It was a pretty gung-ho crowd at Thursday night's meeting in Holly Springs.
As noted in today's article, the twin goals pitched at the meeting were to get involved in this fall's school board elections and to back state legislation for at-large board seats.
Before I get started, Wake Schools Community Alliance now has a web site up that can be reached by clicking here. They're using it to help enlist people for this fall's campaign.
The theme repeatedly stressed at the meeting is that the time is ripe for electing candidates who can work with Ron Margiotta to form a new majority on the school board. They talked about finding candidates who will make proximity to school and community-based schools as the top priority in assignment.
"This is going to be a battle of turnout," said Joe Ciulla, one of the presenters and the founder of Take Our Schools Back. "If we can get voters to come out who care it’s a slam dunk."
Ciulla stresed how low turnout was in the 2005 school board elections. One of the biggest laughs in the evening came when he talked about motivating parents to vote in District 7, now held by Patti Head, who hasn't said if she'll run again.
"There’s nothing I can do in that district to motivate you more than what Patti Head has done," Ciulla said.
Ciulla compared this fall's elections with the effort that he was involved with to help get Harold Weinbrecht elected mayor of Cary.
Speaking of Weinbrecht, he said some of his toughest remarks yet about the school board. He said "the only way to change policy is to change the policy makers."
"We can’t make the difference that needs to be made," Weinbrecht said of his efforts to work with the current school board. "The difference needs to be made at the ballot box."
As for at-large elections, state Rep. Nelson Dollar is introducing his own bill. It's a local bill, unlike the one introduced this week by state Sen. Neal Hunt.
As a local bill, it would require unanimous support of the Wake delegation to get approval by the General Assembly. Hunt's bill is a general one that doesn't require the unanimous support of the Wake delegation but would have to go through the whole legislative process.
The crowd was urged to contact members of the Wake delegation, particularly the Democrats, to urge them to back Dollar's bill.
Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly also urged people to get their municipalities to back at-large elections as part of their state legislative agendas.
The next meeting of the Wake Schools Community Alliance will be on March 5 at a to be determined location.
Comments
Bob--Were you standing by
Tue, 02/10/2009 - 14:58 — raleighreaderBob--Were you standing by Venita Peyton? I was in the back at first (also a late arriver), but a seat opened up & I was able to sit down.
No....
Tue, 02/10/2009 - 17:19 — Bob_SconceDon't recognize her, but I was looking mainly at the backs of other people's heads. Don't know when the next meeting is, but I'll wear an "I'm Bob" pin or something. Hopefully, there will be an opportunity to push change along before then.
Wake ed Partnerships
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 23:57 — vsheehanWake ed Partnerships Newsletter/ top story
http://app.bronto.com/public/?q=preview_message&fn=Link&t=1&ssid=256&id=88pk9hsohasb4tt284j5liraohv1d&id2=fg5t9u4t07xde9v9o1nh3312efk49
Reassignments complete
A long, tedious and often contentious debate came to a close this week when Wake County school board members approved a student reassignment plan intended to last until the 2011-2012 school year. (Detailed summary found here.)
Thousands of additional students are expected to enroll in Wake County schools the next few years despite the deteriorating economy. Space is also needed for the roughly 10,000 new who students enrolled in the past two years. Such growth is the catalyst for a three-year plan to build 10 news schools and, in turn, reassign thousands.
The final number of mandatory reassignments was whittled down significantly from its first draft almost six months ago. By removing some students and giving more than 9,000 others the chance to remain at their current schools if they provide their own transportation, the final plan calls for roughly 11,000 mandatory reassignments between next year and 2011-12.
While the moves will not be spread evenly, they amount to about 3,700 reassignments each year in a district that currently enrolls more than 137,000 students. School officials say roughly two-thirds of the reassignments are driven by growth, but there are five other factors the district considers when moving families. (Click here for detail.)
