New Wake County Superintendent Anthony Tata will get a "welcoming party" from some of the same protesters who've targeted school board meetings over the past year.
As noted in today's article, protesters plan to be outside the Barbecue Lodge on Thursday night when Tata speaks to the Wake County Taxpayers Association during his tour of the area. The organizers for the event's Facebook page are Monserrat Alvarez, a leader of N.C. HEAT; and Seth Keel, a Middle Creek High teen arrested earlier this year at a school board meeting.
"Anthony Tata was named the new Superintendent of the WCPSS," says the event website. "Join us as we voice our opposition to this decision at his first public appearance in which he meets with the conservative group: Wake County Taxpayers Association."
Tata will speak at the WCTA meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. As for the rest of Tata's itinerary for Thursday and Friday, it's largely been kept under wraps.
School board chairman Ron Margiotta, who is organizing Tata's visit, has declined requests to turn over the itinerary, which is a public record. He's blaming it on the schedule not being finalized.
Margiotta said the holidays have delayed them locking down all the details of the two-day visit. He said he hopes to finalize the schedule today.
Margiotta says much of the schedule involves visiting schools and meeting with business leaders, elected officials, school district staff and the leadership of Wake NCAE. Tata is also scheduled to hold a press conference at Central Office at 4 p.m. Friday.
Comments
OT--
Thu, 01/06/2011 - 06:55 — AngelaWPosted: 05 Jan 2011 08:24 AM PST
Raleigh, N.C. – While the North Carolina State Board of Education works on revising its student testing methods, a majority of voters said they favor implementing one nationally recognized test, according to a new poll released today by the Civitas Institute.
According to the live caller poll of 600 registered voters, 68 percent said they favor eliminating all state end-of-grade tests and replacing them with one nationally recognized test. Twenty-four percent of voters said they oppose it, and 7 percent said they do not know.
“Parents want a more transparent method to assess their child’s performance and growth,” said Civitas Institute President Francis De Luca. “They understand that a national test allows comparison of a student and school achievement and performance to others across the country.”
Voters from all parties favor a national test as Unaffiliated voters support the idea by a 71 percent-22 percent margin along with Republicans (69 percent-26 percent). Democratic voters favor it by 67 percent-24 percent.
“Eliminating end-of-grade testing in favor of a nationally recognized test would provide parents with a more valid measurement of their child’s educational development,” added De Luca.
The Civitas Poll is the only monthly live-caller poll of critical issues facing North Carolina. For more information on Civitas polling see www.nccivitas.org/media/poll-results/.
Full text of question:
“Would you favor or oppose eliminating all state end-of-grade tests and replacing them with one nationally recognized test that allows parents to compare the performance of their child with the rest of the nation?”
Strongly Favor – 47%
Somewhat Favor – 21%
Somewhat Oppose – 9%
Strongly Oppose – 15%
Don’t Know – 7%
Total Favor – 68%
Total Oppose – 24%
Click here for full results and crosstabs.
This poll of 600 registered voters in North Carolina was conducted December 15-16, 2010 by Public Opinion Strategies of Alexandria, Virginia. This survey has a margin of error of +4.0% in 95 out of 100 cases. To ensure a representative sample, interviews were conducted proportional to voter registration figures for each county in the state based on the most recent figures compiled by the State Board of Elections.
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Tata interview
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 20:13 — Sideburnshttp://www.wral.com/news/education/wake_county_schools/video/8886443/#/vid8886443
He may be wasted on the new
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 20:55 — user12345He may be wasted on the new board members.
Just a little off topic,
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 18:47 — willynillyJust a little off topic, sorry. This is meant for specific people. I am not like the people that did to me what they did in the WCPSS. At my present job I told them what happened. I also offered to show them everything I had. As a matter of fact, I cary the packet, including our "agreement," everywhere I go. I was told that it was not necessary, but was graciously treated by my principal in my offer to open up the "can of worms" for him to see.
When I interviewed for my job I brought my scores, my letters from my students and I brought my abilities. I have many wonderful references from the last 8 years since that awful event. The citation I was given for my work in the US Navy helping rescue Hatian Refugees in the 90s shows the real person I am, not the crazy person you made me out to be.
I love what I do. I love teaching kids. I love to joke around, teach them, learn from them. In 2004 that was almost taken away from me. I was absolutely destroyed for a time by that. I was sent back to the same people that made up the mess along with people who did whatever they wanted and made me suffer when I had had enough and made a complaint.
Funny, these "charges" were made on the last Friday before the last week of school.......after EOGs. If I was such a crazy person then why wait till then? Hmmmm Yes, I do wonder.
