The new Democratic majority on the Wake County school board want to work on student assignment on Day 2 instead of Day 1 of their tenure.
As noted in today's article, Democratic school board member and potential new chairman Kevin Hill has requested that a Dec. 7 work session be held on the student assignment plan. The new majority will be sworn in on Dec. 6.
“The assignment plan is very time sensitive,” Hill said. “We’ll be into the December holidays and time is short. I requested that we get our sleeves rolled up and get to work.”
Don't look for changes on student assignment to take place Dec. 6 because Hill said the new majority wants to avoid the questions that dogged the Republican board majority when members met before taking office in 2009.
While not illegal, critics accused Republicans of trying to skirt the Open Meetings Law by meeting as a group to agree on the items they presented without advance notice at their first board meeting.
Newly elected Democratic board member Jim Martin said they want to get word out about a meeting Dec. 7 or later on that week as soon as soon as possible.
"We will let the community know about the meetings well in advance,” Martin said. “There will be no surprises.”
When Superintendent Tony Tata received Hill's request, he said he pointed out how under board policy only the chair or two board members can call a special meeting.
If Democratic board member Keith Sutton also asks for a Dec. 7 meeting then that would satisfy that part of policy.
"We will meet with them whenever they are ready," Tata said. "We will be there to answer their questions."
Comments
THIS IS THE ONE
Tue, 11/22/2011 - 10:15 — criticalthinkerI've been wondering which article would be the one that got reactionaries all bent out of shape in the most embarassing context possible.
It's this one about the new board taking immediate action with proper public notice.
A comparison of the comments from both sides speaks volumes.
Traditional MS options closer to home for YR Opt-Out Families
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 15:54 — jedaviI hope that adjusting the feeder paths for families that opted out of MYR will be discussed. Many of these families are attending elementary schools with planned feeders where all three schools are outside of the new proximity schools. In my case our feeder goes to a middle school >10 miles from home with no bus. I'd like to rejoin my neighbors and attend the traditional calendar middle school 3 miles from home.
...
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 14:55 — SideburnsSo, who did Hill ask to set up the meeting? Just Tata? Is Hill not aware of how to request a meeting or he is attempting to circumvent policy?
And why is Martin speaking out about this? The incoming members are obviously discussing things before being sworn in.
At last, some work sessions
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 22:18 — SatchHHon some topics with advance notice - that is more than 48.5 hours. Hopefully the new board will reinstate standing committees as well. Imagine needing more time than work sessions and board meetings to take in data and consider its implications. It still blows my mind that the previous majority did away with standing committees. That was a sure sign that they didn't give a rat's *%$#* about real data and thoughtful decision-making.
Go back and understand the
Tue, 11/22/2011 - 04:40 — jeffrey1Go back and understand the rationale behind removing standing committees. Then come back here and make a rational argument against the removal of standing committees.
I suspect you have no clue about those reasons, and are taking your talking points from someone else; otherwise you might have made a more intelligent argument (and that's giving you the benefit of the doubt).
Rational...
Tue, 11/22/2011 - 10:32 — bpuli9999republican - as good an oxymoron as it can get.
Oh my God...
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 19:09 — bpuli9999Martin said the solution is not going to be a one size fits all. He is discussing school related stuff! How could he let such BoE secrets out before being sworn in?
And a school board member asked for a meeting without letting sideburns know first (presumably she is used to RM letting her know beforehand).
Sideburns...Surely you
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 15:13 — shearertwSideburns...
Surely you understand that those rules only apply to Republican majorities and are only in place to prevent those barbarians from running our school system off the cliff...
Now that the "grown-ups" aka "heroes of our children" are in charge, those rules only hinder the wonderful progress that is surely to take place in the coming years...Surely we can overlook the need for them to follow proper procedures while saving our school system from the wrecking ball those evil Republicans took to WCPSS over the past 2 years.
Seriously?
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 18:34 — lovingpenelopeY'all are REALLY criticizing the new school board members for what in the worst case scenario would be replicating the behavior of the trolls that y'all elected two years ago?
REALLY?
Don't you even feel the slightest bit hypocritical about that kind of stuff?
#toofunny
#toosad
Policy
Tue, 11/22/2011 - 02:13 — SDR256Well, its either a policy or its not. Is it a policy that they should not be conferring before they are sworn in? If so, did they break the policy? These questions are good healthy evidence of democracy in practise. You have to take as good as you get.
...
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 18:55 — SideburnsI'm just surprised how quickly they turned their backs on their 'good governance' platform. Well.... maybe I'm not.
Surprised?????
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 23:25 — jgegbgmgGuess they are just following how the current board handled things when taking charge two years ago - It appears that you (Sideburns) are really struggling with the election results - But venting your frustration by writing these blogs (even though it is a waste of time) will help you survive these next four to ten years as the new majority makes all the right decisions - I know it's really tough for you at this time but remember you still have Tedesco fighting for the Republican way !!!!!!!!! Can't wait for his decision on running for the State Superintendent of Schools - Heck, I doubt if he can even keep his co-chair position much longer !!!!!!!
