Wake CARES is celebrating last night's vote by the Wake County school board with a press conference today.
Here's the group's press release:
WAKECARES TO SPEAK ON TUESDAY’S WAKE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
VOTE AND THE FUTURE OF WAKE COUNTY PUBLIC EDUCATION
Raleigh, NC – WakeCares will affirm their thanks and support for the Wake County School Board’s vote for community based school assignment policies and the move forward to seriously address critical shortcomings in academic achievement for Wake County students.
Date: Wednesday - March 24, 2010
Time: 10:00 am
Location: Halle Cultural Arts Center of Apex, 237 North Salem Street in historic downtown Apex
WakeCARES believes community-based school assignments are the first step in providing stability, choice in education and increased parental involvement, all of which are paramount in a child’s education. For more information on WakeCares, please visit our website at http://www.wakecares.com/?page_id=5
UPDATE
Here's a quick recap of today's press conference.
The leaders of Wake CARES praised the school board's vote on the community schools resolution and urged the other side to work with the new board majority. They argued that the diversity policy wasn't working, pointing to the low test scores and graduation rates for poor kids.
“Lay down your candles and your songs and give them breathing room,” said Patrice Lee, a founder of Wake CARES.
Allison Backhouse also spoke at the press conference. She's back with Wake CARES after her fallout with the Wake Schools Community Alliance.
Comments
Dove.... We have been called
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 23:21 — dgraffDove....
We have been called racist, nazi, elistists, etc.
I do not support anyone who resorts to the namecalling and insults. Just because they agree with the new board majority, doesn't mean they are "members" of WakeCARES. While we have had our passionate moments, as others have and emotions run high, we have never endorsed the kind of behavior that has been exhibited lately.
Like you, I began by watching issues, and policies, and like you, got a quick education.
Whether Keung or the N& O have stricter ground rules, it is our responsibility to rise above the muck.
I understand that it is tempting to sling the mud when it comes your way, but it is not productive or necessary.
I welcome any conversations you would like to have.
One of my favorite posters is Bob Sconce. I have never met him, but find him to be respectful and informed and a good source of information. We can all benefit from that.
Thanks
Bob?
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 23:45 — Dove314Interesting choice. He gave several of us "glowing" reviews not that long ago.
I am sure you would have
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 23:48 — red_balloonI am sure you would have nominated woody. :)
Creating chaos?
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 23:13 — dgraffOatmeal...
You're confusing us with someone else. Chaos is driving past several schools to get to the one you're assigned to. Chaos is not allowing parents with legitimate academic, medical or psychological reasons to transfer their child to a different school. Chaos is the support of policies that do not academically benefit our students. Chaos is spending more money on YR schools that are grossly underpopulated. Chaos is what the WCPSS has been in for along time. Unfortunately many have blindly supported the chaos until policies have adversely affected them. If the system works for you great. What's great about our country is that we can choose to oppose the things we don't believe in.
WakeCARES supporters are county wide. The cary/apex thing is inaccurate, and tiresome.
WakeCARES will be sending their kids to Mills Park
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 22:19 — oatmealWakeCARES didn't stop when they lost their lawsuit against MYR.
Now with the new "community schools" model, WakeCARES can send their children to the low poverty traditional calendar Mills Park campus.
Thanks for all of the chaos that's been created in Western Wake due to the calendar conversions!
Sticks & Stones
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 22:04 — dgraffIt shouldn't be that hard to have productive discourse rather that joining the ranks of the haters and the insulters. Can we please get past the insinuations and name calling? WakeCARES was formed by myself and co-founders to have a voice for parents. This group of parents was county wide, non-partisan (yes, both conservative AND liberal members) and spanned a wide variety of incomes. Our supporters were in the thousands and like many supporting the current board, were hesitant to go public due to unfair accusations of racism and aggression towards them. Perhaps instead of reguritating the biased stories from the N & O, pirating slams from the blogs, and making assumptions, engage in a dialogue by emailing us or visiting our website. Through the years we heard from people across the county who moved here based on the marketing of the "great schools in Wake Co". only to find out there were NOT neighborhood schools, that they had no choice in calendar, no transportation due to transfers to another school in wcpss, (if they were in the lucky minority to actually receive a transfer) and that their children ended up on different calendars and schools far apart. We heard from people that reconsidered moving to Wake once they found out about bussing, calendar inequities,etc. I will gladly engage in any productive dialogue with anyone that wants to email me at info@wakecares.com I believe the intent in Ms. Lee's candle/singing comment was to stop fighting and start working together. When the board minority, was the board majority, that is what they urged us to do in the bond and YR issues. Shouldn't it work both ways?
Then why?
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 23:00 — Dove314It is difficult. For myself, I started asking questions, not as a supporter of previous boards but as a newly concerned parent watching a board behave horridly (imo) no matter what their ideas. I've made requests such as yours for a focus on constructive movement for future to no avail.
I've been called naive, a liar, disingenuous, and worse by those who share your cause. Told to go sing kumbaya, that I'm a communist, a vandal, and more at least once on an almost daily basis HERE. On the flip side, I've been treated kindly by many others who support the board majority. I've learned a lot in a short amount of time from participating here and interacting with them.
So I have a request -- many of the posters here supporting the board continue to do to others the very things you suggest have been done to you. You ask for people to try to understand what you were doing and be productive when members of your own group do not follow that lead. You suggest that we should stop fighting but yet that is not what your group did when faced with a board who seemed uninterested in either providing details on what they are proposing or hearing.
