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April 16-30, 2010
4/28/10 Wake school board committee decides on new assignment policy
"A Wake County school board committee voted 2-1 Wednesday on a new student assignment policy that maintains "stable student populations that consider proximity to home, student safety and stability of family" as top priority."
http://www.wral.com/news/education/story/7499859/
"A Wake County school board committee voted 2-1 Wednesday on a new student assignment policy that maintains "stable student populations that consider proximity to home, student safety and stability of family" as top priority."
http://www.wral.com/news/education/story/7499859/
4/28/10 Sheehan: Airtime with Tedesco
"Tedesco did not allay those concerns in our shared radio gig. He is
not a villain, folks. But he believes he's right and that he's doing
the right thing - which may be a more dangerous thing by far."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/28/456827/airtime-with-tedesco.html
4/28/10 Basis for bias?
"The claim, therefore, that state standards are unfair is cynical and
disturbing. What is the alternative to making charters perform? Lower
standards? No standards?"
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/28/456573/basis-for-bias.html
4/28/10 ...voices for diversity
"Business leaders rightly are skeptical of an approach that could lead
to school attendance zones where poverty was a common denominator. And
two dozen former school board members, of both parties, on Monday
voiced their own opposition to the current board's tack."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/28/456574/voices-for-diversity.html
4/28/10 GOP primary candidates for commissioner on school issues
"Jeffreys, who calls himself a young 72, isn't afraid to say that the
Religious Right has too much influence in the Republican Party, which
should resist policies based on dogma rather than facts," according to
the Indy. "He could be a refreshing, if cantankerous voice on the Wake
Commissioners board should he be elected over Brown."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/gop-primary-candidates-for-commissi...
4/27/10 The Three Shades of Tedesco
"It is a perfect metaphor for the current debate in the Wake County
Schools and the various incarnations of the person leading the way for
the Gang of Five. The last ten days have brought us Tea Party Tedesco,
Tempered Tedesco, and tough to follow Tedesco."
http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/cms/2010/04/27/the-three-shades-of-tedesco/
4/27/10 Panel chosen to pick schools leader
"The committee became necessary after Superintendent Del Burns
announced in February that he was resigning June 30. Burns was placed
on paid administrative leave last month after he criticized the board
majority and its plans to end busing for socioeconomic diversity."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/27/455374/panel-chosen-to-pick-schoo...
4/27/10 Parties make use of Wake education issues
"I've talked to the governor about it," said Wake County Democratic
chairman Jack Nichols, who is also running for a county commission
seat. "She is following the issue, and she is very concerned about what
is happening in the schools."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/27/455470/rallying-cry-is-wake-schoo...
4/27/10 Charters' uneven racial makeup
"In the wake of North Carolina's unsuccessful bid for federal "Race to
the Top" funds, commentators have decried the legislative cap on the
number of charter schools as both a weakness in our grant application
and an unfair restraint on educational innovation. Missing from the
debate is the reality that North Carolina charter schools are a
national leader in racial isolation and hyper-segregated learning."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/27/455015/charters-uneven-racial-mak...
4/27/10 Musical nodes
"There was no visible need to make this change. All year-round
applicants to Morrisville had seats there. But now Adams cannot seat
all its applicants because they have just enlarged its base with this
move. Adams is now poised to become an unacceptably high poverty
school."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/27/455163/musical-nodes.html
4/27/10 Another Wake Schools construction bond possible
"The Facilities Committee is discussing everything from splitting high
schools into morning and evening shifts to making sure classrooms are
built bigger and are better wired for technology."
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=7409044
4/27/10 Wake leaders plan visit to Va. Schools
"However, Fairfax spends a few thousand dollars more per student than Wake."
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=7409030
4/27/10 RWCA concerned about lack of response to Sutton request
"The Wake County school board majority may be losing the goodwill of
the Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association by not responding to the group's
request that Keith Sutton be appointed to the student assignment
committee."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/rwca-concerned-about-lack-of-respon...
4/27/10 Abdulkadiroglu on balancing parental choice and diversity
"Duke University professor Atila Abdulkadiroglu is acknowledging that
parental choice can lead to socioeconomically segregated schools but he
argues that it can be controlled for in student assignment."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/abdulkadiroglu-on-balancing-parenta...
