It's not an understatement to say that today's joint meeting of the Wake County school board and Wake County Commissioners got heated.
School board members accused commissioners of slapping them in the face and putting a school bond issue in danger by asking for changes in state law in who owns schools and how the school board is elected. Commissioners countered that the board’s actions have already cost the public’s trust and that unless the changes are passed that a badly needed bond won’t pass this fall.
“It’s a sad day when we’ve gotten to the point where we seem to enjoy not working with each other,” said Commissioner James West, a Democrat.
Also during the meeting, four of the school board member across party lines indicated that it might be better to wait until 2014 to have a bond. They cited issues such as the short time frame to get the details done, the challenge of getting public support and the acrimony with the commissioners.
UPDATE
Click here for the article on the joint meeting.
Comments
DUPED
Fri, 02/22/2013 - 11:07 — KevPerdueEvan said she felt duped by the BOC. That is how I felt when the band of 5 idiot siblings came in and did everything they said they wouldn't when they campaigned (fire Tata, eliminate the choice plan, etc). When is the last time academics was on the board agenda?
Since you asked.....
Fri, 02/22/2013 - 13:23 — WorldsLeadingAu...Hey Kevperdue, local boards of education don't control curriculum: that's established at the national and state level. But since you asked, student achievement updates were on the board agenda Feb. 7, including grading, equity, and achievement gap policies.
...
Sat, 02/23/2013 - 13:13 — SideburnsLOL. And then they approved more magnet schools. You know, the ones that we spend millions of local dollars on and yet they fail to educate certain subgroups of students.
Eh...
Sat, 02/23/2013 - 12:28 — Bob_SconceThat's not completely true. Certainly, the Standard Course of Study (an abomination, if there ever was one) is controlled at the State level, and Common Core is more/less national. But, that doesn't mean that local districts have no control. First of all, elective courses are almost completely within the discretion of local districts. Secondly, look at the district's legislative agenda -- the GA clearly has some sway in curriculum (right now, there's a bill requiring teaching the times tables), yet the board is completely silent in what the curriculum should look like. And, third, there are all sorts of ancillary ways that the district has control -- block scheduling, for example, is horrible for AP courses. And I don't think course weighting is controlled by the state.
This board doesn't control anything
Fri, 02/22/2013 - 14:55 — FSandYOUAnd soon they will have even less of the "c" word in their sweaty little greedy palms.
This board is an absolute train wreck at every level.
Turns out...
Fri, 02/22/2013 - 09:56 — bpuli9999that CC's are a bigger bunch of clowns than the BoE members. What a bunch tantrum throwing toddlers! And these are the morons in charge of the county and the schools?
CC's should hire full-time security
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 20:11 — FSandYOUMr. Gurley, word to the wise, do not sit next to Susan Evans at future meetings. You're lucky she didn't reach over and rip your tie from around your neck!
Susan Evans, you JERK, until you and the other miserable seat warmers are removed from this board,
BONDS
AIN'T
HAPPENIN'
EVER
AGAIN!!!
Not 2013, not 2014, NOT EVER!
More "Margiotta style" crapola
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 17:44 — clarkshereThis CC group reminds me of Margiotta's gang. Let's see how badly the CC's can screw up construction. I wouldn't be surprised if Gurley switched nameplates around so he could sit beside, Evans, and "misheard" Evans clearing her throat. I don't trust these CC guys. They have consistently underfunded new construction and renovations. Don't get me started on the operating budget.
actually I think this is good for Wake
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 20:32 — snordoneto see the dysfunction of both parties. The beauty of this is that it is at the same time, not one party acting ridiculous in isolation.
For sure the Democrats screwed up with trying to go back to forced busing, but the Republicans are equally ridiculous trying to gerrymander post-gerrymandering (all because some republican did not understand Wake Co and let Kevin cleave off 6000 N. Raleigh families who have been pissed off for years).
All useless. Name one you trust. Just curious.
I trust Deborah and John, but I know them. Kevin lies to my face without so much as a blink. Keith does not lie but does not understand the mess that is the rim and N Raleigh.
Did I miss something?
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 21:24 — clarkshereWhen did the sitting board try to go back to forced busing? We are in the "transfer where you want" time frame right now. All hey did was get kids a base school using the same assignment plan the Republicans created, and open up a window to move if they want.
As for who to trust - I thought Tom Benton was impressive in the joint meeting.
I realize that we don't have
Sun, 02/24/2013 - 10:45 — WakeCtyMomI realize that we don't have the results yet, so I could end up being shocked when we do, but this "transfer where you want" period is not for everyone. It is for students in high performing, overcrowded schools to go wherever THEY want (just like magnets, the high performing areas get 90% of the seats.) if you live where I do, in an underenrolled, title 1 non-magnet school base area, you aren't going anywhere. You have almost no chance of a magnet seat, very little shot at your calendar option (in fact, when lynn road parents complained about the fact that their only calendar option is 15 miles away instead of one of the 4-5 closer, high performing year round schools, the assignment office flat out shut it down and said they didnt want those options to be "too attractive" for students in poorly performing schools.) 2 minutes later they approved the calendar option for the Bedford neighborhood to change to the one in their back yard. The interim superintendent and head of assignment has already made it clear that choices will be honored "unless there is detriment to the sending school." So rich folks in Bedford, west Cary, apex, etc. you can go anywhere...but students in knightdale, garner, RIM areas....no choice for you.