One of those factors is a desire to preserve diversity in all schools. According to the board’s policy, children who qualify for subsidized lunches should make up no more than 40 percent of any school’s enrollment. The policy also requires no more than 25 percent of the students in any school score below grade level on state-mandated exams.
Defining diversity this way is intended to keep all schools attractive to teachers and families, but it was harshly criticized by some parents who believe it plays a central role in all reassignments. School board member Ron Margiotta, representing southern Wake County, referred to it as “social engineering” in casting one of two dissenting votes.
A single student can meet several of the board’s reassignment factors at the same time, such as maintaining diversity and filling a new school, so it is difficult to pin down a specific number of students reassigned solely for diversity. But in a plan with only 3,700 reassignments on average per year, the diversity figure represents just a tiny percentage of the whole.
That is little solace to parents directly affected by the plan who are looking for a target to attack. At a meeting of about 100 people Thursday evening in Holly Springs, diversity was characterized as the sole reason for reassignments. Several local politicians, as well as the mayors of Apex, Holly Springs, Cary and Garner encouraged the parents to recruit and elect new board members for the fall elections who are “family friendly.”
But in the short term, the recession poses a more immediate threat to the reassignment plan. With the overall economy still mired in uncertainty, county commissioners are unsure if Wake can afford to build the 10 new schools as scheduled. School board members are also waiting for the state Supreme Court to release a decision on whether the district can require students to attend classes on a staggered, year-round schedule.
If either the economy or the court decision upends the new plan, it would likely lead to a new set of reassignments.
G'fathering
Sun, 02/08/2009 - 00:13 — SideburnsI love how the WEP article quickly dismisses the 9,000 children that can be grandfathered. Remember, grandfathering does not provide transportation. How many of the F&R children (those these reassignments are supposed to be helping) will be able to grandfather?
We have a large group of F&R children at our current tradt'l application school that opted-out of their YR base. Now, the tradt'l opt-out is changing so they must move again. Without bus service, there is no other way for them to get to school. So, they must take the bus to another school next year -- either their original YR base or their new tradt'l opt-out. And for what?
oh yes, the irony of
Sun, 02/08/2009 - 08:22 — AngelaWoh yes, the irony of g'fathering! chuck and co. (finally) "gave" LES, Hilburn for the Traditional option as was pointed out the option that made the most sense last year when they "gave" us Stough, how EASY to appear to be "listening" to parents when you've now changed the middle school to MYR????? who is going to pull out their child of current MYR ES, provide their own transporation, only to have to put them in the MYR middle?
god, I despise these people....
I love how they mention
Sun, 02/08/2009 - 01:22 — vsheehanI love how they mention WSCA. Nothing says were scared then mentioning the poor diluted parents at a meeting with all those mayors.
Of course they moved the traditional opt out we need to punish parents because they are to dump to do what they are told.
blah, blah, blah
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 14:38 — AngelaWit is always the same old lame accusations (segregation, racism, elitism) and rants by those afraid of 1)change and/or 2)exposure for what it is....a flawed policy (6200) based on false data and "feel good" attitudes......a school system that no longer "enjoys" the praise because word and facts and data are getting out...
“A school system that no
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 14:55 — user1234“A school system that no longer "enjoys" the praise because word and facts and data are getting out...”
Are we looking at the same data? Wake has one of the highest passing scores for rich kids and the same for poor kids yet does that with one of the lowest contributions per student. The most for the least is amazing.
your right Wake and NC
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 23:56 — vsheehanyour right Wake and NC should be proud. They were 24 on the list of states educationally but they will drop about 11 to 15 slots now that everyone knows you only had to get less then half of the test right to pass But that will put them probably one slot above Alabama. Ya our state is better then one state were not last woho
God you are a blithering idiot who is truly clueless.
Same for poor kids?
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 15:41 — Bob_SconceWake poor kids are on par or worse than in every other district, save Durham. That's inconsistent with a successful diversity policy.
