Wake school board member Goldman in legal dispute – Source: News & Observer

RALEIGH — Debra Goldman, a key vote on the Wake County school board, is engaged in a heated legal battle with her husband, with accusations of bad behavior on both sides.

The dispute has unfolded this month in three Wake County court filings. (Read more)

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Goldman’s child sent to out-of-zone school – Source: News & Observer

RALEIGH — Using a rarely-exercised Wake County schools policy, Debra Goldman, school board vice chairwoman, received a midyear transfer for her middle-school-age daughter to an out-of-zone school, complete with door-to-door bus transportation. (Read more)

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Read The CAROLINIAN real story by Cash Michaels about the Tedesco/Margiotta scheme to get over 6,000 SouthEast Raleigh students re-assigned back to their neighborhoods. The school system’s own documents prove it:

THE TEDESCO SCHEME
By Cash Michaels, Editor
…

The agenda for the Nov. 30th Student Assignment Committee (SAC) meeting, chaired by Wake School Board member John Tedesco, was simple.

The committee would review and approve the minutes from the prior meeting.

The three board members, and nine citizen representatives appointed by all nine school board members, would get a staff overview and update on where they were per the third year of the multi-year assignment plan they were supposed to fine tune.

And the last agenda item listed, “An opportunity to share concerns related to school assignment issues in the 2011-12 school year.

As it happened, all but one of the Republican board members and citizen representatives knew exactly what that last agenda listing meant, and they were ready. (Read more)

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Wake County Public Schools

Wake County Public Schools BOE News

Hello! Here is the weekend’s BOE news.

 

Federal investigators grilling WCPSS

Why did the current BOE drop the diversity policy? That’s one of the questions being asked by federal civil rights investigators, according to the N&O. More than $70 million in federal aid could be at risk, pending the investigation’s outcome.

 

Diverse schools, healthy neighborhoods

Steve Ford expounds on how diverse schools can foster more integrated neighborhoods in this editorial. He concludes stating, "…the fact that school quality (in Wake County) has been maintained at a fairly consistent and high level throughout the county has stabilized neighborhoods by reducing incentives to move away from markedly poor schools. Wake is economically sounder because, with diversity as a guiding principle, educational opportunities have been safeguarded for all students – setting a standard for today’s leaders to uphold."

 

Intent for magnet, calendar students

There seems to be some confusion regarding the deadline for magnet and calendar (year-round) applicant students to indicate whether they want to continue with their current school assignment for the 2011-12 school year. In a previous update, Jan. 10 was the indicated deadline. However, postcards received during the weekend list midnight on Mon., Dec. 20, as the deadline for indicating intent. I recommend using the Dec. 20th date. Then, apparently, you have until Jan. 10 to change your mind. Here is the link. Sorry for the confusion.

 

LTEs

Goldman’s courage

Tax cuts’ price

 

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

 

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Wake County Public Schools

[CoalitionofConcernedCitizensforAfricanAmericanChildren] Updates

Updates

Greetings! Hope you’re staying warm and dry during this wintery blast of weather. Here is today’s update.

Margiotta blames Goldman – again

Yesterday, I posted a link to BOE Chair Ron Margiotta’s WPTF interview this week with Bill Lumaye. You can read some of Margiotta’s comments, blaming the BOE’s lack of progress on student assignment on Vice Chair Debra Goldman, here on the WakeEd blog. I don’t know about you, but the PR spin Margiotta is weaving [to demonize Goldman and build public outcry against her for "switching sides"] makes me dizzy. Please consider emailing Mr. Marg iotta and the rest of the BOE to remind them that Wake County’s BOE is supposed to be nonpartisan. This "us vs. them" mentality is not productive for anyone, least of which the children of Wake County.

Sutton on WAUG-AM today at 4PM

BOE member Keith Sutton will talk about the Republican BOE members’ failed attempted to reassign 6,000+ minority students to Southeast Raleigh schools on "Make it Happen." The show will air at 4PM today, Dec. 16, on WAUG (750 AM).