4/26/10 A Tuesday Night Massacre in the Wake school system: "Shock and Awe"
"With all of the turmoil around the Wake school board's stance on
diversity and student assignment, the fact that the new board adopted a
cut-the-budget plan Tuesday and immediately terminated 68 employees got
far less attention than it merited. What followed - career employees
"riffed" (fired) in a manner apparently taken from the CIA handbook -
was absolutely horrifying."
http://posting.indyweek.com/blogs/citizen?cb=c4ef83380c06fd8508aa45ce18f...
4/26/10 Panel will seek Del Burns' replacement
"Board members Debra Goldman, Chris Malone, Carolyn Morrison and
Deborah Prickett will be charged with finding outgoing Superintendent
Del Burns' replacement."
http://www.wral.com/news/education/story/7489426/
4/26/10 Former board members say they support Wake students
"For over 30 years, the Wake County Public School System has been a
model for school districts around the nation," the group continued.
"Because research consistently shows that challenges to success for all
students in high-poverty and racially isolated schools are greater, we
have worked to prevent the creation of such schools."
http://www.wral.com/news/education/story/7489191/
4/23/10 For School Company, Issues of Money and Control
"But regulators in some states have found that Imagine has elbowed the
charter holders out of virtually all school decision making - hiring
and firing principals and staff members, controlling and profiting from
school real estate, and retaining fees under contracts that often
guarantee Imagine's management in perpetuity."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/education/24imagine.html?emc=eta1
4/25/10 Tedesco and those pesky taxes
"I found it surprising and disappointing to read that Wake County
school board member John Tedesco spoke at the tea party rally in
Raleigh."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/25/451558/tedesco-and-those-pesky-taxes.html
4/24/10 School zone concepts see first light
"With lots of promises but few details, Wake County school board member
John Tedesco unveiled his vision Friday to send students to schools
near their homes, provide family choice and still create economic and
cultural diversity."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/24/452067/school-zone-concepts-see-first.html
4/24/10 Give me an ‘F'
"I am appalled that the leaders of our Wake County Public School System
are focused on creating more charter schools for our county and
providing guidance to private schools by serving on their boards."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/24/451753/give-me-an-f.html
4/24/10 Nonsensical moves
"If we want a future bond issue approved for the Wake County public
schools, we will have to show voters we're saving dollars instead of
having a school board willing to waste $15 million on moving a planned
high school."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/24/451595/nonsensical-moves.html
4/24/10 Scarce seats
"If mandatory year-round schools are so bad, how come I cannot
voluntarily get my kids into one? I guess too many people noticed
elementary kids score better in year-round schools."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/24/451594/scarce-seats.html
4/24/10 School absurdities
"The tea party gang wants to destroy all public confidence in, support
for and willingness to pay for "government-run schools." Now, they want
me to help pay to send their kids to private schools, using
taxpayer-subsidized vouchers/tax credits."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/24/451757/school-absurdities.html
4/24/10 Not quite right
"The N&O's misleading headline on Page 1B of the April 21 edition
"Board issues commitment to diversity" should have been "School board
tries to have its cake and eat it, too."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/24/451593/not-quite-right.html
4/24/10 Wake's school spectacle
"The current school board is more concerned with social-economic
segregation than they are with fostering an excellent environment for
all students to receive the best education possible."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/24/451592/wakes-school-spectacle.html
4/24/10 Diversity in community assignment zones
"But will a more affluent kid apply go to a non-magnet school in his
zone if it's in a lower-income area? Also, will less affluent families
try to get into more distant schools in their zone that are in more
advantaged areas?"
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/diversity-in-community-assignment-zones
4/23/10 Helping Tedesco develop his vision for community zones
"Abdulkadiroglu helped Tedesco with the presentation that he'll make
today about potentially dividing the county into 18 assignment zones
while providing school choice. Abdulkadiroglu is here today, according
to Tedesco, to answer questions about school choice."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/helping-tedesco-develop-his-vision-for-community-zones
4/23/10 Tedesco's presentation on community assignment zones
"Wake County school board member John Tedesco's vision for student
assignment and the community zones is now officially before the rest of
the board."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/tedescos-presentation-on-community-assignment-zones
4/23/10 Tedesco lays out his vision for Wake school assignments
"John Tedesco, one of four members elected last year, showed the board
how he envisions his student assignment committee can create a new way
of deciding which students go to which schools and of trying to avoid
high concentrations of poor students in some schools."
http://www.wral.com/news/education/story/7478469/
4/23/10 A balanced plan for Wake's schools: The WEP says it's possible ... and vital
"Public support will be critical, which means the financial costs must
be obvious. Computer simulations also should be run so parents and
policymakers know what to expect before the buses roll."
http://www.indyweek.com/citizen/archives/2010/04/23/a-balanced-plan-for-...