In any case, I don't think the district should be bragging that "only" 1/4 of the more affluent kids fail. Sure, the others are worse, but NC schools are just generally bad. That's not a comparison that sheds much light on WCPSS. In addition, these scores are measured by the NC EOG test, which is easier than that in most other states.
Also, recognize that the local contribution per student in Wake is higher than the State average, and about in the middle of the field. (I don't know why the total is lower.)
If you're suggesting that Wake County should increase the local school funding, I may agree. However, I would want to know that the additional money AND the current money would be well-spent before agreeing with that increase. I do not have that confidence in the current board.
“Wake poor kids are on
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 21:27 — user1234“Wake poor kids are on par or worse than in every other district, saveDurham
Bob, you think it is all about test scores. Other factors include teacher retention and having your kids mix with kids outside there income level. I know some will say we should pay the teachers combat pay to keep these kids out of our schools or the poor kids are rude, loud and have bad habits and we don’t our kids exposed to them. I am not saying you say that Bob, but those complaint are often voiced here.
Personally, I was shocked that it appeared there was nothing that could be done for poor kids. Looking at all the systems on the list using different methods and teachers and all were around 30% passing – flat on – no matter how much was spent. No one had the magic formula we could copy which is scary.
Maybe that is the best argument for the anti-diversity folks that poor kids are lost and we really can not do anything with them anyway so at least keep them out of my school.
WEll...
Mon, 02/09/2009 - 15:23 — Bob_SconceIt's not *all* about test scores. But it is *mostly* about test scores. The #1 job of the school system is to educate students. The #2 job of the school system is to educate students. It's only when you get down to #20 or so that any other job makes the list. Teacher retention is most directly a problem for the WCPSS HR department and only really matters if it hurts how the district does on jobs #1-#19. "Mixing with kids outside their income level" is somewhere down in the 40's or 50's, somewhere below "providing nutritious meals" and (maybe) somewhere above "checking them for scoliosis."
Don't give up on poor kids -- the fact that WCPSS doesn't do any better than CMS only means that WCPSS' approach is flawed, not that a better approach doesn't exist. KIPP Academies, for example, generally have good reputations for dealing with poor students.
....
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 15:18 — SideburnsAre all the smart people moving to Johnston County? Not a bad idea, huh?
Something to watch. People
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 15:35 — user1234Something to watch. People migrate away from high cost areas. Most people don't have kids in school and their property tax is more important than school scores especially as the population gets older and retires. Your question should have been how does Johnston do so much with so little and how do they do so much more with poor kids compared to EVERY other country?
Part of that...
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 20:58 — Bob_SconceThe John Locke society did a study on school construction (go to their website, look up "Feng Shui"). I don't agree with all the implications of their study, but they did mention Johnston's more efficient use of space in school construction. As a ratio to total space,
theirs have more classroom space. As a result, the cost of bond
service and school maintenance are presumably lower. They probably also have lower real estate costs, which also hits bond service costs.
I don't think that's a complete answer, but it's part of the answer.
They caught my attention
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 21:04 — user1234They caught my attention five years ago when they called their first day student population by 100 kids while Wake was off by thousands due to the fact that Johnston Co. used an outside firm to go door to door, count moving truck, etc. to get the right number. Wake used in-house staff. Activities like these and construction should probably be outsourced in my mind.
Welcome back, troll-man.
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 17:01 — CaryCurmudgeonWelcome back, troll-man. I have really been missing your keen insights. Thanks for explaining that part about people migrating away from high-cost living areas. Maybe you could explain that to people in Southern California? Northern Virginia? Westchester County? These people are migrating away and don't even know it! Perhaps their migration is circular?
As pointed out by others, NC schools are nothing to beat your chest about, and are not a yardstick for success. Look beyond Johnston County to, say... Japan, China, India. These countries produces the students our kids will compete with in a global economy where most jobs can be done from almost anywhere. Myopia like yours will make sure our kids end up digging ditches.
