More than 100 speakers today

I know this is really immature, but can I just say that it is soooo ironic that Dallas Woodhouse makes fun of Rev. Barber when he is well on his way to looking like him?

Knightdale High School is a multi-million dollar facility. It's the largest high school in North Carolina under one single roof. Many say its a modern marvel. It's a stand alone creation that past generations never knew. A recent walk through revealed signs of a school with many more years than its actual age. Graffiti in bathrooms, signs of vandalized walls, and hundreds of styrofoam lunch trays left behind on cafeteria tables by students for others to clean-up. Where's the out-cry?

Being just four or five years old, KHS continues its dismal decline with EoC "test scores" under the current swag of principal Carla Jernigan. KHS currently has the bottommost test scores for Wake County. Where's the out-cry?

The majority of the school population are minority students. Often the local Knightdalians send their high schoolers to Broughton, Enloe, Millbrook, Heritage and a few private Christian schools because they are not currently allowing their kids to go to "Fightdale" or "Frightdale". Where's the out-cry?

The talented teachers at Knightdale High School are dedicated, devoted, and distended. Many staffers will openly tell you of the climate and culture that lends itself only to the " inmates-running-the-asylum" syndrome. There were easily 200 kids roaming the halls (10% of the total population I believe) while the fourth block classes moved on. Basically socializing was what I saw. I counted a group of seven in a stairwell who were just hanging out (skipping class) and had their caps turned sideways with the stickers still on the flattened bill, pants stylishly worn below their butts, the obligatory ipod ear buds in their ears, while texting on their cell phones. I saw one teacher close her classroom door to the hallway interruptions because of the constant drone of conversations (with a few brave enough to lean in and call out to friends). Where's the out-cry?

The real story lies in the trenches. At this point they are only rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic! Where's the out-cry?

Tonight's public comment period was very revealing. It left me wondering how the black community must be reacting to the beating they received by the opposition that included social engineering activists, affluent parents, and even Rev. Barber, Marvin Pitman, and the hate-spewing Mr. Gatewood. Why do the status quo supporters lack so much confidence in the wherewithal of the black community to support schools and work in the best interest of their children? It is truly appalling to me that these people feel compelled to belittle low income and minority parents and assume they are incapable of supporting the schools in the communities in which they live and ensuring their children succeed academically. Where does this lack of confidence come from? I honestly do not understand why are they permitted to spew their insulting rhetoric unabated?

I thank God we have rational school board members (Margiotta, Tedesco, Prickett, Goldman and Malone) that can see through the sterotypical characterizations of minority and low-income parents offered by the status quo supporters and remain true to their commitment to public serivce and the educational interests of Wake County's students, parents and taxpayers.

And our per student funding to go more than $100 as projected in the budget presented today. Very sad for the children. And that is all children in Wake County.