Now that Wake County Public Schools are moving to a neighborhood-based student assignment plan, it seems that arguments are breaking out over which neighborhoods should get priority for new schools. Sound familiar, anyone?
Read the Wake Education Partnership's account of the dispute (along with an update on the latest round of arrests from the school board meeting) here.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Deja vu in Wake
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28 comments:
Imagine if we had not spent billions and billions (if not trillions by now) and worked over a half a century very hard on this equity problem, how people would still feel they were being treated unfairly today?
"Now that Wake County Public Schools are moving to a neighborhood-based student assignment plan, it seems that arguments are breaking out over which neighborhoods should get priority for new schools."
Charlotte Observer article Q&A with Eric Davis: 'Face the reality that there are too many schools' By Glenn Burkins | QCityMetro.com | August 12, 2010 Board chairman Eric Davis discusses the 'guiding principles' adopted Tuesday by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board.
Therefore, since CMS already has too many schools, your comparison to Wake's argument over what neighborhoods should have priority in getting new schools-is a non-comparitive issue.
The point is that no assignment system is going to end disputes over school location and school attendance boundaries. Communities and neighborhoods are going to continue to battle over access to what are seen to be the most desirable schools. And no set of guidelines is going to answer all the questions.
Take the example of Cotswold Elementary. Geographically, there's no "objective" reason why Cotswold should be assigned to AG/Myers Park instead of McClintock/East Mecklenburg. Cotswold parents won the Myers Park assignment through effective lobbying, and then fought effectively to keep it. It was all politics. If Cotswold had been moved to East Mecklenburg, that would have been politics too.
If anyone looks closely into how Mecklenburg's current school boundaries, there's plenty of politics there, much dictated by motivations other than a search for economic balance. Despite the Polyannas proclaiming that CMS entered a new era, where everything will magically be different, that isn't going to change anytime soon, either here or in Wake.
It's never too late to get your kids out of the government-run indoctrination centers known as public schools.
If anyone looks closely into how Mecklenburg's current school boundaries, there's plenty of politics there, much dictated by motivations other than a search for economic balance.
How many of these schools were built when they were separate, but equal or built when growth patterns were different?
In my experience, the problem comes when trying to retrofit old schools in old boundaries in what were once "newer neighborhoods" in today's time.
Agreed that this article isn't an accurate comparison if, in fact, Mr. Davis is right and we are maxed out on schools at this point - in this current and future Charlotte economy.
Do not agree that it is "Polly Anna" to expect that neighborhood schools can be better, with advocacy from their actual neighbors. So the past districting battles have won on politics - hate to be pragmatic but I will be - the parents cared enough to throw their passion into supporting the school that has the best academic record. They care about their kid's best access to the best education. And they work to make that happen and to keep the school tops by staying involved with their kids education. That work ethic is what gave them access to those neighborhoods in the first place.
CMS has since the mid 80's when I came here built schools for the sole purpose of forced busing. Winding Springs ES and EE Waddell HS are 2 glaring examples. They were built between 2 areas to bus into mixing blacks and "non blacks". If you do not realize my use of terms here, you do not know CMS history.
Trying to compare Wake with CMS is an insult unless you live in a cave and apparently you do. We have more PHDs and colleges than any place on the planet for the past decade and the test scores of Wake students are far superior to CMS. NAACP problems are miniscule. Its some small town out of towner stirring the problems but thats what they do. Wake minorities have no problem with neighborhood schools and wanted them. Its a charade. Wake test scores are some of the highest in the nation.
The weekly Wake County versus Meck County article, where Wake wins on every single topic (lower crime, lower murders, better schools and related test scores, it's now larger in land mass + population, has lower unemployment, a more diversified economy of profitable companies) except for pro football and basketball.
The NC Triangle's major sport (ACC basketball) teams are actually more nationally relevant than the Bobcats and Panthers are nationally to the NFL.
But today, 2 more Wake vs Meck County articles. Slow news day I guess
2:13
"more PhD's and colleges than any place on the planet"?
Apparently, you've never visited the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Southerners.
Pamela's right.
2:13
There are more than a 100 colleges in the greater Boston area.
For what it's worth, Boston also had some of the worst race riots in the country when forced busing was instated.
From today's CharMeck website:
"Welcome to North Carolina’s largest metropolitan area. Once called Charlottetowne, the city was named Charlotte in 1762..."
*********************************
First, Charlotte boasted of how large it was and larger than all other NC cities.
Then it annexed most of its own county, where Charlotte and Mecklenburg County are basically one in the same, thus the "CharMeck" website.
Then it just found out it's no longer than largest area in population. And never was in land size. so, what does it do now?
"We're the largest metropolitan area", which doesn't offset stil #2county population in NC today.
After watching the school board debate and pass it's latest guiding principle plan, which was about as important as wondering what my cat was thinking, I half paid attention to some boring powerpoint presentation about CMS academic gains compared to Wake and Guilford counties. I guess we have to compare ourselves to some other NC counties, so why not Wake and Guilford even though the three counties are apples to oranges to fruit loops.
Is Mo Green still the school superintendent in Guilford County? I liked Mo.
Besides contemplating whether the CMS dude giving the powerpoint presentation needed a haircut a shave or a bath, there seemed to be lots of colorful graphs and charts showing CMS whoopin' Wake County in a few No Child Left Behind areas. CMS seemed very pleased with itself so maybe Wake County should be a little more attentive to this information than I was. Is anybody listening? Does anybody care?
