In its first press release Wednesday, the Great Schools in Wake Coalition is using the threat of mass reassignment to help generate opposition to the new Wake County school board majority.
The coalition says they're "examining whether proposals by the new Board of Education will lead to even more widespread student reassignments, re-segregation of some of Wake's schools, fewer school choices for parents and students, and strained finances for the district and county."
"We are concerned that the policies of the current Board of Education will result in far more reassignment than any previous Board," said Yevonne Brannon, chair of the Board of Directors of WakeUP Wake County, the group spearheading the coalition. "Coalition members also are concerned that the Board has proposed changes in assignment without fully assessing capacity, economic or tax implications, or the impact on student learning and stability.
The coalition also says it "will examine how proposals of the new BOE might affect the economic growth of Wake County and our ability to attract new business; how these changes would impact taxes needed for additional space, and what impact the changes would have on student learning and stability."
The press release says that the coalition "brings together a broad group of Wake residents who wish to advocate for all students in the public school system and educate parents, taxpayers, and residents about public school policy and initiatives."
But none of the organizations listed in the press release would be considered politically conservative. For instance, coalition members include the N.C. Justice Center, N.C. Policy Watch, N.C. Social Justice Project and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh's Social Action Committee.
Comments
Keung question?
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 17:42 — DrActualFactualKeung, there are so many new readers to your blog I am surprised that you didn't provide background on the leadership behind the coalition members you listed. Many readers may not click on the links to see "who's who" and saying that they are not conservative is a far cry from actually knowing who is behind the leadership of these groups. Thanks for the link (I couldn't get the WakeUp one to work--isn't Stan Norwalk heavily involved in that group?) I see Rev. Barber for the Justice Center--is NAACP part of that group? And really, as one of the other posters mentioned, is that Chuck Dulaney's church involved here? I'm not sure whether involvement of churchs is a good or bad thing when it comes to politics.
I'm assuming a level of
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 17:54 — KeungHui (author)I'm assuming a level of knowledge here on the blog among readers that I don't take for granted in the print stories. It's a question of spending more time on fewer blog posts or less time on more posts. Norwalk was a founder of WakeUP Wake. I don't know where Dulaney is going to church now but UUFR was where was the past congregation president of when I did a profile on him in 2006.
Does anyone else see the
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 15:00 — jenmanDoes anyone else see the irony here of people being concerned about lack of information,etc. when they themselves have not done their own homework??
-----------------------------------------------------------
YES! I swear, you're a saint Louise. Most people would have gone postal by now. :-)
Thanks...
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 21:03 — louiselee44Don't I wish! Thanks anyway, though. :^)
Oh good grief!!
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 13:15 — louiselee44Coalition members also are concerned that the Board has proposed changes in assignment without fully assessing capacity, economic or tax implications, or the impact on student learning and stability.
This board has just as much information - much more in fact - as the school boards who rushed ahead with MYR school assignments a few years ago. Those boards were warned over and over that their venture was destined to fail - and why - but pushed on through anyway. They knew what the probable repercussions would be - they knew what studies showed concerning student achievement - they knew what the probable impact would be on student stability and family life - they knew the economic implications - and the list goes on and on... BUT they made the choice to ignore the facts, stuck on the illusion that Wake County could "go where no other school system had gone before".
If these folks don't believe me, I'll be glad to sit down with them and show them the documentation I have proving that this information was shared time and time again with former board members.
I have no problem with groups forming, asking questions, etc. - I'm glad citizens are finally taking an interest! But please! Does anyone else see the irony here of people being concerned about lack of information,etc. when they themselves have not done their own homework??
Ditto
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 23:12 — srhudson06Good Grief Charlie Brown......enough is enough. Let this board do their work.
for the love of pie, summer
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 12:56 — riversfamilyfor the love of pie, summer breaks have nothing to do with farming.
they were designed to give students a break, allow for family travel during fair weather, and i would wager were influenced by the heat in the days prior to air conditioning.
i find it bizarre that so much energy is expended in wake talking about how moving to traditional calendar neighborhood schools is outrageous, when in fact its what most of the rest of the country does.
does this county exist in some kind of twilight zone vacuum?
Get used to it
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 13:20 — louiselee44Someone always tries to turn this into a debate about summertime. Hopefully it will die a quick death.
Yes...this county does exist
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 13:08 — shearertwYes...this county does exist in the twilight zone....
How many remember...
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 12:54 — louiselee44when people who were against the forcing of YR school attendance were accused of being afraid of change, and downright selfish? New changes are here now; as opponents of MYR schools were told years ago - "just give it a try, you might find that you like it!"
