Terry Stoops is offering "unsolicited advice" to the new Democratic majority on the Wake County school board that's contemplating substantive changes to the student assignment plan.
In a blog post today, Stoops, director of education studies for the conservative John Locke Foundation, writes that he didn't expect the Democrats to propose major changes Tuesday. He says he gave them too much credit for thinking they wouldn't do so.
Stoops writes "it's foolish" politically and "would simply invite the kind of criticism that may have contributed to the demise of the Republican majority."
"Some unsolicited advice for Democrats:
1. The argument that the Republicans approved it 'quickly' is a moot point for a public that has a pretty short memory about such details.
2. If you want the public to hate you, make (school board member) Jim Martin your spokesperson. He comes across as smug and condescending.
3. Make more of an effort to work with (Superintendent Tony) Tata or replace him."
Comments
Whenever I read a post that
Thu, 01/05/2012 - 00:28 — Livingthegoodli...Whenever I read a post that uses a term like "teabagger" or "dimocrat", I first wonder if the poster thinks they are making sound arguments or being inordinately clever, and then I forget whatever message they perhaps hoped to convey. But it is a free country so they can write what they will.
I'm inclined to agree with Bob Sconce here: The changes contemplated to the assignment plan would equate to a material change in next year's assignment process, so the entire lottery process also needs to be re-set to start over as well.
Board after board after board, all making changes. Frankly, it's incredibly frustrating being a parent with kids in this system. I'm so tired of the constancy of change. This isn't rocket science.
Don't be incredibly frustrated
Thu, 01/05/2012 - 08:07 — FSandYOUthank your neighbors. Their votes, and the morons they elected, are what is sending this system backwards, again. Your neighbors, and the morons they elected, will be the ones to blame when this assignment plan is stopped and our lives are once again in limbo.
Indefinitely.
Stoops, don't be a stooge
Wed, 01/04/2012 - 15:17 — FSandYOUHe didn't expect the Democrats to propose major changes? Really Terry? Did you sleep through their campaigns? Did you sleep through the after-party rants?
Come on Terry, don't be a stooge. This has been their master plan all along. Now let's see if they have the spine to go through with their threats. They have less than 13 days.
As for Jimmy Boy, you're being very kind calling him smug and condescending. He's much more than that. Just ask him!
The stooge speaks
Wed, 01/04/2012 - 15:36 — stoopsWhen I wrote, "I have to admit that I did not expect this to happen," I was referring to the pace of the changes, not scope. I did not mean to imply that the changes would be insignificant. Sorry about the misunderstanding.
As for their "master plan," this stooge will stay out of that discussion.
Mr. Martin is not
Wed, 01/04/2012 - 15:11 — JoeTarheelMr. Martin is not 'condescending'. He's just much smarter than the rest of the remaining GOP tea baggers.
Then again, a toad has more intelligence than Tedesco
. . .
Thu, 01/05/2012 - 00:29 — Livingthegoodli.... . .
True...
Wed, 01/04/2012 - 14:50 — Bob_SconceThey could probably get away with tweaking the choice priorities some, although people are going to be really miffed if they live right next to a school and find out that they can't get into it because the school board decided to bump "achievement choice" (whatever that means) students ahead of walk-zone folks.
However, getting rid of feeder patterns? That's lunacy -- parents understand how the whole things works; the district has already started going through the assignment process for next year and parents have made decisions based on the feeder patterns. They would absolutely have to redo the magnet lottery, and think about how mad you'd be if you had won the first lottery, but then lost the second one.
For a group that came in complaining about the previous majority shooting from the hip, they're doing a fantastic job of mimicing that themselves.