Deja-moo, the feeling you've heard this bull before.
Deja Vu and Tip a canoe...(oops we're not discussing the WhiteWaterCenter)
At the moment, because it is just before the beginning of the 2010-11 school year and not the 2011-12 there ain't much conflict over anything at CMS.
Mr. Davis, et al., has given the town a very healthy six months to smoke over this return to neighborhood schools. In fact it is such a retro idea that several schools are considering bringing back poddle skirts as the girl dress code.
I'd like to know if the new Guiding Principals will apply only to new schools in the future or will they be applied to the existing boundaries?
12:16
For $64,000, a fortune teller can answer your question.
Anoymous August 14th 2:55:
I know, stupid question. I should know by now that no one knows what is going on when it comes to CMS.
Anonymous said...
2:13
"more PhD's and colleges than any place on the planet"?
Apparently, you've never visited the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Southerners.
August 13, 2010 3:16 PM
Hey idiot,
You know nothing about history or reality do you?
Massachusettes is not even in the running.
The TRIANGLE surpassed Silicon Valley years ago for the highest number of PHDs and high tech jobs. Are you living in a fantazy?
Who the hell of MA anyway but "Northern Virgina" since as we know the Pilgrims blew off course in 1620 heading for Jamestown VA English settlement and landed at Plymouth Rock and called Northern Virgina for 50 yrs. The north was a total mistake and wouldnt even be on the map if not for a "blowjob". The real New England was the south and still is.
America was formed in the SOUTH you moron. All the founding documents were written by SOUTHERERS. The Declaration of Independence was written by 3rd prez Thomas Jefferson a SOUTHERER
The US Constitution was written by 4th prez James Madison a SOUTHERER. The 1st prez was Gen George Washington a SOUTHERER and also whom the capitol was named for and Father Of The Nation.
He defeated Cornwallis with his SOUTHERN armyin the SOUTH at Yorktown.
Columbus discovered America in the SOUTH. The oldest town in America was founded by the Spanish in St Augustine Florida a SOUTHERN state in 1565. Jamestown the English town was settled in 1609 in the SOUTH.
Bow down to your SOUTHERN superiors and masters you moron. and please dont even try to compare your illiterate peasant marxist Lincoln to the brilliant SOUTHERERS Robt E Lee and Jefferson Davis who were top US Military Grads and literary geniues plus fought as heroic commanding officers helping win the Mex American War where peasant Lincoln enlisted but deserted his post after 2 weeks branded a coward so he got into politics.
Take a hike.
Wow, it is 2010 and here is North/South hostility. Perhaps we should all take a moment to get our history and civility straightened out....And while we are at it, let's review proper spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. Keep your comments to the point. We are talking about our children's education here. Let's not flagrantly flaunt such social ignorance.
Someone in Wake County insults "cave" people in Charlotte. Someone in Charlotte insults the south. Someone from the south insults people from the north. Black vs. white, low-income vs. high-income, urban vs. suburban, etc..
I apologize for deliberately setting up a psychological experiment I read about that researched how northerners and southerners respond to insults. People with PhD's led the research. I don't know if the researchers involved in the experiment were from the north or the south. Based on the response above, research conclusions appear to be accurate. I know this was highly manipulative on my part and counterproductive to the objective of this blog. Sorry. My actions weren't civil. The problem with the temptation and ability to remain anonymous. I'm curious how many people would refrain from saying the things they say on comment boards if they were required to include their full name.
I now return to sunny NYC and Philadelphia where it's not uncommon for people to regularly interact with each other using their middle finger.
Thank you 8:52. I'm suddenly feeling like a trip to Canada - circumventing the providence of Quebec.
Actually the original English settlement was in NC at Roanoke Island Dare County on the outer banks as an enterprise organized by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1585 and 1587. All vanished mysteriously though.
The Lost Colony mystery is still unsolved but the English succeeded in 1609 just 75 miles up the coast at Jamestown. In spiritual reality there is no such place as paganist "massachusetes" or New England for that matter. Noone even knows where the name came from other than some pagan indian chief named Massaquoit.
Technically the official birthright name was christened "Northern Virginia" through the Trinity 390 yrs ago when the extreme most christian Pilgrims accidently blew off course 800 miles north. The name thus cannot be changed and is eternal. Northerners therefore are all southerners or Northern Virginians by virtue of the Pilgrims. The accents may be a little different but still southern.
Sorry.
3:38 PM
great post!
3:38
Speaking of lost colonies. Have you been to Trader Joe's in S. Charlotte lately? Based on regional accents, half the time I can't tell if I'm in NC, MA, VA, SC, ME, NYC or southern CA.
I'm saving your post for my New England relatives and friends in MA, CT, VT, NH and ME. They'll appreciate it.
3:38. Head games. Fun!
Any north, south, east or west middle-aged mother who has occasionally been outwitted by their teenage children can see right through your carefully crafted bait. Nice try.
If I had to take a guess, the person who took a potshot at "cave" people in Charlotte is male. I also think it's a safe bet that hothead 11:19 is also male.
Men are from Mars, women are from...
better lay off the crack pipe lady.
Women are delusional.
yea when they start up with this mars outer space alien flying saucers ufos you know right away the elevator dosent go to the top floor.
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