The school system could regret making a new enemy in Dana Cope.
Cope, one of the Lacy parents facing reassignment, said a new group called the Children's PAC will be formed to help elect school board candidates "who will listen to the facts" and not make "politically expedient decisions."
As noted in today's article, school board member Beverley Clark is asking the board to revisit the Lacy moves on Wednesday. But Cope said parents have become so disgusted by the reassignment process that they're going ahead with the PAC no matter what the school board does now with Lacy.
What gives this new group some oomph is that Cope is also the executive director of SEANC, the State Employees Association of North Carolina. Cope knows a thing or two about elections in this state.
Cope said he didn't realize what reassignment would be like when his family moved from Johnston County into Raleigh.
Cope accused staff of manipulating capacity numbers to justify moving students out of Lacy. He accused the school district of wanting to move students to help Stough Elementary avoid being sanctioned by No Child Left Behind.
Cope and several other Lacy parents were at Monday's work session to make another pitch to the school board.
While Cope said that Lacy was the catalyst behind the new PAC, he said the goal is to make it a districtwide group.
If this group does get going, this would be the right time. Four of the nine school board seats are on this fall's ballot.
Both Eleanor Goettee and Lori Millberg say they don't plan on running for re-election. But Patti Head and Horace Tart say they're undecided.
The fiiling period for candiates begins in July.
UPDATE
Cope says the paperwork for the PAC was filed this afternoon.
Comments
Big Picture--are you
Thu, 01/29/2009 - 19:44 — raleighreaderBig Picture--are you serious? where did you see the list of supporters?
I can only say that the
Fri, 01/30/2009 - 07:22 — Big_PictureI can only say that the pitiful e-mail made its rounds and put to rest the claim that this group *would prove that just as many parents wanted yearround as traditional at Leesville Midd.* Lots of people were curious at first and found that this group only wanted to get access to and favors from Patti Head. Didn't y'all read the blog taunting Lisa B and bragging that they *now had the BOE on their side so look out Lisa we are coming after you*? Ill will can only take you so far and getting into bed with WCPSS to further your agenda will burn you in the end. As expected their unsupported effort fizzled because there was no substance; just an attempt to regurgitate the WCPSS lies with their own smoke and mirrors.
Names
Thu, 01/29/2009 - 20:11 — SideburnsI was surprised to see that list of names as well.
BP - where did you find that info?
I was merely a bystander
Fri, 01/30/2009 - 07:31 — Big_PictureI was merely a bystander until this year but was well aware of Lisa's efforts. When someone forwarded that email to me I sent it to Lisa. She thanked me and said that she had received it from many sources and was surprised that people seemed to expect her to use it to *attack back*. I hoped she would do just that but as far as I know she just ignored it and stuck to her own game plan. I recognized several of the email addresses and once you start talking it is easy to get to the bottom of it.
don't know where BP got
Thu, 01/29/2009 - 20:27 — AngelaWdon't know where BP got his/her info, but I saw a list of names on an email that went out on 12/3 to rally their "troops" for the CEM at Wake Forest-Rolesville and asking them to email chuck their support of the forced LRMS conversion if they couldn't attend in person....
Changing way BOE is elected
Thu, 01/29/2009 - 14:22 — ACFOI wanted to make sure that readers of this blog were aware the the NC House Republicans (whose session started yesterday) have a proposed bill out there to change the BOE seats to At-Large instead of by district thus allowing parents to vote for all members of the BOE and not just the one assigned to the districts we live in. Considering that the BOE has no problem reassigning our kids to schools NOT in the district in which we can vote for the representative, it seems this little factoid should be passed around. The House Republicans fear that the bill will be defeated by the majority Democrats but, I am pretty confident that there are Democrat parents out there who are sick of the reassignment shuffle and would be willing to call their representative in the House and tell them to vote in favor of switching the elections to At-Large.
How Many Groups Are Forming to Fight Reassignment, etc?
Thu, 01/29/2009 - 08:15 — JanisTangoKeung,
How many different groups are there in Wake County that are undertaking an effort similar to Mr. Cope. Would it be possible for the N&O to research this and publish an article pertaining to it? I'm sure there are more groups than any of us are aware of and I'm assuming we are all trying to achieve a similar goal. I know of WakeCares, CCLS, this PAC, Cross County Alliance and I'm sure there are so many more.
