moved onto a school campus when the times would overlap with times when the kids would be on campus, or just leaving campus.
It's a great point that "the
Sat, 03/27/2010 - 12:24 — willynillyIt's a great point that "the board will never make everyone happy." In education I have found that it is impossible to get a "consensus" on almost anything, but that is how education seems to run. A principal will say, "Here is what I want to do and I want all of you to go with me." Then the principal asks for a vote. If you abstain or vote against the majority then you get singled out and asked, "Why don't you want to do this?" Soooooo, to avoid that, you end up voting yes so as to avoid the pressure to conform to what everyone else has already decided to NOT fight.
In looking back over the past few years the board has made decisions that go against the wishes of what "appeard" to be a large number of poeple. There was quite a bro hah over forced year round (ooops, mandatory) and that seemed to be a rallying cry for this new board. If I make a promise, as a "runner" for a seat, then in my mind I owe the people that put me in that seat to keep my promise. That may sound like I am not listening to both sides......BUT I was elected because of my promise to "make a specific change." If I do not make that change then I will be removed from that seat the next time a new round of voting comes along. To me this sounds like good politics.....keeping my promises.
In another post I mentioned that our children/students are watching us and learning from us about how to solve our problems. Look at story about how students are trying to solve their problems in Knightdale. Be very aware that our children will follow by our example and deed!!!
Our children are watching
Sat, 03/27/2010 - 13:27 — Dove314Our children are watching and even participating in some cases.
Yet, in your message, you suggest that we teach them to yield to pressure from others around them, to yield to the directive of the principal, and to not defend their point of view when questioned by authority. I disagree completely with those points. To be singled out can be uncomfortable but, in asking "Why don't you want to do this?", that principal will have already done more than the board majority. At that point, the principal at least has held a meeting to explain what "this" really means while he was in the position of authority.
We're not going to agree because you see the board as going where you want and fulfilling their promise to you within the election. I've seen none of the boards for the entirity of my children's careers in WCPSS do any better than a predecessor and often worse. All apply this "do unto as I've been done unto" mantra. I've heard "sweeping change" repeated so frequency it has lost it's meaning.
This is nothing more than an example of the low threshold of behavior tolerated and fostered in politics and continuing a long line.
I repeat, we can and should be attempting to do better and one of the reasons why IS because the children are watching.
The WCPSS has a way of
Sat, 03/27/2010 - 13:34 — willynillyThe WCPSS has a way of dealing with people that do not tow the line. If you are interested in seeing this feel free to email Keung. If he feels it safe to do so I'll show what they do to people that, for personal beliefs, do not tow the party line. One friend told me that when she decied to make a stand she told her husband to make sure their taxes were "dotted and crossed: before hand so that nothing politically could be used to discredit her.
I'm saddened by your experience.
Sat, 03/27/2010 - 14:22 — Dove314As I've shared previously, to me -- the teachers are the ones who've made a difference for my children and so many other's children as well. School systems are inherently upside-down -- the teachers are the ones who are there with the children and really know what works and doesn't. I wish school systems were not political but rather managed from the bottom up with teachers driving the system. It often seems that teachers, much like children, muddle through despite the administration and school board rather than with the help of those groups.
I expect little of the principals partially due to the Peter Principle of bureaucracy in action although there have been a few really good ones. I expect almost nothing from the school board except confounding everything as they play their politics out. I applaud the teachers for hanging in there day-in and day-out with my children and others when they get neither the respect from so many nor the monetary reward they deserve for their critical role in shaping each generation.
And I'm sad from just the little I've seen you share here that you were and you and others are not valued more for the tremendous contribution you make.
Keung -
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 12:58 — louiselee44This will be distributed to the Associated Press - right??!
At least it was covered in an N&O article so that the whole country won't think that our own HS students were arrested, which has certainly been implied in some outlets.
Thanks!
All of our copy, including
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 14:52 — KeungHui (author)All of our copy, including blog posts, is made available to AP. It's up to them whether they use it.
Thanks!
