Has the Wake County school system been transparent as Superintendent Tony Tata has repeatedly told the public?
As noted in today's article, critics of the plan accused Tata and school administrators of being deceptive in how they've pitched the plan to the public. Two areas they raised in particular are their charges that Wake didn't list the true seat availability in round one and that they haven't been open about the assignment algorithm.
"Liar, liar pants on fire,” said Amy Lee, a member of the Great Schools in Wake Coalition, during the public comment section of the school board meeting. “Mr. Tata, are your pants on fire? From the public’s perspective, your pants are on raging fire."
In round one, Wake listed seat availability at some grades in school as less than five seats. But now n round 2, they're listing negative numbers.
Maria Reier released this list of emails she exchanged with Chief Transformation Officer Judy Peppler about the capacity issue.
"We intend to have full transparency on the numbers this round based on feedback from the board and our parents, including showing the negative numbers where we have overcrowded schools," Peppler said in a Friday email to Reier about why the info wasn't provided in round one. "We knew based on past experience with assignment that there would be a lot of movement at certain grade levels so attempted to balance transparency with discouraging people from choosing certain schools. Numbers should be updated end of day Monday."
Reier and other parents charge the negative numbers weren't posted to conceal the lack of choice in the plan. Some parents said they might have chosen differently if they had known the full details in Round 1.
The other issue that came up is the selection algorithm.
Wake has posted this version of he algorithm online. But the parents got this more detailed version of the algorithm, marked draft and dated Jan. 13, in a public records request.
One complaint about the algorithm is that it puts families with only child at a disadvantage compared to those with multiple siblings.
"Your putting a child in the back of the line because she has no brothers or sisters," said Cary parent Lynn Tate, whose daughter didn't get the school they wanted " Stop discriminating against families who are smaller."
Reier argued that parents should have had access to the more detailed business rules for the algorithm when they were making their round one choices. For instance, she pointed to how it would have helped families know what to do when they had siblings they wanted to keep together.
"Not only is this a poor plan, but the way it has been executed has made it unacceptable for Wake County,” Reier said.
Raleigh parent Lee Hogewood said that staff should have told the board in October that the first round would result in some unassigned students. If they had known, he said the new board majority might have delayed the plan or at least required that all applicants get an assignment after round one.
“These unassigned students are being treated like collateral damage," said Hogewood, who has an unassigned rising sixth-grader. "They deserve better. They deserve better.”
Vickie Adamson pointed to the problems filling the two new modular schools and warned she won't vote for the next school bond issue.
Former school board member Beverley Clark and now a GSIW member charged that "sadly, Mr. Tata you have delivered a plan full of distortion, misrepresentation and chaos for our community."
Former school board candidate Rita Rakestraw said the board should go back to having the 40 percent F&R goal.
During a break, Tata talked to reporters. He said the complaints from the 26 speakers need to be put in context to how many families are satisfied with the new plan. He said he listened to the speakers on Tuesday and would try to address their concerns to raise the satisfaction rate.
Comments
FOIA?
Fri, 04/06/2012 - 15:03 — sacrophyteI realize I am late to this game, but I am curious if anyone has submitted a FOIA request for the school assignment data. If so, is it available to the public?
-- charles
Yet Peppler & her Asst Laura Evans knew this in mid-February
Thu, 04/05/2012 - 21:54 — YouMustBeKidding"Begin forwarded message:, Dawn Baker , John Tedesco , Judith Peppler , Laurene Madern , Sandra Chapman , Susan Pullium
From: Laura Evans
Date: February 15, 2012 5:01:58 PM EST
To: [Name Redacted for Privacy Reasons]@gmail.com
Cc: Carrie Keel
Subject: Re: rising K, school selection question
Yes, if your application is not selected for your first choice, you would be considered for your other choices based on random selection. The priorities for selection only apply to your first choice. Additionally, if you are not selected for your first choice, your position on the waitlist for your first choice school is based on the priorities for selection.
Laura
Laura Evans
Senior Director
Student Assignment
Wake County Public School System"
Nice of the staff to share this with one parent, and not bother to post this info on the WCPSS website or otherwise publically release this information. That's really "transparent" . . . by their standards apparently.