Thank you!
Already in progress.
Thu, 01/29/2009 - 10:44 — KeungHui (author)Already in progress.
THANK YOU..THANK YOU...THANK YOU!
Thu, 01/29/2009 - 11:09 — JanisTangoTHANK YOU..THANK YOU...THANK YOU!
Make sure
Thu, 01/29/2009 - 15:12 — supportwcpssYou also report on those organizations who either support or take different approachs to raising issues with the issues we face.
I know, if they are not fighting the big bad BOE then they are either an organization that is clueless, an organization who is the Board's lackeys, or something other derogatory comment that makes you feel better.
Might you be referring to
Thu, 01/29/2009 - 16:41 — Big_PictureMight you be referring to the self proclaimed Big Picture group that arrogantly crowed *game on Lisa B* on this very forum? Put together a nice looking WCPSS clone website regurgitating WCPSS lies and spin? Threatened to somehow *prove* Leesville's preference for year round? Claimed to be large until their miniscule list of 23 members was mistakenly made public? (6 year round supporters + 15 curious anti YR people + Chris Decker + Stan Norwalk) Nice try.
Too ironic
Thu, 01/29/2009 - 15:23 — Dadof3Like a cranky old man, you rant and rant about what bad people we are. Yet you are incapable of offering rational defense of your own hyperbole. What's that word you love to use to describe involved, carrying parents? Oh yea, hypocrit. May I offer another word for your consideration: projection.
g88ky07
Wed, 01/28/2009 - 15:13 — JSCThat was insane. We will never let kids sit home and wait for a space to open up in a school. And, how many families do you know with 8 children? And if they're out there, they're probably homeschooling or in Catholic school. And I really was not talking about Ron in my last post. Lucky him, though, his Ron-heads are a loyal bunch. I was ACTUALLY talking about a woman who ran a few years ago who did not even have a high school diploma...Tillie or something like that. I was not thinking even remotely of Ron. And Bob -- as I'm sure you know, it's not common to get school board candidates who have kids in Wake Schools because it's really tough to find a parent who is involved and interested in public education who has any TIME to serve on the board, because they're still so busy with their own kids and their own schools.
Agree...
Wed, 01/28/2009 - 15:54 — Bob_SconceI look at it another way. There are plenty of districts where parents are on the school board. The Wake County Board, however, has mismanaged itself so much that it's nearly a full-time job that no parent or anybody with a full-time job could reasonably do. As a result, recruiting candidates for school board is very difficult -- in a number of cases, only one candidate emerged and was elected by default. And then once the board member is elected, all his/her time is spent on reassignment and construction.
The solutions are (1) breaking the district up into smaller, more manageable pieces, (2) reducing the workload on the board by, for example, transferring constriction to the county, delegating school naming authority to the administration and dropping the diversity plan (to reduce contention in the reassignment process) and/or (3) going to at-large districts to allow more people to run for those seats.
Our neighborhood is
Wed, 01/28/2009 - 15:19 — g88ky07Our neighborhood is littered with parents who apparently had little else to do and MANY homes have 5-7+ and NONE are homeschooled or catholic! So try again!
I'm not even really sure what you are talking about. I haven't said a word about Ron, Love him though, or finding a parent with 8 kids who has time to run for the criminal, I mean, school board.
Same old story. Hundreds of
Wed, 01/28/2009 - 10:13 — BromhalSame old story. Hundreds of families moved many miles from their homes for YEARS, but when Lacy gets moved around the corner they fight and act as if they are being moved into a war zone.
The attitude of many in Wake County is Thank God its not us, and they do nothing... until it is.
*******************
I sense from other posts I have sen that perhaps you are a Stough parent.
Lacy parents have not acted as if we're being sent to a war zone. We know that our children are getting a quality education and that there is no need at their current school to move them. WHat do the parents from nodes assigned to Stough "recently" (Meredith Woods, Bridgeton park, etc) say?
If WCPSS and the BOE hadn't broken Stough a few years ago (and at which time coincidentally we successfully were removed from plans).
How involved does a parent get though when their node isn't affected? We can't speak at the public meetings. I opposed the bonds, because this BOE has been wandering somewhat aimlessly for several years - ie, look at the lawsuit over YR, look at their inability to forsee that Brier Creek would grow such that a new school would be built and attendance shifted from Stough.