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 14:57 — louiselee44Thanks!
Research drawbacks in education
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 09:48 — willynillyOne thing that was an eye opener for me in graduate school was how tough it is to get real and vaild research in education. During my class, Collaborative Research in Education, our intructor asked a very important question. "To know if a new strategy works in education how long will it take?" The common sense answer would be 12 years. That means you look at the incoming 1st graders and see how many are still there on graduate day. Is that not one of the benchmarks for colleges? How many freshman started and how many graduate 4 or 5 years later (depending on their degree?).
My own experience in education shows that each and every year there is a "flavor of the year." One year it is Positive Behavior Support. Then someone gets the idea it is how we grade that makes students feel bad about themselves so we give a minimum grade of 62 or 65 and we call it ABCI. We have these people who may or may not have taught in a classroom and they "sell" this stuff to school systems and they find a principal who "buys in to this stuff" with TAXPAYER MONEY. Even in the face of irrefutable evidence that a technique is questionable....at BEST....they trudge along with it. Then, a few years later, a new principal comes in and revamps all of the stuff the other principal did.... if not do away with it all together and the teachers are learning something new.....AGAIN.
In teaching history and science I use my own personal experiences. I was in the navy for over 10 years. I have no doubt that no one (unless their is some phobia or other psychological disorder) does something that will intentionally hurt or damage what they are trying to do. I do not believe that the protestors have any animosity towards the children of the WCPSS. Has what they have done damaged any of the children? Time WILL tell.
I have read Civil Disobedience and I am fully aware of "by any means necessary." However, my experience with the WCPSS is that if one (ME) has a view different (politcially and/or philosphically) from a principal, that principal will paint a bullseye on your back and have one his croonies get rid of you. For me, I stood my ground and refused to leave when offered the chance to leave by the WCPSS Attorney in the face of some trumped up stuff. So I am fully aware that as a teacher in the WCPSS if you hear rhetoric that is accepted by a principal being espoused from a teacher with whom you work you had better shut up and deal with it. In short, I am fully aware of the mind set of the WCPSS, the former Superintendent Del Burns and the former HR Superintendent Maurice Boswell.
The students sitting in our classrooms are NOT experiments. They are not there to have tested on them every new fangled idea that rolls down the hill. The are not political pawns. And anyone that does not think these students are aware of what is going on need to think other wise. My students get the very clear picture of what happens if you disagree with anything:
*In the WCPSS you can get harrassed and your car will be attacked...or that it is OK to attack said car.
*In government you vote your conscience and people attack your family and relatives and cut the gas lines to your home.
....and the list goes on.
There is a story of a man trying to teach his child about honesty and he spends weeks doing this. As a celebration of the "success" the father takes his son to the movies. When the women selling tickets asks the age of the son the father says 12, when the son is 13, in order to save money. Are we not teaching our students in the same way? By actions and deeds?
In this country we have a voice and it is called a vote. In the past few years there has been an incredible amount of attention brought to bear on the practices of the WCPSS. Like all school systems Wake County prints it's own advertisements "We are the best." Well, if that is an opinion no one can say otherwsie really, right? But what if this were a business? Would the WCPSS (or any other system) stand the test of time (say, if they had competition?) and remain in business? Apparently a good number of people were not satisfied with the Status Quo (ergo Charter Schools filling up and homeschooling growning by leaps and bounds). So they got behind the people they wanted to see brought into the board and they put them there fair and square. (Or was the election fixed in some way?) Now in business you get the chance to "show your stuff." I do hope and pray that principals in the system do not sabatoge the inititives to make things look bad. However, my own experience tells me that this is a distinct possibility.
The WCPSS (as with many school systems in NC) placed, in writing, that the Federal Government has dictated what a Highly Qualified teacher is. No one has called them on this. The Federal Government NEVER dictated that. The Feds, through the former NCLB, said that EACH STATE must decide what HQ means. They must "have a standard." However, the politcal p---g contest just kept going. It got lost in the fray that the Late Sen Ted Kennedy was one of the three original architects of NCLB. Again, a fact that seemd to be unknown in the WCPSS. Bottom line, THERE NEVER WAS a Federal definition of a HQ teacher.