V......email me, you are gonna LOVE this!!!!!!
"The last Friday before the
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 22:02 — HJ2ss2"The last Friday before the last week of school". Interesting, I was forced to resign a few days after the faculty was out for the summer break. That was so no one would know what really happened.
OT:Title IX complaint
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 17:43 — Bob_SconceThere's been some action on that idiotic Title IX complaint: http://www.highschoolot.com/asset/content/2011/01/05/8884926/OCRcomplaint11-11-1040.pdf
I'm amused to note that the Department of Ed. is apparently so clued in that they think WCPSS schools have bowling, crew, fencing, ice hockey, skiing, water polo and rugby teams (See attachment 1.) Tell me again, why are my tax dollars going to these pinheads?
You didn't know that all
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 18:18 — CaryCurmudgeonYou didn't know that all the high schools in Cary had polo and croquet teams?
If they didn't have
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 18:27 — shearertwIf they didn't have to build two seperate swimming pools, they would probably have a good polo team at Enloe.
Mr. Tata's schedule>
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 13:46 — hmoncelleHarry_Moncelle
Margiotta said the holidays have delayed them locking down all the details of the two-day visit. He said he hopes to finalize the schedule today.
Do we have a final schedule for the two day visit?
With more than three weeks
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 21:23 — AngelaWWith more than three weeks to go before he officially starts, Tata will begin on Thursday a three-day tour in Wake County, where he plans to meet with school board members, members of the community, including the Wake County Taxpayers Association, and visit Baucom Elementary School in Apex and Lacy Elementary and Millbrook High schools in Raleigh. He'll also hold a news conference late Friday afternoon. (Watch it live on WRAL.com.)
http://www.wral.com/news/education/wake_county_schools/story/8887173/
Staying clear of the inner
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 21:51 — user12345Staying clear of the inner city and southside.
The protestors, who probably
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 12:30 — woodstockThe protestors, who probably like to consider themselves as tolerant (ha), are committing classic prejudice. They are prejudging Tata before he even steps foot in Wake County. Pure hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy indeed. During
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 12:45 — CaryCurmudgeonHypocrisy indeed. During yesterday's public comment period, many critics got up and "demanded to be heard." Then, when an elderly gentleman got up and said he was coming around to the choice of Tata as superintendent, he got heckled by the peanut gallery.
On a related note, the highlight of the meeting for me was when Jim Martin got up, summarized all the savings ideas from the general public, and explained why everybody is wrong. How did our school system ever survive without the benefit of this man's genius?
I think the "heckling" was
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 14:07 — jeannie84I think the "heckling" was in response to this gentleman's belief that the DC schools moved in the right direction under Michelle Rhee's watch; seems to be a difference of opinion there:
A wrong-headed experiment in school leadership
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/educational-leadership/a-wrong-headed-experiment-in-s.html
Not one
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 15:03 — shearertwInteresting person whose opinion you chose to highlight.... just another liberal hack "journalist" attacking a conservative. Nothing enlightening here. There is not even one shred of evidence in this article to support her "opinion". NOT ONE.
Oh and what a ridiculous comparison she begins with comparing being a general vs school superintendent. "Can you imagine the military anointing a school superintendent as a brigadier general?"
There are many generals who are qualified and would make great school superintendents b/c of their military experience and accomplishments. There is not one school superintendent who is qualified to be a general, NOT ONE.
As someone who worked on the staff of several Generals
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 19:56 — Voice_of_Reason_Agreed 100%, I've also known quite of few Colonel's that could as as well.
"There is not one school
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 15:31 — danofnc"There is not one school superintendent who is qualified to be a general, NOT ONE."
So, are there no other systems who have hired former generals?
Military and Schools
Thu, 01/06/2011 - 12:47 — mommy59http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/1/6/5245/29382
This story mentions the first General ever hired.
The first General to be hired to run a major public school system was the late retired Major General John Stanford in Seattle. He actually worked out. Thinking hiring a general as head of a school system was the solution, D.C. Public Schools hired retired Lieutenant General Julius Becton. I will be kind in describing his tenure only as unsuccessful.
As with any job and person,
Thu, 01/06/2011 - 13:00 — shearertwAs with any job and person, some cases will work out and some won't. How many long-time educators have become sups and failed? Burns was a long-time educator and an complete disaster in my opinion. Just "hiring a general" will not be the solution for any situation. What you want to do is hire the right person. The fact that he was a general is only a good thing given the qualities that generals generally have with regard to leadership and administrative capabilites and experience. The fact that he wasn't an educator will be a negative in the minds of some b/c they can't see the big picture. Most educators never get the leadership and administrative training and experience a general would have obtained. So it comes down to which trait you believe the current WCPSS sup role needs the most, leadership and administrative skills or a background in education. I'm thinking that WCPSS probably has a lot of institutional knowledge in education but is lacking the most in leadership and administration. Therefore, the assets of a general just might be the best fit for this role. Ultimately, however, it will be up to the individual and his supporting cast to make it happen. Just being a "general" or just being an "educator" isn't enough.
