Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata said today that the new student assignment plan is ready for adoption on Oct. 18, and delaying it would only hurt parents and students as they try to implement it for next school year.
Also during today's press conference, Tata repeatedly pointed to how the student assignment task force has spent seven months on developing the new plan. He compared it to how the magnet school program was approved by the board in 1982 only three months after presentation by staff.
On feeder patterns, Tata said he's looking at more adjustments, citing the concerns raised this week by Jeffreys Grove Elementary parents. In response to a question about Brassfield Elementary, he pointed to how parents would have priority if they wanted to go to their closest secondary school. He said he expected to be able to honor those requests in the lottery.
Click here for the online story. I'll go into more detail.
UPDATE
Click here for a handout from today's press conference listing the 12 highlights of the new proposal.
Comments
press release & board meeting question
Fri, 09/30/2011 - 19:38 — sam123456Keung, hi. In the post you mentioned that Mr. Tata responded to a question about Brassfield. Do you know who asked the question and what the question was? Also in regard to the Oct 4th board meeting do you know if the plan will be presented to the board during the 12:30-5:30 working session or if it will be presented at the Board meeting that starts at 5:30? Thank you!
He called Brassfield an
Fri, 09/30/2011 - 20:03 — KeungHui (author)He called Brassfield an anomaly in which it had students going to different high schools. He said that even if the feeder still says Millbrook, they can apply to Wakefield and that families would have priority if it's their most proximate high school choice. He said he can't recall a situation in which they've turned down transfer requests to change high schools.
The plan will be presented during the work session.
Brassfield-Wakefield MS
Fri, 09/30/2011 - 21:31 — livingncfunKeung,
a follow on question; did he say anything about middle school feeder from Brassfield. Did Tata also mention anything about feeder into Wakefield middle from Brassfield. Is the middle school based on high school proximity priority? Thanks for your help.
It would appear that, if
Sat, 10/01/2011 - 12:49 — KeungHui (author)It would appear that, if there were more applicants than seats for middle schools, they'd use the proximity priority there as well.
split feeder patterns
Fri, 09/30/2011 - 20:15 — sam123456Keung, thank you. I understand that there are other elementary schools that may be allowed to have a split feeder pattern. I think I heard that Fox Road and Northridge may be examples of that. Am I correct on that? If that is the case have you heard why they wouldn't offer that as an option for Brassfield? I appreciate the help.
Don't know.
Fri, 09/30/2011 - 20:21 — KeungHui (author)Don't know.
What about new schools?
Fri, 09/30/2011 - 16:27 — Bob_SconceDid he mention what they'd do when it came time to open a new school? Presuming that 99% of the people will want to stay at their existing school, how do they populate upper grades at a new school?
I believe only the
Fri, 09/30/2011 - 17:42 — KeungHui (author)I believe only the single-sex academies and Rolesville Middle are opening next year. I don't recall what grades they're opening Rolesville Middle with but they were looking at only six and seven and nine and 10 for the academies unless they got a lot of interest for grades eight, 11 and 12. I don't remember what the plan was for the middle school grades at HIlburn next year.
devil in the details
Fri, 09/30/2011 - 16:13 — EBDarcyKeung, how does the sibling priority work? Is it like the magnet program where you have to have a sibling who will be in the school at the next level (i.e. siblings of current 6th and 7th graders would automatically get in next year, but not those of current 8th graders) or are they extending it beyond that? I don't see how they could do the latter, or that it would be fair to do so.
The two siblings would have
Fri, 09/30/2011 - 16:22 — KeungHui (author)The two siblings would have to be at the school at the same time, just like it is now. So if you've got an eight-grader and a fifth-grader, you wouldn't get sibling priority because the younger kid would enter middle school when the older one is entering high school.
thanks
Fri, 09/30/2011 - 16:34 — EBDarcyThanks for clarifying that point.
Brassfield
Fri, 09/30/2011 - 15:33 — livingncfunIn terms of Brassfield what does the comment mean -- how long into the future will they expect to be able to honor those requests? In a situation where a sibling who its at Wakefield Middle has another sibling at Wakefield High school when they enter high school will they have a guarantee of going to Wakefield High school? Then if the youngest sibling is at Brassfield elementary but will enter middle school at a point when both older siblings are in high school will the elementary student be guaranteed a spot at Wakefield Middle? We have that gurantee now so if we don't have it in the future then I am highly concerned. Do you know if they have considered extenidng sibling priority to allow younger siblings to follow elder siblings that have graduated from the schools and extend priority to be a guarantee for these siblings? Thank you
Sibling guarantee is the
Fri, 09/30/2011 - 15:45 — KeungHui (author)Sibling guarantee is the highest priority in the priority list, even higher than proximity. But that grandfathering, just like now, is only avaialble if the older sibling will still be at the school when the younger sibling gets in. I don't believe there's talk about extending family grandfathering so that you could send a younger sibling to the same school that an older sibling once attended. That would be a logistical nightmare.
Thank you
Fri, 09/30/2011 - 15:51 — livingncfunThank you for the input. Then based on that Brassfield is better off under the current plan than the new plan. This is very frustrating.
There's always the for sale sign
Fri, 09/30/2011 - 16:30 — FSandYOUThey will be the hottest product going in Wake County after the 18th. Problem is, only a few of them will work.