[CoalitionofConcernedCitizensforAfricanAmericanChildren] What would Dr. King say???

 

As we reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, can we say that Wake County citizens have fully implemented his dream? What would Dr. King say about:   *WCPSS racially/economically Segregated Schools such as Walnut Creek   * Our elected officials/community leaders who support segregated schools.    * What would Dr. King say about the children who attend Walnut Creek who lost a semester of learning because of overcrowded classrooms? * If our elected officials/community leaders accepted offers to support segregated schools/kick backs to fulfill their selfish need/greed? * Community leaders who designed programs to attract an all black school   *Broughton High School and other high school today * What would Dr. King say about the Brown vs. Board effort to ensure equal education for all children? *What would Dr. King say about WCPSS Choice Assignment Plan?   According to Dr. King, "segregation is legally dead but it is factually alive." What hidden techniques are being used today to support segregation/economic isolation?  Can we identify them and not be used as a prey? This is a time of reflection.     In his December 15, 1956 speech, King called the Brown decision, “…one of the most momentous decisions ever rendered in the history of this nation…” and how it was a “…reaffirmation on the good old American doctrine of freedom and equality for all men.” However, he also stated that “…segregation is already legally dead, but it is factually alive.”

[CoalitionofConcernedCitizensforAfricanAmericanChildren] Update

Greetings! Here is today’s BOE news.

Kushner announces candidacy

Christine Kushner has announced she will run for the District 6 BOE seat currently occupied by Carolyn Morrison, according to the N&O. I know Christine personally; she would be a great addition to the BOE.

Budget cuts to education topic of NC Spin

Cash Michaels, editor of The Carolinian and the Cash Roc blog, and Chris Fitzsimon with NC Policy Watch, were among the panelists discussing the recent budget debate and spending cuts to education on NC Spin.

Student Assignment Planning FAQs

In his weekly news conference on Friday, Superintendent Tony Tata discussed frequently asked questions about the work of the student assignment task force. There is no online link for this yet, but it’s good info. Sorry, in advance, for the length.

What if I like the school I am in now?

TATA: That answer is simple. For both plans, if you like your school, you can stay. You are grandfathered in for the duration with the transportation situation that you currently have. It is very important to us that the transition to this new assignment process be as stable as possible and I want to point out on our comparative analysis chart that is on the website with the green, yellow and red rankings based upon the 18 criteria in the nine courses of action, the green course of action does receive some lower marks than blue on stability of school assignment, facility utilization and student displacement because much as it happens today under green, areas, or nodes, would be reassigned to account for crowding the following year and in extreme cases, a school might be capped. Then we would have to reassign a node’s overflow students to another school with open capacity. With the blue plan, you would have your choice for those schools t hat may or may not fill up within the priorities.

Will magnet programs continue?

TATA: Of course, magnet programs will be recommended to continue. Magnet schools are an essential part in my mind of both the blue and green plans with the same locations, the same themes, the same program pathways and approximately the same number of magnet seats. Additionally, there is a proposal to add more magnet schools in both plans. And that is built into the budget. We continue to believe that magnet schools at a $13 million costs are a better investment than other formulas such as weighted student funding or staffing that would drain additional resources from outlying non-magnet schools and areas into those areas that would require more funding.

Will schools be capped under each proposal?

TATA: Capping is a unique term. It refers to an action that the school board takes after the start of the school year when a school has become so overcrowded that further enrollment is simply not possible. As far as the blue and green proposals go, they handle capacity in slightly different ways. The green proposal, much as it happens today, would reassign areas or nodes to account for school crowding the following year. In extreme cases, a school might be capped by the board sending overflow students to another school with open capacity. The blue plan will not require this type of capping of schools because it will only take students up to the capacity of the facility and when schools are filled, families will go to an alternate top choice.

Do these plans include forced busing?

TATA: The concept of forced busing comes from the idea that a student will be sent to a school that they do not choose to attend. In the current system, that technically applies to anyone who is not attending a magnet or calendar option school. The green plan is similar to our current plan in that it assigns students to schools based on their addresses and the choices are limited to magnet and calendar options only. The benefit of the blue plan is that it is a choice plan and that gives an opportunity, not a guarantee, but an opportunity to attend one of several different schools. This means if proximity is your priority, then you can rank order your most proximate schools. But if school program offerings are your priority, you can rank order your choices by the programs they offer.

How do the plans differ from the current assignment plan?

TATA: The green plan is the closest to our current plan in that it assigns entire neighborhoods by node to a school. This plan differs in three main ways that attempt to improve stability over the current plan. First, it provides more calendar and cohort consistency. Second, there is a guaranteed traditional option, meaning no mandatory year-round schools. That was one of the things I kept hearing on my listening tour. Finally, it provides a concrete method for assigning students in low performing areas to high performing schools.