Well Stated
Thu, 01/06/2011 - 13:42 — SupportNeighbor...WCPSS has all the educational expertise it could ever need. A true and effective leader will understand how to harness the talents and experience of those around him/her, and use them for the benefit of all.
Since you want to be a smart
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 15:40 — shearertwSince you want to be a smart A, let me clarify...
There is not one superintendent (who was not already a general first) who is qualified to be a general.
I'm pretty sure everyone else understood that assumption but I'm happy to spell it out for you Dan. Always happy to make it easier for you to understand.
Yeah, I knew what you meant,
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 17:25 — danofncYeah, I knew what you meant, I just get tired of broad, general statements.
If years as a general teach you the leadership and administrative skills that you need to be a good superintendent, why wouldn't 20+ years as a superintendent (which would mean you had 20+ years of administrative and leadership experience) mean you could be a general?
Wouldn't the only thing holding you up be a quick Broad "How to be a general" course?
For the record, I don't really care that Tata is the guy they hired. I would have preferred that Hargens had gotten the job, but I didn't think she was ever going to be seriously considered once they went with the outside search firm.
I will say that you should be careful how you categorize Washington Post opinion writers, though, since our new superintendent mounted a rather spirited campaign to become one. As long as he puts a lid on the political commentary, he'll be OK. No matter who they hired, the superintendent does what the board says to do as long as the board attorney says it's legal.
If the school board tells
Thu, 01/06/2011 - 09:01 — HJ2ss2If the school board tells the superintendent what to do, does that mean the school board is behind getting rid of an employee without cause? (Honest question. I'm not into entrapment).
Policy versus Personnel
Thu, 01/06/2011 - 12:36 — Dove314Given the student and staff decisions requiring closed sessions of the BoE plus the BoE's role in policy, there is a relationship but it is clearly a grey area with potential for abuse in multiple dimensions including by a Superintendent.
Thank you. You can always
Thu, 01/06/2011 - 16:24 — HJ2ss2Thank you. You can always be counted on for a reasonable response
I don't know. If the
Thu, 01/06/2011 - 10:15 — danofncI don't know.
If the district has guidelines for how certain situations should be handled, and an individual employee refuses to follow them because they "know better", are they being let go without cause?
Depends on the
Thu, 01/06/2011 - 14:22 — HJ2ss2Depends on the circumstances, if it is made clear to the employee that they are being let go because they "know better" or if that is being used to cover the real reason they were let go and every effort to undeerstand why they were let go is blocked or denied. I would think that if an employee was not performing to standard, they would be told that when they were let go. Then there are also circumstances where an employee is held to a different standard than other employees in their department even though that employee is adhereing to the job description or consider circumstances where staff notice that an employee is being singled out and scrutinized.
If you want the whole story, have Keung give you my email.
"If years as a general
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 18:11 — shearertw"If years as a general teach you the leadership and administrative skills that you need to be a good superintendent, why wouldn't 20+ years as a superintendent (which would mean you had 20+ years of administrative and leadership experience) mean you could be a general?"
Ahhhhh....no, and that is part of the point.
A general has far greater responsibilities and the job requires far greater leadership and administrative skills than a superintendent. The general is vastly over qualified for the sup job, the sup has no chance to make it as a general.
And...with regard to categorizing Wash post reporters, I only catergorized the one who wrote the article cited as a liberal hack, which she is, so I don't see your point at all.
Is this an accurate statistic?
Thu, 01/06/2011 - 23:09 — Dove314In the U.S. Army a Major General, with two stars, might well command a division with 10,000 - 15,000 employees. It may consist of two to five Brigades, each of which might be led by a one-star Brigadier General.
Is a Brigade (assuming a Brigadier General typically commands a brigade) somewhere in the range of 2K to 7.5K individuals?
It doesn't matter what this
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 14:21 — CaryCurmudgeonIt doesn't matter what this gentleman believes, he was entitled to be treated respectfully and to be given his two minutes without interruption from the peanut gallery.
I agree. The rudeness of
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 14:32 — jenmanI agree. The rudeness of the peanut gallery is disgusting.
Tata in fatigues
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 17:26 — FSandYOUand a big pack on his back with a question mark on it. That's how he should show up. Then just stare at the lunatics through night vision goggles and offer them a bbq samich.
