As expected, the new Republican majority on the Wake County Board of Commissioners voted 4-3 this evening to rescind the resolution expressing concern about resegregation of the school system.
Paul Coble, newly elected chairman of the board of commissioners, said it was time to remove the "political hammer" that was used by the prior Democratic majority to go after the school board for eliminating the diversity policy.
Coble said that commissioners should have run for the school board if they had wanted to get into student assignment.
"Let the school board go about doing its business," added newly sworn in Commissioner Phil Matthews, whose victory over Lindy Brown gave the GOP the majority on the board.
But Democrats decried the vote.
"It's a sad, sad day," said Commissioner Stan Norwalk, who had proposed the resolution that was approved in April, after today's vote.
Commissioner Betty Lou Ward said rescinding the resolution would be an insult to teachers and administrators.
UPDATE
By a 6-1 vote, commissioners approved a resolution asking the school board to follow "purpose and function" budgeting provisions. Stan Norwalk was the lone dissenter.
By a 4-3 vote, commissioners approved adding lifting or eliminating the cap on charter schools to the board's statewide legislative goals. It was a straight party-line vote after Norwalk unsuccessfully added an amendment saying charter schools should reflect the diversity of the community.
Click here for today's article of the meeting by Thomas Goldsmith.
Comments
NORWALK PROVES AGAIN
Mon, 12/06/2010 - 21:40 — krut281He doesn't truly know the statutes governing charter schools.
statutes + Charter schools. Norwalk is correct
Mon, 12/06/2010 - 23:52 — prescott2The State statutes regarding charter schools specifically states that they must reflect the demographics of the communities in which they exist. Franklin Academy and Raleigh Charter to name just 2 fall woefully short of that measure as do many other charters.
"within one year after the charter school begins operation, the population of the school shall reasonably reflect the racial and ethnic composition of the general population residing within the local school administrative unit in which the school is located or the racial and ethnic composition of the special population that the school seeks to serve residing within the local school administrative unit in which the school is located."
Our tax dollars should not be used to fund elite, private schools that exclude equal opportunity for admission.
?
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 00:13 — Bob_SconceFirst of all, they have equal opportunity for admission. There's a lottery, held in public, and that lottery cannot weight applicants by race or ethnicity (or a bunch of other things).
Secondly, the statute has some flex in it -- it only has to "reasonably reflect" the composition.
Here's the rule interpreting that statute, straight from the NC BoE policy manual:
The school must have percentages that fall within the range exhibited by the regular, non-magnet, non-special schools in the district. [ . . . ]
If a school is outside the acceptable range, the Charter School Advisory Committee shall investigate the variance in order to determine whether or not the charter school made a good faith effort for diversity during enrollment.
So, you have a wide degree of latitude -- as long as a charter is somewhere between the racial mix of Willow Springs Elementary and Brentwood Elementary, they're probably fine. And if you're not, you just need a good faith effort.
Good Faith
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 01:59 — prescott2On the outside of the sealed application for a prestigious charter school located in Raleigh, one indicates highest level of math attained, gender and full name ( which certainly gives a clue as to ethnicity)- so equal opportunity? not exactly.
When a Wake Forest charter school and a Raleigh charter school maintain populations of <10% ( way less btw), and do so year after year, I maintain those school populations are far from mirroring the communities where they are located and in fact are skimming the cream.
Folks on this blog are decrying magnets and screaming they want equal goodies in their local schools, but I am puzzled why they don't mind their tax dollars being spent on elite charters.
With pitiful funding wcpss endeavors to educate all children. Charters don't even pretend that they are interested in equal education for all children.
Pfft....
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 09:19 — Bob_SconceAre you saying that RCHS looks at those and decides which to include in the lottery? Do you have any evidence of that whatsoever, or is this all in your imagination?
blind lottery
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 12:21 — prescott2I'm saying there's a reason for the very specific directions for labelling the admissions envelope. Someone's looking at it. If it's truly a blind lottery why do they need this information on the outside of the envelope? .
So...
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 13:38 — Bob_SconceWhere do you get this information about the envelopes? I can guess about why some of that information is needed:
(1) Highest level of math -- RCHS actually has three lotteries, depending on which level of math the applicant has attained. So, this determines which lottery the students is admitted to.