OK, so many strands going there. I have seen the dark side of the WCPSS. It was time for a change. My case my be resolved soon and I hope to leave that chapter of my life behind in the dust. It has taken me 6 years to do this. So for now, why don't we see what happens? Let's see if these changes are for the good. And during this time, if you do not like what you see, do what others have done. Get yourselves together and vote!!! Show our students and children that we can agree to disagree and follow some type of rule as to how to endure confilct and then resolve it. I teach middle school and have found in all 13 years in the classroom something I learn more and more each day: These kids can do more and know more than most people give them credit for. They are WATCHING....they are LISTENING and they are LEARNING by OUR ACTIONS!
A LOT OF EDUCATION IS A SCAM
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 14:08 — Voice_of_Reason_- Why do we keep needing to re-write text books. Sure some science text books get out of date, but why are we need to teach everything new. To find out, follow the money.
- And why do we need to continually re-write or refocus history and social studies. Follow the influence and the power brokers.
- Why is so important to re-invent the wheel every couple of years? To find out, follow the money.
- Why do we continue to have such high administrative costs.? To find out, follow the money.
- Why is it with all the supposed progress in education have we not made great strides in performance? Again, follow the money.
Then of course, the federal government in their great wisdom beleaves in creating great inefficient bureaucracies that take time away from teaching children in the name of helping the children. In this case, follow the power.
Then of course the teacher unions, are they helping students or themselves? Follow the power and influence.
Ever wonder why it costs so much to educate our kids compared to some private schools? How about college, it used to be that professors taught class almost 100% of the time, my has that changed.
What is really interesting
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 14:37 — willynillyWhat is really interesting is that both the NCWISE Data Management System AND National Boards for Professional Teaching Standards can be traced back to one man, a North Carolinian. These two things have cost the taxpayers of NC somewhere over (at a conservative estimate) 1 BILLION DOLLARS.
Meeker...
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 07:41 — Bob_SconceHeh... Didn't Anne McLaurin complain about the Commissioners improperly trying to control the board when Tony Gurley classified the district's budget? And didn't Stan Norwalk, upon being elected, say that the commissioners had no business in messing with the school board's decisions?
Interesting-- now that Dems
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 11:02 — jenmanInteresting-- now that Dems have a majority on the BOE he thinks they should take 'control' over the majority Rep school board?
How can they exert control?
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 09:35 — NWRaleighMomIs there any other way rather than cut the funding?
I think it is disgusting
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 07:36 — changewcpssI think it is disgusting that Rev Barber and his NAACP buddies have chosen to make a spectacle of our school system. Bring in the student protestors, and yes, WCPSS is getting a black eye. While the old reputation did not give a true picture of the turmoil in our system, these groups have brought in the national media and hurt our children and our local economy. Shame on them.
I was unaware that the NAACP brought in student protesters.
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 09:25 — Athey01Is this your opinion or is there some factual reference source I could independently confirm?
Please, le't's not add to the confusion.
If you took the time to read
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 11:34 — changewcpssIf you took the time to read my post you would see that I did not say NAACP brought in the student protestors. Rev. Barbor brought his attention mongering race-baiting buddies. Judging by their previous actions, the students protestors must have heard that there was a chance to protest something that was receiving attention and came in looking to make noise.
Let's not add to the confusion. These attention seekers are bringing enough negative press to our school system on their own.
I was confused by your use of the word "bring".
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 11:49 — Athey01In your first sentence you are condemning Mr. Barbor and the NAACP. In the second sentence you "bring" in the student protesters. I, and possibly others, falsely assumed you were directly linking the protesters to the NAACP. Sorry for my confusion with your statement.