You might like it...
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 15:54 — burkesas opponents of MYR schools were told years ago - "just give it a try, you might find that you like it!"
I like that!
(based on the outdated
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 12:08 — jenman(based on the outdated philosophy that kids need to help in the farm fields during June-July-August).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That's actually not true. Farmers need help in the fields in Spring for planting and Fall for harvest.
Train Wreck for Wake Co.
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 12:03 — gfp064This narrow, but disastrous new School Board majority is currently driving the Wake
County Schools toward a train wreck. The end result will be HORRIBLY overcrowded
neighborhood schools in suburbia. Without ample taxpayer funding, they won't be
able to build enough neighborhood schools. Schools will have what resemble trailer
parks around them ...trailer classrooms. Cafeterias, auditoriums, gyms, labs, and bathrooms will be inadequate. And the overcrowding will be exacerbated by reducing Year-Round schools and going backward toward traditional-calendar-schools (based on the outdated philosophy that kids need to help in the farm fields during June-July-August). How will our children learn in overcrowded classes? More children will be left behind. Once Wake County gets this reputation, corporations will avoid moving here and creating jobs. Folks will move to other counties seeking better-funded public schools. Some companies may leave and relocate elsewhere.
it doesn't matter, gfp, as
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 14:02 — jeannie84it doesn't matter, gfp, as long as the suburban parents get their way, that's what really counts
wow
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 15:11 — loriacat least now I know to discount everything else you say.
I wouldn't expect anything
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 17:12 — jeannie84I wouldn't expect anything MORE from you, Lori
lol
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 15:50 — supportwcpssName one other person on this blog who had widely opposing views from your own that you didn't discount.
Heh...
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 13:52 — Bob_SconceOthers have already pointed out the fallacy in your "calendar organized around agriculture" theory, but I'll add to it:
(1) In 19th century agricultural communities, schools were traditionally organized into summer and winter sessions, not the 9-month calendar we know now.
(2) Most agricultural work happens in the Spring and Fall (planting and harvest), not the heat of the summer months.
(3) Economists say that the schedule evolved as a coordination mechanism. By having everybody off during the same extended time period, coordinating activities between different areas became easier. For example, moving from one place to another was easier when both places were out for the summer months.
It's annoying that so many people (including the current President) repeat that fallacy. But, repetition doesn't make it any truer.
Mostly correct
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 14:51 — pmIn 19th century agricultural communities, schools were traditionally
organized into summer and winter sessions, not the 9-month calendar we
know now.
Correct, farmers need help to plant and to harvest.
Economists say that the schedule evolved as a coordination mechanism.
I've never seen an economist say that; not sayin they haven't, I just haven't seen it.
The reason that schools now follow the current schedule is that early reformers felt that:
In short, it was too hot, kids were too frail and people enjoyed vacationing. We have overcome one and shown that the other isn't true. The last, however, is stilll prevalent.
Oh, one other thing, independent of view, I really think it in poor form to reply to posters using name calling:
One of the most enduring
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 17:07 — AngelaWA funny thing about that statement is that you never hear a farmer say it. Why? Because it's not true! If you were going to develop a school schedule that accommodates the labor needs of farmers, you would have vacations in the spring when you plant the crops and in the fall when you harvest the crops.
So how did the traditional school calendar come into being? According to Kenneth M. Gold author of "Schools In: The History of Summer Education in American Public Schools," the long summer vacation is actually the result of an urban society. It turns out that it gets really hot in cities in the summer months. Before air conditioning was invented, spending summers in places like New York City was pretty unbearable. The best option for beating the heat was to get out of the city and head north, to the mountains, or the ocean. Hence, the summer vacation was born!
Why does the agrarian society myth still prevail? One reason is that fewer and fewer people come from agricultural backgrounds and have no background knowledge upon which to know the statement is false. Another reason is that their urban counterparts have long considered rural people as being backward and inferior. Don’t believe it? Look up the origins of the word villain sometime. The traditional calendar myth reaffirms people's perceptions of rural people.
Heh...
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 15:04 — Bob_SconceSo, I googled looking for the citation. And, the first several hits were links to this blog where I posted the same thing before! I'll find it eventually -- I know the original source was an economist, but didn't bother to bookmark it.
I agree with your view of name-calling. Not helpful and not something anybody would do face-to-face. I don't think you were referring to me, were you? I've tried to tone-down my dialogue (see my apology for using the word "haters" elsewhere).