Gets better - even Tedesco did not know of the lottery
Thu, 04/05/2012 - 21:47 — YouMustBeKiddingThis was his response to LeCarpentier's email & forwarded to Mr. Tata and Mrs. Peppler:
"Subject: Re: WELCOME TO THE WCPSS LOTTERY
Tony & Judy,
You may want to see he note being shared below as you are not copied on it but the full board is. I am concerned about the issue they raise as that was not my understanding of the plan details. Now granted, it is possible that in the months and months of planning and meetings and review on the matter I may have missed something. It was my understanding that the priorities remained throughout the process. If you did not get your closest school then you got your next closest, if you did not get the regional choice school for achievement metrics then you got the next closest regional choice school?
Am I mistaken here?
John Tedesco
Board of Education
Wake County Public School System
District 2"
Smoking Gun?
Wed, 04/04/2012 - 19:53 — virginiadareI just received this forwarded email and was wondering if anyone else had seen it. I believe we'll be hearing a lot more about transparency and so-called choice, and whether we have been told the truth.
All:
The following is extremely important as it all too aptly demonstrates the utter lack of transparency - if not, outright misrepresentations - of Superintendent Tata, his Chief Transformation Officer Judy Peppler and their staff. In a nutshell, the Chamber, the realtors association and ALL of us - especially those of you who are unassigned and/or wait listed - were sold a bill of goods when it came to the choice plan, your options and, most importantly, your "priority" after using up your "first choice."
In the past 7-10 days, the School System was forced to release a 2-page document in response to a NC Public Records Request. I wish I were exaggerating when I say it contains the proverbial "smoking gun." Most shocking to me is that last week, when Dr. Stacey Robinson, PhD immediately fired off a well-written letter to the School Board members and members of the City Council and County Commissioners, it was revealed that the School Board members themselves learned of this document -- and it's startlingly ramifications for so-called "choice" ... ONLY last week. What???
Basically, there is NO priority ranking for your 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th choices. After you made your 1st choice for a school which you were made to believe had far more available seats than was LATER PROVEN to be the case, your priority was completely wasted. Your 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th choices are now based on nothing more than your WCPSS-assigned "Random Number." You have now been entered into our own version of the Wake County Public School System's MegaMillions Lottery. It's all now a game of chance.
Dr Robinson's letter to the Board follows, including a link to the uncovered 2-page document & it's all-important last paragraph which has been outrageously buried from public scrutiny.
Transparency?? Really??!
"School Board Members,
I, along with professors from UNC-CH and NCSU, spent some time reviewing the assignment algorithm. While the algorithm appears to be fairly straightforward and simplistic, I was stunned upon reviewing the final paragraph of the assignment document.
Contrary to how the plan was explained and marketed over the last several months, if a student doesn’t receive their first choice, the remainder of their choices are purely lottery based. Therefore, by design, anyone who has any level of priority (levels 1-8) and ranks a school as their first choice, will outrank anyone selecting the same school as their second or third choice, regardless of proximity or any other criteria.
As taken from the WCPSS assignment document (link follows): "Applicants who are not eligible for any of the above first-choice school assignment priorities were not given any additional points to their Random Number. All assignments to second, third, fourth, and fifth-choice schools were based solely on an applicant’s Random Number, as selection priorities are designed to apply only to each student’s first choice." http://assignment.wcpss.net/downloads/proximity-assignment-algorithm.pdf
This doesn’t seem like a choice based system, rather it’s a system where you’ll statistically have the best shot at your first choice, provided it’s not at (or over) capacity and you have one of the established priority rankings. Anything beyond that is pure luck. I can assure you that this is not the public’s understanding of the choice plan, nor was the plan sold described in this manner. In the business world, this sort of behavior would be deemed unethical, at best. In addition, the consequences for those families without resources and higher educations are both evident and incomprehensible.
Sincerely,
Stacey G. Robinson, Ph.D."
OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT LOTTERY TICKETS! Please forward this to any and all contacts you have in the community, including members (especially Board members) of the Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, business leaders (especially realtors, developers & home builders), Wake County & individual municipal economic development professionals, mayors & town council leaders of the other municipalities throughout Wake County, etc.
Also, critically, ASK THEM how they would honestly answer this ONE simple Q of newcomers to the County or, importantly, businesses or industries hoping to re-locate here w employees who have kids to be enrolled in the WCPSS:
"What school(s) will those new children attend?"
Neither the WCPSS staff nor the Chamber (or anyone else) can answer that question. Meanwhile the business leaders, realtors, home builders & developers in neighboring JOHNSTON, DURHAM & ORANGE Counties are LAUGHING all the way to the bank!
This Plan must be derailed and implementation delayed NOW - time is running out, & Mr Tata & Ms. Peppler are doing everything they can to dodge, weave & delay the choice "lottery" until it is simply too late to stop this looming train wreck!
Tacker LeCarpentier
cc. Wake County School Board Members
From the Choice Assignment
Thu, 04/05/2012 - 10:56 — momof5From the Choice Assignment plan document on WCPSS site:
The student with the highest priority number for her/his first-choice school will have
her/his application processed first for that school, followed by the student with the second-highest priority for that school, etc. If necessary, this sequential priority process will then be applied to each student’s second-choice school, third-choice school, fourth-choice school, etc. until each student has been placed in
a school.
From the Proximity Assignment Algorithm:
All assignments to second, third, fourth, and fifth-choice schools were based solely on an applicant’s Random Number, as selection priorities are designed to apply only to each student’s first choice.
These two quotes seem to contradict each other. Which plan is the WCPSS going with? The original written document or the just published algorithm?
momof5 - where exactly did you find the first quote?
Thu, 04/05/2012 - 23:32 — eztaylormomof5 - where exactly did you find the first quote?
On WCPSS site go to student
Fri, 04/06/2012 - 11:58 — momof5On WCPSS site go to student assignment then Resources: plan information then 2012-13 Choice Student Plan then page 28.
http://assignment.wcpss.net/downloads/choice-assignment-plan-with-appendices.pdf
Thank you
Fri, 04/06/2012 - 17:59 — eztaylorThank you - I see it.
Seems that sequential prioritization got left out of the final plan - not sure if that was due to cost, unintentional error, or intentional obfuscation.
Either way, parents were told one thing, and then, after they made their choices, told another. Not exactly transparent...
Was this intentionally misleading, a missed change,or a mistake?
Sat, 04/07/2012 - 01:30 — raleighlauraI hope someone (Keung) is able to get to the bottom of this, as the difference in the draft (priorities throughout the process) and the reported algorithm
is huge.
The smoke is coming from Kevin's lack of leadership
Wed, 04/04/2012 - 20:51 — FSandYOUAnd your continued foolish support of all things hate related to everything under the sun that you and your buddies over at GSIWISWWISW, which includes Evans and Kushner, want to continue feeding the public with every opportunity you 60's rebels hope to achieve.
Hill continues to prove he is THE WORST BOE member to ever sit atop the throne and has yet to step forward and do anything that resembles leadership.
As for even the mention that the "Johnny Come Lately's" should have priority over the throngs of us who have been here long before those "job seekers" fly into town and figure out after the fact that they are screwed when it comes to having a say where their little angels will go to school is absolutely laughable.
"What school(s) will those new children attend?"
Share this tidbit with them, their kids will go to school where ever they can find a seat. Other than that they are free to apply to private or charter schools or they can keep their happy butts where they are.
Time has run out V and D. This plan is a done deal and the sooner you and yours grow up and accept it the more sleep you will get.
Talk about laughable, this BS is one of the best the GSIWIWIIWWGWISS crowd has dreamed up yet.
...
Wed, 04/04/2012 - 20:32 — SideburnsSo, you want newcomers to have higher priority than current families? Or you want current students reassigned to make room for newcomers?
I don't understand what you want -- unless this is just another way GSIW is trying to stop the plan or badmouth Tata and staff or both.
So...