We are very fortunate to
Wed, 01/28/2009 - 00:04 — NWRaleighMomWe are very fortunate to have Ron. He has perfect resume for the job. And not just the resume. But I realize that we won't be able to find eight more candidates with similar experience. And that is Ok. How qualified are BOEs in other systems? Most of my friends do not know a single BOE member in their districts! Their kids are getting much better education and they love their schools!
I like what Ron said about Rosa
Wed, 01/28/2009 - 12:18 — user1234Even though Margiotta has been dressed down by Gill in public on several occasions, he said he respects her. "Rosa has tried to be a healer," Margiotta said. "That's something I haven't seen on the board before. There isn't a dishonest bone in her body. "
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/wake/story/1109655.html
Look
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 16:28 — JSCThere is more to consider in voting for a school board candidate than whether or not they support Policy 6200 (or whatever it is). In the past, we've had some DOOZY candidates who were WOEFULLY underqualified to sit on the school board, but got some support simply because they supported neighborhood schools. Think about it -- if the diversity policy IS reversed, and everyone goes the nearest school (which really can't happen, b/c there isn't room in every school for all the students who live closest to it), then you all get your wish. The school board suddenly is out of the reassignment business and on to the business of education. Sounds good, right? But, if the only thing that gets a candidate elected is their opposition to diversity, how are they qualified to oversee the big, tough issues of curriculum, standards, teacher retention, etc? I'm not saying the current board does know their stuff -- who really knows WHAT they know about education? I'm just saying, please, please think through these voting decisions, when and if they come up in the next election, and consider any candidate's overall qualifications - not just their stand on diversity bussing.
Of course, this could be moot. It's not like potential school board candidates are growing on trees around here.
Sounds like you're the man then!
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 17:49 — g88ky07"Think about it -- if the diversity policy IS reversed, and everyone goes the nearest school (which really can't happen, b/c there isn't room in every school for all the students who live closest to it), then you all get your wish. "
How about this, a law change! Or, like most of the rest of the US on MANY issues, just ignore the law!!
If there is not room for your Johnny or Suzy, and your other 5 kids, then 1: you should NOT have had so many kids and 2: Johnny and Suzy can sit the heck at home until there is room or more schools are built close by!!!
At this point you bet yo' rump, it's ONLY about running against a diversity only mentality! If there isn't room you either should have stopped at child 5 or not moved to Wake County with your 8 kids!! We are not the dumping ground for every Donny and Marie who thought procreation meant it's ok to keep knocking them out and someone else can figure out how to educate 'em!
Huh?
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 18:11 — Bob_SconceRecognize that the alternative to educating those kids is to have them grow up to be uneducated. That means instead of doing productive things like finding cures for new diseases or finding new sources of energy, they will probably be sitting in a prison cell with another 5 kids on the outside, none of whom are getting educations and all of whom will follow in Daddy's footsteps.
Sure, educating them is expensive. But, it's a lot cheaper than the alternative.
Double huh?
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 23:41 — g88ky07"Recognize that the alternative to educating those kids is to have them grow up to be uneducated."
the wcpss is doing a fine job of uneducating. most of these kids will certainly know what it feels like to be moved around like pawns, separated from friends and family and to have sore rumps from 12 years of eternal bus rides.
Wonder where that'll get us/them?
Absolutely
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 17:46 — Bob_SconceI'm not going to vote for a school board candidate just because they oppose that policy -- I'd want to know a lot more. However, their position on the diversity policy will be a good first indicator.
I'm not aware that the board actually has dealt with curriculum or teacher retention. For example, the decision to drop Trailblazers appears to have come largely from a citizens advisory committee and was not something that the board was particularly involved in.
I'm not at all convinced that the current board members are particularly well-qualified to sit on the board, at least by traditional measures. How many of them have kids in school? How many have experience running a large organization? IIRC, Ron Margiotta was on a previous school board in a different city before he ran here; I suspect that makes him the most highly qualified.
As far as the "everybody goes to the nearest school," I agree that it's probably not possible. But, you can arrange it so that for each student, there is no other student where if the two students were to swap schools, they would both go to school closer to home. (In actuality, undoing the maze of student assignments caused by the diversity policy would take years.)