Not you bob
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 15:42 — pmI agree with your view of name-calling. Not helpful and not something
anybody would do face-to-face. I don't think you were referring to me,
were you? I've tried to tone-down my dialogue (see my apology for
using the word "haters" elsewhere).
Useless12345, As you like
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 10:31 — CaryCurmudgeon
Useless12345,
L'user, "The press release
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 10:09 — shearertw
L'user,
Never used useless12345 but
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 15:15 — shearertwNever used useless12345 but I believe I was the inventor of L'user. I can't remember why I began using it but it was during a heated and frustrating conversation with user1234 (as if there were another kind). I've held on to it since as my own little pet name for user. I once invited user to join me for lunch as part of an "Angry WakeED bloggers lunch" group but to no avail. For user, I would probably use it face to face but just as a running joke. I conceed the point, however, that its probably in poor taste, at the very least, esp. since I can't even remember why I started using it. I'll take the constructive criticism and refrain from now on. Offer still open for that lunch idea...
I never took offense ... I
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 16:42 — user12345I never took offense ... I am not as creative as Todd with the names ....thanks for the lunch invitation ... I remember and appreciate the offer ... it is still a little early ... I know many of the people here one way or another and they would be shocked if they found out who I was ... I do like the conversation and many times it is educational ... I love - is it Dad3? - who refers to the "calling someone Hitler" as conceding an argument ... I remember that when I want to type it ... thanks Dad
Never thought you really
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 16:55 — shearertwNever thought you really took it seriously or took offense. If I had thought that I would have stopped using it long ago. You always seemed to be one with a sense of humor so I felt comfortable continuing to use it. However, the humor seems to have been lost on others so to avoid letting it ruin any serious message I might be trying to get across I will refrain from now on with the creative names.
I do like using the faces!
Well said
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 15:48 — pmI find it interesting and healthy that this debate crosses traditional party lines. For example, I am a pretty strong conservative. I know that my stance on this subject puts me more in line with the liberal crown than the conservative crowd.
With that in mind, I know that I am debating "my brother" and as such, try to keep it as healthy as possible. It is my hope to reflect conservatives in as strong a light as possible.
pm, I'm in the same boat
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 15:56 — jenmanpm,
I'm in the same boat as you, only reversed. I'm a liberal finding myself more in line with conservatives on this issue. Its a little freaky, to tell the truth. :-)
You think that's nuts?
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 16:00 — Bob_SconceMy real name is Del Burns. I've just been hiding behind an alter-ego.
(Soo...)
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 16:01 — Bob_SconceBefore Del gets made for somebody impersonating him, IT'S A JOKE.
Most of you nonsense has
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 12:52 — shearertwMost of you nonsense has already been rebutted but let me add one more thing.
The state with the fastest growing economy right now and to where more companies are moving than any other is Texas. There is not one school system in Texas that is set up like WCPSS. The vast majority, in fact, excemplify the meaning of a community based school model. Oh....and most of their school systems receive less funding than Wake and are far superior in too many ways to list here.
School Board majority is
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 12:34 — CaryCurmudgeonSchool Board majority is currently driving the Wake
County Schools toward a train wreck.
The train is already wrecked. Check the graduation rates, ask the parents, ask the taxpayers (note: they voted for change 3 months ago).
The end result will be HORRIBLY overcrowded
neighborhood schools in suburbia
You mean like we have today? Classrooms are already packed in some schools, while thousands of seats in others are vacant.
Schools will have what resemble trailer
parks around them
Already there. We prefer to call them "cottages."
How will our children learn in overcrowded classes?
Under the previous administration, this problem was avoided by having 22% of students drop out. I think there are better answers.
Once Wake County gets this reputation, corporations will avoid moving here and creating jobs
Your true motivations revealed. We have heard our school system referred to as an "economic development tool." If you are so worried about classrooms becoming crowded, then you shouldn't be afraid of corporations not moving here.
Some companies may leave and relocate elsewhere.
Or, the Earth could be hit by a meteor! Skip the hyperbole, when you can name one company that moves out of Wake County because of schools please let us know.
"true motivation" I
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 12:50 — carson79"true motivation"
I believe YOUR true motivation was revealed in the WSCA thread a little while back.
If you think companies don't look at school systems when they decide where to locate or expand you are seriously delusional. Did not one of the Enloe parents talk about moving his company to wake for the schools.
Guess you have been drinking
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 12:37 — changewcpssGuess you have been drinking the spiked kool aid mixed by C Dulaney and the status-quo crowd. Stale and incorrect arguments.
Rub that crystal ball one more time
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 12:16 — g88ky07and see if you can't find something positive floating around in it! I hear bouncing it off a wall works well!