The blue plan has a selection process that expands on the way the current plan allows parents to apply for magnet or calendar choices, except that all options would be by choice. Whereas the current plan gives only two base calendar options or one base high school plus a set of magnet choices, the blue plan offers several more base options in addition to a full set of magnet choices. The biggest difference is that individual family choice becomes the driving factor in assignments, rather than the system assigning students node by node.

We have been asked whether there is a staff bias to the blue plan over the green plan.

TATA: The simple answer is no. There is no bias, only objective analysis. Our research and processes are in full display for all to see. I’ve been told I’m being too transparent. I’d rather be too transparent, than not transparent enough.

As I went through our community during my listening tour, I repeatedly heard a call from parents for stability in student assignment. As I did my research, it was clear to me that given our extraordinary growth year after year, we needed to make adjustments to our process so that parents can get the stability that they need, instead of having to break boundaries every year. We are growing at a rate where we need to add at least one new school every year, so that means there’s disruption to assignment every single year somewhere in Wake County. We needed to adjust this process so that parents can get the stability they need while the school system can also balance very limited and decreasing resources. The approach was to identify a wide range of options, and then the student assignment task force used a set of comprehensive, objective criteria to assess which options were best suited to the needs of the district. Based on these criteria, the blue plan ha d the lead over the green plan in terms of the criteria. I had the task force lay out the 18 criteria on the left hand side of a spreadsheet and the nine courses of action across the top. We talked about each criteria and whether or not the research showed how that course of action would execute under that criteria. We have shown all that work. It’s on the website.

The reason we’re coming forward with these two plans is that they were the most viable plans that we were able to develop in accordance with those 18 criteria. We wanted to give the community a few options, and both the blue and green plans are viable and consistent with Policy 6200 and both are still being evaluated. We are in the community input period.

That said, in terms of answering the call for more stability, choice plans, including the blue plan, provide more protection from reassignment than the green plan or any plan based on rigid assignments.

Will the blue plan increase transportation costs?

TATA: We think it may actually decrease transportation costs. We will have a better idea as we gather and analyze more data. Right now, 31 percent of our students attend their most proximate school. On average, Wake County elementary students attended their fifth closest school. We expect those numbers – the percentage of students attending the most proximate school to increase under the blue plan and quite possibly reduce distances driven or reliance on transportation. Modeling demonstrates that up to 57 percent of our students may attend their most proximate school under a choice plan. The result obviously could be a decrease in transportation costs.

Others have talked about you could have an increase in communication costs. One of the frequent comments we get is about the requirement to communicate with parents on a choice plan. We would have a requirement to communicate with parents on any plan, and we certainly have a goal of having parents more involved in what the school system is doing.

What is an achievement school and how do you make sure that all students have access to an achievement school?

TATA: An achievement school is defined by a formula that considers the concentration of high performing teachers in the school, the school’s three year average growth results for level 1,2,3 and 4 students, and the school’s three year average proficiency rate.

In the blue plan, every student without exception, will have at least one achievement school on their list of options. This is one unified school system and it seems to me only fair that every base school list should include calendar options and access to at least one high performing school.

We want every child to have the opportunity to attend a high performing school while still giving parents the option of making proximity their top priority, and of course, we want every school to be high performing, and that is our goal. In our strategic plan, we will lay out the method and process for achieving that goal.

Under the blue plan, how do I know that I will get the school I want?

TATA: Our research on other districts that have implemented control choice plans tell us that even after the plan is fully implemented more than 85 percent get their first choice, and over 93 percent get their first or second choice. So if you factor in that we have about seven percent that go the magnet route, you’re looking at a pretty high selection rate and first or second choice options delivered to families. Capacity and high demand are issues that families will have to be realistic about, but again parents have a say in choosing their priority options if their first choice isn’t available. This is a unique benefit of the blue plan. Individual families have much more say in their priorities while the system can still balance capacity and resources. In my view, it finds that middle ground where parents have the primary say, and the system then has the ability to help efficiently use the resources.

If schools are selected by choice, what will happen to underchosen schools?

TATA: We have levels of intervention incorporated into both the blue and green plans designed to make every school more desirable and competitive. That will be part of our strategic plan going forward. A lot of hard work has already gone into school improvement.

We will actively study underchosen schools beginning with the mock choice that will start on June 13, and we will see who chooses what and why. We will figure out how to increase attractiveness and make adjustments wherever necessary. As you are seeing now, we have STEM and global theme schools, the small school program, career and technical academies and the Renaissance model. There’s a lot of choice here in Wake County and there are a lot of good programs as you see across all 163 schools. We are also going to study high demand overchosen schools very closely in order to find and replicate what they’re doing that is so appealing to families. Because that’s got to be part of it as well. We have to address every level of achievement in the system. That gets me back to the discussion about the magnet program and the multiple purposes that the magnet program serves as an attractive option for parents that may consider charters or private and other types of school options. Parents want to make sure their children have the best education. We have an obligation to provide that to them.