FYI, yes Ron
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 17:50 — AngelaWhas previous QUALIFIED experience;
http://www.ronmargiotta.org/biography.htm
Experienced Board of Education Leadership:
I like Ron, but wasn't his
Wed, 01/28/2009 - 12:39 — shank56I like Ron, but wasn't his school district comprised of just 6-8 schools?
Interesting notes about Ron- from Google
Wed, 01/28/2009 - 13:46 — shank56Scroll to the bottom of the article
http://www.amren.com/news/news04/02/09/tilove.html
Ridgefield school District- 9 schools (1 high school)
http://www.ridgefield.org/
uh check again (wrong state even!)
Wed, 01/28/2009 - 15:57 — AngelaWoops- sosorry
Wed, 01/28/2009 - 16:17 — shank56when I saw Ridgefield by his name, I googled Ridgefield school district and only looked at the # of schools.
According to Wikipedia, there are 4 schools in Ron's Ridgefield , New Jersey district:
1st - 2nd
3rd-8th
1 high school with an enrollment of 677 students (2005-06)
So your point would be that
Wed, 01/28/2009 - 21:37 — Big_PictureSo your point would be that Ron managed a small district so he is used to caring and getting close to his customers? The small personal touch is what he has and the others cannot fathom? Break WCPSS up into smaller more manageable chunks?
Here is the
Wed, 01/28/2009 - 13:31 — user1234Here is the map
http://www.wcpss.net/demographics/overview/images/boe/II-BOE.pdf#page=12
In re to his bio and his
Wed, 01/28/2009 - 13:37 — shank56In re to his bio and his serving as a chair of the board for many years in New Jersey. His New Jersey school district was comprised of 6-8 schools as I recall. Whatever it was, it was small in comparison.
....
Wed, 01/28/2009 - 13:57 — SideburnsHow many schools were on Lori Millberg's bio? Or Horace Tart's? Maybe Beverley Clark's?
Bob is right, a lot of the
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 12:41 — jenmanBob is right, a lot of the BOE's headaches are self generated with the economic diversity policy. Their inability to compromise will be their downfall.
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I agree with this, VOR. Although I think its WCPSS and the BOE. I do not think that the BOE is driving much of what is going on now--its Chuck Dulaney and Del Burns.
We have lots of families who want YR but are denied because of the diversity policy. The BOE and WCPSS have decided that it is more important to maintain their current implementation of diversity policy than it is to utilize our resources efficiently. Hence the empty seats and collapsed tracks at some YR schools while nearby traditional schools are bursting at the seams. Just one example of their inability to compromise.
JennMan - The BoE gave them the license
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 13:43 — Voice_of_Reason_Dr. Del and Chuck are just following orders. The BoE doesn't have enough time to look into the real details because of the complexity of Chuck's plan. I do think the real travesty is what is happening in Title I schools because of this. Dr. Del can look good by "cooking the books" by busing out the poor performing nodes of of Title I schools (helping nobody I might add) & Chuck can have his "fun" by feeling good about his social engineering experiment, especially in Elementary Schools. The lack of the foresight to build new schools while encouraging growth (plenty of fault to share) puts fuel in their fire.
The central issue is that the BoE and WCPSS forgot who the customer is, it the people that have the school age children. Those that argue that their customer is all the people of the county must realize that the state has taken that on, not really the county. The state mandates that children must be taught and sets minimums, they delegate this rsponsibility to the county LEAs to do at least this. The CC's are responsible to all taxpayers for collecting the money to do this and make sure it is being spent wisely. At least that's how I look at it; feel free to disagree.
Note: NC has an unusual system on how power is distributed in schools systems. The state legislature has more power than in a lot of states on local school affairs.
Mr Cope's Bio
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 09:08 — ApexRes98http://www.seanc.org/news/cope-bio.aspx
A pro Labor Union Man
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 09:23 — user1234A pro Labor Union Man (health care, salary increases) ...
Voice ... you ready for that?
Depends
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 10:10 — Voice_of_Reason_If he can assist in getting the mission done. I don't have any problems with unions in theory, I do have problems with a lot of big union bosses padding their pockets (unfortunately that usually goes hand in hand). I don't think Mr. Cope rises to that level. Even if he did, sometimes you need to subscribe to "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" philosophy to achieve your objectives.