If you truly want a different and more constructive forward plan, you've got to push your board majority to be more constructive, and no, that does not mean keeping diversity. You need to ask your own supporters here to stop when you see them not being constructive and those of us who have developed a strong dislike of this board need to do the same.
Consider asking Keung to allow ground rules for constructive posting to be established that go beyond the standard of the N&O. The ground rules have to be clear as right now we each have differing opinions of what is "acceptable". But everyone has to be accoutable and everyone has to hold all others to be accountable, whether they are with you or against you.
I think I owe Red_Balloon an apology for an unkind post this morning and apologize here to Red.
No offence taken. I know I
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 23:36 — red_balloonNo offence taken. I know I am not a liar and hence being called a liar doesn't bother me. Besides, you, jenman, user1-5, and others take way more flak than I do.
Thank you.
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 23:46 — Dove314My remark to you was not deserved.
:-)
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 22:34 — jenman:-)
WHO CARES
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 18:34 — jgegbgmg“Lay down your candles and your songs and give them breathing room,” said Patrice Lee, a founder of Wake CARES.
OK - Let's see - WAKE CARES laid down their candles and quit singing their songs and gave the previous Board a lot of help - Ms. Lee please wake up - How can you dare ask for those of us who believe in diversity to help your group and the new majority on the Board segregate our schools - You must be dreaming !!!!!!
Ironic
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 18:11 — Wake_ParentIt's ironic that a Republican group is spending money on a 'plan' that will hurt our children while the school system is in a budget crisis.
zone plan
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 18:01 — TKDMomLay down your candles and your songs and give them breathing room," said Patrice Lee, a founder of Wake CARES.
Why don't they lay down their political agenda and do what is best for the children.
Have they taken the time to go visit school districts with a zone plan? Have they visited high poverty NC school. There are 2 school districts within a 3 hour drive of Raleigh who have zone plans. They should take the press with them so we can all see. They should talk with teachers in NC high poverty schools. Theses conversations should be shared with the public.
Past school boards when and visited school systems with a "neighborhood" school model and decided that is not what they wanted for Wake County.
I heard a Principal from a high poverty school from Charlotte speak this week and she said "you don't want high poverty schools in Raleigh".
Mrs. Brennan and Mrs. Lee Have you visited school systems with a zone plan and high poverty schools? If not, how do you know this is what we want for Wake county?
exactly!
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 21:27 — commongoodYou are soooo right, TKDMom! "Wake Doesn't Care" about creating high poverty schools. It's unbelievable to me how comfortable these folks are with isolating the poor in schools that will fail. They should be made to send their kids there. If high poverty schools are fine, they should prove it by sending their own kids there. That's the real question they should be asking themselves. Are these "poor kids schools" places you'd send your own child to?
Thanks to all the leaders
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 13:11 — red_balloonThanks to all the leaders and citizens who are the catalysts for change. As we move forward in a new direction, please do not forget that not everyone has the same circumstances or needs. There are students of varied backgrounds and needs.
Isn't it ironic that a
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 15:49 — danofncIsn't it ironic that a Republican-backed group is promising "change" with no real plan, after someone with that same exact pledge beat them for the White House?
Actually, I did find it
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 23:33 — red_balloonActually, I did find it ironic that last night's N&O website had two articles on change on the main page: healthcare and education.
...
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 12:13 — SideburnsCorrection: I never stopped supporting WakeCARES or their efforts for positive reform.
Allison
Thank you Wake Cares for
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 09:13 — changewcpssThank you Wake Cares for getting the ball rolling. You exposed the inequities and hidden failures and now WCPSS is headed down the right path for all.
Yes Thank You Wake Cares...
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 13:13 — hmoncelleHarry_Moncelle
Wake cares…HMM
Interesting name… this group cares enough to back the creation of schools that will be based upon the principle of “economic apartheid”
This group appears to back the creation of high poverty schools as the answer to remedying Wake County’s graduation and student achievement gaps. I experienced the same time of thinking in South East Asia when we were told “we have to destroy the village in order to save it!”
you mean
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 13:07 — changewcpss1You mean the "right path for all" rich white people who live in apex and cary. Good for them.
I don't live in Apex or Cary
Thu, 03/25/2010 - 13:03 — changewcpssI don't live in Apex or Cary and neither do the ED children who will be helped by the new direction of the board.
Why do you continue to post with a name so similar to mine? I have attempted to be civil and ask you to kindly change to something original. Thank you in advance for doing so.
Yes, Thank You!!
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 09:57 — petehsNone of this could have happened without the path you paved through adversity and personal sacrifice.
Announce
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 09:06 — TKDMomI hope they announce which of their board members are planning to send their children to high poverty schools.
THAT'S RIGHT!
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 21:31 — commongoodYES!!! Come on, Kathleen Brennan, please send your own kids to the high poverty schools that John Tedesco and you are so eager to create. If you do that, I'll lay down my candles. That's is the test! Send your own children there. Would you????
Keung, You mentioned in a
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 08:41 — J8307200Keung,
You mentioned in a blog last week that some nodes were added to the list moved from Knightdale High School to Heritage besides the Stonegate neighborhood. Could you please post the list of all those nodes affected. Thanks so much!
I'll post the handout later
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 12:04 — KeungHui (author)I'll post the handout later with all the nodes.
Thanks Keung!
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 14:16 — J8307200Thanks Keung!