LTEs/opinion

Skip the study; here’s the answer

See related:

Wake County Public Schools

[CoalitionofConcernedCitizensforAfricanAmericanChildren] Update

State BOE votes against proposed budget

The proposed state budget will cause ‘irreparable harm’ to schools and students, according to the State Board of Education. Although the budget restores funding for 13,000 teaching assistant job and includes funds to hire another 1,100 K-3 teachers, it slashes $128 million (up from $4 million) from local school budgets, with WCPSS losing $42.3 million, according to WRAL.

Morrison cites ‘partisanship’ among reasons not to seek re-election

Carolyn Morrison has announced she will not seek re-election for her BOE seat during this fall’s election, according to the N&O and WRAL. "My heart is just not attuned to jumping into a partisan campaign in what is supposed to be a nonpartisan election," Morrison said. She and Kevin Hill are the only BOE members with a background in education.

Town hall with Tata tomorrow, June 3

Superintendent Tony Tata will host his third virtual town hall meeting tomorrow, June 3. Participants may begin submitting questions online, starting at 9:45AM. The Town Hall will begin at 10AM. The WCPSS website’s front page will display a link to the chat session 15 minutes prior to its start. You can join at any time during the session to view or take part in the discussion. Once the discussions are completed, transcripts of the interactive chat sessions will be available on the superintendent’s page at the website.

Great Schools in Wake backs Green plan

The Great Schools in Wake coalition is praising the Green student assignment proposal for its use of base assignments, efforts to promote student achievement and ‘modified choice’ options, according to a press release issued today.

In the News

Donna Hargens is finalist for Jefferson County schools superintendent

School jobs ending as state budget moves ahead

LTEs/opinion

Waiting for a school miracle (NY Times)

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

Hi! Here is the latest BOE news.

State BOE votes against proposed budget

The proposed state budget will cause ‘irreparable harm’ to schools and students, according to the State Board of Education. Although the budget restores funding for 13,000 teaching assistant job and includes funds to hire another 1,100 K-3 teachers, it slashes $128 million (up from $4 million) from local school budgets, with WCPSS losing $42.3 million, according to WRAL.

Morrison cites ‘partisanship’ among reasons not to seek re-election

Carolyn Morrison has announced she will not seek re-election for her BOE seat during this fall’s election, according to the N&O and WRAL. "My heart is just not attuned to jumping into a partisan campaign in what is supposed to be a nonpartisan election," Morrison said. She and Kevin Hill are the only BOE members with a background in education.

Town hall with Tata tomorrow, June 3

Superintendent Tony Tata will host his third virtual town hall meeting tomorrow, June 3. Participants may begin submitting questions online, starting at 9:45AM. The Town Hall will begin at 10AM. The WCPSS website’s front page will display a link to the chat session 15 minutes prior to its start. You can join at any time during the session to view or take part in the discussion. Once the discussions are completed, transcripts of the interactive chat sessions will be available on the superintendent’s page at the website.

Great Schools in Wake backs Green plan

The Great Schools in Wake coalition is praising the Green student assignment proposal for its use of base assignments, efforts to promote student achievement and ‘modified choice’ options, according to a press release issued today.

In the News

Donna Hargens is finalist for Jefferson County schools superintendent

School jobs ending as state budget moves ahead

LTEs/opinion

Waiting for a school miracle (NY Times)

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

Hi! Here is the latest BOE news.

State BOE votes against proposed budget

The proposed state budget will cause ‘irreparable harm’ to schools and students, according to the State Board of Education. Although the budget restores funding for 13,000 teaching assistant job and includes funds to hire another 1,100 K-3 teachers, it slashes $128 million (up from $4 million) from local school budgets, with WCPSS losing $42.3 million, according to WRAL.

Morrison cites ‘partisanship’ among reasons not to seek re-election

Carolyn Morrison has announced she will not seek re-election for her BOE seat during this fall’s election, according to the N&O and WRAL. "My heart is just not attuned to jumping into a partisan campaign in what is supposed to be a nonpartisan election," Morrison said. She and Kevin Hill are the only BOE members with a background in education.

Town hall with Tata tomorrow, June 3

Superintendent Tony Tata will host his third virtual town hall meeting tomorrow, June 3. Participants may begin submitting questions online, starting at 9:45AM. The Town Hall will begin at 10AM. The WCPSS website’s front page will display a link to the chat session 15 minutes prior to its start. You can join at any time during the session to view or take part in the discussion. Once the discussions are completed, transcripts of the interactive chat sessions will be available on the superintendent’s page at the website.

Great Schools in Wake backs Green plan

The Great Schools in Wake coalition is praising the Green student assignment proposal for its use of base assignments, efforts to promote student achievement and ‘modified choice’ options, according to a press release issued today.

In the News

Donna Hargens is finalist for Jefferson County schools superintendent

School jobs ending as state budget moves ahead

LTEs/opinion

Waiting for a school miracle (NY Times)

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

Hi! Here is the latest BOE news.

