The Forest Ridge High School road improvements have become a campaign issue in the District 1 school board race.
Both Debbie Vair and Chris Malone, the two opposition candidates in District 1, are harshly critical of the fact that school staff are estimating it will cost $7.4 million to pay for road improvements around Forest Ridge High. As noted in today's article, the school board may need county commissioners to provide $5.7 million.
No response yet from Rita Rakestraw on the situation. She's the District 1 candidate most supportive of the current school board.
Forest Ridge High, located off Forestville Road near U.S. 401 in northeast Raleigh, is located in District 1.
It's not surprising that Vair is jumping on the latest Forest Ridge High issue. She's one of the neighborhood leaders who've argued the school shouldn't be built because slaves may be buried on the property.
Here's what Vair has on her web site:
"Say NO to Forest Ridge High School! Now they estimate the road improvements could cost taxpayers ANOTHER 7.4 million dollars. Where do they think this money is going to come from? We also stand to lose a great part of North Carolina History! To find out more please visit my website www.savetheslaves.com."
In an e-mail message sent to the media, Vair said she's mobilizing a group of people to show up at Monday's commissioners meeting to speak out against the project.
Malone is also taking shots at the growing price tag and the location of Forest Ridge High.
Malone calls it "unfathomable" that Wake didn't find a site closer to Rolesville. He also says it's "poor planning" that they are building Forest Ridge High only two miles away on Forestville Road from Heritage High.
"The traffic and the polution will be a mess and the unneccesary disruption in the lives of people all along Forestville and Ligon Mill Road will be terrible," Malone wrote in an e-mail message. "Ligon Mill Road, for one, is already severely backed up in the am. It will be at least as bad as Forestville. They aren't even considering approaches more friendly to the neighborhoods. Finally that much money is a boondoggle and another example of how this board seems to think money grows on trees."
UPDATE
Here's Rakestraw's statement on the situation:
"What's most important is what goes on in the classroom, not where it's built. Whatever location saves the taxpayers the most money I will support, so we can keep more of our tax dollars inside the classroom for things like foreign languages in the elementary schools."
Comments
A classic beauty pageant response
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 20:24 — Apexter"What's most important is what goes on in the classroom, not where it's built. Whatever location saves the taxpayers the most money I will support, so we can keep more of our tax dollars inside the classroom for things like foreign languages in the elementary schools."
This is somewhat reminiscent of the type of responses Eleanor Goettee was known for in the last election. Yes, of course the education of children should be the primary focus of a school system (although WCPSS considers this secondary to the "health" of schools.)
What Goettee and Ms. Rakestraw seem to have missed out on is that being a member of the BOE is, first and foremost, serving on the board of an organization with a billion dollar-plus per year budget. "Whatever location saves the taxpayers the most" is just a silly non-committal answer it. Why not just wave your hands and say "Handle it, handle it!"
Foreign language in elementary classrooms? We still have about 500 fewer employees than we did a year ago, despite growth in the school systems. Schools are going to larger class sizes and losing electives left and right, and she's talking ADDING a program to elementary schools in this economic climate?
As for Vair's response --- it makes it sound as if she's running for the sole purpose of getting on the board so she could somehow veto the building of this school that is in a location she doesn't favor. If that's so, it's a real disservice to the people in her district and the county. The stakes are far more important than that.
Big Red Flag
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 20:00 — choice4allwas when Ms Rakestraw announced her candiacy for BOE. That would have been after she passed the brownies and played Kumbya on her guitar.
Oh good, candiate tries to
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 00:02 — WhalerCaneOh good, candidate tries to create a sense of community in her campaign by singing, and having a family friendly event, and you insult her for that.
You guys take the cake.
oops my bad!
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 20:04 — choice4allshould be spelled "candidacy
Wow, couldn't get much
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 18:20 — WhalerCaneWow, couldn't get much more insulting than that. Way to go. What evil plans Ms. Rakestraw apparently has. Saving taxpayers money on school construction as best we can so we can make sure our children get the best education possible in the classroom. How devious! Obviously foreign languages offered in elementary schools is just the first step to terrorist indoctrination.
And Richard, why the hateraid on Stan Norwalk? After all, his main point has been that we need to have growth and devolopers help pay for the cost of school construction with either impact fees on new growth or adequate facility ordinances. That way more of our tax dollars are spent in the classroom. BTW, We do lag behind the national average on spending per pupil. He did win overwhelmingly last year with that message. Are you a devolper? Do you know Ms. Rakestraw so well to be able read her mind? Perhaps she didn't address those issues you named because that is not what the reporter asked. The anger you guys constantly display is not particularly conducive to communication and seems more like an effort to divide rather than finding solutions to the challenges our schools face. You know, if you were not so quick to insult, you might find common ground with Ms. Rakestraw on many issues. It certainly would be more conducive to having a dialog with her after does she win. Is your goal just to win an election?