Thu, 04/05/2012 - 07:45 — Bob_SconceI don't think this is a "Smoking Gun," but it is different than how I understood the plan to work, which was:
(1) For each student's first choice, come up with a number that includes all their priorities
(2) Sort
(3) assign
(4) If any students left, do the same thing with second, third, fourth and fifth choices
The problem here, though, really was the "< 5" number -- if I saw a school with "< 5," but I had priority, I'd apply.
The plan implementation has some rough edges -- these are two of them. The district is going to have to fix those before next year.
I'm not associated with GSIW
Wed, 04/04/2012 - 20:56 — virginiadareI'm not associated with GSIW and I have no idea whether the people involved with the email I was forwarded are or are not associated with GSIW, as I don't know them, either. But the point is that if you don't get your first choice, there are no more priorities whatsoever, just a lottery. That is not the choice plan the community was sold.
Bull shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Wed, 04/04/2012 - 23:01 — FSandYOUYou sound just like Susan "I'm a CPA" Evans. Matter of fact, I think that's exactly who you are.
As for "if you don't get your first choice, there are no more priorities whatsoever, just a lottery" sounds just like Magnet school acceptance and the rest of life. So-be-it.
Like I said, the "Johnny Come Lately's" can get in line for the leftovers. Such is life. Don't like it, don't move here.
Too bad Hue is on vacation, again, he'd have a field day with your conspiracy email.
Is Hue your babysitter?
Fri, 04/06/2012 - 01:29 — YouMustBeKiddingWhat does he have to do with your xenophobia? I suspect that, back in 1995, he would not have moved to Raleigh from New York, if he had no idea where his kids would go to school ... since, under this "plan," they would have the lowest priority choice. Lower even than those trying to move into the public schools from private schools. You call people "haters," but sure seems like you hate people moving to Wake County. Guess you hate the businesses and employers that re-locate here, too, & are largely responsible for bringing their employees and other jobs for unemployed locals. You're just a one-man economic development machine . . . for Orange & Durham Counties.
No, but maybe he can change your diaper for you
Fri, 04/06/2012 - 20:31 — FSandYOUAs for people moving here now and not knowing where their kids will go to school, maybe they should stay where they are if that's a problem for them.
That very scenario is a major part of why this problem EVEN exist. That and pathetic voters. Never forget, VD and the Stamp Licker won't let you, growth is the reason Wake County is in the shape it's in. Unmanaged and unaccountable.
If that helps Orange and Durham counties out, good for them.
Otherwise stay in NY pabulum sippers.
Great idea - kill economic growth . . .
Sat, 04/07/2012 - 01:50 — YouMustBeKidding... so people you're afraid of won't move here. Brilliant . . . except that, if you look around you on this blog, no one - but you - thinks this is a good idea. Now that you've shown your true xenophobic colors, is anyone else on this blog backing you? Why don't you crawl back under your rock where it's safe from all those "evil outsiders" who scare you to death? Frankly, I suspect you are no more a Wake County native than your buddies, John Tedesco & Ron Margiotta. You're probably Dallas Woodhouse or one of his minions; if not, a little person with way too many gigabytes ... not that there's a whole lot of difference between you & Dallas.
Tell you what: I'll reveal my name if you will reveal yours. Keung can verify the identities, if you agree. However, I suspect you enjoy being an anonymous bully, so don't think I expect you to agree to this disclosure. And, to think, you called me "honey" last week.
btw
Sat, 04/07/2012 - 02:04 — YouMustBeKiddingIf xenophobia is too big a word for you, I'll be happy to lend you a dictionary.
Yawnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Sat, 04/07/2012 - 09:37 — FSandYOUGo back to bed, honey.
It's not changing time.
Another well-reasoned
Sat, 04/07/2012 - 13:27 — YouMustBeKiddingAnother well-reasoned response from a small mind. Enjoy your day ... if you can tear yourself away from from this blog long enough to realize there's a great big world out there. I realize it scares you, though.
...
Wed, 04/04/2012 - 21:20 — SideburnsI'm not associated with GSIW...
Did you learn that line from Evans? We don't believe her either.