State BOE votes against proposed budget

The proposed state budget will cause ‘irreparable harm’ to schools and students, according to the State Board of Education. Although the budget restores funding for 13,000 teaching assistant job and includes funds to hire another 1,100 K-3 teachers, it slashes $128 million (up from $4 million) from local school budgets, with WCPSS losing $42.3 million, according to WRAL.

Morrison cites ‘partisanship’ among reasons not to seek re-election

Carolyn Morrison has announced she will not seek re-election for her BOE seat during this fall’s election, according to the N&O and WRAL. "My heart is just not attuned to jumping into a partisan campaign in what is supposed to be a nonpartisan election," Morrison said. She and Kevin Hill are the only BOE members with a background in education.

Town hall with Tata tomorrow, June 3

Superintendent Tony Tata will host his third virtual town hall meeting tomorrow, June 3. Participants may begin submitting questions online, starting at 9:45AM. The Town Hall will begin at 10AM. The WCPSS website’s front page will display a link to the chat session 15 minutes prior to its start. You can join at any time during the session to view or take part in the discussion. Once the discussions are completed, transcripts of the interactive chat sessions will be available on the superintendent’s page at the website.

Great Schools in Wake backs Green plan

The Great Schools in Wake coalition is praising the Green student assignment proposal for its use of base assignments, efforts to promote student achievement and ‘modified choice’ options, according to a press release issued today.

In the News

Donna Hargens is finalist for Jefferson County schools superintendent

School jobs ending as state budget moves ahead

LTEs/opinion

Waiting for a school miracle (NY Times)

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

Hi! Here is the latest BOE news.

State BOE votes against proposed budget

The proposed state budget will cause ‘irreparable harm’ to schools and students, according to the State Board of Education. Although the budget restores funding for 13,000 teaching assistant job and includes funds to hire another 1,100 K-3 teachers, it slashes $128 million (up from $4 million) from local school budgets, with WCPSS losing $42.3 million, according to WRAL.

Morrison cites ‘partisanship’ among reasons not to seek re-election

Carolyn Morrison has announced she will not seek re-election for her BOE seat during this fall’s election, according to the N&O and WRAL. "My heart is just not attuned to jumping into a partisan campaign in what is supposed to be a nonpartisan election," Morrison said. She and Kevin Hill are the only BOE members with a background in education.

Town hall with Tata tomorrow, June 3

Superintendent Tony Tata will host his third virtual town hall meeting tomorrow, June 3. Participants may begin submitting questions online, starting at 9:45AM. The Town Hall will begin at 10AM. The WCPSS website’s front page will display a link to the chat session 15 minutes prior to its start. You can join at any time during the session to view or take part in the discussion. Once the discussions are completed, transcripts of the interactive chat sessions will be available on the superintendent’s page at the website.

Great Schools in Wake backs Green plan

The Great Schools in Wake coalition is praising the Green student assignment proposal for its use of base assignments, efforts to promote student achievement and ‘modified choice’ options, according to a press release issued today.

In the News

Donna Hargens is finalist for Jefferson County schools superintendent

School jobs ending as state budget moves ahead

LTEs/opinion

Waiting for a school miracle (NY Times)

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

See related:

Wake County Public Schools

[CoalitionofConcernedCitizensforAfricanAmericanChildren] Updates

Hello! Here is today’s BOE update.

 

Let the campaign begin

Ron Margiotta, John Tedesco, Deborah Prickett and Chris Malone each took a turn at the mic during a meeting of the North Wake Republican Club last week (the same meeting where Heather Losurdo announced her candidacy for the District 3 seat currently occupied by Kevin Hill). From the tone of their comments, it’s clear the October election is now in full swing.

 

Tedesco said Wake County "ain’t seen nothing yet" with regard to changes in policy.

 

Margiotta dismissed diversity and said WCPSS needs to focus on middle and "top of the line" students, not just low-performing students.

 

Malone referred to the AdvancED investigation as an interrogation.

 

And, without mentioning Debra Goldman by name, Prickett said the BOE majority needs help to "come up with the winning vote to make things happen here in Wake County." Her ending ‘slip of the tongue‘ was revealing: "We can do this. We just need a couple of more votes and now we’re just going to push things just way over the cliff. We’re going to go way over it."

 

Later, the panel of four answered questions from the audience .

 

Parent’s guide to the Broad Foundation

WCPSS’s new superintendent, Tony Tata, is a graduate of the Broad Foundation. Here is a Parent’s Guide to the Foundation’s programs and policies, courtesy of Parents across America.

 

Also, read in the North Raleigh News how some view the Foundation’s founder, Eli Broad, as the "No. 1 enemy of public schools."

 

In the News

NAACP protest of Civitas workshop underscores philosophical differences on education policy (Yes! Weekly)

The return of school segregation (CNN)

 

LTEs/opinion

Corrupt correlations

Kept the lights on

Garbage in, out

 

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

 

Hello! Here is today’s BOE update.

