newsobserver.com blogs

WakeEd

The WakeEd blog is devoted to discussing and answering questions about the major issues facing the Wake County school system. How much will the new Democratic majority on the school board do to undo the changes made by Republicans since 2009? How will the new choice-based assignment system work now that the socioeconomic diversity policy has been eliminated? How will Superintendent Tony Tata lead the state's largest district through more budget cuts and possible layoffs? How will the board respond to growth and the school construction program?

WakeEd is maintained by The News & Observer's Wake schools reporter, T. Keung Hui. While Keung posts information and analysis on the issues, keep us posted on your suggestions, questions, tips and what you're doing to cope with the changes in Wake's schools.

Del Burns resigning as Wake schools superintendent

Submitted by KeungHui on 02/16/2010 - 16:09

Wake Supt. Del Burns dropped a bombshell today saying he's resigning at the end of June.

Note that Burns said resign and not retire. Burns said he was resigning because of “personal and obligatory considerations.” None of the board members said they knew the announcement was coming.

“It is clear to me that I cannot, in all good conscience, continue to serve as superintendent,” Burns said.

Burns said he would not at this time elaborate on why he’s leaving.

School board chairman Ron Margiotta called a brief recess after the announcement was made.

“I was surprised, I thought we had a good relationship,” Margiotta said.

Margiotta said he’d try to talk Burns out of resigning.

“This was a complete surprise to everybody,” said school board member Anne McLaurin. “He couldn’t continue to do what he didn’t believe was in the best interests of the school system.”

There’s been speculation that he might leave since a new school board majority took office in December that’s pledged to make major changes in the school district.

Burns has been superintendent since taking over from Bill McNeal in 2006. Aside from a few years working in the private sector and in Pitt County Schools, Burns has worked in Wake since 1976.

Burns started working in Wake as a special education teacher. He rose through the ranks serving as an assistant principal, principal and associate superintendent.

Burns was the district’s deputy superintendent when he took over as superintendent after McNeal retired.

Burns has a salary of $273,000 and a total compensation package of $312,790 to run the nation’s 18th-largest school district. Wake has nearly 140,000 students.

Burns will leave at a time in which the new school board majority has campaigned on scrapping the diversity policy in favor of neighborhood schools. The new board had voted in December to scrap one of Burns’ major new initiatives of dismissing students early every Wednesday so that teachers could have a weekly one-hour planning session.

UPDATE

Click here to read Burns' statement.

1266352617 Del Burns resigning as Wake schools superintendent The News and Observer Copyright 2011 The News and Observer . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Comments

Not copping out

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 22:56 — openmind

Jeffery1, I understand where you are coming from but believe Burns is doing exactly what you accuse him of not doing, standing up for what he believes in. He sees the writing on the wall with the new board. He sees the direction things are going, and when I say that I am not saying that it is a bad direction, but it is one that is completely different than what he has worked for the last few years. Based on recent votes, it is obvious the new board has their ideas and will not change. He is standing up for what he believes in by moving on and hopefully taking his ideas to another district that can use a leader like him. WCPSS is losing a strong leader. How easy do you think it is to step away from a district you have invested 30 years in?

Pretty Easy

Wed, 02/17/2010 - 00:11 — jeffrey1

How easy do you think it is to step away from a district you have invested 30 years in?

Apparently pretty easy. I believe this is the 2nd time Burns has stepped away from the district. If I'm not mistaken, he stepped away once before to sell insurance.

If Mr. Burns felt that he

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 23:10 — loriac

If Mr. Burns felt that he could not work with the new board, he is right to resign. I think it's interesting that he chose to make a circus out of it by springing it as a surprise on the board.

I think part of why he left

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 22:21 — newboard9

I think part of why he left is because he felt the board was mistreating the staff because of him. They will not listen to the staff and keep given the excuse that the staff is loyal to the old ideas. So maybe if he leaves they will start listening to the staff.

...

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 22:48 — Sideburns

" They will not listen to the staff...."

Who? The Board? That's not how it works.

Where are you getting this

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 22:32 — jenman

Where are you getting this idea from? I've not heard this before.

Cleaning House

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 22:08 — ReplaceBoard

Things are looking up! Let's educate the kids and stop the social engineering. If you liberals are so worried about the ED kids why aren't you in the classroom volunteering to help them?

Hmm...

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 22:45 — supportwcpss

I am not a liberal and I do volunteer for ED kids.

What about you?

Cop Out

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 21:14 — jeffrey1

The same sentiment occurred to both my wife and me on hearing this news -- COP OUT.