4/23/10 WEP discusses ways to provide balance and stability in student assignment
"The WEP says parental choice will "make or break almost any assignment
plan." The group describes it as "a political reality rather than an
academic necessity."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/wep-discusses-ways-to-provide-balance-and-stability-in-student-assignment
4/23/10 Wake school board to lay out plans for new assignment policy
"Board member John Tedesco called Friday's special meeting to present his concept for community-based school assignment."
http://www.wral.com/news/education/story/7472517/
4/23/10 Small venue for school assignment meeting
"The school system sent out a news release Thursday announcing that the
board still plans to hold the special meeting in its small board
conference room. About 150 ticket vouchers will be distributed for
people to watch the presentation on video in the main board room."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/23/450328/small-venue-for-school-zone-show.html
4/23/10 Quite a line
"Regarding the April 16 article "Tea party values lauded by Tedesco": Yes, John Tedesco should go fish."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/23/450036/quite-a-line.html
4/23/10 Let's see it
"We don't know for sure the answers to these questions. What we do know
is how they have conducted business since Dec. 1: conservative,
anti-public-education alliances; surprise agendas and resolutions;
disrespect for their fellow board members; diversity is dead; campaign
contributor reassignment deals; tea party rally participation."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/23/450021/lets-see-it.html
4/22/10 Cutting Project Enlightenment's parent counseling program
"It looks like lobbying efforts by supporters of Project Enlightenment
have failed to spare the program from major Wake County school budget
cuts."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/cutting-project-enlightenments-parent-counseling-program
4/22/10 Meeker asks for info on new assignment model
"Our Council is concerned that the proposed reassignment plan will lead to higher taxes and more public debt," Meeker writes."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/meeker-asks-for-info-on-new-assignment-model
4/22/10 Layoffs leave parents in limbo
"The job losses at Project Enlightenment are devastating," Colston
said. "So many people, so many children, will not get the help that
they need."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/22/448671/layoffs-leave-parents-in-limbo.html
4/22/10 Wake schools ask for $313 million
"During the joint meeting, school board finance committee Chairman
Keith Sutton asked commissioners to reject a "bargain-basement"
approach by increasing funding to the school system."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/22/448748/schools-ask-for-313-million.html
4/22/10 Careful, there!
"I am for diversity," Odom said. It was a brave stand, reflecting the
insight of an official whose district in northeast Raleigh has its
share of poverty and who must understand the consequences if school
assignments are made neighborhood by neighborhood. What happens is that
students grouped in high-poverty schools tend to underperform
academically."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/22/448474/careful-there.html
4/22/10 ...school switcheroo...
"The school board majority that won election last fall claims a
stronger emphasis on responsiveness to families. This abrupt action
strikes a sour and inconsistent note, suggesting that what it was
really all about was lowering the number of lower-income kids at
Garner."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/22/448475/school-switcheroo.html
4/22/10 Magnets and iron
"It says in Proverbs that iron sharpens iron, and the inherent friction
generated by the colliding of worlds at Hunter and Ligon taught me and
my fellow students more than any standardized test could venture to
ascertain."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/22/448455/magnets-and-iron.html
4/22/10 GSIW urges school board to suspend work on community-based assignment plan
"This Board majority is making policy by the seat of its pants and not
in a deliberative or responsible way," Brannon said. "If they spent as
much time focused on student achievement as they have on assignment,
we'd be further along fixing problems rather than creating new ones."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/gsiw-urges-school-board-to-suspend-...
