How good were the old days under former Wake County Schools Superintendent Bill McNeal and how bad could they get it after the elimination of the diversity policy?
In the first part of a series last week in The Carolinian looking at the new Walnut Creek Elementary School, Cash Michaels looks fondly on the era when McNeal was superintendent from 2000 to 2006. The article contrasts that with the demographics of the new Walnut Creek in the post-SES policy era.
The article trumpets the low teacher turnover rates and high test scores when McNeal was superintendent as Wake tried to maintain "healthy schools."
“We understood that if we did not keep a handle on what we deemed were healthy schools, then we would be looking at teachers moving from certain schools, and not having the best teachers there,” McNeal said the article. “We were successful.”
The article acknowledges critics of the diversity policy who argue the state tests then were too easy. But Michaels points out that Wake was still outperforming the rest of the state then.
But the era had to end, article says, when the GOP-led Wake County Board of Commissioners "denied the school system' additional resources.
"When he couldn’t get the kind of resources to adequately keep up with growth and maintain the level of support he knew not only the school system, but its most challenged students needed, a frustrated McNeal left, knowing that things would fall apart fast, challenged students would fall behind, and more high poverty schools would result," according to the article.
Michaels blames the lack of resources for causing the school system to fall behind and to have problems such as fewer than 60 percent of economically disadvantaged students graduating on time.
Fast forward to the present where, in the absence of the diversity policy, Walnut Creek is opening up with more than 80 percent of students projected to be receiving subsidized lunches.
“They (Walnut Creek students) won’t be getting the same quality of education that other children in surrounding schools are receiving,” said Calla Wright, president of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens for African American Children, in the article.
According to the article, Wright says the children there will not have the same enriching experiences as they would in diverse student populations, and she worries that this will limit their ability to meet the challenges of a global society as they mature.
The article notes the $7,000 signing bonus that will be offered to the new principal and questions whether additional resources will flow in the future to the high-poverty schools.
Comments
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Fri, 03/04/2011 - 11:18 — magnetParent.
What interesting nonsense
Fri, 03/04/2011 - 10:40 — cmalone1In reference to Cash Michaels piece: I notice he does not mention that making Walnut Creek a traditional school was Mr. Sutton's initiative. In deference to Mr. Sutton whom I have a lot of respect for I accepted his rationale as the district representative and therefore closest to the people there and voted with him. Indeed weeks earlier I promised him the vote I made. Mr. Sutton mentioned issues with daycare as rationale for the decision, as well as his one on one contact with his constituents. It could be said this was an example of the majority and minority working together( Only Mrs. Morrison of the minority voted against the traditional schedule). Conversely, Mr. Tedesco who is as usual attacked by Mr. Michaels voted for year round which would have kept the poverty numbers down. Michaels even attacked Chairman Margiotta quoting him several times in opposition to high poverty schools, and then tried to paint him a hypocrite for supporting the Walnut Creek decision. I can tell you he was very much opposed to the decision, and let me know it. I also find it to be appalling Mr. Michaels would so interestingly edit his posting about what happened with that decision. He managed to savage the majority for a decision championed by Mr. Sutton and voted for by most of the minority members Mrs. Goldman and myself. He then inserted Mr. Tedesco editorially but not in context and extolled Mr. Sutton in the same rhetorical fashion. One day I hope to be so talented. Hopefully I won't be as misleading.
How, exactly, would making
Fri, 03/04/2011 - 11:18 — magnetParentHow, exactly, would making Walnut Creek ES a YR school keep the poverty numbers down? I understand that there would be more students, but what says that those students would not be high poverty as well? I thought Tedesco's issue with making Walnut Creek traditional calendar is because he thought a YR school would be better for the programs they could "offer" during track out? Was that not that case? Was it really just to make more room for more students? And would those students help out the poverty level?
You do understand that YR
Fri, 03/04/2011 - 11:42 — woodstockYou do understand that YR schools only theoretically hold more students, right? Two of the YR tracks are so unattractive they rarely if ever fill up... track two in particular, so YR schools never reach capacity and never will unless extremely unpopular mandatory measures are instituted. So YRs just end up being more much expensive alternatives to traditional schools without much -- if any -- benefit in terms of capacity.
If so....
Fri, 03/04/2011 - 13:37 — magnetParentOK... so how exactly does it keep the high povery numbers down? As Mr. Malone said, "Mr. Tedesco who is as usual attacked by Mr. Michaels voted for year round which would have kept the poverty numbers down."
You're just validating my point even more. Thanks.
I am not defending Malone
Sat, 03/05/2011 - 09:50 — woodstockI am not defending Malone and don't understand his point or why he would promise anything to Keith Sutton... makes me wonder what the reciprocal part of that deal is? Actually, I didn't think BoE members were suppose to discuss how they will vote with other members. I was simply making a point about YR schools. I hate them and see no value in them. They create more problems than they are worth and they the are expensive. Our money could be put to much better use.