Del Burns took the easy way out. Rather than stand up for what he believes in, he took the easy way out. He quit. Del can't stand the heat, so he left the kitchen.

Ron stood up to the opposition for 6 years (often as the lone wolf), yet Del couldn't make it to 3 months on the short side of a 5-4 split. All I have to say is Thank God that Ron is on my side.

You're Right

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 21:46 — occum_sharpe

I am not a fan of the new board, but Jeffrey1 is right. Like him or not, Ron Margiotta is a bulldog. You may not like where he is coming from, and most of the time I don't, but you always know where he stands. I've got to give a man kudos for that.

Burns never stood up for anything and even though he is resigning, he probably still won't stand up for anything.

There Is A Big Difference

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 21:24 — chaboard

Ron never had to serve under or report to people diametrically opposed to everything he believed in and fought for.

You've got it completely ass backwards....the "easy way out" would be to keep cashing a paycheck and follow orders. Instead, he stood up for what he believed in. That should be admired regardless of what you think of his policies.

Heh...

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 21:53 — Bob_Sconce

Maybe not "serve under," but remember that he was basically a minority of one on the school board for SIX YEARS before this past election.

Have you lost your mind?

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 21:51 — CaryCurmudgeon

Ron served for six years as a party of one on the school board. I suppose you think he did it for the $15K paycheck.

I disagree. I think that

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 21:38 — jenman

I disagree. I think that staying and trying to find compromise with the new member is much tougher than leaving. Even the most ardent supporters of the 'status quo' that I've met have acknowledged some of the flaws in the system. Flaws that have been pointed out over and over and over again in a reasonable manner. Yet WCPSS has chosen to ignore those suggestions.

I'd have respect for Burns (and Dulaney) if they would admit the shortcomings of the system and work to find a compromise. Instead they both leave because things aren't going the way they want them to. That's a cop out.

so soon after being

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 19:29 — AngelaW

so soon after being questioned about how Title I funds are being disbursed/distributed and used for students? coincidence or something else?

So you ask Ron..he wants him to stay

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 20:14 — shank56

"Margiotta said he’d try to talk Burns out of resigning."

Just saying..and quoting..

I seriously doubt he was

Wed, 02/17/2010 - 11:15 — woodstock

I seriously doubt he was being serious.

So you think he is not a man

Wed, 02/17/2010 - 12:59 — shank56

So you think he is not a man of his word and what comes out of his mouth is not to be taken seriously?

LOL Nice spin. And, we

Wed, 02/17/2010 - 13:44 — woodstock

LOL Nice spin. And, we wonder why it is so hard to get people of divergent views to come to some consensus.

Laugh all you want

Wed, 02/17/2010 - 13:58 — shank56

You obviously don't believe a word he said.

Don't count on it!

Wed, 02/17/2010 - 10:35 — g88ky07

Just saying..and quoting..

ask Ron what? whether or

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 20:21 — AngelaW

ask Ron what? whether or not Burns resigning is a coincidence or not? don't be dense, why would Ron know THAT answer? only Burns knows why he's resigning.

More value add from AngelaW

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 20:36 — carson79

take a second and realize you are calling someone "dense" for pointing out that Ron wants Burns to stay so you perhaps should direct your comments about Title I conspiracy theories to Ron as well. . . the post made a good point in answer to yours.

Carson, did not CALL him

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 20:38 — AngelaW

Carson, did not CALL him dense, I said do not BE dense....don't spin and twist, try offering useful stuff...seriously.

I did, I cleared up your

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 20:42 — carson79

I did, I cleared up your confusion over what the poster said...because if you thought they were "being" dense, you were obviously missing their point so I filled you in.

For the majority of us that

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 20:04 — carson79

For the majority of us that missed the meeting, what were the questions and how did he answer?

...http://blogs.newsobserver.

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 20:10 — red_balloon

...http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/quick-recap-of-student-assignment-policy-discussion?page=1

Prickett said she understands why the goal is to keep the percentage of F&R kids at each school under 40 percent. But she said Wake is leaving a lot of Title I money on the table

Prickett said the Title I money could be really helping students in this area. She talks about how she was in Charlotte last week as part of her state job and while the schools looked different, "a lot of those schools are doing very well even though their F&R populations are higher."

Prickett also disputed the school district's distance analysis for using "as the crow flies" for determining how far students are from school. She said Wake should use a program like Mapquest that uses driving distance.

Supt. Del Burns stepped in to say he needed to clarify what Prickett said. He said Wake isn't losing any Title I money because funding is based on the districtwide F&R total.