Their name *Great Schools In
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 11:12 — changewcpssTheir name *Great Schools In Wake* is extremely misleading. I wonder what they are hiding. They appear to be a cover for someone's personal status quo agenda and truly do not support what is best for education. Just more lies and deceit.
Rewording?
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 13:54 — supportwcpssTheir name *WCSA* is extremely misleading. I wonder
what they are hiding. They appear to be a cover for someone's personal
status quo agenda and truly do not support what is best for education.
Just more lies and deceit.
Heh...
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 11:38 — Bob_SconceI'm thinking of starting a group "Fantastic, superduper schools in Wake County."
Bob, Just don't let any of
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 13:48 — shearertwBob,
Just don't let any of those evil taxpayers join.
WUSS would be appropriate
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 11:50 — red_balloonWake's Ubiquitous Super Schools
...under the leadership of an Academic Super Star
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 14:36 — Its_the_parents......sorry couldn't resist. Yeah, I know its petty, but still...
And now, moving on to a completely different topic:
Any interest out there in starting a county-wide DULANEY DEPARTURE CLOCK??...think about the fun we could have, county-wide parties at every significant countdown milestone???
Just a thought...probing public opinion and true feelings/opinions...something that the N@O should do (as our "free press" unbiased journalist/reporter)...won't hold my breath on that hope...
Anyone? Anyone???
"widespread student reassignments "
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 11:36 — g88ky07been there, done that, still doing that as long as the 3 year plan stands, nothing new here. What is new however, is that moving forward the goal is to END mass reassignments by creating stability! By creating neighborhood schools! By ending mandatory anything! By asking and involving parents, doing what makes sound financial sense and by using some common sense. It's pretty simple GSinW. Welcome to the scene!
It is becoming more clear.
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 11:49 — changewcpssIt is becoming more clear. I looked at the website and C Dulaney's church as well as the Little Picture 4 Wake County gaggle are listed as members. Oh this is more of a joke than I originally thought.
L'user, "The press release
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 11:09 — shearertwL'user,
"The press release says that the coalition "brings together a broad group of Wake residents who wish to advocate for all students in the public school system and educate parents, taxpayers, and residents about public school policy and initiatives.""
Do you think GSWC should also leave out the word "taxpayer"?
Should I have just been more patient and waited on you to post a similar comment as you did regarding WSCA press release?
____________________________________________________
user1234......
"WSCA is a diverse organization comprised of Wake County parents and taxpayers"
There is taxpayers again ... why not just stick with kids and edcuation ... taxpayer have enough groups looking after their interests.
"Do you think GSWC should
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 16:48 — user12345"Do you think GSWC should also leave out the word "taxpayer"?"
I sense a subtle change in the group’s direction to broaden their appeal to taxpayer groups which may be in preparation for a metamorphosis for CC race? I think there is a slight mission change to attract more support / money?
Fantasy
Fri, 01/08/2010 - 00:27 — SDR256You're fantasizing user. Our mission has not changed a bit. We have often used 'taxpayers' in the past because we have members who don't have children currently in the school system.
But the point is you think
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 16:56 — shearertwBut the point is you think WSCA shouldn't use it. Do you feel that GSWC shouldn't use it as well? If not, why is it ok for them and not WSCA?
Use conservative, taxpayer,
Fri, 01/08/2010 - 14:49 — user12345Use conservative, taxpayer, small government, etc. if it reflects the group's goals and audience ... I just wonder if the recent, frequent appearance of the term plus all the BOE meetings with taxpayer groups is not part of a broader plan and change in direction... I would hope that the gang of four is advocating for more tax dollars for schools since they are our advocates ...
WEll...
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 11:07 — Bob_SconceOf course there will be some reassignments. They have to untie this Gordian Knot somehow. Over the long run, though, the purpose is increased stability.
where was this concern when
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 10:59 — AngelaWwhere was this concern when 22 (now 23) schools were unilaterally converted to MYR with virtually NO input from the public? didn't matter then if it didn't affect them....
Yup, isn't their hypocrisy just stunning?
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 11:33 — Its_the_parents......plus, as their patron saint "Chuck" once said..."children are resilient, they will adjust quickly"...perhaps we should invoke his "wisdom" now to comfort the imagined fears of these folks?
Alright, snarky comments apart, this is not about "tit-for-tat" or "shoe is on the other foot"...this is about righting a historical wrong and giving FREEDOM (of choice and freedom from conniving bureaucrats) back to the previously voiceless and powerless parents and citizens of this county!