Here's a question for you. Why did neither Chris Malone or Debbie Vair show up to yesterday's round table discussion on the possiblity of East Wake High becoming a magnet school? Call me madcap, but since they hope to represent that District, seems like an issue they should have taken an interest in. I guess that's not as sexy or politically productive as fueling anger over the location of a school.
If it makes you feel better, you can go ahead and insult me now.
Perry
When Are You Going To Answer My Question
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 21:11 — JanisTangoPerry...you like to talk the talk about having a conversation about the challenges our school have, too bad you don't walk the walk. I have asked you numerous questions on this board about issues our specific school has faced and you refuse to answer them. It doesn't seem like you are serious about having a conversation with the 'other side' unless there is some political gain for your candidate. Just an FYI...I did send your candidate an email asking very specific questions that concern me and her response to me proved that she didn't have a good grasp on the issues. To be honest I can understand why. She doesn't have kids in the school system. She doesn't see the things us parents that do see everyday! I really don't think she gets it and that is why I will be campaigning for the other candidates that I've also had conversations with that do get it! I'm not here to insult anyone, but I do expect our school board to do a better job of giving stability to our children and listening to parents going forward. I went to the community engagements meetings and the standard answer from the BOE was 'Your 3 minutes are up'. There was no listening being done.
Janis
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 22:24 — WhalerCaneI have to be honest, in that I usually take a couple of looks at these boards, and then move on. I'm afraid they become way to time consuming, so I apologise for missing any specific question you may have asked me. It was not intentional.
If you want to ask it in this thread, I will check back tomorrow and do my best to answer. Mostly, I have only responded when I have gotten my blood up over what I percieve and petty posts.
As to Rita, she does have two children who are about to enter the school system, and did teach in Durham and Orange Counties for 9 years. Like anyone running for these positions, you really never know what you are dealing with until you get there. Frankly, I respect anyone willing to run for BoE, because you might as well be running for Chief Pinata.
Here is one thing you wrote that Rita and I both completely agree with.
"I do expect our school board to do a better job of giving stability to our children and listening to parents going forward."
The Board has done a poor job in communicating with the public, and even listening. That said, considering how much they get beat up, sometimes it is hard to blame them. Rita is committed to having regular Town Hall meetings and wants to harness the energy of all parents who care about our schools.
She believes there needs to be change, but it should be rational change, and we have to be careful not the through the baby out with the bath water. The one thing she doesn't want to do is move backwards on diversity because it has been good for our community, and to do so will cost taxpayers more money, our schools sterling national reputation, and lower property values in less affluent areas, and neighborhoods near less affluent areas.
Will the other candidates support working to make growth help pay for school construction, so more of our tax dollars can be kept in existing schools. Looking at Mr. Malone's record, hard to believe he would. I can't honestly say where Ms. Vair is on that.
Perry, I don't think that
Mon, 08/17/2009 - 17:14 — jenmanPerry,
I don't think that our 'diversity policy' has been good for Rita's district at all. Eastern Wake County (Zebulon, Wendell, Knightdale) have the highest F&R rates and their students have the least access to academic opportunities.
I am a supporter of socio-economic balancing but the way it has been carried out so far has hurt Eastern Wake county not helped it. It's also hurt rim schools and the Garner area. The only area helped by the policy is central Raleigh. I definitely believe in making sure that SE and downtown Raleigh schools are high quality, but not at the expense of the rest of the county.
The magnet acceptance 'lottery' is highly discriminatory and favors those who can afford to live in low poverty areas and who are assigned to the 'right' schools. The best that WCPSS has to offer is doled out to the chosen few.
Our school system operates under the assumption that low income students can't learn at the same level that NED students can. Their 'healthy schools' model isn't about raising student achievement and several BOE members & administrators have said so. They aren't concerned with how the students do, only how the school as a whole does. How healthy can our schools be when low income and minority children are still failing miserably in them?
I don't think that Ms. Rakestraw has looked objectively at WCPSS and its policies. For that matter, I don't think you have either.
Here's My Specific Concerns and Questions
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 05:56 — JanisTangoWith this latest round of reassignment mess they are alienating families to the point they are leaving specific schools and the school system behind. Case and point our ES was suppose to have 550 people attend our school this coming year. With the reassignment they pulled out 17 kids from the lowest performing F&R node at our school to make our school 'healthy'. We have a total of 75 other children leaving voluntarily. We have three families from our neighborhood alone that are home schooling this year. The others left for private, charter and magnets. The common theme was they are tired of being jerked around and they need stability for their children. These are the families that were always there volunteering and helping whenever needed. I don't know what kind of school we are going to have this year. We lost half of our volunteers because of this. BTW...we go to this ES and there are 6 elementary schools that are closer to our home. Our neighborhood was asked decades ago to support this school because they needed our 'numbers'. Our neighborhood did this based on a promise from a former BOE member at that time that we would be able to go to the MS and HS closer to home. Well quess what...they moved us to a middle school further away with the latest reassignment so we can help make that school healthy. This is a middle school that has a terrible reputation in this part of the county because by their own admission they neglected the school for many years. This MS has kids bussed in from 25-30 miles away. Those kids pass four MS to get to this one. The BOE is creating a lot of their own problems and they are treating families and children like pawns! I'm personally sick of it and no I don't have a problem with my kids going to school with F&R kids. I saw the BOE ignore families at the CEM that I thought should have been able to stay where they were at (i.e. the Miramar refugees).