 

Let the campaign begin

Ron Margiotta, John Tedesco, Deborah Prickett and Chris Malone each took a turn at the mic during a meeting of the North Wake Republican Club last week (the same meeting where Heather Losurdo announced her candidacy for the District 3 seat currently occupied by Kevin Hill). From the tone of their comments, it’s clear the October election is now in full swing.

 

Tedesco said Wake County "ain’t seen nothing yet" with regard to changes in policy.

 

Margiotta dismissed diversity and said WCPSS needs to focus on middle and "top of the line" students, not just low-performing students.

 

Malone referred to the AdvancED investigation as an interrogation.

 

And, without mentioning Debra Goldman by name, Prickett said the BOE majority needs help to "come up with the winning vote to make things happen here in Wake County." Her ending ‘slip of the tongue‘ was revealing: "We can do this. We just need a couple of more votes and now we’re just going to push things just way over the cliff. We’re going to go way over it."

 

Later, the panel of four answered questions from the audience .

 

Parent’s guide to the Broad Foundation

WCPSS’s new superintendent, Tony Tata, is a graduate of the Broad Foundation. Here is a Parent’s Guide to the Foundation’s programs and policies, courtesy of Parents across America.

 

Also, read in the North Raleigh News how some view the Foundation’s founder, Eli Broad, as the "No. 1 enemy of public schools."

 

In the News

NAACP protest of Civitas workshop underscores philosophical differences on education policy (Yes! Weekly)

The return of school segregation (CNN)

 

LTEs/opinion

Corrupt correlations

Kept the lights on

Garbage in, out

 

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

 

Hello! Here is today’s BOE update.

 

Let the campaign begin

Ron Margiotta, John Tedesco, Deborah Prickett and Chris Malone each took a turn at the mic during a meeting of the North Wake Republican Club last week (the same meeting where Heather Losurdo announced her candidacy for the District 3 seat currently occupied by Kevin Hill). From the tone of their comments, it’s clear the October election is now in full swing.

 

Tedesco said Wake County "ain’t seen nothing yet" with regard to changes in policy.

 

Margiotta dismissed diversity and said WCPSS needs to focus on middle and "top of the line" students, not just low-performing students.

 

Malone referred to the AdvancED investigation as an interrogation.

 

And, without mentioning Debra Goldman by name, Prickett said the BOE majority needs help to "come up with the winning vote to make things happen here in Wake County." Her ending ‘slip of the tongue‘ was revealing: "We can do this. We just need a couple of more votes and now we’re just going to push things just way over the cliff. We’re going to go way over it."

 

Later, the panel of four answered questions from the audience .

 

Parent’s guide to the Broad Foundation

WCPSS’s new superintendent, Tony Tata, is a graduate of the Broad Foundation. Here is a Parent’s Guide to the Foundation’s programs and policies, courtesy of Parents across America.

 

Also, read in the North Raleigh News how some view the Foundation’s founder, Eli Broad, as the "No. 1 enemy of public schools."

 

In the News

NAACP protest of Civitas workshop underscores philosophical differences on education policy (Yes! Weekly)

The return of school segregation (CNN)

 

LTEs/opinion

Corrupt correlations

Kept the lights on

Garbage in, out

 

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

 

Hello! Here is today’s BOE update.

 

Let the campaign begin

Ron Margiotta, John Tedesco, Deborah Prickett and Chris Malone each took a turn at the mic during a meeting of the North Wake Republican Club last week (the same meeting where Heather Losurdo announced her candidacy for the District 3 seat currently occupied by Kevin Hill). From the tone of their comments, it’s clear the October election is now in full swing.

 

Tedesco said Wake County "ain’t seen nothing yet" with regard to changes in policy.

 

Margiotta dismissed diversity and said WCPSS needs to focus on middle and "top of the line" students, not just low-performing students.

 

Malone referred to the AdvancED investigation as an interrogation.

 

And, without mentioning Debra Goldman by name, Prickett said the BOE majority needs help to "come up with the winning vote to make things happen here in Wake County." Her ending ‘slip of the tongue‘ was revealing: "We can do this. We just need a couple of more votes and now we’re just going to push things just way over the cliff. We’re going to go way over it."

 

Later, the panel of four answered questions from the audience .

 

Parent’s guide to the Broad Foundation

WCPSS’s new superintendent, Tony Tata, is a graduate of the Broad Foundation. Here is a Parent’s Guide to the Foundation’s programs and policies, courtesy of Parents across America.

 

Also, read in the North Raleigh News how some view the Foundation’s founder, Eli Broad, as the "No. 1 enemy of public schools."

 

In the News

NAACP protest of Civitas workshop underscores philosophical differences on education policy (Yes! Weekly)

The return of school segregation (CNN)

 

LTEs/opinion

Corrupt correlations

Kept the lights on

Garbage in, out

 

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

 

Hello! Here is today’s BOE update.

 

Let the campaign begin

Ron Margiotta, John Tedesco, Deborah Prickett and Chris Malone each took a turn at the mic during a meeting of the North Wake Republican Club last week (the same meeting where Heather Losurdo announced her candidacy for the District 3 seat currently occupied by Kevin Hill). From the tone of their comments, it’s clear the October election is now in full swing.