(2) Name -- so as to match up with siblings and staff (who get priority) and so they can read off the names of the winners without having to open the envelopes. Full name is probably to distinguish between "John Evan Smith" and "John Franklin Smith."
(3) Sex -- I don't know, but I haven't heard of any claims of sex-based discrimination.
You've insinuated that there's some sort of nefarious plot to rig the lottery, yet you don't have any actual evidence that it's ever happened.
application
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 14:39 — prescott2when you complete your application you are given the instructions I referred to. I did the process and my kid's name was selected to attend. i do know this is the process. Do they use this information selectively? to balance for gender, for math level your guess is as good as mine, but the fact remains that there's a lot of information that can be gleaned from the outside of the envelope.
Bob, I know you have your
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 14:18 — user12345Bob, I know you have your heart set on RCHS but they are not a diverse schools ...
I think they are 90% white in a county that is only 50% white. They don't represent the demographics of WCPSS in any way.
So...
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 14:27 — Bob_SconceDidn't claim that they matched the demographics of WCPSS. My point is that they're not peeking at the envelopes to decide who gets into the lottery. Further, I'm annoyed at prescott2 for implying that they are, without any actual proof.
I suspect that their demographics don't match largely because they are college-preparatory --it's likely that the college preparatory student population is demographically different from the WCPSS population (just as the WCPSS population is different from the Wake County population). Under state law, there's no problem with this.
outside of the envelope
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 14:41 — prescott2never said the peeked in the envelope. they don't have to. they require this information be written on the exterior of the sealed envelope.
And diverse- heck no.
Uh...
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 14:55 — Bob_SconceRe-read my post again. I said "at" not "in." I'll note that you're still making wild accusations without any evidence. The Board of Directors and Faculty are listed on their website. Take a look -- who of them do you think is reading the envelopes and discarding the ones with African-American sounding names?
I stand corrected
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 21:11 — prescott2peeked at not in, I stand corrected. I am completely familiar with the school and it's directors and faculty. Bob, the lottery can be gamed. Parents have been doing this all along. The fact that you are attempting to game it by playing the math placement odds is evidence. Others have used specific athletic prowess ( yes i am still talking RCHS). It's not a pure system. Sorry if this offends you.
?
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 22:01 — Bob_SconceAthletic prowess for the school that doesn't have a Football Team and whose Basketball team plays such luminaries as South Granville?
The math placement odds are published and approved by the state. What you're suggesting is not. If you have any evidence, you should forward it to the state board of Education.
you're turn to look at the website
Wed, 12/08/2010 - 01:33 — prescott2they do invest in competitive sports- and they do like winning teams. I wish you luck in the lottery.
I have filled out one of
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 14:04 — magnetParentI have filled out one of those envelopes and can say that it has a place for your math level on the outside. In fact, that information needs to be filled in by your 8th grade math teacher.
Not saying that they do, but they could very easily control the number of openings in each level math course by offering more of the upper level courses and less of the beginning (Algebra I) math. Bottom line is that they are a college prep charter school (they do not offer any other diploma but the university track) and limit their enrollment by that factor.
So...
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 14:30 — Bob_SconceTheir charter specifies the various percentages at the various levels: 25% are ready for Algebra-I, 50% for Geometry, 25% for Algebra-II. If you can get your kid ready for Algebra-II by that point (practically impossible in WCPSS), your odds of getting in are much, much higher.
You're right about the bottom line. They seem to be doing quite a good job of it, too.
I don't know how the charter
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 12:24 — red_balloonI don't know how the charter lottery works but it would be nice to have a transparent process with audits as needed. Ditto for magnets.
nice non-sensible bashing
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 09:13 — wakepta123your post is more of a diatribe and bashng than a a logical conclusion based on facts.
how many un-informed uneducated people are there out there? One would presume they would realize how ignorant they are and not prove it by posting in a public forum.
Another poster I can put on ignore!
Are we talking magnets
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 00:12 — red_balloonAre we talking magnets again? @ Our tax dollars should not be used to fund elite, private schools that exclude equal opportunity for admission.
magnets
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 02:05 — prescott2since magnets save tax dollars by fully utilizing older buildings already owned and reducing the need for new construction, I do not begrudge the concept of special programs to draw applicants to these locations. Plus magnets' populations do a better job of mirroring the general population.
incorrect comparison
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 02:18 — red_balloonMagnets do not mirror the general population. Once you get past the 'diversity' smoke screen, you will see that the applicant school (within a school) with enhanced offerings is pretty much devoid of 'diversity'.
school within a school
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 12:25 — prescott2I am very much aware of the school within a school phenomena. That exists in every high school in wake county- magnet or not. If your kid takes honors and AP classes guess what they demographics of those classes will look like. The fact remains that the overall non charter schools do reflect the general population and charters fail miserably at this requirement- and at the taxpayer's expense.