Larger Venue
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 07:01 — TKDMomI wonder if the new school board had selected a lager venue, like Fletcher Auditorium or a high school auditorium, then it would have been easier for security to have kept the students under control. If the students had been seated then it would have been easier to have kept them quiet. Also, you cannot see or hear what is going on in that hallway so they had nothing to do and did not feel a part of what was going on. A larger venue would have had multiple entrance/exit doors so it would have been harder to have blocked doors. The room selected has only 1 entrance/exit door.
Also, by not moving to a larger venue and requiring tickets they may have set themselves up for a violation of opening meeting laws. I guess they do not care how much legal the taxpayers have to pay for them but I do. I would rather for this money go to the classrooms or save someone's job.
So..
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 07:37 — Bob_SconceThe district's insurance generally pays for defending legal claims against it. When the then-board crammed year-round schools down parents throats, their insurance picked up the costs of the resulting lawsuit.
In any case, there's no substance to the complaint here. The open meeting laws do not prevent boards from holding meetings in rooms smaller than the size of the expected audience or from taking reasonable measures to ensure safety and compliance with the fire code. (I'd point you to the NC statutes on the subject, but the General Assembly's webserver appears to be down.)
insurance
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 08:11 — TKDMomBob,
Does the insurance pay 100% including staff time required? Can the insurance cancel the policy? Will our rate increase?
If Mr. Margiotta is prosecuted under NCGS 14-230 would the insurance cover this?
So...
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 08:42 — Bob_SconceI haven't seen the insurance policy itself. In general, such policies pay attorneys fees and monetary damages after a deductible is met. They do not reimburse the insured for their time involved.
Such policies also generally cover criminal prosecutions for acts done in good faith.
Please back up your claim that Ron violated Section 14-230. You can't just go around suggesting that somebody may have violated a criminal statute without support. I haven't seen any actions which could be reasonably colored into that sort of a claim -- the fact that an official is doing things you don't like does not imply that he's willfully failing to discharge his duties.
I agree that a lawsuit would not be completely free despite insurance. But, elected boards cannot be afraid to act just because some opposing group has the ability to sue.
I did not say that Ron had
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 08:53 — TKDMomI did not say that Ron had violated a criminal statute I was just asking "if" he did what would the taxpayers or our insurance have to cover his legal expenses.
Yeah...
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 21:45 — Bob_SconceSo, if Kevin Hill were prosecuted for having sex with a student or Carolyn Morisson for providing alcohol to a minor, the district's insurance wouldn't cover them either.
See how that works?
...
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 21:48 — Bob_Sconce(trying to make a point about "push" type question. I would be extremely surprised if either Hill or Morisson did either of those things -- I may disagree with their policies, but I have full confidence that neither is a criminal.)
What a sad day for Raleigh
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 06:49 — TKDMomWhat a sad day for Raleigh. This just shows the new school board does not care how much damage they cause to get what they want. If they had just been willing to compromise then the national headlines would have been very different.
I wonder how many of their supporters income depend on a strong economy in Raleigh. Mine does.
Excuse Me!!!!
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 08:17 — choice4allwould have been very different."
Excuse me! That sounded like a threat. Like all this attention is their fault?? You have the gall to insinuate that this is their fault when you have the likes of the shenanigans of the NAACP that only cares about themselves? Magnet parents who are possibley in jeopardy of losing their precious magnet status?Insulting, clueless, self proclaimed ministers stirring the pot with their Social Justice crys and hate? And now it comes out that the organizer of these protests were from UNC who were "professional protesters "by F.I.S.T probably coached by William Ayres?.
You need to feel sorry and sad for yourself because you are fueling this fire of hate. Start pointing the finger at the real cause of this disruption and that would probably be you.
:::
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 08:25 — JanisTangoIf the previous board had just been willing to compromise the outcome of the election might have been different!
I agree completely.
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 09:30 — Athey01This is why the new board need to be willing to compromise. Furthermore, it's critical that all of us keep an open mind.... less talking, and more listening.
Any idea where Y Brannon 'I
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 11:38 — changewcpssAny idea where Y Brannon 'I plan to fight the school board every step of the way' fits into the compromise plan? Nowhere. She is just another person out to get personal attention at the expense of our failing ED students.