Prickett responded that she meant that the current policy spreads F&R kids around so that they might not be in a school where they’re getting Title I help.

Prickett then asked Burns if he agreed with that statement. Burns said he agrees, but he said that money is not being left on the table. Prickett fired back that Title I resources are not being used as effectively.

ok I said "what

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 20:23 — carson79

ok I said "what questions"? I recall this post on the blog, but not any "questions" posed to him, I wanted details on those if she had them.

I think Burns was absolutely right to correct Prickett's failure to understand the issue if she did say that we were "leaving Title I money on the table". This was at best misleading, and at worst, downright false.

If her goal is truly to maximize the # of poor kids who get Title I dollars at their school - she should be advocating for an assignment plan that groups all poor kids in the smallest number of schools possible.

Carson, Title I funds go

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 20:37 — AngelaW

Carson,

Title I funds go to SCHOOLS, not students....students are bussed AWAY from Title I schools thereby no LONGER receiving Title I funds. capisce?

That Is Exactly What Happened At Our School!

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 21:45 — JanisTango

That is exactly what happened at our school. We were Title I for one year and then they yanked some F&R nodes out during the last reassignment mess. So much for the help those kids were getting. All of them were assigned to schools that weren't Title I and the kids left behind didn't get the extra help because we were no longer Title I! Frustrating!

yes, exactly my point!

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 21:50 — AngelaW

yes, exactly my point!

How does this answer what I

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 20:45 — carson79

How does this answer what I said at all?

I think you are somewhat slightly grasping my point though -

If your goal is maximize the number of kids who are touched by title I dollars - you should be fighting for a plan that isolates them all into as few schools as possible - make sense?

is this what you are doing? or just pointing out that some poor kids wind up in schools that are not "title I" under the diversity plan and so miss the dollars? they also miss the title I status though which parents frequently cite on this blog as a reason they don't want their kid in a certain school.

thanks for posting, I'm so

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 20:19 — AngelaW

thanks for posting, I'm so tired of answering questions.

Interesting point ... I had

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 19:35 — woodstock

Interesting point ... I had a similar thought.

I heard he was not too thrilled with some of the questions he was getting.

just sayin'

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 20:01 — AngelaW

just sayin'

So they've been in recess

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 18:57 — shank56

So they've been in recess for a long time. Anyone know why? (I didn't hear the end of the public comments)

"Margiotta said he’d try to talk Burns out of resigning."

Really! Maybe Ron will call Truitt to help persuade Del to stay.

Media interviews to respond

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 20:10 — DrActualFactual

Media interviews to respond to Burn's resignation is probably consuming time.

They weren't due to go into

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 20:16 — shank56

They weren't due to go into break at this time

Ding Dong Del is Gone...very soon

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 17:36 — tc_apex

It is quite hard to type a blog post while uncorking a bottle of champagne but I will do my best. Let the celebrations begin. What we have been waiting and hoping for for years has finally happened. A new family friendly board is in place, Chuck Dulaney is retiring and now Del is leaving too. Now those are changes for the better!
I know the new school board will do due diligence with the task of hiring a suitable replacement. As another person pointed out, there should be no shortage of qualified candidates.

hmm ... rocky start for the

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 17:30 — user12345

hmm ... rocky start for the newbies ... (lawyer, survey, additional HS cost) and now a vote of no confidence ... they may get their wish and be running everything themselves soon as more experienced administrators leave ... The fact the Ron had no idea his principle operations person was not happy says how much this board has a handle on things .....

Burns decided being the road

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 19:43 — starsonours

Burns decided being the road block to the new board was probably going to be more like a speed bump than a road block so he quit rather than be around to see the new board fix the problems he has kept hidden or covered up. Good bye and Good riddance.

Heh...

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 17:49 — Bob_Sconce

Saying Del Burns is Ron's "Principal operations person" is like calling Scott Brown "Obama's man in the Senate."

So, you think ...

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 18:44 — woodstock

So, you think this was not anticipated? Burns was too immersed in status quo thinking to be of much value moving forward. He is a honorable guy and hope he does well in his next position, but he made the right decision.

Well WCPSS has received a

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 21:35 — user12345

Well WCPSS has received a number of award and recognition (e.g. #4) under his leadership and he might want to take all that and go before the ship sinks ... I don't see the new board doing much to improve the entire system with their plans and actions so far ... they might do something to shut up Leesville but they won't move the entire system much past where Del left it ... and may just produce worse performance at a higher cost ...

Del Burns resigning as Wake schools superintendent

Comments

Comment viewing options

About the blogger

Want to post a comment?