 

Tedesco said Wake County "ain’t seen nothing yet" with regard to changes in policy.

 

Margiotta dismissed diversity and said WCPSS needs to focus on middle and "top of the line" students, not just low-performing students.

 

Malone referred to the AdvancED investigation as an interrogation.

 

And, without mentioning Debra Goldman by name, Prickett said the BOE majority needs help to "come up with the winning vote to make things happen here in Wake County." Her ending ‘slip of the tongue‘ was revealing: "We can do this. We just need a couple of more votes and now we’re just going to push things just way over the cliff. We’re going to go way over it."

 

Later, the panel of four answered questions from the audience .

 

Parent’s guide to the Broad Foundation

WCPSS’s new superintendent, Tony Tata, is a graduate of the Broad Foundation. Here is a Parent’s Guide to the Foundation’s programs and policies, courtesy of Parents across America.

 

Also, read in the North Raleigh News how some view the Foundation’s founder, Eli Broad, as the "No. 1 enemy of public schools."

 

In the News

NAACP protest of Civitas workshop underscores philosophical differences on education policy (Yes! Weekly)

The return of school segregation (CNN)

 

LTEs/opinion

Corrupt correlations

Kept the lights on

Garbage in, out

 

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

 

Hello! Here is today’s BOE update.

 

Let the campaign begin

Ron Margiotta, John Tedesco, Deborah Prickett and Chris Malone each took a turn at the mic during a meeting of the North Wake Republican Club last week (the same meeting where Heather Losurdo announced her candidacy for the District 3 seat currently occupied by Kevin Hill). From the tone of their comments, it’s clear the October election is now in full swing.

 

Tedesco said Wake County "ain’t seen nothing yet" with regard to changes in policy.

 

Margiotta dismissed diversity and said WCPSS needs to focus on middle and "top of the line" students, not just low-performing students.

 

Malone referred to the AdvancED investigation as an interrogation.

 

And, without mentioning Debra Goldman by name, Prickett said the BOE majority needs help to "come up with the winning vote to make things happen here in Wake County." Her ending ‘slip of the tongue‘ was revealing: "We can do this. We just need a couple of more votes and now we’re just going to push things just way over the cliff. We’re going to go way over it."

 

Later, the panel of four answered questions from the audience .

 

Parent’s guide to the Broad Foundation

WCPSS’s new superintendent, Tony Tata, is a graduate of the Broad Foundation. Here is a Parent’s Guide to the Foundation’s programs and policies, courtesy of Parents across America.

 

Also, read in the North Raleigh News how some view the Foundation’s founder, Eli Broad, as the "No. 1 enemy of public schools."

 

In the News

NAACP protest of Civitas workshop underscores philosophical differences on education policy (Yes! Weekly)

The return of school segregation (CNN)

 

LTEs/opinion

Corrupt correlations

Kept the lights on

Garbage in, out

 

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

 

Hello! Here is today’s BOE update.

 

Let the campaign begin

Ron Margiotta, John Tedesco, Deborah Prickett and Chris Malone each took a turn at the mic during a meeting of the North Wake Republican Club last week (the same meeting where Heather Losurdo announced her candidacy for the District 3 seat currently occupied by Kevin Hill). From the tone of their comments, it’s clear the October election is now in full swing.

 

Tedesco said Wake County "ain’t seen nothing yet" with regard to changes in policy.

 

Margiotta dismissed diversity and said WCPSS needs to focus on middle and "top of the line" students, not just low-performing students.

 

Malone referred to the AdvancED investigation as an interrogation.

 

And, without mentioning Debra Goldman by name, Prickett said the BOE majority needs help to "come up with the winning vote to make things happen here in Wake County." Her ending ‘slip of the tongue‘ was revealing: "We can do this. We just need a couple of more votes and now we’re just going to push things just way over the cliff. We’re going to go way over it."

 

Later, the panel of four answered questions from the audience .

 

Parent’s guide to the Broad Foundation

WCPSS’s new superintendent, Tony Tata, is a graduate of the Broad Foundation. Here is a Parent’s Guide to the Foundation’s programs and policies, courtesy of Parents across America.

 

Also, read in the North Raleigh News how some view the Foundation’s founder, Eli Broad, as the "No. 1 enemy of public schools."

 

In the News

NAACP protest of Civitas workshop underscores philosophical differences on education policy (Yes! Weekly)

The return of school segregation (CNN)

 

LTEs/opinion

Corrupt correlations

Kept the lights on

Garbage in, out

 

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

 

Hello! Here is today’s BOE update.

 

Let the campaign begin

Ron Margiotta, John Tedesco, Deborah Prickett and Chris Malone each took a turn at the mic during a meeting of the North Wake Republican Club last week (the same meeting where Heather Losurdo announced her candidacy for the District 3 seat currently occupied by Kevin Hill). From the tone of their comments, it’s clear the October election is now in full swing.