“ I have really been
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 21:00 — user1234“ I have really been missing your keen insights.”
You are in the dark so often; I was feeling sorry for you.
First, I type in all the surrounding counties. No, what aboutChapel Hill . I put them in and they spend twice what we do. You wonder how do they do better by spending twice what we do? Duh? Someone else says I have a cousin in Charlotte or Wilmington
“Maybe you could explain that to people inSouthern California ?”
CA … that is where they give you IOUs instead of tax refunds because they are bankrupt? If not for CA and NY evacuating their states over the last 10 years,Cary
“Northern Virginia ? Westchester County
All of them have nearly twice the expenditure per student. If you thought they were so great, you would have moved there. So, obviously, you either think here is better, you could not afford a home there or no one would give you a job. What every your deficiency, you are stuck here now.
“NC schools are nothing to beat your chest about, and are not a yardstick for success. “
Again, you are still here. Move some where else. I guess your kid’s education must not be that important to you?
“Look beyondJohnston County Japan , China , India
Have you been to these places? I have.Japan China and India
“These countries produces the students our kids will compete with in a global economy where most jobs can be done from almost anywhere.”
With 1.3 Billion people, they are statistically going to end up with some smart kids. That is not what worries the Chinese government. It is the uneducated rural people that start revolutions.
Wake county residents really don’t care about the schools as evidenced by the local contribution which is very low for the wealth in the county. The results are good enough for most tax payers who don’t want to live inNorthern VA , CA, or NY. They moved here to get away from those costs.
I am not as in-tune with
Sun, 02/08/2009 - 21:15 — Big_PictureI am not as in-tune with *who's who* on this blog to know much about yall's backgrounds, so I have to wonder if you user1234 have children in the Wake County schools?
If you do have children here you ought to be happy that others want to improve this broken system and not just move away and leave it a mess. Why should anyone have to move if they have perfectly reasonable solutions that can fix this mess? Add the current economy to the mix and private schools or moving are out of the question to many.
I can tell you worked
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 21:35 — CaryCurmudgeonI can tell you worked really hard on that post, well done. It is a pity that after all that work the best you can come up with is "if you don't like it here, move somewhere else."
If you think our schools our under-funded, I suggest you contact your Democratic representatives among the County Commissioners, in the state legislature, or contact the governor (her name is Bev Perdue, you can google her to get an email address). NC has been run by Democrats for years. Jim Hunt and Mike Easley were both "education governors," maybe you can contact them too.
Or are you suggesting it is time for a "change?"
Stretch a bit
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 16:21 — SideburnsC'mon - the answer is fairly obvious...at least when it comes to the comparison to Wake County.
I wasn't aware the issue was
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 12:50 — BromhalI wasn't aware the issue was trying to break up the school system, rather to a) improve it based on the facts and b) make representation more closely mirror reality (ie, at large voting, heck possibly even a larger board). IMO, any strains of "break it up!" are a losing proposition if for no other reason that costs involved with multiple districts.
The WSCA group is NOT
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 14:18 — CaryCurmudgeonThe WSCA group is NOT advocating the break up of the school system. I find it entertaining that the N&O is running editorials alluding to this being a WSCA goal, when it is not.
Look for the WEP to jump on board and start making the same accusations.
To be fair, they got it from
Mon, 02/09/2009 - 19:03 — KeungHui (author)To be fair, they got it from the story I wrote. Kristen Stocking said the group did believe that Wake is too large and should be smaller. She said the members had different ideas as to how the reduced district(s) should look.
Common Ground
Tue, 02/10/2009 - 10:56 — Bob_SconceThe most obvious common ground of the people at the meeting was that (1) reassignment decisions should be made based on new school openings, not any sort of social experiment, and (2) the board has grown far too unresponsive to parents. On top of that, there was an undercurrent of support for some sort of at-large election, but that was really tied into the unresponsiveness issue.