With no bun!
I think those meetings are
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 13:32 — woodstockI think those meetings are the highlight of Jim Martin's life. He has two whole minutes where no one pleads with him to shut up... as I assume happens on a regular basis throughout the rest of his day. It is two minutes of pure heaven for that poor man.
Dr. Jim Martin is a
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 22:55 — DrActualFactualDr. Jim Martin is a professor of Chemistry at NC State (he reminds us all of this quite frequently in his remarks). He has an overly high opinion of himself and I'm quite sure believes he is God's gift to mankind. That "poor man" is more lost than even he will admit. He deserves pity but not respect. It is quite true that arrogance diminishes wisdom--he is living proof. Eventually someone from MIT will put him in his place. In the meantime I just picture him making his remarks in a very high pitched helium voice.
Oh Good
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 11:34 — RMC10Now Supt. Tata will get to see the best and brightest of "his' new kids breaking the law by protesting (probably without the proper permits), on private property. He may run to the DC Hills after his visit here.
I agree with your point, but
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 12:34 — woodstockI agree with your point, but I seriously doubt Tata is going to be running for any hills. He came from DC... Wake County will likely seem bucolic by comparison.
Again - where is the
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 10:50 — loriacAgain - where is the parental supervision? This is private property on a busy road - where are they going to stand at rush hour in the dark. This is wrong on so many levels.
First, I think the protest
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 15:34 — danofncFirst, I think the protest is an insanely stupid idea.
But, unless the Barbecue Lodge has moved, it's in a shopping center and not directly on Capital Blvd.
I thought it was at the one
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 16:43 — loriacI thought it was at the one on 70 in Garner. That one is right on 70.
No, it's off Capital in the mini-city area
Thu, 01/06/2011 - 11:19 — Voice_of_Reason_It's in an older strip mall, and not a wealthy-area strip mall at that. It sits far off the main road.
That one is Carolina
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 17:16 — danofncThat one is Carolina Barbecue now (if I'm thinking of the right place).
...
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 10:40 — SideburnsWell, it appears the NC FIST guy will be there.
Let the arrests begin.
I think we can partly thank
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 12:37 — woodstockI think we can partly thank Carolyn Morrision and her outrageous comment that Tata is "trained to kill, not educate" for helping to fan the flames and incite the ignorant.
Please provide a link to
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 13:08 — magnetParentPlease provide a link to that quote.
...
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 13:27 — Sideburnshttp://www.americanindependent.com/163410/morrison-leads-protest-over-hiring-of-retired-general-to-lead-wake-schools
Thanks... you beat me to
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 13:38 — woodstockThanks... you beat me to it.
I think magnetparent was unconvinced that Morrison would say such a stupid and outrageous thing.
It's not a matter of
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 13:57 — magnetParentIt's not a matter of "convincing". I could not find any such quote in her formal statement and am not an avid reader of the American Independent. While I would not use the word "kill" to define Tata's experience, reading the full/real quote from the American Independent brings the flames down a little.
“It’s going to be a huge learning curve for this man,” Morrison told the North Carolina Independent News. “I’m sure he’s well-trained to kill. I wanted someone who was well-trained to educate.”
Your truncated version of the quote implies that she said that he's a killer, not an educator. Takes on different meaning that way.
Interesting that Tata did not seem to have much competition in the "top three" candidates. According to AI:
"Morrison said she was bewildered by the three finalists for the job of leading the state’s largest school system. One was a college professor and former superintendent who said he wasn’t sure he wanted the job. Another, she said, “had issues” that involved a claim of misappropriation of funds of which he was cleared. The third was Tata, a one-star general with less than two-years of experience in education."
So...
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 15:00 — Bob_SconceThat statement of Morrison's says an awful lot about how she perceives the military. She could have said "well-trained to lead," or "well-trained in tactics," "well-trained in logistics," but she chose "well-trained to kill." It's quite likely that Tata has never personally killed anybody and, chances are, most of his training over the past 28 years has had nothing to do with "here's a new way to kill somebody."
I agree that her use of the
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 15:04 — magnetParentI agree that her use of the word "kill" to describe Tata's qualifications is incorrect. As I said before, I would not have used that word. Maybe something more like "well-trained to protect our country". But it was a small part of the point she was trying to make with her full quote.
Now you're highlighting your
Wed, 01/05/2011 - 15:12 — shearertwNow you're highlighting your ignorance in the military.....
The vast majority of training and experience an officer receives in the military is in Leadership and Administration.
Leadearship and administration is exactly what WCPSS needs right now. I'm thrilled.
(speaking as a former Major, US Army)