 

Tedesco said Wake County "ain’t seen nothing yet" with regard to changes in policy.

 

Margiotta dismissed diversity and said WCPSS needs to focus on middle and "top of the line" students, not just low-performing students.

 

Malone referred to the AdvancED investigation as an interrogation.

 

And, without mentioning Debra Goldman by name, Prickett said the BOE majority needs help to "come up with the winning vote to make things happen here in Wake County." Her ending ‘slip of the tongue‘ was revealing: "We can do this. We just need a couple of more votes and now we’re just going to push things just way over the cliff. We’re going to go way over it."

 

Later, the panel of four answered questions from the audience .

 

Parent’s guide to the Broad Foundation

WCPSS’s new superintendent, Tony Tata, is a graduate of the Broad Foundation. Here is a Parent’s Guide to the Foundation’s programs and policies, courtesy of Parents across America.

 

Also, read in the North Raleigh News how some view the Foundation’s founder, Eli Broad, as the "No. 1 enemy of public schools."

 

In the News

NAACP protest of Civitas workshop underscores philosophical differences on education policy (Yes! Weekly)

The return of school segregation (CNN)

 

LTEs/opinion

Corrupt correlations

Kept the lights on

Garbage in, out

 

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

See related:

 

Coalition of Concerned Citizens for African American Children

 

[CoalitionofConcernedCitizensforAfricanAmericanChildren] Updates

Charter school bill, BOE chair voting bill advance

This Charter school bill now returns to the Senate. If approved, it will advance to Gov. Perdue for signature, according to the N&O. Opponents are concerned that this legislation’s provisions will weaken and resegregate public schools. Make your feelings known by contacting your representatives and the bill’s sponsors.

Meanwhile, this story in the N&O notes that the bill giving the BOE Chair the power to vote on all issues — not just to break ties — passed the state House along mostly party lines. If you have not already emailed regarding this issue, please do so. I have posted the email addresses listed in a previous update to BiggerPicture4Wake’s Facebook page.

More on redistricting

As noted in yesterday’s update, the BOE is drafting a redistricting plan that will re-draw boundaries and, inevitably, impact the upcoming election in October. According to the Wake County League of Women Voters, the BOE is moving "too slowly and not openly enough" as they work through this process. Additional information can be found in this WRAL story and video, and this clip from News14 Carolina.

In the News

Charter schools outsource education to management, with mixed results

[CoalitionofConcernedCitizensforAfricanAmericanChildren] Updates

Hello! I hope you’re enjoying your weekend. Here is the latest BOE news.

 

More on the AdvancED report

Here are dueling posts about the AdvancED report: one conservative, from Bob Luebke for the Civitas Institute, and the other liberal from Jim Horn at School Matters.

 

In the News

Stand up for teachers now

Testing bill to take effect without Perdue

Teachers rally in Raleigh

Parents like proximity of new elementary school

LTEs

For insiders only?

A school’s diversity

Switching schools

 

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

See related:

Wake County Public Schools

Board Names School Principals

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Bill Poston

At its March 15 meeting, the Board of Education named Corey Moore as principal of the new Walnut Creek Elementary and Cynthia Keech as principal at Carroll Middle School.

Moore has served as assistant principal at Middle Creek High since 2008. Prior to that, he worked as a principal in three school districts and served as an assistant principal and assistant principal intern in three school districts. He also worked as a teacher at Wake Forest-Rolesville High and in the Forsyth County Schools.

Keech has served as a principal at Stough Elementary since 2006. Prior to that, she was assistant principal at Leesville Road Middle. Earlier, she worked as a principal, assistant principal, dean of students and teacher in California school districts. She was a WCPSS teacher at Phillips High before moving to California.

http://www.wcpss.net/announcements2/2011/03/board-names-school-principals-2/

Note: I passed by the new Walnut Creek Elementary on Saturday. Nice. C. Dancy II – DCN Publisher

See related:

Wake County Public Schools

[CoalitionofConcernedCitizensforAfricanAmericanChildren] Updates

Hi! Here is today’s BOE update.

Death to public schools?

Even before the BOE majority was elected in 2009, many believed that businessmen Art Pope and Bob Luddy, along with BOE Chair Ron Margiotta, were being motivated by a plan to destroy public schools in Wake County. Now, the N.C. Association of Educators has made its suspicions public in a video that links Pope, Luddy, Margiotta and N.C. House Majority Leader Paul Stam, according to the N&O. You can watch the video, Money & Privatization: A Love Story, on NCAE’s website.

Summary of yesterday’s BOE meeting

Courtesy of a Great Schools in Wake colleague:

Giving the Chair a vote

Breaking a tie, Chair Ron Margiotta was the deciding vote in approving a legislative priority that will give the Wake Board of Education chair the chance to vote on each Board action.  Currently, the Board chair only votes in case of a tie, which has happened repeatedly since December 2009.  The proposed change in current policy will still require legislative approval but tonight the item was added to the Board of Education’s 2011 Legislative agenda.  (The original proposed list is online.)  Carolyn Morrison, Deborah Prickett, Chris Malone and Debra Goldman voted for the policy change, while John Tedesco, Kevin Hill, Keith Sutton and Anne McLauren voted against, with Chair Margiotta breaking the tie. 