Until these attention seekers calm down and look at the big picture, they will only serve to damage what we've got even more than they already have. At this point it is salvageable with the community schools plan, but they appear intent on driving the system into the ground with their ignorance and confrontational actions.
I agree with both you and
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 16:52 — jenmanI agree with both you and Athey. I agree that people like Brannon don't fit into the compromise picture. Same with Calla Wright. But it will be their loss because when the rest of us start concentrating more on our commonalities instead of our differences, then they will left in the dust.
We have the opportunity to create something amazing here that will serve ALL of our children. We have to keep our eyes on the prize and tune out all the nay sayers & extremists on both sides. There was a spark of productive discussion and compromise at the last board meeting. Let's decide as a community that we are going to make a dedicated effort to cultivate that constructive discussion. We can getthere. We will get there, but we've got to join together to do it.
The previous board caused
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 08:32 — oldparentThe previous board caused all these problems with their unwillingness to compromise and resistance to hearing the facts. They never questioned any of the bull that C. Dulaney shoved down their throats even when parents presented the true facts time after time!
"This just shows the new
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 07:42 — CaryCurmudgeon"This just shows the new school board does
not care how much damage they cause to get what they want."
The board is not working to get what "they" want, they are working to do the will of Wake County citizens.
would have been very different."
"the will of Wake County
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 11:57 — jeannie84"the will of Wake County citizens. "
Joe: You mean the will of the minority who voted for them. If they were doing the "will of Wake County citizens," they would heed the results of the survey they initiated and not be proposing a massive dismantling of a school system where 90+% of families are happy with things as they are.
To quote "The Lion King," we are all connected in this Circle of Life. As much as anyone might want to argue differently, the quality of life in Wake County is intertwined with the quality of our schools -- ALL of them. I know for a fact that businesses have decided not to relocate to Wake County because of the recent national headlines, and workers are opting to pass on job offers in Wake County (in this economy!) because of what the BOE majority has proposed to do to the school system. Tedesco and his crew keep talking about the need for school funding that should come from the private sector (businesses), but why would they support a school system that is destined to fail as a result of their zone plan?
You mean the will of the
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 13:12 — CaryCurmudgeonYou mean the will of the minority who voted for them..
That conversation has been had a hundred times.
If individuals or companies are being scared off from coming to Wake County, it is more likely that they are scared off by the tidings of gloom and armageddon coming from people who still will not accept the consequences of the last election.
So far, the board has converted five schools and recommended reassigning 300 or so students. They have not touched a magnet school. They ended Wacky Wednesdays. Sorry, but I don't accept those actions are representing enough cause for someone to change a decision to move here.
On the other hand, when these people see professional protesters getting arrested, when they see Bill Barbar railing against racism, when they read Steve Ford's Daily Doom editorials, when they hear Yvonne Brannon and friends projecting the implosion of our school system, THEN they might get a little skittish. The board hasn't even released a zone plan yet, and the ED education task force has just gotten started. For a bunch of people who consider our schools to be an economic development tool, I don't think these folks are helping their cause lately.
BTW, Cary used to be ranked in the top 20 of Fortune's Best Places to Live. Cary was even ranked first once. Largely because of MYR and constant reassignment, Cary is no longer in the top 20. You can thank the previous board for that.
You are correct......
Sat, 03/27/2010 - 05:37 — swwakeIf Enloe is an example of educational excellence, then that will surely keep businesses from relocating here (yes I know if is a small number of the overall school population).
My high school aged children were looking over my shoulder when I was checking out the photos of the protests. They had nothing but derogatory comments for them. They even said that they were glad they go to a regular high school not one of those wacky magnets which obviously do not give enough homework if they have that sort of time to waste..