Raleigh among least segregated

I sent the link to this story earlier this week, but wanted to highlight that it lists Raleigh as one of the least segregated cities in the country. Much credit for this is due to WCPSS’s diversity policy — which is no longer in effect as of 2010, thanks to the current BOE. Here are some additional observations on this topic, courtesy of a Great Schools in Wake colleague:

"Folks in Wake County don’t have to worry about avoiding certain parts of town (due to) high-poverty schools. A lot of "white flight" or "middle-class flight" in other cities gets started because people are worried about the schools. And once the "flight" starts, the worries come true — tragic for those who "flee" and also for those who are left behind!

(John) Tedesco has argued that we don’t need a diversity policy because our towns are relatively integrated. He is wrong about this in (at least) two ways:

1. Even though we are not as segregated as most cities, we are still somewhat segregated. Many neighborhoods are COMPLETELY segregated.

2. The diversity policy is the REASON we are not segregated, and eliminating it will CAUSE segregation, over the years."

Snow make-up days

WCPSS has altered its schedule for snow make-up days. Please refer to the website for the latest info.

In the News

Wake teachers set records in earning national board certification

LTEs/opinion

Steadier on schools

Innovate and educate

Exclusive charters

Equalizing schools

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

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Wake County Public Schools

We need a 5th vote, Wake schools bloc says–Source: News & Observer

RALEIGH — Most Republicans on the Wake County school board are bemoaning the loss of their majority for neighborhood schools, a serious blow to their mission to phase out the former board’s diversity-based student assignment plan.

The lamenters, who include Chairman Ron Margiotta, said it will require gaining a new majority next year in elections to break the panel’s stalemate and push through the changes they’ve promised in the state’s largest school district. (Read more)

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The Public School Forum’s Friday Report – October 8

Public School Forum & Friday Report

 

 

The Public School Forum’s Friday Report – October 8

http://www.ncforum.org/doclib/2010_1008.pdf

Drama Abounds at Wake County School Board Meetings
Since a new majority took control of the Wake County School Board, it has attracted local, regional and national news attention – not all of it flattering – as it moved to dismantle Wake’s diversity policy on student assignments. The new majority, a slim one with a 5-4 vote margin, has been rushing to finalize a new student assignment policy that it claims would have students attending schools in their neighborhoods while somehow avoiding clustering low-income, minority young people in inner-city Raleigh schools.

The new majority came close to imploding this week as a member of the 1 vote majority joined with the 4 person minority faction on the school board and voted to “cease any planning that would create to a zone-based assignment plan.”

Whether this is a permanent or temporary realignment of power on the Wake Board remains to be seen, but tempers frayed at this week’s meeting and comments from John Tedesco, the new majority Board member who has been driving the creation of a zone-based plan, seemed to signal an end to the new majority.

In debate, Debra Goldman, the Board member who reversed her vote and sided with the minority in ending plans for Tedesco’s zone-based plan, said at one point, “Now, John (i.e., Tedesco), don’t get all upset. Calm yourself down” to which Tedesco shot back, “You calm down, prom queen!”
He went a step farther at one point offering Goldman a hand shake and saying, “I’ve enjoyed our friendship while it lasted.” Later he claimed that opponents of the new majority had “played Goldman like a fiddle,” and said further “She’s not a swing vote. I’m ready to be done with her.”
Stay tuned for the next chapters in the Wake County saga. The situation would be amusing if the outcome of the on-going debate didn’t impact over 140,000 in North Carolina’s largest school system.

Civitas Institute Goes Purely Political
The Civitas Institute, a conservative would-be think tank that calls itself a “voter education” organization, has created a political action arm, Civitas Action Inc. and is spending money opposing Senate Leader Marc Basnight and House Speaker Joe Hackney. Reports filed with the State Board of Election show that the group has raised $264,899, $190,000 of which came from Variety Wholesalers, the retail store chain owned by former state legislator Art Pope. The remaining $74,899 came from Americans for Prosperity, another conservative group with close ties to the John Locke Foundation and the Civitas Institute.

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Wake County Public Schools

Wake school board’s move will delay big changes – Source: News & Observer

RALEIGH — With the Wake County school board now operating with no majority bloc, massive changes in the way students are assigned to schools are unlikely to occur for nearly two more years.

