The cat will be out of the bag today, but was there a conspiratorial reason behind efforts by Wake County staff and the Republican school board members to get out the draft assignments now?
In a blog post Thursday, Bob Geary of the liberal Independent weekly writes that the changes that the Democratic board majority plan to make to the student assignment policy should drive the assignments and not the other way around. This means changes to the diversity component of the policy.
"The only reason for putting a list of assignments out now, before Policy 6200 is addressed, would be if (Superintendent Tony) Tata wants to highjack the decision about diversity before the board majority can act," Geary writes. "That is, dictate what the policy can or can't say by putting his own plan in first."
Geary adds that "I don't know if that was Tata's intention" because "he didn't say much on Tuesday."
"But it's clearly what Republican board members John Tedesco and Deborah Prickett intended when they pushed so hard for the staff's hypothetical assignments to be made public before Policy 6200 can be considered," Geary writes. "They like Policy 6200 as is, with no diversity component. We know that because, of course, they voted to take it out."
Geary writes that, understandably, parents "may care some about whether the plan will be fair to others. But first and foremost, they care about their own family."
"But the school board's job is to establish a plan that's the best possible for the community as a whole," Geary writes. "The only way to do so is to establish fair governing rules up-front and then apply them in even-handed fashion to each of the 150,000 students in the system.
That's not to say that the rules can't allow for some adjustments on the basis of fairness to individual kids.
It is to say that unless the rules are fair to begin with, no amount of jury-rigging after the fact will make them fair."
Geary wrote the post before school board chairman Kevin Hill opted to release the info. Geary writes, in an update, "hope it works out for them."
Comments
seriously!
Fri, 09/21/2012 - 20:09 — snordoneThis is crazy. Bob acknowledged that we had people problems with the old administration and we were doing things that were hurting low income children. I sat right there and heard it come out of his mouth at Bridgette's house. Why advocate for going back to a deficit model when you know it hurts children? WHY?
Maybe Politics? To make sure you continue to be invited to Virginia and Sig's cocktail parties? Gotta be the only reason to abandon your principles.
Sickening but it doesn't
Sat, 09/22/2012 - 22:11 — jenmanSickening but it doesn't surprise me. It is all politics and bullying. As much as the Dems talk about the terrible treatment that Goldman got from the Reps for not going along with JT's assignment plan, they did the same thing to Lindy Brown over Rolesville HS. One very active Dem told me last summer that Brown kissed any $ and other support goodbye when she voted for the Rolesville site.
It all makes my skin crawl.
Geary writes. "The only way
Fri, 09/21/2012 - 10:45 — shearertwGeary writes. "The only way to do so is to establish fair governing rules up-front and then apply them in even-handed fashion to each of the 150,000 students in the system."
How can a policy that states we're going to treat one "type" of child this way and another "type" of child that way ever be considered "even-handed"? Only in the liberal mind is treating people "differently" akin to treating them the "same".
If Bob Geary
Fri, 09/21/2012 - 10:43 — AgentPierceIf Keungy's little left-wing loonie buddy Bob Geary is against it, then I'm for it.
Can we expect Keungy's other little left-wing pal Cash Michael will get promoted here soon?
So...
Fri, 09/21/2012 - 10:22 — Bob_SconceChanging policy 6200 has not, traditionally, been an overnight process. First the policy committee considers it, votes on it, then presents it to the main board, which has to vote on it twice. It's a process that takes several months.
The current board majority may want all sorts of diversity components in the assignment plan. If so, it should have changed policy 6200 BEFORE directing the administration to create a new plan, not AFTER.
...
Fri, 09/21/2012 - 11:03 — SideburnsExactly. They didn't have the cajones to change 6200 - for fear of riling up parents. We all know what a "diversity component" will bring to the table. Instead, the Board tried to do it backhanded by attempting to micromanage a new plan behind closed doors.
BTW, the maps are available. No need to wait for the work sessions. You just have to ask for them. I pick up mine on Monday.
Where did you pick it up
Fri, 09/21/2012 - 14:50 — tropicalgirlWhere did you pick it up from? The office in Cary?
...
Fri, 09/21/2012 - 15:55 — SideburnsI will pick them up at the Cary Central Office.
Or
Fri, 09/21/2012 - 13:10 — ShannonDingleYou could just look online later today. The WCPSS website, Facebook page, and Twitter account all have announced that you can look up the draft base assignments online this afternoon.
You'll be able to look up
Fri, 09/21/2012 - 13:30 — KeungHui (author)You'll be able to look up individual assignments but you won't see a map.
Yep!
Fri, 09/21/2012 - 14:55 — ShannonDingleI was just coming back to correct myself about that.
Huh? This a out of the blue.
Fri, 09/21/2012 - 10:18 — woodstockHuh? This a out of the blue. What and whose "diversity efforts?" I don't recall the new board majority ever discussing Policy 6200. When was it ever discussed in connection with the "tweaks" that Yevonne Brannon ... er. I mean, the new board majority... wants to make to the student assignment plan?
It was part of the student
Fri, 09/21/2012 - 10:22 — KeungHui (author)It was part of the student assignment directive that policy 6200 would be revised. They hadn't gotten to it yet but will do so next week.
Hadn't gotten to it yet?
Fri, 09/21/2012 - 10:41 — woodstockHadn't gotten to it yet? What were they waiting for?
This makes no sense. Wasn't the board majority recommending going ahead with the community engagement meetings?! Wasn't the argument for having them to get input from the public on the assignment plan from a global perspective? Wouldn't changes to 6200 weigh heavily on that?
This does not smell right at all. What are they up to?
Isn't That The Cart Before The Horse?
Fri, 09/21/2012 - 10:30 — JanisTangoIs this the way it is usually handled? I would think the policy should have been changed before any assignment plan was developed?
Perhaps AdvancED could take
Fri, 09/21/2012 - 10:39 — shearertwPerhaps AdvancED could take a look at that process too....
I second that idea
Fri, 09/21/2012 - 10:41 — FSandYOUHurry AdvancED, apparently we have a board that has gone rogue!