I never have been, and I've
Wed, 04/04/2012 - 21:24 — virginiadareI never have been, and I've never met Susan Evans.
?
Wed, 04/04/2012 - 21:08 — starsonoursYou don't know anything about the people who sent the email but you believe what they are saying?
I guess I should take a second look at that email from the Liberia Prince who wants me to help him move 1 billion dollars from Liberia to the US. He did promise a 10% cut for helping.
The link to the WCPSS
Wed, 04/04/2012 - 21:19 — virginiadareThe link to the WCPSS pdf document from their website is right there, saying that there are no priorities for any other than first choices. You don't have to believe anyone you don't know, just read it for yourself.
I can't read a document that
Wed, 04/04/2012 - 21:37 — starsonoursI can't read a document that has no link to (your post) the email may have a link but I did not receive the email (except the one from the Liberian Prince)
You copy and paste it.
Wed, 04/04/2012 - 21:48 — virginiadareYou copy and paste it.
Your smoking gun isn't
Wed, 04/04/2012 - 21:56 — starsonoursYour smoking gun isn't smoking nor is it a gun. Where do I go to get the 3 minutes it took to read the link that basically said nothing?
Did you read the pdf or just spend three minutes looking
Wed, 04/04/2012 - 22:11 — eztaylorDid you read the pdf or just spend three minutes looking at the link?
It is as stated, and the board members are claiming that they were not aware that priority applied only to a student's first choice. After your first choice is full, the system works down your chosen schools until it finds you a seat and places you there.
I believe this placement is based on your orignally assigned random number, but not weighted for any priorities.
The "unassigned" include primarily kindergarten students - who are most certainly not "newcomers" to the county. Others are charter school students - they are also not "newcomers" as they have been attending public school in Wake County. Still others are magnet students that have chosen to return to their neighborhood schools - also, not newcomers.
The unassigned are legally entitled to a seat in the system - you can put them "wherever there are empty seats" but that does nothing to promote neighborhoos schools, and predictably, will result in millions of $$ spent on bussing, rather than on education (which, btw, will impact everyone).
Your choice...
The PDF is 2 pages long
Wed, 04/04/2012 - 22:19 — starsonoursThe PDF is 2 pages long double spaced and is easily read in 3 minutes or less.
Its funny when people complain about only getting priority on their first choice when just a few years ago most people were given no choices.
...
Wed, 04/04/2012 - 22:08 — SideburnsBut we will hear about it repeatedly from the few 3 or 4 GSIW members over the next few weeks. I'm sure the press release is being written now.
Again, I'm not sure what the point is. I understand exceptions have already been made for those who were left unassigned. (Is that what prompted this email from Mr. LeCarpentier? Do you know that much, vd?)
I agree with you, stars. No gun and certainly not smoking.
No exceptions have been made
Thu, 04/05/2012 - 23:55 — eztaylorNo exceptions have been made for the unassigned, unless you consider the permission to participate in round 2 and keep a waitlist number for a school that is already overcapacity an "exception".
Additionally, the assignment office did not "reach out to us" as they proclaimed on the website.
I still have the same three overcapacity schools listed as my choices - not really sure what round 2 with the same choices will do for me. Seats aren't going to magically appear in Round 2 if only the unassigned participate (they have no seats to vacate) and certainly no seats will appear in over capacity schools.
Any other ideas?
...
Fri, 04/06/2012 - 07:21 — SideburnsStaying on a waitlist and participating in Round 2 is an exception.
You will get a seat. It's unfortunate that this happened. It caused much unnecessary frustration. Fortunately, this is the first year and these glitches should be worked out for the future.
My point is...
Fri, 04/06/2012 - 10:51 — eztaylorMy point is that participating in Round 2 is fruitless because I have the same three overcapacity schools to choose from.
Also, there problems with the way priority was assigned such that students with later priority (live 7 miles from the school) were seated ahead of students who had higher priority (lived 1.3 miles from the school).
Again, there is no mathematical way that this could occur had the program been written correctly to reflect the business rules of the plan.
There is a problem with the programming and until that issue is resolved, there is no point in going further.