This policy does nothing to help the kids that need the most help. They just keep shifting kids around so they can pat themselves on the back and say...look our schools are healthy. Don't believe for a second that our school system has a sterling reputation. I was at a meeting in Colorado recently and guess what...several people there heard about the problems in Wake with no input from me. Do we have a bad schools system? No, but I wouldn't call it outstanding. It time to get a BOE that will think outside the box for some innovative solutions for helping all the kids.
Question...do you think this policy is really helping the kids that it is suppose to be helping or is it just creating a perceived achievement? I know the current BOE likes to talk about studies, but I don't believe it because of our current test scores. We have a much lower rate of F&R than CMS so I would expect our scores to be much higher if this policy was really the silver bullet for achievement.
What about all the families leaving the school system? What about families that feel the only hope for stability is to go to the magnet schools? What about the fact that some of our magnet schools have a lower F&R percentage than set by the board policy? What about the fact that the F&R percentages for the schools in this area are anywhere from 6% to 60% depending on the school. Isn't that a violation of the BOEs own policy?
Janis,First, thank you
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 20:16 — WhalerCaneJanis,
First, thank you for your time spent volunteering in our schools, and for your thoughtful post. Going to a meeting in Colorodo indicates you are probably more involved in these issues than I, so perhaps you should consider running some day. I will try to answer you question(s) as best I can, but please note these are my words, not of any of the clients I work with.
As to a 'sterling reputation', WCPSS just recieved an award from the National School Boards Association this week for its '"outstanding achievements and continued progress" on diversity, so I don't think I was blowing smoke there.
I understand your frustration with re-assignment, most of which has been caused by growth. I do think sometimes the Board has been tone deaf in how they have handled re-assignment and not done the best job communicating what they are doing, leading to more frustration. Some of that is because conflict is far more sexier to reporters, and many explinations WCPSS provides are mundane, and do not generate coverage, leaving parents more confused.
As to your question, "do you think this policy is really helping the kids that it is suppose to be helping?", yes I do. It is not a 'silver bullet for achievment', and there is lots more we should do. We must experiment and innovate more to increase achievement, but the policy does at least create a learning environment where every child has an opportunity to succeed. Eliminating the policy would not be a silver bullet either, and would re-segregate our schools economicially, which would create an environment in some schools that is not conducive to learning, and is an incubator for increased gang activity. There is more to a successful education than test scores.
It has also had many positive impacts on our community as a whole, beyond the classroom, but that is probably for another thread.
After Charlotte adopted the approach that many who oppose our 'diversity policy' advocate, they had a higher rate of parents leaving the school system than we have.
You are correct that some schools do exceed the 40% goal set in the policy. Since it is a goal, it is not a violation of their own policy That has occured in large part due to an effort to maintain stability and limit disruptions in re-assignment as much as possible. Often being on the BoE, you are damned if you do, damned if you don't. Frankly, I don't envy anyone who serves on the Board.
My hope is regardless of what happens in this falls elections, that we can find a way to lower the tempreture of the rhetoric, and get all well intentioned people communicating and working together to ensure our schools are world class, and every child has the opportunities to learn that they deserve.
Thanks again for your time and efforts.
Perry
Point in fact,
Sat, 08/15/2009 - 17:12 — Bob_SconceWCPSS did not receive an award from the National School Board Assocation. In fact, WCPSS did not receive an award AT ALL -- it was "acknowledged." (See http://www.nsba.org/SecondaryMenu/CUBE/CUBEAnnualAward/2009-CUBE-Annual-Award-Finalists.aspx ). And, it didn't come from NSBA, it came from CUBE, an organization inside NSBA of about 100 so-called "urban" districts, representing about 1% of the districts involved in NSBA.
Further, if you look at who did the acknowledgement, it came from a "panel of judges," not some sort of approval by other school boards.
You're really getting picky
Mon, 08/17/2009 - 12:20 — KeungHui (author)You're really getting picky here. The award is promoted from the NSBA. Most awards are handled by a panel chosen by the group to do the judging for them.
Wake is getting an award in the form of a nice plaque. Before this year, only two finalists were chosen. They expanded it this year to include groups who fell short of being finalists.