Actually a PAC....
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 08:52 — CitizenmomActually in practical terms a PAC can do things a nonprofit may not be able to do. There is room for both. I don't know this gentleman or those involved in the countywide group forming, but there are distinctions in what a PAC (political action committee) can do and what other groups can do in terms of elections, lobbying, and so forth. Tax code issues.
PAC can back a political
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 21:14 — vsheehanPAC can back a political candidate and non profits can’t. Donations to a non-profit are tax deductible; donations to a PAC are not. Both types of orgs pay no taxes.
The Key
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 08:53 — Voice_of_Reason_Forget about arguing, complaining, and pulling hair out. THE ONLY WAY TO GET REAL CHANGE IS TO FIND GOOD CANDIDATES FOR SCHOOL BOARD SEATS AND GET BEHIND THEM WITH FINANCIAL AND GRASSROOTS SUPPORT. --- Even if your district is not involved. This school board (eR) is a lost cause -- logic and data will not change their mind.
This is the year to make that happen. Hopefully the right people can be found living in those districts.
These PACS are great, but they need to synchronize their efforts for the common good (and the fewer the better). They will have to be strong to counter the N&O editorial page and WakeEd Partnership + whatever "rent-a-mob" group the economic diversity crowd will bring out.
ELECTIONS DO MATTER !
Another way...
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 08:58 — CitizenmomElections matter, lobbying matters, it all matters. However, the numbers of families walking away from the system each year speaks volumes. Some run, flee, escape...also a choice.
But some still fight
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 09:57 — Voice_of_Reason_I partially fleed with my third grader, but I am still in the fight. That fight is not for me personally, but in the interest of other parents, rich and poor. But it is true, there are a lot (and growing) of people that can afford it who have given up on public schools and said to hell with it. If ANYONE thinks that is good, you are soooooooo wrong.
“These groups are OK, but
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 08:55 — user1234“These groups are OK, but they need to synchronize their efforts for the common good.”
Voice, “Synchronize” sounds like big government and runs counter to independent Town based school looking out for their own needs and “common good” was “communistic” when I said it to help all schools.
You forget, I am trained in modern warfare
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 09:51 — Voice_of_Reason_This is a war, make no bones about it. It may not involve guns or explosives, but it is a war. The same rules in winning it are in force. The common good is getting schools back in the hands of parents. Your comments are mearly like a bothersome gnat on this blog & your communist/libertarian views mainly fall on deaf ears.
???
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 08:24 — loriac"Cope and several other Lacy parents were at Monday's work session to make another pitch to the school board."
I didn't know parents were able to make presentations at these board hearings???? Is this true? If so, why not anyone else? I know there's lots of us who would like the opportunity to correct Mr. Dulaney when he cites his 'facts' to the board.
You can't make presentations
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 09:44 — KeungHui (author)You can't make presentations at reassignment work sessions. But they're open to the public so you see parents trying to get as much face time as possible with board members and staff. The Lacy parents, especially Cope, were talking with board members shortly before the work session started, during breaks and right after it ended.
disappointed but not surprised
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 14:02 — loriacOK, call me a schmuck - I should have known I should be lobbying the board members on the way to the restroom. But then, I'm a working parent, I believe what I read on the wcpss website, and didn't think I needed to take a vacation day after we provided our input a the public meetings. DOH!
Don’t worry about not
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 21:09 — vsheehanDon’t worry about not taking a vacation day. The only parents who get meetings with the board are ITB north Raleigh parents.
What if the johns are out of order?
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 15:39 — g88ky07I doubt cornering them on their way to rid lunch is going to accomplish squat just before they squat. I doubt they are going to even stop and talk to a nobody, such as 9 and 3/4's out of every 10 parents in Wake Cnty.
The 1/4 parents are the ones like the MacGregor folks. You know, money, influence and nice node signs!
But, what is REALLY funny is that anyone would think what they read on the wcpss website is actually the truth supported by facts!
We should all show up at the
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 08:30 — Big_PictureWe should all show up at the public hearing to make our own pitches if our board reps ignored our needs. All deserve that opportunity but unequal treatment should not be tolerated.