Earlier at the Board’s Committee of the Whole, Keith Sutton and other Board members noted that the Board Chair does wield considerable influence over the Board, setting the agenda and guiding the process of the Board’s work, but others such as Debra Goldman said she thought it was important for the Board Chair to represent and vote on behalf of the Chair’s district.  Former Chair Kevin Hill noted that traditionally, the Board chair works to build consensus and remain neutral.
Lifting the charter school cap, dissing Public School Forum

In addition to the item on the Chair voting, the Board approved a legislative agenda that includes lifting the cap on charter schools, reviewing the state accreditation process and having the Department of Public Instruction provide clarification to school systems, giving school districts greater flexibility with calendar and with instructional time, and increasing flexibility to use State funds for teacher performance pay models.  The Board voted 3-5 against a proposal by member Keith Sutton to adopt the legislative priorities of the Public School Forum of North Carolina, a nonprofit that works to strength en public schools in the state, with Hill joining Tedesco, Malone, Goldman and Prickett against adding those items.

Additional coverage about the legislative agenda, as well as video archives of yesterday’s meeting, are on WRAL.
Capping Cedar Fork

The Board also voted to maintain the cap on enrollment of Cedar Fork Elementary School in Morrisville at 843 students.  The overflow school is Weatherstone Elementary.  About 100 students who are assigned to year-round schools like Alston Ridge, who have Cedar Fork as their traditional calendar choice, will now be steered toward Green Hope Elementary as their traditional calendar choice.  Cedar Fork is one of two schools in the District that is currently capped; the other is Forest Pines Drive Elementary in northern Wake County.
Teacher of the Year finalists

Superintendent Tata announced the 24 semi-finalists for the 2011-12 Teacher of the Year award:
The semi-finalists are Leslie Bailey of Baileywick Elementary, Debra Baize of Holly Grove Middle, Kevin Boynton of Dillard Drive Elementary, Kathryn Caggia of Olive Chapel Elementary, Priscilla Chappell of Enloe High, Ashley Cooper of Underwood Elementary, Kristen Curley of Oak Grove Elementary, Rhonda Dunn of Zebulon Middle, Matthew Garcia of East Wake High School of Health & Science, Henry Hammond Jr. of Athens Drive High, Kyle Hamstra of Davis Drive Elementary, Catherine Hantla of Wake Forest-Rolesville Middle, Mary-Kathryn Hixson of Broughton High, Shireen Mehl of Fuquay-Varina Elementary, Alicia Miller of Wake Forest Elementary, Saswati Mukherjee of Farmington Woods Elementary, Julie Oliver of West Millbrook Middle, Stephanie Rhodes of Sanderson High, Shannon Russell of Carpenter Elementary, Amy Scheffel of Joyner Elementary, Daniel Strain of East Garner Middle, Patrick Tart of Banks Road Elementary, Kate Whittier of Daniels Middle and Maia Wirth of Wendell Elementary.
The semi-finalists will be honored April 13 at a ceremony where the 12 finalists will be named. The 2011-12 Teacher of the Year will be named May 12.

In the News

Senate committee votes to dump high school tests

Hunt defends pre-kindergarten programs against cuts

Wake superintendent to meet with NAACP

LTEs/opinion

Testing fills in the blanks

Fix Hilburn, now

The new normal (NY Times)

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

See related:

Wake County Public Schools

Coalition of Concerned Citizens for African American Children May 7 Report On Wake County Public Schools

Diversity makes its formal exit

In the latest issue of In Context, the Wake Education Partnership offers its commentary on the BOE’s actions this week, including changes to Policy 6200, budget cuts and Judge Manning. And here is today’s N&O story about the lawsuit filed against the BOE’s March 23 actions that started the demise of the Policy 6200.

Teacher transfers

The WakeEd blog reported on where teachers are requesting to work, summing it up like this: "It looks like Wake County teachers want to work in more affluent schools. The most requested schools for teacher transfers are typically those in more affluent parts of the county. Wake schools with higher poverty levels tend to see far fewer requests from teachers to work there."  Well, duh! This is further evidence that a move to community assignment zones will affect the quality of teachers and learning in schools in low poverty areas of the county.

GOP questionnaires

Last Sunday, the N&O’s Steve Ford wrote a column about a questionnaire John Tedesco completed for the GOP, prior to his election. Bigger Picture recently received three of the four new BOE members’ completed questionnaires and they are attached, fyi.

In the News

State might raise limit on charter schools

LTEs/opinion

Speaking freely

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

Attachment(s)

3 of 3 File(s)

JohnTedesco.pdf

Chris_Malone.pdf

Debra_Goldman.pdf

See related:

Wake County Public Schools