Picky?? I suppose stingy is next
Mon, 08/17/2009 - 13:04 — AngelaWshould they decide to PAY for TWO Board members to attend to get a "nice plaque"..
c'mon now really???? seriously, when we are STILL losing staff, have crowded classrooms despite that, projections off AGAIN?? should I go on?
Thank You For Answering
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 21:29 — JanisTangoThank you for taking the time to answer Perry. I don't necessarily agree with your point of view, but I do respect others that have a point of view different than mine. I will be out campaigning for what I like to call the 'outside' the box candidates because I believe their vision has more chance of moving us forward in a positive way. The first order of business is to start respecting the parents. I don't think the goal of the candidates that I have spoken to is to 'dismantle' policy 6200, but I think they are going to try to tame the fires that this current BOE has created! 9 out of 10 parents I talk to are as fed up about what is going on as I am. We just want some respect and tired of the rhetoric this board has created. They seem to think they know what is better for my children than I do and that is not the case. This attitude is not only coming from us that are more vocal. I have befriended several parents of the F&R students at our school and to be honest they are fed up too! Their kids are under threat of being moved more often than mine and they don't have the time or resources to go and fight it.
For Whalercane/Perry , and Janis Tango (& Rich)
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 21:51 — shank56Just logged on and am heartened to see civil discussion that touches opposing viewpoints. Thank you.
It is much easier to understand and empathasize with all viewpoints without the name calling and @*%# that is thrown at those who sacrifice their time and families to serve on the BOE and for who work for WCPSS or the city/state.
Will also toss in a "thumbs up" for Rich. We have not had the same experiences in WCPSS (as I read here and I do not know him)and I do not always agree with what he posts. But he appears to be quite the expert in numbers and knowing how to steer the data questions to the right people in the right way. (If that makes sense ) I respect his opinion as it appears he does his homework before posting.
Thank you
Fri, 08/14/2009 - 08:11 — RichardAndersonWill also toss in a "thumbs up" for Rich. We have not had the same
experiences in WCPSS (as I read here and I do not know him)and I do not
always agree with what he posts. But he appears to be quite the expert
in numbers and knowing how to steer the data questions to the right
people in the right way. (If that makes sense ) I respect his
opinion as it appears he does his homework before posting.
Thanks for the compliment. I truly believe that we need to pursue data driven decision making and push out politics. That tends to win you few fans since sooner or later you will step on both sides' dogma, but to me it is the only way to make sure that we provide what is needed. It sickens me to see groups like the Wake Ed Partnership that put out support papers for WCPSS that don't have any solid data to substantiate their claims. It angers me when I see places like AFP put out anti-system reports when we should be focusing on fixing the system not tearing it apart.
So thanks to you and all for the discussion. It can be hard to always keep passion in check and not let emotion take over.
Perry, Quick question:
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 22:37 — CaryCurmudgeonPerry,
Quick question: What is Ms. Rakestraw's position on taxing authority for the school board. The board currently has this on their legislative agenda, does she agree with that?
Joe
Joe, First, I've sent you
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 23:18 — WhalerCaneJoe,
First, I've sent you three e-mails following up on our previous conversation, and you have yet to respond. Wassup with that?
As to your question, honestly, I'm not sure, but I believe I have heard her say that giving the school board taxing authority for operations should be considerd among other reforms, including possibly moving the responsibility for school construction to the BoC with BoE having veto power. She would prefer the BoE focus more on classroom instruction, not construction. I will endeavor to find out for sure, but perhaps you should meet with her and ask yourself.
As well, to be honest, since you have already publicly endorsed her opponent, I'm not anxious to do op research for you. :-) I can see the mail piece now. "Rakestraw wants to raise your taxes," when the truth is eliminating the 'Diversity Policy" to adopt a Charlotte/Mechlenberg approach would require just that, a tax increase. I do however appreciate your lack of name calling. If you want to follow up on meeting with her and/or Lois, feel free to respond to my e-mails.
Respectfully.
Taxing Authority
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 07:27 — g88ky07AT ANY LEVEL is a sure kiss of goodbye with voters! Watch and see!
Perry, I owe you an
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 23:29 — CaryCurmudgeonPerry,
I owe you an answer to your last email, still thinking on it and we are all pretty busy. I appreciate the fact that Ms. Rakestraw is being straightforward about supporting taxing authority, albeit just for operations -- I don't think this idea is very popular with voters and I give her credit on that one for stating what she believes and accepting the fallout.
LOL
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 00:06 — WhalerCaneHMM, have you been polling? :-)
See what I mean. Turned that right around. Took one part of the answer to suit a politcal purpose, ignoring the part you may agree with. That's fine. Again, let me reiterate those were my words from what I recall, not hers directly before you go ahead and post on your website, "Rita suports taxing you more".
I appreciate you are busy, but it has been three weeks without even an acknowledgement.
I guess no point in my trying to find out answer for sure since you apparently are just looking for a political hammer, and not a dialog.
