It's not surprising that supporters of the Wake County school board majority are unhappy about the award that Gov. Bev Perdue gave Saturday to the Rev. William Barber, president of the state NAACP.
In a blog post today, Bob Luebke of the conservative Civitas Institute writes that the Order of the Long Leaf Pine award given to Barber raises questions. Luebke writes that Barber is being lauded for opposing a move to neighborhood schools in Wake that's used in most of the state's school districts.
"If Perdue finds Barber’s work so laudatory, you have to wonder why either has said little to nothing about that same policy which has been in place for years in many of the state’s other school districts. The selective indignation makes it difficult to take either’s comments seriously."
UPDATE
Click here for a WTVD story in which Kathleen Brennan, a founder of Wake CARES, said she was "shocked and appalled" that Perdue gave Barber the award. But Patty Williams, the communications person for the Great Schools in Wake Coalition, said that Barber "deserves to be noted by the community as an advocate for all chidlren."
Comments
I do believe that Bev has
Tue, 08/24/2010 - 20:44 — aquaman4life68I do believe that Bev has nailed her coffin shut as any chance of being a 2nd term Gov. She needs to start packing now.
Who Cares
Mon, 08/23/2010 - 23:14 — jgegbgmgKathleen Brennan needs to go back to where she came from - WHO Cares what she thinks about this award - I can hear her now saying "why can't we have it the way we did back home / our schools and their schools - Ms. Brennan I want you to know the south is entirely different from the north - You just don't understand our community - Maybe a class on southern living would help you !!!!!!
Bev's remarks in March seem contradictory
Mon, 08/23/2010 - 19:45 — tigger516The N&O printed the Governor's remarks last March. Here's one report from 3/25/10.
Gov. Bev Perdue weighed in on the Wake County diversity debate – sort of.
Asked this week about the Wake County Board of Education's decision to end busing for socioeconomic reasons in favor of neighborhood schools, Perdue seemed to favor the old system, reports Rob Christensen.
"I am speaking as a mother and a grandmother," Perdue said after a news conference at Rex Hospital to announce a Medicaid anti-fraud effort.
"I really do believe that kids do better in a situation that prepares them for real life," Perdue said. "And real life has children who are from all economic levels."
Perdue said students should learn to live with people of other backgrounds.
"I hate busing. I know that is hard for people," Perdue said. "The bottom line for me as governor....is to be sure that every kid in every neighborhood in North Carolina, regardless of where they live, is actually able to go to a school that works and can help them be career or college-ready."
The governor doesn't have any direct influence over local assignment policies.