A new television ad appearing on WRAL is attacking three of the school board candidates, warning that backing neighborhood schools will lead to higher property taxes.
The ad, from a group called Wake Citizens for Good Government, attacks three of the four candidates backed by the Wake Schools Community Alliance: Chris Malone, Deborah Prickett and Debra Goldman. But it doesn't go after John Tedesco, who is also backed by the WSCA but isn't facing a Democratic Party endorsed opponent.
Here's the text of the ad:
(Ad opens showing a copy of a Wake County property tax bill.)
"The Wake County school board races this year may determine whether your property taxes go up. These candidates claim they want neighborhood schools. But their plan was tried in Charlotte-Mecklenburg and now they're spending millions trying to save failing schools.
A vote for Debra Goldman, Chris Malone and Deborah Prickett is a vote for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg plan: failing schools that cost millions more and higher property taxes. Vote against Goldman, Malone and Prickett.
Paid for by Wake Citizens For Good Government. Jacqueline Esslinger, Treasurer."
UPDATE
Democratic pollster Dean Debnam is behind the new TV ad criticizing the neighborhood school candidates.
Debnam, who owns Public Policy Polling, said he formed Wake Citizens for Good Government to counter what he called Republican "lies" about the school system. He said his ad was not done in coordination with any candidates.
Debnam said his company has been doing polling in the school board districts. But he said the data was for internal use and not as a public poll.
The paperwork creating Wake Citizens for Good Government was filed Monday with the Wake County Board of Elections.
Comments
New TV ad attacks Wake neighborhood school candidates
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 18:00 — raleighdodgerI think Mr. Debnam's TV Advertisement by omission says it all; there is very little, if anything, to say positive about the current WCPSS policy of busing for diversity. If there was anything positive to say to justify continuation of the current policy, I am confident he would have "tooted that horn" .... but he did not. Futhermore, the points he makes about tax increases has also occurred in Wake County to support our status quo. My thoughts are that by eliminating busing expenses for diversity's sake, we would have more for the schools and everybody would be better for it.
I wonder where Mr. Debnam got the funding for these advertisements.
Increase the tolerance for
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 17:28 — AngelaWIncrease the tolerance for risk.
Most people have a low tolerance for change and are inclined to adopt and maintain a practice only if it fits comfortably with what they already do. If the fit is too close, however, the change isn’t actually a change. And if the fit is too distant, it won’t even be considered. The challenge, then, is finding the “sweet spot” of change, where the new practice or program doesn’t challenge risk tolerance too much, yet is sufficiently different from current practice to move the change trajectory in a positive direction. Reforms need to make us feel uncomfortable if we are going to bring about changes that will last. Discomfort means we are truly doing something different.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/09/30/05century.h29.html?tkn=SPWF2b3tQQks2ubtwnlB514jSL%2FynxnuM%2Bui
RevHiD-- First, I agree with
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 12:35 — jenmanRevHiD--
First, I agree with Angela--kids in established neighborhoods are already being reassigned to make room for new people. It happened at our elementary. The oldest nodes who had been there since the school opened were moved out but the newest nodes got to stay. Of course, the newest nodes have the lowest F&R rate and WCPSS needs them at the school for the diversity policy.
Second, the City of Raleigh has designated Brier Creek as one of its major growth centers. Brier Creek has already been shuffled around between middle schools and high schools as it is. We already need to build schools in that area and it will just get worse with Raleigh directing growth there.
Pathetic
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 11:34 — freedom12The status quo supporters are stooping so low with their negative attacks on the best candidates (Chris, John, Deborah and Debra). It's quite entertaining to see them so nervous that they're using the typical scare tactics and lies. The status quo needs to go!!!
This is along the same lines
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 11:23 — shearertwThis is along the same lines as when Tart said on WPTF (LuMaye’s show) in response to a MYR questions - paraphrasing now, "Approximately 70% of tax payers in Wake Co. don't have children so we need to be thinking of their interest as well".
When the BoE doesn't have taxing authority, do we really need them to be thinking for the tax payers without children in the system as much as the children in the system? Shouldn't they only be thinking of the best way to educate our children with the funding provided to them by the CC and the State? Under the current model (BoE w/o taxing authority), the BoE should be an advocate for the children in the school system. If they're not going to be an advocate, who will be? So this property tax thing is a bunch of garbage (Perry). The BoE CAN"T do 1 thing about property taxes in Wake Co.
Hart went on to tell a little story about how some parents who were adamantly against YR schools actually came back and thanked him after they were (forced) to give it a try and now love it. Sorry, Mr. Tart, that you have those two or three idiots in your constituency. However, most of us parents know exactly what works best for us and what doesn’t. We don’t need you to tell us to try our broccoli!
Blowing smoke
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 10:58 — SDR256Lois Nixon is the one saying that we need more money for the school system. Debra Goldman is the one saying we need to make better choices for using the money we have.
Lois Nixon is being honest.
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 12:16 — RevHiDLois Nixon is being honest. The county will get what it pays for. It's impossible to do everything Debra Goldman says she'll do without raising revenue. In District 9, if the W.S.C.A. candidates win, what little funding there is will get directed to building more schools to create "neighborhood schools." In the meantime, there will be no money for upkeep and renovation at existing older schools. Or, worse yet, the kids of established neighborhoods will be reassigned to make room for new residents to go to the schools long term taxpayers built with their taxes and volunteer efforts.
Bus and administrative savings won't be enough to build more traditional calendar schools, leave us with enough money to bribe teachers to work at high poverty schools, or match the higher per-pupil spending of districts that don't have diversity.
Look at the map and see where Briar Creek is located. It's bordered on two sides by Durham County, and a third by the airport and Umstead State Park. The only way to give them a neighborhood school is to build new schools in Briar Creek (which can only primarily serve their residents) or move long-term residents out of their existing schools.