Time for bed. I'm done.
Perry, Please forgive me
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 08:05 — CaryCurmudgeonPerry,
Please forgive me for being less than optimistic about how productive 'dialog' would be at this point in time. I'm not a politico, but I'm not stupid either. Stan Norwalk (who you campaigned for) has been railing against our group at every opportunity, slapping us with hateful labels. Lori Millberg, who currently holds the seat that Ms. Rakestraw wants, was just on WPTF calling us with more hateful accusations. Rita's web site and emails are already littered with race-baiting comments and unfounded speculation about taxes.
That kind of dialog I don't need. I have tried to have dialog with Stan and it is like talking to a wall. I do not question Stan's motives, I believe he thinks he is doing the right thing. He just happens to be wrong, and unwilling to consider that fact. He is also a hypocrite. He complains about too many cooks being in the WCPSS kitchen, but he can't resist getting in there himself. Some of us are wondering whether he got elected to the County Commission or the School Board. I have placed phone calls to Lori Millberg in the past, all of them unanswered. Same with emails.
How come people supporting the status quo suddently want dialog 50 days before an election?
"before you go ahead and post on your website, "Rita suports taxing you more"."
-- Do you mean like the claims Rita makes right now about her opponents?
Personally, quality of education is more important to me than taxes. I don't know about others. Did you happen to catch that LTE this morning about Halifax County Schools, who Judge Manning accused of committing Academic Genocide (a term Stan loves to use)? Their graduation rate for ED students is 3 points HIGHER than Wake County. So, exactly on what basis should we be beating our chests about the great school system we have?
Joe, I believe the dialog
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 19:30 — WhalerCaneJoe,
I believe the dialog has been way overheated from both sides, and the point of meeting was really more to ensure communication remains open after Oct. 6th. I think you and many in your group are well intentioned, and have have ideas that should be explored. Where we part ways as we have established repeatedly is the 'diversity policy.'
I missed Lori on PTF today so I do not know what she said. Ironically, I was on Bill's show this afternoon. If by hateful accusations, you mean 'racists', I do not believe the overwhelming majority of your supportors are. Elitists perhaps, but not racists, although some have said some pretty horrific things, including about BoE members, so I can understand where they may be less inclined to dialog. That is what I want to prevent after this years election, and hopefully change the tone of this debate. To that end, you have my committment that none of the media from the candidates I am working with will call opponents of the diversity policy 'racists'.
I will not however hesitate to talk about what the elimination of the 'Diversity Policy' would mean for our County, and one of those things would be higher taxes to pay for more money into low wealth schools, such as has happened in Charlotte.
I do think dialog among opponents is a good thing, and my offer still stands. Perhaps any discussion of that we should do in a less public forum. You have my e-mail address.
Perry, I think you need
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 21:37 — Eric_BPerry,
I think you need to take a look at school budgets again. The 2009-10 budgets show Wake receiving more money in tax revenues per student than Charlotte-Mecklenburg does, so please stop repeating the statement that Charlotte's model costs more.
Regards,
Eric
Charlotte just made massive
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 23:41 — WhalerCaneCharlotte just made massive cuts. Consistently since they re-segreated their schools economically, they have been spending between at least $500 more per pupil than Wake.
As well, because Charlotte does have low wealth schools, they got more stimulas money. I guess that is an arguement for ending the diversity policy, so we can get more stimulas dollars.
Can you prove they cut any
Fri, 08/14/2009 - 08:06 — Eric_BCan you prove they cut any more that Wake did? Can you prove they got more stimulus money? Where are your numbers to back up those statements?
They still receive more local funding than Wake does, yet seem to receive much less from the state for some reason. Also, federal funding only differs by about $10 million, but much of that funding is Title I funding based on poverty levels, which Charlotte has more of.
Have you seen the EOG results for 2008-09? Charlotte scored almost identical to Wake among whites and higher among black, hispanic and F&R students. In addition, Charlotte has a higher percentage of schools meeting AYP this past year than Wake. The "healthy schools" model seems to be failing even at its aim of keeping school performance looking good. How do you explain this?
I can't wait to hear this answer!
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 23:05 — g88ky07Anyone that supports this, Horace Tart, is done before they begin!
and the answer is ...
Perry
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 20:18 — RichardAndersonAnd Richard, why the hateraid on Stan Norwalk?
It would take a while, but I can dig through my files for all the vile things he said about parental involvement in the school system in the past, if you want. Stan is a self-serving piece of garbage who has used every issue he can find to further his own political ambitions. It is no surprise to me he won. He is good at making himself look good. Problem is, that is good for no one but Stan.
I am not a developer. Unlike Stan, I am not tied to special interests. I don't back the developer interests, like he did, with the big-bond-boondoggle a few years ago. Where was he then? Oh yes, rallying support for the bond that would just raise property taxes and covering up the real problem. The problem that, as you pointed out, carried him to electoral victory. I did mention that he is pretty good at that kind of stuff, didn't I?