At the March 27th school
Sun, 04/08/2012 - 23:17 — parent1At the March 27th school board meeting, Jim Martin asked about the number of pre-assigned students without transportation. Overman said it's just over 800 students. He said those families have been contacted and encouraged to submit an application in round 2. We are one of those families and we have NOT been contacted. There is no reason for us to go through round 2 because all 3 high school choices are full with waiting lists AND we definitely don't want to lose our spot on the round 1 waiting list!
More holes in the plan
Mon, 04/02/2012 - 16:11 — sam123456Another set of holes --- when we realize that this plan is not working!! As every day goes by there more and more and more holes. It is happening all over the county!
WCPSS: Several Downtown Raleigh students left unassigned
www2.nbc17.com/news/wake-county/2012/apr/02/wcpss-several-downtown-raleigh-students-left-unass-ar-2116406/
So what is Kevin saying about the holes?
Mon, 04/02/2012 - 20:06 — FSandYOURight, nothing.
I just logged on to see what
Thu, 03/29/2012 - 15:35 — parent1I just logged on to see what "choices" we had for round 2. I wasn't planning to select anything - taking our chances on the wait list from round 1. When I logged in, I got the response that I didn't have any students - PROBLEM SOLVED! Anybody else get that response?
Yes, apparently you have to
Thu, 03/29/2012 - 16:21 — tropicalgirlYes, apparently you have to re-add your kids for round two. My coworker and I both had to do that. Once you add your children, it will show what their current assignment for next year is and will have a link for "choices" - click on that and you'll see your schools, capacity numbers, waitlist numbers, etc.
It gave me some pause when I first logged in too - I figured I had so annoyed student assignment that they kicked my daughter out of WCPSS!
Thanks. Thought it was
Thu, 03/29/2012 - 18:44 — parent1Thanks. Thought it was strange that it knew who I was but forgot my child! Round 2 showing Broughton with -9 available and 109 on waitlist, Sanderson with 7 available and 31 on waitlist, and Millbrook with -112 available and 180 on waitlist. Where are high school students that live in Raleigh/North Raleigh supposed to go? None of the waitlist numbers have changed either?
Brassfield forced to Millbrook
Fri, 03/30/2012 - 10:43 — sam123456This doesn't make any sense at all. The Brassfield feeder pattern was suddenly switched to feed into Millbrook High instead of Wakefield. Now there is no capacity at Millbrook!! Sideburns and FSandYou -- do you finally see that there a lots of holes with this plan??? We need to delay for a year.
Did you get into
Fri, 03/30/2012 - 13:58 — JSBinNCDid you get into Wakefield? I think I remember that's where you wanted to go - did you get in? I hope it worked! We were lucky and got into WMMS through application. whew!
there is no capacity anywhere close by it seems. Isn't Wakefield also full? I wonder if there is a listing anywhere that we can see showing which schools have any seats at all?
Life goes on
Fri, 03/30/2012 - 11:13 — FSandYOUJust like when they forced 22 schools to year round and to this day there are still collapsed tracks and under capacity schools. Those holes have cost us more money than we'll probably not get from the CC's next year, but guess what,
they didn't delay that mandate either.
sort of
Fri, 03/30/2012 - 11:58 — sam123456Brassfield was one of the schools forced onto MYR. So my elementary student is in school right now while older child is on spring break. So yes I fully understand the impact of MYR. Now to make mattters worse families will be split under the new plan and there will be NO stability.
Your answer -
Fri, 03/30/2012 - 07:44 — clarkshereRolesville. That's where the seats are. Is anyone else starting to see how incredibly stupid it was to build a high school 3 miles from the county line?
Heritage and Wake Forest
Tue, 04/03/2012 - 15:48 — jenmanHeritage and Wake Forest both have seats available.
How far is East Wake from
Fri, 03/30/2012 - 14:09 — starsonoursHow far is East Wake from the county line? Was it stupid to build it almost 30 years ago? How incredibly stupid is it to build a high school less than 2 miles down the road from the last high school you built? Heritage would have its first graduating class when Forestville was opening its doors, how smart is that?