There are plenty of other reforms that could be added: breaking the district up, redoing magnet schools, mandatory year-round schools, etc..... But, if you want to build a broad coalition, you cannot take a position on every issue.
So, the immediate goals seem to be recruiting candidates who agree with those two core principles and getting them elected.
Hui, Sorry if I missed
Tue, 02/10/2009 - 13:26 — CaryCurmudgeonHui,
Sorry if I missed that.
Bob,
Was a busy night, did I get a chance to meet you?
Probably not
Tue, 02/10/2009 - 13:44 — Bob_SconceI was a late arriver, ended up standing in the hall the entire time. I wore a black fleece jacket. Except for Ron Margiotta and Dana Cope, I was the most strikingly handsome man there.
Costs will shift
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 13:23 — Dadof3ITB costs will rise, OTB will fall on average but there's a more important point -- have schools that better represent the communities' interests. Everything else dances around the campfire. You can't "make better" when all of Wake County is too philosophically divergent. There's no shared standard. I'm speaking for myself, not any of the groups. BTW.
thanks, Kathleen for continuing to fight!
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 10:55 — AngelaWhttp://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/columns/story/1395594.html
Cheers to you Kathleen
Sun, 02/08/2009 - 21:16 — Big_PictureCheers to you Kathleen Brennan, another do-er and not just a trouble making troll on the blog.
pot kettle black
Sun, 02/08/2009 - 22:09 — supportwcpssFrom one troll to another...
Ooo...yeah...good one. Are
Wed, 02/11/2009 - 01:59 — Big_PictureOoo...yeah...good one. Are you in 2nd grade? Please don't even try to classify me with your type. One thing you got right was that you admitted you are a troll. That has been obvious from your very first post. Keep it up. You just keep digging your hole deeper by the day.
Wow
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 19:21 — supportwcpssHow many times can she stretch the truth and spin things in one letter. I am impressed at how 'political' Ms. Brennan has become.
Massive numbers...
Tens of millions...
She talks about the need to study the diversity policy but turns around and throws out these comments with no real facts. She'll make a great politician.
Ms. Brennan..
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 21:53 — Dadof3Would do anything well she sets her mind to. She is that rare person who is genuinely wonderful and wonderfully genuine.
You, however, have already achieved the status of "toady." People in power sure count on having a lot of those. Well done.
Kathleen Brennan and
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 20:44 — CaryCurmudgeonKathleen Brennan and WakeCARES have spent countless hours and much of their personal savings on the lawsuit which has gone to the NC Supreme Court. Their lawsuit has benefitted thousands of Wake County students, many of them F&R, but giving them a choice in schools.
You, on the other hand, spend your time sipping latte's and typing at your computer. Years from now, if someone asks the WakeCARES parents about what kind of difference they made in schools, they will have a great story to tell. If someone asks you the same question, I guess you can tell them you made some blog posts.
not so minority, getting way more vocal BTW Mr. Markle
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 10:58 — AngelaWhttp://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters/story/1396844.html
same old, same old
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 10:56 — AngelaWhttp://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/story/1395608.html
saw the clips, you guys
Fri, 02/06/2009 - 19:23 — AngelaWsaw the clips, you guys ROCKED!!!! awesome and I am totally stoked!
Yes we will!
Fri, 02/06/2009 - 10:09 — g88ky07Joe was a riot, no joke, and incredibly informative. He's obviously been at this forever and has the data to back it up! That's data we need to fight this fight and Joe we'll be asking you a LOT more questions. His Patti Head comment made my year. So far!