If the issue was this particular school, she made no reference to it in the response given. If the question wasn't about this school, then Mr. Hui is incompetent. I prefer not to make that assumption.
As for your question, I have no idea. The magnet school game is one that I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole were to be involved in a campaign. There is more power and influence in those programs than anywhere else in the system.
I will agree that we should have foreign language in elementary school and that she will probably win with the power establishment behind her and the opposition likely the weakest in that area. But my comment really is a reaction to her doing the familiar school board shuffle. You know, have a defined issue and then completely avoid addressing it by making distracting comments filled with nice soundbites.
So if you really want me to find the Stan stuff, let me know. I am the guy he challenged to a public debate one time but I refused to be part of his self promotion efforts. Tell him I say hi and that I was right when I said he was only wanting that debate to get his name out in the community for his own purposes.
Richard, really, I get that
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 22:52 — WhalerCaneRichard, really, I get that you and Stan have apparently had issues, but you are frankly delusional if you think Stan is doing this for self-promotion and just to launch a self serving political career.
The man is 78 years old and retired. County Commission is not a stepping stone. He will not be running for another office. He says what he believes to be the truth blatently sometimes because he is not trying to be politically correct. Frankly, sometimes that gets him in trouble. He ran because he passionately believes we need to do more to improve education in this community, and that our schools campared to the national average, are woefully underfunded. As well, we must plan more and do a better job of having growth pay for itself. He supported the bond because it was the best way to pay for much needed school construction at the time, by financing it.
The assumption that he wanted to debate you to just get his name out in the community is frankly laughable. If he was such a darling of the devolopers, then why did they spend approximately 100K in independent expenditures to beat him, (We do not know exact amount because unfortunately they do not have to report it, but 5 pieces of mail county wide would cost at least that.)
Obviously you have an already set opinion of him as do I, so no need to send me anything. It's fine to disagree with him, but questioning his motives or calling him a 'piece of garbage' is nothing short of rude. If he did the same to you, I would say the same thing.
The magnet issue for East Wake is one where many East Wake residents go to Enloe or other magnets, and making East Wake a magnet could keep some of them closer to home and help allieviate some of the academic challenges they have had there.
Kern's question was about a specific school and her answer was to that. Let me try to help you comprehend. What she was saying is this is new information about the costs of needed road improvements for that site, so the decision to build there may need to be revisted. If there are other options/locations other that the current site that will now be less expensive because of this new information, she would support another location. If it would still cost more to now switch locations, she would not support that.
Respectfully,
Perry
OK, one answer to all of Perry's comments
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 08:13 — RichardAndersonyou are frankly delusional if you think Stan is doing this for self-promotion
The assumption that he wanted to debate you to just get his name out in the community is frankly laughable
Well, he told me he was doing it for publicity when he 'challenged' me to a debate on the issues. What can I say? You don't want to believe him, fine. On the old WCPSS_Parents Yahoo group there is a thread, started by Stan, called "An offer to debate".
but questioning his motives or calling him a 'piece of garbage' is nothing short of rude
He has called me a racist, segrgationist and anti-public school. I think Stan and I have gone far beyond rude.
As well [Stan believes], we must plan more and do a better job of having growth pay for
itself. He supported the bond because it was the best way to pay for
much needed school construction at the time, by financing it.
And here is the problem I have with Stan. He may believe that, but when push came to shove, he buckled under and help maintain the status quo. Which now that the 'problem' of growth really isn't with us anymore, means we no longer have the opportunity to make changes. Stan is the typical suburban tyrant. He gets in while the going is good then erects all these walls to make sure that no one else can, or, if they do, they have to pay for it. Of course, the fact that didn't have to pay means nothing to him. He has his share; all he cares about is keeping it.
Are you going to dance on his grave too?
I don't dance.
I wouldn't say 'community schools' are racist, just elitist. The end
result are rich schools getting richer, poor getting poorer
When all are funded by the same mechanism and local authority, explain how this can happen. Then, once you have dug yourself out of that hole, explain how such can happen when the majority of school funding is from the state, so not reflective of local income levels. Then, if you have managed to climb that high, explain how such can be possible when both state and federal funding formulas add more money to schools in areas with less wealth.
Oh good, candidate tries to create a sense of community in her campaign
by singing, and having a family friendly event, and you insult her for
that.
You guys take the cake.
I have to agree with on that. Personally, I think that far too much of the BOE and campaigning for it is tied up in traditional politics. Yes, Perry, that includes professional poltical advisors like you. Now, with you (or any other paid partisan hack) on board her campaign, I can't help but think it was all part of a contrived promotional appearance, but I would still give her the benefit of the doubt and not say anything unless it became an issue.
Kern's question was about a specific school and her answer was to that.