So, basically, those who
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 15:34 — jeannie84So, basically, those who disagree should shut up and walk the line? how can you be so sure that it is not the turn away from a nationally recognized -- and acclaimed -- school model that is the point of concern? And before you label me as a status quo supporter, know that EVERYONE agrees improvements need to be made in WCPSS; but dismantling the diversity policy is not the way to achieve it
jeannie--I would never say
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 16:45 — jenmanjeannie--I would never say that people who disagree should shut up and walk the line. I don't believe that. I certainly don't believe that for myself and I don't believe it for you either, even if you disagree with me 100% on something. What I do think you (general you) should do is 1) Stop yelling. Stop accusing the board of awful things. Stop accusing board supporters of awful things. I understand the anger, but its just not productive.
2) Start working towards finding common ground. You said that everyone agrees that improvements need to be made. So let's start working on solutions that can include some of what you want. Let's make sure that when the zones are drawn up, we try to get a mix of neighborhoods in those zones. Some places, we won't be able to do that as well as others, but I think its doable in most cases. We really have some amazingly diverse communities if we look outside the boundaries of specific neighborhoods.
Reach out to people who don't agree with you and ask them to go out for coffee to talk. You'll find that we all have much more in common than not.
Joe and Jennifer: Thank
Sat, 03/27/2010 - 07:40 — jeannie84Joe and Jennifer:
Thank you for your posts, and sorry if I sounded testy. Of course the media is primarily interested in drama and, unfortunately, spotlighting bad behavior. I do not support or condone destructive or rude actions, and I believe that most of those who are seeking to have a conversation with the BOE majority about these issues would agree with me. I do object when the "other side" lumps the people who are now speaking out together and condemns us all based on the poor choices of a select few. What the BOE majority and their supporters don't seem to realize is that there is not just one group out hear speaking out. The singular agenda of the BOE majority has not been open to the conversation and consensus-building that you suggest. Their flat-out refusal to consider the compromises offered by the minority on Tuesday is proof of that. What you are seeing is a groundswell of outrage at their talking the talk, but not walking the walk. If you have any sway with the BOE majority, please encourage them to reach to us and start searching for that elusive commonground because, so far, they have made no attempt to do so.
jeannie--I have been
Sat, 03/27/2010 - 10:28 — jenmanjeannie--I have been thinking about speaking at the next board meeting to talk about how some of us have been meeting and speaking with each other to try to find common ground. And to say that we are committed to toning down the rhetoric and ask others in the community to do so as well. That we want to do what we can to support the Board members by being supportive ourselves. It would be kind of neat if there were several of us in the audience that day, from different 'sides' of the issue who would stand up and say that we are committed to stop fighting with each other and instead work together to help the board find common ground.
I can't imagine how hard it is for ANY of the board members to have meaningful discussion with each other when they are getting yelled at from the audience. I heard people yelling stuff to members of both the minority and majority. That has got to be hard to feel under such scrutiny for every word and gesture.
sounds like a plan, Jennifer!
Sat, 03/27/2010 - 15:52 — jeannie84sounds like a plan, Jennifer!
Still struck
Sat, 03/27/2010 - 07:51 — Dove314The more I learn about Community Schools, the more I believe the board majority is doing this option a vast disservice by it's management in trying to implement the model. To publicly, in session, refuse flat out to even have a board work session where the new board majority had to sit and have talks with the elected representatives from my district and others in the minority was beyond ridiculous, insulting, divisive, and arrogant.
I'm not about to tell anyone
Fri, 03/26/2010 - 16:10 — CaryCurmudgeonI'm not about to tell anyone to shut up. Dissent is part of our democratic process. Anyone who doesn't support the new direction of our school system is always free to speak, demonstrate, whatever. Dissenters have choices in how to voice their opinion. My point was that when they choose extreme manners of communication which are media fodder, then they should not be surprised to see more media coverage at the national level.
Too many times I have seen compelling stories ignored by the media. Especially at the national level, these people seem to live for "reality TV" moments. The direction of our school system was decided last October. The national media didn't show up here until emotions took over and people started going to extremes.
I didn't call you a status-quo supporter before, and I won't now. Labeling people is a habit I am trying to break.