Weinbrecht sounds as if he's ready to dig in now, Weatherly was his usual friendly and supportive self, you Apex folks are very lucky, ditto for 38 year old Ron M., I should've bought in Apex, is it too late to move?? Mr. Sears was very hospitable and is right in there with the others who want change for the GOOD of families. I spoke with Tony G. for a few minutes at the door afterwards and he was still shaking his head at how hard this battle is, will be and has been and really expressed his frustration with losing the majority and losing his 6 year battle to start holding the boe more fiscally responsible. He said "it will take a sweep in the next CC elections to get that back" and smiled as if that would be near impossible. Maybe not Tony! Paul Coble and Don Frantz were there in support as well, and a few that I didn't know, and from my little corner of the globe, thanks to you ALL for continuing to want to see these changes come about and for working with the average Joe. Changes ARE coming!
I was confused about the "at large" bill(s) because I had heard different things and now understand a little better that one is working at the local and one at the state level. That also helps explain the "not needing unanimous support aspect." Darren Jackson, NC House of Reps. D39, tells me that he has "not taken a position either way yet" and "if Senator Neal's bill makes it over to the House, I promise to give it due consideration."
Contact these Dems and hammer them hard. There is NO excuse for our not having this. Of the 100 +/- counties in NC, 86 have some elections at large and 77 have full elections at large. Why not Wake? Why are we so special? or so _crewed??
It may mostly be a partisan thing for D's against R's on this issue, but folks POUND those Dems and tell them WHY THERE IS NO EXCUSE NOT to support this bill! The website for the "Alliance" www.wakesca.org should have further info coming about the house bill #, contact info and help in explaining why these reps SHOULD support this bill! As Mayor Weatherly said, there's no reason why the boe elections shouldn't be aligned with the CC elections and their excuse of "it's about diversity" doesn't wash. The CC's are more diverse than the boe and THEY have elections at large!
Contacting your local municipalities to back at-large is exactly what we all should be doing today. They need to hear we want it now at the local level to get it onto their agendas.
The questions was asked last night, and then some laughed, I think Harold W. made a crack that got the laugh, but WHY was there no "Raleigh" support in attendance? I don't understand the disconnect there, not having been here but a few years. Is it now the Meeker/wife on the board thing or has the city of Raleigh never supported opposition to the "Utopian" concept?
All in all I feel better about where things are heading and will lend my "tell it like it is" support in any way that I can. I am going to start fast and furious TODAY with working my district, D2, to help replace Horace Tart. Anyone who wants to share past and present, good or bad, experiences about Mr. Tart please let me know! His voting in line of late on some issues with Ron will not be viewed as the great American makeover, it simply proves these folks will do ANYTHING to get re-elected!
That's my post-mortem and I'm glad I could give it!
Thanks g88 and co. It was
Fri, 02/06/2009 - 17:53 — CaryCurmudgeonThanks g88 and co. It was my absolute pleasure to participate in that meeting. It was amazing to see that room packed with people sitting or standing anywhere they could.
Much kudos to Kristen Stocking for organizing everything, she has put a huge amount of time into this. For the first time ever, all of the parents groups in Wake County are working together! When I think about unleashing all of the passion and brainpower that was in that room come election time, I have confidence that we will prevail and bring change.
G88? Is that you?
Fri, 02/06/2009 - 11:04 — Voice_of_Reason_Free therapy, and it worked... don't you love it. {:^)-|--<
Shhhhhhhhhh,
Fri, 02/06/2009 - 15:31 — g88ky07don't tell anybody.
;c )
Yes we can
Fri, 02/06/2009 - 08:15 — SideburnsThat Joe Cuilla guy was a riot -- and right on target. This can be accomplished!
I encourage everyone to sign up and the website and join the effort.
www.wakesca.org
I also was very impressed by
Sat, 02/07/2009 - 00:41 — vsheehanI also was very impressed by Joe
Excellent news
Fri, 02/06/2009 - 08:08 — Dadof3Well done all!
I wish I could have gone but alas, I had a previous engagement.
We just may turn the corner yet -- but we must always push on, as the other side has our tax money for their daily bread and time. It's their jobs to prop up this monstrosity. It's our jobs as voters and citizens to find people who care about education and not social hypothesis.