I can't speak on RCHS but I
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 12:47 — the_truthI can't speak on RCHS but I do know the lottery at Franklin Academy and Endeavor are in fact true random lotteries. Let me make sure I understand your logic. You have a problem with charters because the student bodys don't reflect the demographics of the local population even though all families are welcome to apply. Couldn't a person make that same complaint about the majority of boys varsity high school basketball teams? I mean quite often, their demographics don't reflect the local population so do we need to end those too?
state laws
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 13:30 — prescott2I have a problem with schools that accept public funding and then flaunt the laws that govern their structure. If these were strictly private schools they could select their population according to any guideline they want, but they are public schools that are supposed to serve the general public in order to qualify for taxpayer dollars.
I am aware of families that have been 'disinvited' by Franklin academy because their child does not meet their academic standards. True public schools do not have that luxury.Thus I have to question their 'stellar' success since they are cherry picking their student body either before admissions or after.
The fact remains the
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 12:40 — red_balloonThe fact remains the demographics of an applicant magnet school are similar to a charter school. That's natural given these schools attract committed/ interested parents. The one difference, which appears to have caught your attention, is the absence of certain demographics "warehoused" (borrowing user1-5's terminology) in a sub-standard parallel school. I expect if we throw more money at charters they too would be happy to build a facade of 'diversity'.
does a academically
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 14:29 — prescott2does a academically qualified base student not have the ability to take specialized classes at a magnet school? Are they specifically excluded? I think not. The crime of all of wake county's schools- magnets or not -is that they have been so starved of resources that they lost the achievement battle. That is not the fault of a magnet program which succeeded in saving the taxpayers the need to fund far more expensive new construction and in turn reduced blight and kept our declining neighborhoods vibrant. Perhaps as Stan Norwalk has suggested if the county allowed construction savings to be diverted to fund 'in-classroom' needs things would not have degraded to this extent.
Local charters are held up as a bastion of "we do it better' but in fact they present no solutions to the achievement gap and prefer to wholesale ignore this pesky little problem while sticking their hands out for public funding. Do local charters actively seek out minorities- no they do not. Do local charters provide transportation so low income students can afford to pollute their hallways- no they do not. They are elitist and make no bones about it.
Warts and all wcpss teachers and administrators do an admirable job educating all students while toiling in a system that ranks 85th out of 100 NC counties in terms of per student funding.
Why should charters have to
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 16:22 — the_truthWhy should charters have to actively seek out minorities?
because state statues require it
Wed, 12/08/2010 - 10:55 — prescott2state statutes require that a charter mirror the surrounding community demographics after one year of operation. The schools referenced above do not even come close after many years of operation.
They shouldn't have to seek
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 17:45 — user12345They shouldn't have to seek them out ... they should just naturally include them ...sort of like you won't expect to have an ES with all males .... earlier a poster was mentioning coming from Philadelphia schools and when I looked them up, I was amazed on how the public and charter schools are demographically similar like I would expect. Now, it is possible the charters are similar in total but segregated by school like here.
Prescott2 -- My sentiments
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 14:56 — virginiadarePrescott2 -- My sentiments exactly!!! I am so tired of critics blaming magnets or the diversity policy or assignment for the problems in WCPSS when it is so clearly and obviously a funding issue!!!
We have digressed from the
Tue, 12/07/2010 - 14:48 — red_balloonWe have digressed from the main issue. :)
As for charters, I believe they have a place in the education system. Public schools seem to work to reduce the achievement gap by demolishing student potential. Charter schools seem to address achievement improvement. Certainly if parents want their children to be the victims of academic genocide, public schools are a wondrous opportunity.
Ironic...
Mon, 12/06/2010 - 20:58 — Bob_SconceWhile the republican leaders of the General Assembly are talking about removing strings from money it gives local school districts, the republican county commissioners are adding strings (with some democratic support).
And Stan Norwalk flips back to the other side of my love/hate relationship with him.