No arrests but heated words fired at school board majority

There were no arrests but plenty of harsh words by critics of the Wake County school board majority on Tuesday.

For the first time since June 1, no one was arrested for disrupting a regular board meeting. Instead, most of the speakers during the public comment section lashed into the board majority over the elimination of the diversity policy and other issues.

For instance, Adrienne Lumpkin, past PTSA president of Enloe High School, blasted school board member John Tedesco for citing the 46 percent passing rate for elementary school kids living in the Southeast Raleigh/Enloe zone to blame busing for low student achievement. She said he was using one figure "to drawn an unfounded conclusion."

"That is irresponsible governance at best and political trickery at worst," Lumpkin said of Tedesco's remarks.

Lumpkin, a North Raleigh magnet parent, said you have to also consider why the passing rate rises to 66 percent for that region in high school on the state end-of-course English I exam. She said that might be because of "magnet schools or "busing to the burbs."

"You say you care about student achievement for all kids," Lumpkin said. "Then stop telling stories and half-truths to prove your foregone conclusions."

School board chairman Ron Margiotta said "no, no, no, no" to Lumpkin's last remarks as she kept talking after the end of her two minutes.

Diana Bader repeated her allegations from last month about the board majority delaying building E20, Scotts Ridge Elementary and M8 to help Bob Luddy's Thales Academy schools. She was questioning why the board was revoting on the design money for the projects without having discussed it at a board meeting.

"Where is the transparency?" Bader said. "Is it because Bob Luddy's schools are in the vicinity?"

The Rev. Steve Hickle, pastor of Fairmont United Methodist Church in Raleigh, continued the trend of using religious language to defend support of the diversity policy. He said they're following the moral imperative of their faith traditions for the strong to protect the weak, who in this case are the children.

"My Christian faith has the one who will be seated on the throne of judgement praising those who cared for the least of these but condemning those who neglected them," said Hickle, an official of the N.C. Council of Churches, which has come out against ending the diversity policy.

Hickle, also a co-convener of the local congregations for social justice, later added that the have's who use their power to the disadvantage of those who have not "will certainly answer for it in the judgment."

Hickle left unsaid who Jesus will explicitly condemn.

Lettice Rhodes repeatedly accused the board majority of using the "one-vote weapon" of their narrow majority to ignore the public and the minority board members. Rhodes said the majority "routinely marginalized" the concerns of board members Kevin Hill and Carolyn Morrison, whom she noted had both been principals.

Lauren Frey, an Enloe High student, criticized Margiotta and Tedesco for speaking at Tea Party rallies and/or attending local conservative party conventions. She said school boards are supposed to be non-partisan.

Frey repeatedly brought up race, noting how the majority members are "white Republicans" and saying they were mostly voted in by white, suburban voters.

Frey also brought up the Luddy/Art Pope card, saying the new community assignment zones will lead to resegregation.

"The board should listen to the students, parents, teachers, businesses, community groups and citizens of Wake County," Frey said. "It's time to stop listening to the special interests of Art Pope and Robert Luddy. The board needs to learn to compromise."