Beware of some "public-private" partnerships. Allowing developers to donate land with strings attached will allow them to assure the buyers of their exclusive developments that they have bought into school stability. The majority of taxpayers who cannot afford their homes will be paying to operate an affluent school they cannot attend because they don't have enough money. Meanwhile, it will have all the best resources a P.T.A. can provide. We don't need that change!
Wow, you really don't understand what goes here do you?
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 13:42 — TrailerParkGirl"Or, worse yet, the kids of established neighborhoods will be reassigned to make room for new residents to go to the schools long term taxpayers built with their taxes and volunteer efforts"
Has been happening for YEARS under the current policy and will continue with same.
"funding there is will get directed to building more schools to create "neighborhood schools."
Huh? You need the same level of capacity whether Bobby goes to the school in his community area and Susie goes to the school in her community area or they go to each others community area school. Are you confusing location with calendar schedule? Either Bobby goes to school in Briar Creek or if there's no school in Briar Creek Bobby goes to school at Susie's renovated older school which Susie now must leave to make room for Bobby and on down the line until somewhere the twisted chain finally stops.
Match per pupil spending of district that don't have diversity. Huh? Are you talking about all those districts that have higher F&R rates than Wake that spend more per pupil?
Beware "public-private" - private means not-for-profit community service organizations and voluntering from community. Yeah, it would be really bad if when the bell rang, the student stayed at their community school and community service organizations that provide things like mentoring/tutoring took over instead of having the kids get on bus to be dropped off to hang on the street. Beware of things like that - we don't want gangs to lose out on potential new members.
Keep beating your false class warfare drum, but either you and Lois Nixon don't understand the facts or the reality of what's been happening under the pretty glossy PR exterior, or you do understand and don't care, which is scary.
"the kids of established
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 12:23 — AngelaW"the kids of established neighborhoods will be reassigned to make room for new residents to go to the schools long term taxpayers built with their taxes and volunteer efforts."
The ALREADY happens!!! what is your point?
DING DING DING
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 12:42 — MamaLynnYou are so right...obviously RevHiD doesn't realize that is already happening. A lot of the established neighborhoods have a track record for supporting their schools, so they are trying to move these people around to some 'failing' schools to help boost the numbers, etc. Of course it's having the opposite affect. Families in those neighborhoods are leaving the public schools all together!
The real story
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 17:16 — woodstockPolling data must be really bad for Simon, Rakestraw and Nixon for Debnam to get involved in an attack add; it is also why the polling data is for "internal use."
Another interesting note is that Debnam owns lots and lots of property in Wake County, which is why the ad has a property tax element to it. Although no candidate even mentioned anything about property taxes and school members play no role in taxation, "poor" ol' Debnam's interest in the school board races is self-serving. Once again, the issue is not education or the children of Wake County. In this case, it is about a rich guy protecting his wallet. What is odd, is that the candidates he supports are the only ones asking for more taxes to support school.
Here is my thinking: The
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 17:00 — woodstockHere is my thinking: The many motivated voters out there who seek change will only be more motivated (extremely motivated!) to get out and vote after seeing the ad. The unmotivated voters, mostly those who how don't follow school issues, will not even relate to the Charlotte reference and likely won't vote anyway (8% turnout expected). Also, the obvious bottom-feeding attack mode tone of the ad by an unknown organization can turn off many voters whichever way they may be leaning. The higher property tax lie made in the ad may resonate with some hardcore conservatives, but that will be countered by the GOP endorsements and the fact this it is a completely an out-of-blue claim. I actually believe the voting public is smart enough not to get sucked into negativism. As was pointed out, and I agree, Dole lost her election as a direct result of her negative ad. In my view, there is a net positive for WSCA-endorsed candidates as a result of this ad.
Vote on October 6 and let's end this campaign madness and turn this school system around! Vote for Tedesco, Prickett, Malone and Goldman
.
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 09:35 — woodstock.
And how did those negative ads work out for Liddy Dole?
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 08:35 — btwalshSensationalism can backfire, just ask former US Senator Elizabeth Dole!
Campaign Managers, keep it clean, above the belt and stick to the facts. Critical votes are on the line. Your choice to run negative ads may cost your candidate the election!
What does it cost to put out
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 08:19 — JSBinNCWhat does it cost to put out a rebuttal ad? Can WCSA do that? Is it permissible (if fundable!?)
Funny how status quo
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 07:40 — CaryCurmudgeonFunny how status quo supporters worked so hard to ensure Wake County taxpayers took on $1B in debt, but now they are worried about raising taxes.
Can we get more of the names
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 07:29 — g88ky07who are involved? A group like this is SO predictable and apparently they just now rolled up enough pennies to pay for this LIE to run a few times on the "6,485th ranked" WRAL. The last minute dirt they're trying to stir is typical political banter coming from backroom hacks that only want to be divisive for their own benefit! Your buddies over wral should be able to look at the order and give some more names, if you don't have them. I'd like to hear some more of who put their name on this "Jerry Springer" quality moment!
You want more property taxes? I'll gladly pay more for some "neighborhood schools", an equal quality education for ALL children, a lot less mandates and a chance to have a say again in my child's education! After we fix some of the current garbage that the last decade of school board sitters has created and continued to cover up, talk to me then about more money and prove the need, I'll be glad to help out and I bet many others will too!
And for those that don't already know this, vote today or vote Tuesday for Goldman, Prickett, Malone and Tedesco and take your schools and your children's education back!
Don't squander this moment Wake County!
...
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 07:24 — SideburnsIt appears she is a Republican who doesn't even live in Wake County.
http://myncgop.com/organizations
http://myncgop.com/node/119
http://www.meetup.com/TriangleCFL/members/5738539/