No, her answer wasn't to that. It didn't address the specific spending or the specific school. It was a general statement. A specific answer would be "I support lowest cost building and want to know why there is this multi-million dollar cost run up so we can make sure it never happens again. We may not be able to stop it this time, but we need to make sure we learn from our mistakes so that funding can go to the classroom, for things like elementary school foreign language." Hits all the talking points, yet actually address this specific event.
The one thing she [Rakestraw] doesn't want to do is move backwards on diversity
because it has been good for our community, and to do so will cost
taxpayers more money, our schools sterling national reputation, and
lower property values in less affluent areas, and neighborhoods near
less affluent areas.
And now we come to the foundation of the issue. All those things can be true, but when we see the gap in achievement widen, our 'high risk' population sinking compared to other disctricts in the state and continued devotion to the policy that is supposed to be in place to counter that, I don't care about the other benefits and neither should anyone else who is running for Board of EDUCATION. Enough of the political garbage that serves the special interests ahead of the kids. This is why people like you, Perry, need to be thrown out of this entire process. You want to balance all those other factors, which is fine for general politics. But not me and nor should that be the primary concern of Board members. Education first, second and third. Then the other stuff.
Stan is the same way. Use education as a way to get to attract popular sentiment with no actual concern for the student outcomes. I m afraid your association and Stan's support make me believe that Ms. Rakestraw is the same way. I don't care which party it is, I want this kind of score-keeping partisan garbage out of our school system so we can focus on educational excellence rather than reputation or property values. Those things take care of themselves with an excellent school system.
Need to do more to improve education
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 23:22 — TrailerParkGirl"He ran because he passionately believes we need to do more to improve education in this community, and that our schools campared to the national average, are woefully underfunded."
Having Stan suggest people who also want more done to improve education in this community but disagree with him on the means to that end are racists, thereby alienating them, is not a good start toward that goal.
TrailerPark Girl
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 23:32 — WhalerCaneActually, I do not disagree with this.
"Having Stan suggest people who also want more done to improve education in this community but disagree with him on the means to that end are racists, thereby alienating them, is not a good start toward that goal."
Honestly, I don't think most who oppose the 'diversity policy' are racist, although I'm sure some are. I do however think that if they are successful, it will lead to the economic re-segration of our schools, ruin their steller national reputation impacting our future economy, increase taxes, reduce property values, and balkinize our County.
"He will not be running for another office."
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 23:12 — g88ky07He couldn't win another election!
I couldn't agree more with RA on the "Stan" issue, he's bashed parents more times than we have days in the year. When his run is over I'll throw the party!
Can I come?
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 23:29 — TrailerParkGirlCan I come to the party :-)
Stan is #1 on my Least Favorite Person to Ever Represent Me list.
BTW - how did you hear about Nelson and Horace?
Absolutely!
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 06:51 — g88ky07It's an "all invited" throw down!
The Nelson Dollar and Horace Tart connection is now fairly public, just hasn't been made "official" yet. I'm sure Nelson would like to keep it quiet for as long as he can, especially after telling us that he is/was against most of the things his candidate supports! For a man that barely won his own last election he's going to undermine at least 2 future elections I can think of, how about you!
*Mr. Hui, you do such a stellar job keeping everyone here informed, I think it would be great if you break this story "officially"?
Are you going to dance on
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 23:27 — WhalerCaneAre you going to dance on his grave too? Are you guys the only authorities on being a parent?
Man, last I checked, Stan was a parent, and a Grand Parent too, who very much cares about education. I guess he isn't your type of parent.
I personally would never dance on someone's grave
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 23:35 — TrailerParkGirlbut I will be glad when someone who claims that people who believe in community schools are racist is no longer my representative.
Ditto
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 06:56 — g88ky07no grave dancing, not my style, but Stan's very words were just that! And as RA said, much more can be pulled out if need be and I imagine it will when it comes to Rita Rakestraw! Taking the support of a man who talks like Stan couldn't help you win at bingo!
I wouldn't say 'community
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 23:51 — WhalerCaneI wouldn't say 'community schools' are racist, just elitist. The end result are rich schools getting richer, poor getting poorer.
So you disagree with Arne Duncan
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 11:58 — TrailerParkGirlSo you disagree with Arne Duncan and the community schools movement?
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/03/12/1833878.aspx
Community schools are elitist - that is interesting as I have the complete opposite view.
I would say an assignment policy based on the theory that a school cannot be healthy if it has more than 40% F&R students is elitist, not to mention defeatist. I also think it is balkinizing because now you've separated out F&R students as being different in a negative way. To me, that is not diversity.