You're right! But we can
Fri, 03/30/2012 - 09:17 — parent1You're right! But we can only choose from the schools listed as our "choices" - there is no place to type in the name of a school that isn't full. They filled all of the high schools with feeder patterns of students - many of whom would not typically attend these schools. The feeder pattern students have taken the spots of those with proximity. Meanwhile - magnet, charter, home school, private, and new students are left on wait lists with hundreds of other students. At some point, the school board needs to address this issue. They told us not to go through round 2 or we would lose our spot on the wait list. Lots of waiting with this plan!
counter productive
Wed, 03/28/2012 - 14:38 — RKCurtrightRude comments are rarely productive, though in this arena of the issues effecting parents and their precious children it seems to create outbursts, upsetting language, and irrational behavior form all sides.
Learning to deal with it means you must be prepared for it and try to understand it is should not be taken personally. This subject of parents fighting for what their children deserve increases the probability of emotions that cross the line. It seems those who are the most rude just do not see it in themselves or feel it is excusable b/c of their personal situation. I will say it is rarely effective. The source of the rudeness may reach their goal by antagonizing and getting attention and support from those who are also unhappy, but do they win in the end? Maybe. I would guess they would have to stay close in their camp of supporters, as burning bridges leaves you trapped on one side of the river.
It also does not help that we live in a media frenzied society that rewards bad behavior by reporting on it and ignoring the good behavior.
I believe it is heart breaking and frustrating to hear rudeness from parent. It is very hurtful and counterproductive. It hurts the communication flow and keeps us all partially blinded.
We all need one another point of view and working with those we oppose is part of learning good life skills. Our children need to learn that conflict is inevitable. It is how you handle the conflict that truly matters. HowHo How would we want our children to approach conflict? First we would probably want them to respectfully listen to the other side. Then try to find at least one good point and give them some credit. Then the other person/side must respectfully listen to your child and also find some valid point or at least acknowledge there are differences in perspective and simply honor that. Once one side becomes rude it shuts down communication. I'm saddened and surprised that adults do not realize this is harmful to themselves more than anyone.
Mr. Tata continues to impress me in his ability to rise above the conflict and appreciate opposing views while filtering out and disowning the bad behavior. Tata made a good point when he said the complaints from the 26 speakers need to be put in context to how many families are satisfied with the new plan. He also said he listened to the speakers on Tuesday and would try to address their concerns to raise the satisfaction rate.
It is hurtful and sad b/c we all are involved in the school system for so much of the same reason. We care and we are tearing one another down in order to help? Is this helping?
No, and it wasn't helping last year, either.
Fri, 03/30/2012 - 00:50 — raleighlauraI'm one of the pleased but silent majority on this plan (part of the 97% who like the stability we've now received). I'm not going to throw a ticker tape parade or sign up to speakat a board meeting, but overall, I think this plan gave more people more options than they had before, and at least we had a fair shot, based on the fair criteria, of getting what we asked for. Compare this to the situation where I had a better shot of winning a lottery than my kids had of getting into a magnet from my node just a few years ago. So yes, I think this is an improvement.
Additionally, I think the personal attacks calling Supt. Tata a liar are simply incorrect. He has taken decisive action to address known issues (and that is no small feat in any change-averse institution) and has remained open, transparent, and conversational with all sides in the process. To me, that beats the heck out of the old "sit down, shut up, and you'll go where I send 'ya" assignment posture of years ago. If you have a problem with the process, I support you saying so. Just don't call someone who has worked so very hard to make it right a "liar" because you are unhappy.
no transparency and politics
Wed, 03/28/2012 - 13:33 — sam123456Fully agree that there has been limited transparency in this process. And to make matters worse everytime there is an assignment issue they blame the parents for making the wrong choice.
From a politics standpoint this has been nothing but a political agenda for the previous board -- they rammed this through without proper vetting. And during the process they made lots of backdoor decisions to garner the support of loud PTA parents (i.e., the sudden and unexplained decision to force Brassfield students to be bused to West Millbrook MS and Millbrook HS).
When are we going to admit that this plan is full of holes (becoming extremely apparent now!) and needs to be delayed for a year????