I'll say it again...this assignment plan IS a choice plan but it only applies to wealthy areas of the county. Everyone else is stuck. The former choice plan, while imperfect, truly gave some element of choice to the vast majority of students. I know some parents were frustrated, and you can never please everyone, but I think some of the kinks could have been worked out. Perhaps it was a fallacy to guarantee bussing to all choices on the list. But either way it seemed much more fair to me.
Sounds like another
Sun, 02/24/2013 - 22:13 — shearertwSounds like another enlightened moment from some who has figured out the game (imagine the sound of a strumming harp).
The choice plan was fair...but that's not what a certain segment of WC wants and that segment is now running the BOE.
we have beat this discussion to death
Fri, 02/22/2013 - 22:44 — snordonebut I will say it one more time - the 2011 assignment plan is the diversity plan, it is forced busing to create balance. It had no element of choice beyond applying to magnet, charter or private school. Calendar options are usually odious choices if the base assignment is a Title I school. No choice, no control. That is what you are missing.
Apparently you did!
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 23:07 — FSandYOUWe are in the "bend over before you get it" time frame right now and no one, except you, is delusional to believe otherwise. This board has made it very clear where they are taking us and it's back in time my friend.
Benton, I didn't see/hear anything that was impressive whatsoever. He's just another "back in time" supporter and yes man.
As for who the voters trust? None of them!
You are
Fri, 02/22/2013 - 21:45 — clarkshereYou are your own pitiful little hate group, son.
Thanks to previously failed boe members like yourself
Sat, 02/23/2013 - 08:36 — FSandYOUBeverley! Or is it Grandma?
You can thank yourself each and every day when you get up and look at your sad little face in the mirror. You failed this county, you failed our children and now YOUR friends are attempting to fail us all further.
Thank goodness the McPope regime and GA are going to limit that damage greatly in the coming weeks.
Please mark your calendar to
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 22:51 — shearertwPlease mark your calendar to come back a view this post of yours one year from now....I just did.
You keep bringing up this
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 20:54 — shearertwYou keep bringing up this Republican screw up with the redrawing of the district map. Perhaps it was a screw up. It seemed to me the Reps were just being reasonable and "fair" and there wasn't a lot of gerrymandering going on. There were a lot of threats from civil rights groups etc with regard to lawsuits of voter rights infringement etc and that may have had some impact. Why are you so sure it was both gerrymandering AND a screw up?
I talked to them -
Fri, 02/22/2013 - 22:49 — snordonethey did not know why Kevin made the request to give Deborah 6000 families, but it cleanly bordered her district so no one thought much of it. It was a huge mistake that has changed everything for us. Deborah gained 6000 more like-minded people but Kevin squeaked out a win because he cut down on his N.W. conservative corner of D3.
huh?
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 21:16 — EBDarcyDidn't they move Martin's house into another district? I think to avoid him running against Ron. Of course it didn't matter, Ron lost even though they drew the lines to all but guarantee a win for him.
I know Martin thinks he's
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 22:26 — shearertwI know Martin thinks he's the center of the universe but that doesn't mean the rest of us do. Perhaps his house got moved because it was in an area that made sense to move. How stupid would it be to draw lines that last for ten years just for one moron named Jim Martin. What level of narcissism does it take to believe that?
We all know why Ron M lost....too many people not paying attention and the national Dem party dumping $40k into a local school board race. People are paying attention to Ms. Evans now!
No, I think there was some genuine
Fri, 02/22/2013 - 22:51 — snordonedisgust. They should have never removed that stupid, meaningless word. They should have left it in there but created a choice model. I took a negotiation class today at work and am feeling quite empowered to be reasonable :)
One big mistake
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 17:29 — Dove314One big mistake here is for the County Commissioners to think I believe they are any better than the Real School Board of Wake County jokers. They are not. Especially when they aren't really honest about the why which relates to their own politics more than "for the good of the parents and children". Their adding to the shenanigans doesn't make it more likely I'll vote for anything.
Mr Hui
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 15:05 — Voice_of_Reason_Do you know if they plan to releae the video of that meeting? It is on the BOC website.
...
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 15:38 — Sideburnshttp://www.wral.com/news/video/12133351/#/vid12133351
Gotta love Tony Gurley
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 14:11 — jeffrey1Gotta love Tony Gurley calling out Susan Evans for yet another series of inappropriate, under her breath, ugly comments (i.e. calling Gurley a jerk).
And gotta respect Gurley for not responding with a Sutton-esque STFU.
I agree, but maybe the poor
Fri, 02/22/2013 - 21:18 — woodstockI agree, but maybe the poor woman--Susan Evans-- has Tourettes and can't help herself. Surely anyone with even a modicum of self-control could get a handle on this very odd and reoccurring behavior and correct it.
Can you locate that on the video for me?
Thu, 02/21/2013 - 23:42 — raleighlauraThanks!
Start listening at 03:26:00
Fri, 02/22/2013 - 22:15 — jeffrey1Start listening at 03:26:00 (3 hours, 26 minutes).
Gurley accuses Evans of calling him a jerk earlier in the meeting, but the actual comment was not picked up by the microphones. Note that Evans does not deny it.
No only does he not deny it,
Sun, 02/24/2013 - 12:44 — woodstockNo only does she not deny it, she tries to defend it. That woman has a screw loose.
This whole thing just makes
Fri, 02/22/2013 - 23:11 — jenmanThis whole thing just makes me more sickened each day. Reading that Blueprint memo brought flashbacks to all of the chaos of the BOE meetings in 2009. That's the Dems big strategy--disrupt meetings in the hopes of keeping the elected officials from getting anything done. Yell the loudest and be the biggest bully and nevermind the real issues.