One repeated question from me that no one on your side of the issue has answered is what would WCPSS do if it was like my home county where the ED rate is 45%-50% (depending on economic times) or many of the other districts in this country where the F&R rate is >40%? Just throw it's hands up and say oh well guess we have to have unhealthy schools that won't have enough resources and can't attract good quality teachers? The other unanswered questions are why the 80% F&R school in my home district has adequate resources, some of the best teachers and the same report card score as the 40% school, why the ED proficiency rates are anywhere (depending on grade/subject) from about even to 15% HIGHER than state average there although the state ED rate is about 10% lower, and how one of the 55% ED ES earned an award given to the top eight ES in that state. And, no it is NOT because the F&R are farm kids from solid families. The place is methland, before that (and probably still) heroineland, cokeland, and potland, among others.
Could it, dare I say it, be that they believe >40% F&R schools CAN be healthy, CAN have good teachers, CAN have adequate resources? Could it be because that community, like me, thinks CAN'T is a four letter word and that F&R CAN DO? The vast majority of people there don't know or care what the F&R rates in any given school are or who is F&R because they do not label F&R as "at risk". People, like Charlene Lucas, say they don't view F&R differently but then turn right around in the next sentence and say higher F&R schools will be unable...have inadequate...all the CAN'T words.
For me, the road out of the trailer park (but I was be proud of from where I came) was paved with the words CAN DO and not can't, inadequate, or unable, which are the words behind the current assignment theory.
The status quo point of view is based on putting everyone into neat little stereotyped buckets judged by the size of the wallets or where they live and then saying we must mix the buckets to get diversity. It misses the point that each person is a mix of their own diverse aspects and should not be prejudged solely on one of those aspects.
Your side also totally ignores the diverse areas of this county, like mine, who have gotten caught up in constant instability due to the diversity shuffle and whose community schools get called "not the right" schools for magnet access. Why so much focus about having kids be in the same building 6.5 hours a day 180 days per year instead of creating more diverse communities and ignoring and hurting the diverse areas that already exist if that is really to where we want to get?
Also, I am interested in improving education for ALL the students, not property values. I am willing to pay more towards education, but want it to go to building something positive like KIPP or community schools and reaching students, not PR spin about bussing distances that only mean something if buses fly or getting national accolades from some hypocrite educrate who sends his own kids to the affluent school in his area nicknamed 'whiteside' or whatever it was.
Community To Me Mean Stability
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 07:39 — JanisTangoPlease Perry don't go there! No one I talk to is advocating rich versus poor schools. We want stability and demand it. Kids that are bussed 15-25 miles across town when there are dozens of schools closer does not make sense! Don't tell me those kids going to one of the dozens of schools that is closer is going to create rich versus poor schools! Please. Look at the WCPSS node maps. You will see if all over this county!
Actually
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 07:43 — supportwcpssGo look at the maps and then come back and retract your unresearched comment.
It is VERY far from spread out and even those opponents will agree. You also can't just look a map but need to address counts in those nodes. It is very far from 'even'.
Clueless
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 20:16 — Bob_SconceThe problem with Rita's statement was that it was so clueless. The "whatever location will save the most money" position is just hogwash, since THE DISTRICT HAS ALREADY BOUGHT THE LAND. I'm surprised that she didn't know this already. Call me madcap, but you'd think that since she hopes to represent that District, this seems like an issue she should have taken an interest in.
Bob
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 22:59 — WhalerCaneWhat she was saying is this is new information about the costs of needed road improvements for that site, so the decision to build there may need to be revisted. If there are other options/locations other that the current site that will now be less expensive because of this new information, she would support another location. If it would still cost more to now switch locations, she would not support that.
He point was that BoE needs to get past these construction issues, and get it's focus back on the classroom.
"He point was that BoE
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 23:02 — CaryCurmudgeon"He point was that BoE needs to get past these construction issues, and get it's focus back on the classroom."
Perry,
Good point. I think the school board does get bogged down too much in construction issues. Would Rita support moving responsibility for land acquisition and school construction to another agency reporting into the County Commissioners?
Joe
I believe she would consider
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 23:48 — WhalerCaneI believe she would consider it as a part of a package of reforms, but I need to confirm that.
Right...
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 22:24 — chaboard....so doesn't that make the quoted positions of the other two candidates (one calling for a change of location, the other "questioning" the location) a much BIGGER problem than Rita's less adamant statement?
Here
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 20:18 — g88ky07and HERE!
"Whatever location saves
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 15:59 — AngelaW"Whatever location saves the taxpayers the most money I will support"
yeah, 'cause we KNOW how good the BoE and WCPSS is at picking resonably priced land....and accepting it...
...
Wed, 08/12/2009 - 15:45 — SideburnsMs. Rakestraw is so busy getting her statements from Mr. Norwalk that she lost the whole point. It is going to cost taxpayers $7.4M more for just road improvements at this site yet Ms. Rakestraw says "Whatever location will save the taxpayers the most money, I will support...."? What?
BTW, this site is in Ms. Vair's backyard. I'm not convinced by her "saving history" claims.