That’s the only certainty that emerged Wednesday, the day after board Vice Chairwoman Debra Goldman split from the panel’s Republican majority by joining Democrats to kill a plan that would have divided Wake into 16 community school zones. That blueprint had been in preparation for months. Goldman said Wednesday that taking more time to listen to a broad range of ideas and people will make for a better plan than the one that had been shepherded by Republican board member John Tedesco. (Read more)

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Wake County Public Schools

Questions On Controlled Choice Schools Wake County Public Schools Saga

Immediate Release

28 July 2010

Contact: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137

Mrs. Amina J. Turner, Exec Dir, 919-682-4700

Mr. Al McSurely, Esq., Communications Chair, 919-389-2905

OPENING STATEMENT FOR FORUM WITH "CONTROLLED CHOICE" SCHOOL EXPERT MICHAEL ALVES

By Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President. NC NAACP

For more than 101 years, the NAACP has been committed to the diversity of ideas. We believe our society is stronger when we see diversity as a strength, not a weakness; not something to oppose, but something to be embraced.

The NAACP’s objectives have been and remain: high-quality, diverse, constitutional schools for all our children; smaller classes; better-trained, better-supported teachers; equitable funding for all schools; a renewed emphasis on math, science, reading and history; greater parental involvement; and a rejuvenated commitment to closing gaps in suspensions, graduation rates, and student achievement.  The NAACP is pleased to talk with anyone about how we might move toward these objectives.

Thus we welcome Mr. Michael Alves here today, and we have come to listen. As we listen, the questions we have can be summarized as:

1. How might "controlled choice" improve Wake County Schools in light of the fact that it already operate with a under a socio-economic diversity and student achievement plan that has received national acclaim and positive review by educational experts?

2. What will a "controlled choice" plan do to achieve high-quality, constitutional, diverse education for all children?

3. Where has "controlled choice" been more successful than Wake County’s renowned socio-economic diversity plan? 

4. Are there any examples of how “controlled choice” has worked to achieve the aforementioned goals particularly in the South?

5. Would it have been possible to implement some of the strengths of “controlled choice” without dismantling the commitments of the socio-economic diversity program that Wake County progressive Educational leaders have operated with proven, data-based success for many years?

Tune in to On The Record WRAL TV Segment On Wake County Public Schools Diversity and Controlled Choice Saga

See the interview with Michael Alves who was in town this week to do a presentation about controlled choice schools.

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Wake County Public Schools

On the Record: Student assignment and neighborhood schools with Vice Chair Debra Goldman

Debra Goldman, vice chairwoman of the Wake County Board of Education, explains the position of the board majority in favor of a change to the student assignment policy. (Watch the video @ WRAL)

Note: My comments on Facebook Saturday as the show was airing.

On the Record on WRAL News interview with Debra Goldman vice chair. Just  tuned in and boy this is crazy. The interviewer and Goldman is making it all about her but she said it is all about the children. I have only been watching about 3 minutes and this is too damn funny. She said she and the board chair Ron Margiotta offered to talk with Rev. Barber. Well why haven’t they listened at the board meetings?

But maybe I am missing something. She said there is nothing in place yet. So my question is why should the NAACP and others wait until they put something in place and then question them. I would think now is the time to question their motives.

I have not gotten anything out of this interview. Maybe since I missed the 1st 15 minutes that I missed why the interview was necessary. The interviewer repeated to her in the closing that she is on record saying she would like to sit across the table from Rev. Barber and he said he would try to make that happen. C. Dancy II – DCN Publisher

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Wake County Public Schools

Battle Over N.C. Busing Heats Up – ABC News World News

In a scene reminiscent of the 1960s, thousands took to the streets in Raleigh this week, accusing the Wake County school board of "resegregating" the schools.

Many are outraged at the North Carolina school board decision to alter busing.

"The five members of our school board are trying to make socioeconomic diversity, which is a proven research friend of school excellence, a dirty word. It’s wrong and it’s very dangerous," Rev. Dr. William Barber told ABC News. (Read more @ ABC World News)

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Wake County Public Schools