But venting your frustration
Tue, 11/22/2011 - 04:35 — jeffrey1But venting your frustration by writing these blogs (even though it is a waste of time) will help you survive these next four to ten years as the new majority makes all the right decisions.
And if those "right" decisions harm the education of my children (and thousands of others), just like the decisions of the BOE from 2001-2009 harmed thousands of children, then so be it. We'll all rest comfortably knowing that jgegbgmg thinks they're the "right" decisions. It's all so very clear now. Thanks for setting us straight.
Sideburns, are you kidding?
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 22:22 — SatchHHasking for a work session is good governance! Imagine actually working on issues and providing advance notice. This is a welcome change. It's obvious too that the new majority is not going to come in guns blazing with an agenda and proposals on their first meeting as the previous majority did - in clear violation of board policy - not that the new members (now old, thank the Lord) cared. Sideburns, if the newly-elected members acted the way Tedesco et. al did when they first came in, you'd have a heart attack. Get a grip. things are in much, much better hands now - in every single way one can slice it.
You and your inept voting buddies
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 23:03 — FSandYOUwill be the ones needing to get a grip. Get a grip on the door, the handle, what ever you can to help your kids up into the bus they'll be on non-stop once this bunch of morons take office.
This so called "work session" is only the beginning. The beginning of this assignment plan being tanked and your kids being put back into the pinwheel roulette game known as NEVER ENDING RE-ASSIGNMENT Wake County style.
But thank the good Lord Martin and The CPA have come to save us from ourselves and those terrible racists.
You're about to be surrounded by a sewer overflow and Martin & Co. will be your plumbers. Grab a life jacket while you can.
Explain
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 19:53 — duvalHow in the world you came to this opinion?
new review -- brassfield
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 14:47 — sam123456hopefully this new review will allow current students at Brassfield that were assigned to Wakefield Middle and High to remain there vs going to the Millbrooks. This is not only the right thing to do but it is also extremely logical.
Sam,I don't mean to be
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 14:54 — shearertwSam,
I don't mean to be pessimistic about your situation, but I'm guessing the "new" review will focus on two items:
1. Displacing suburban students from their local, neighborhood choices in favor of SE Raleigh ED students.
2. Finding additional magnet slots for non-ED kids living in Raleigh nodes.
OUR CHILDREN...
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 10:49 — ClearThinker,,,are worth every extra effort our school board members give to make sure that this school choice plan is workable, and promotes the best educational outcomes possible.
A real review...
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 08:12 — bpuli9999of the assignment plan is necessary and has to be done. The previous board pushed it through too quickly.
Absolutely
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 13:44 — FSandYOUTrash the entire thing.
Wethey can spend 4 more years talking about it.No one needs to worry one second. Jim Martin and the CPA have come to save us.
btw, nice to see Mr. Hill didn't make any 'travel' plans to keep him from attending this go round.
You're right... We've got to
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 10:50 — shearertwYou're right...
We've got to go back and put more focus on rich, white Raleighites gaining access to magnets under the illusion of local ED students seeing a benefit from attending a school they will very like do worse in....
We've also got to prevent those suburban parents from having any real choice and certainly from establishing a stable, local community school for their kids to attend...
And finally, we have to make sure we include a means to spread ED students every which way around the county at will because that has worked so well for us over the past 20 years...
In the end
Tue, 11/22/2011 - 02:19 — SDR256Well, and so, where are we in the end?
If we keep repeating back the same segmentation that we know is coming out and is wrong, then should we respond by repeating back that same segmentation?
This just builds walls.
I respect you shearertw, but I think everyone has to think about this a little differently if we are going to make progress for Wake County kids.
SDR, I respect your opinion
Tue, 11/22/2011 - 11:00 — shearertwSDR,
I respect your opinion and your efforts over the years, however, I am 100% convinced that zero progress will be made in WCPSS over the next 3-4 years due to the recent election results. The new BOE majority will not consider any strategies other than left wing nonsense, protection of Raleigh schools and magnet parents. Parents of the suburbs are in for more nonsense reassignments, forced choice of MYR schools, limited AG services and other resources preserved for magnet schools, break down of any attempts to form a community around a school or two, etc. Therefore, the walls are only going to get taller. When these new BOE members terms are over, it will be nearly too late to make any significant improvement as far as my children are concerned. As we observed with the previous election, it takes a solid 2-3 years to turn this ship around.
WCPSS has been the #1 problem I have had to deal with since moving here nearly 5 years ago. I am still weighing my options (as they're aren't many) on what I need to do for my family but hopefully one of them is leaving the system entirely. For that reason, I do not plan to participate on this blog often but do still enjoy stopping by to point out blantent hypocracy and take on liberal garbage when I see it.
True
Tue, 11/22/2011 - 13:25 — loriacI don't know how many of my friends with older kids have told me that one of their happier days was the day they could give WCPSS the Jersey wave on their way out.
Well said
Tue, 11/22/2011 - 11:26 — FSandYOUHowever, I expect backward progress for the next several years. Guess that won't really be progress huh.
Oh if the people moving here only knew the truth.