4/22/10 Wake Ed Partnership details Tedesco's vision for new assignment zones
"But the WEP says the zones won't be socioecomoically balanced. This
means creation of a Promise Zone that would receive additional
resources. This zone runs roughly along the east side of Raleigh into
north Garner."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/wake-ed-partnership-details-tedescos-vision-for-the-zones
4/10/10 S.F. adopts new school-assignment system
"The San Francisco school board Tuesday adopted a new system for
assigning students to schools, a hybrid plan that immediately came
under fire for failing to pick a side in a long-running battle between
neighborhood schools and diverse schools."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/10/MNKM1CD8MJ.D...
4/21/10 Wake board issues commitment to diversity
"You have a new plan for our school system, which I am trying to
understand and have yet to see," Cary resident Betsy Lovejoy told board
members during a public comment period at Tuesday's board meeting. She
said, however, that she felt the Republican-backed board majority was
only giving lip service to the concept of diversity."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/21/447077/board-issues-commitment-to-diversity.html
4/21/10 School board OKs lean budget, 68 layoffs
"We have to ask for things that will make students successful, but we
haven't done that to my satisfaction with the budget," McLaurin said.
"If we don't do that, no one else will."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/21/447083/school-board-oks-lean-budget-68.html
4/21/10 Sheehan: Board's deeds drown out words
"But if they think their pleas will sway the school board majority,
they are out of their minds. Because while the new majority talks a
pretty good game about listening, and being responsive, and keeping the
public involved, you need to follow what it's doing, not what it's
saying."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/21/447074/boards-deeds-drown-out-words.html
4/21/10 Unfair transfers
"Although some of the students who have been attending Garner High may
live closer to their newly assigned school, Southeast Raleigh High,
many do not."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/21/446799/unfair-transfers.html
4/21/10 Wake Commissioners, BOE Meet To Tackle Budget Cuts
"Wake County commissioners and school board members will hold a joint
session Wednesday to discuss how to do more with less money."
http://wake.mync.com/site/Wake/news/story/50745/wake-commissioners-boe-m...
4/21/10 Wake school board takes budget to commissioners
"The board says it's unhappy with the cuts, and commissioners could ask the board to slash more."
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=7397796
4/21/10 Rolesville High to open in 2014
"There have been calls to speed up the work since the new school board
majority voted in February to scrap the proposed Forest Ridge High
School in northeast Raleigh in favor of alternative sites inRolesville."
http://www.midtownraleighnews.com/2010/04/21/2444/rolesville-high-to-ope...
4/21/10 Objecting to the latest possible budget cuts
"As noted in today's article, several speakers complained about the
reduction in the number of media specialists and in the 30 percent cut
in extra-duty pay. Board members and staff repeatedly stressed that the
new round of cuts hasn't been approved yet."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/objecting-to-the-latest-possible-budget-cuts
4/21/10 Political opposition rising against Wake school board majority
"The Wake County school board majority is getting political heat now from more than just the minority members on the board."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/political-opposition-rising-against-wake-school-board-majority
4/21/10 Tedesco gives presentation on community zone model
"In her column today, Sheehan says that Tedesco talked about having 18
zones during the District 7 Board Advisory Council meeting. One of
those zones includes Southeast Raleigh, which he evidently called the
Promise Zone."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/tedesco-gives-presentation-on-community-zone-model
4/20/10 Raleigh City Council passes resolution critical of school board
"The Raleigh City Council unanimously passed today the resolution that
criticizes the Wake County school board's ending of the socioeconomic
diversity policy."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/raleigh-city-council-passes-resolution-critical-of-school-board
4/20/10 School board approves voluntary desegregation resolution
"The board majority rejected an amendment from the minority members. It
would have modified the last two sentences in the next to last
paragraph."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/school-board-approves-voluntary-des...
4/20/10 Raleigh City Council Discusses Wake School Diversity
"Council members unanimously passed a resolution expressing "deep
concern over any attempt to re-segregate Wake's public schools by
either race or socioeconomic status."
http://wake.mync.com/site/Wake/news/story/50717/raleigh-city-council-dis...
4/20/10 Wake schools' money-saving measures include layoffs
"The positions that we are recommending to cut are key positions, but
the budget is difficult right now," board member Kevin Hill said."
http://www.wral.com/news/education/story/7455639/
4/20/10 Meeker: We must stop the school board
"The council followed the Wake County Board of Commissioners in
adopting the resolution, which stands in opposition to recent actions
by the Board of Education."
http://www.wral.com/news/education/story/7455241/
4/20/10 Ruling on racial isolation in Miss. schools reflects troubling broader trend
"School boards are constantly under pressure from privileged parts of
their districts, and if there isn't any counterbalance of civil rights
enforcement policy, you can easily end up with a set of decisions that
increase segregation," said Gary Orfield, director of the civil rights
project at the University of California at Los Angeles."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/19/AR201004...
4/20/10 Wake board speaks on schools
"Commissioners voted along party lines to approve a resolution by
member Stan Norwalk expressing concern that the county school board's
recent moves toward community-based schools could lead to high-poverty
or mostly minority schools, which many equate with resegregation."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/20/445477/board-to-board-were-worrie...
4/20/10 Media specialists
"Let's hope that the board will recognize the ugly consequences of this
proposal before Wake schools lose valuable and irreplaceable library
media positions and our students' test scores, literacy rates and
graduation rates suffer."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/20/445240/media-specialists.html
4/20/10 Selective data
"These results, however, should be looked at in conjunction with other
data. This year CMS has 22 percent of elementary schools, 27 percent of
middle schools and 21 percent of high schools designated as priority
schools under the N.C. ABCs program. Wake has 9 percent of elementary
schools, no middle schools and 13 percent of high schools. CMS has 3
percent of elementary and middle schools designated as low-performing.
Wake has none."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/20/445246/selective-data.html
4/20/10 Democratic county commissioners oppose end of diversity policy
"But Democratic Commissioner Stan Norwalk, who developed the
resolution, said they needed to go on record with where they stand on
the school board's actions."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/democratic-county-commissioners-opp...
4/20/10 Raleigh to not give money for Rolesville High costs
"Meeker said that Raleigh can't legally donate money to a project
that's taking place outside the city. He said the city attorney will
amplify why the money can't be given at today's meeting."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/raleigh-to-not-give-money-for-roles...
4/19/10 Wake reassigns Garner High students
"School board member Keith Sutton said the reassignment was meant to
fulfill political promises by member John Tedesco, whose district
includes Garner. The lack of notice to residents and the lack of a
public hearing were troubling, Sutton said."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/19/443997/wake-reassigns-garner-high...
4/19/10 Reassigning the Garner High students to Southeast Raleigh High
"As noted in today's article, the way the Garner High students were
moved for this fall still leaves a bad taste in some people's mouths.
Unlike past practice, the moves were made without a public hearing for
those families. It was also done on very short notice."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/reassigning-the-garner-high-student...
4/19/10 Wake group to visit Fairfax County school system
"This week, the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Chamber will host visitors
from the Richmond area in Virginia. Next week, four Wake County school
board members are part of a chamber-sponsored trip to the Greater D.C.
area."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/wake-group-to-visit-fairfax-county-...
4/19/10 Norwalk calls for vote against school resegregation in Wake
"Norwalk has put on today's agenda a resolution saying that the
commissioners and Raleigh City Council "express their deep concern over
any attempt to resegregate Wake's public schools by either race or
socioeconomic status."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/norwalk-calls-for-vote-on-school-re...
4/19/10 Online grandfathering period active
"Under board policy, students in certain grades can be grandfathered to
stay at their current school. These transfer requests will be
automatically approved but come at the cost of losing bus
transportation for the upcoming school year."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/online-grandfathering-period-active
4/19/10 Art Pope talks about new Wake school board majority
"Critics, including in the resolution today by County Commissioner Stan
Norwalk, argue that going to community schools will increase crowding
in some areas while worsening it in well-off areas."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/art-pope-talks-about-new-wake-schoo...
4/19/10 Board of commissioners warns of resegregation
"Democratic commissioners said they have been approached recently by
people appalled that the Republican-dominated school board had cast
aside Wake County's practice of striving for socio-economic diversity
by busing and other means."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/19/445271/board-of-commissioners-war...
4/19/10 Wake commissioners weigh in on community-based schools
"The Wake County Board of Commissioners on Monday took a stand against
the school board's plan to set up community-based assignments."
http://
4/18/10 Owed in the node"Two supporters of the board majority
actually had the audacity to remind the board that they were owed -
while their node was voted on. They got their way and then left,
mission accomplished."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/18/440656/owed-in-the-node.html4/18/10 In the schools
"In his April 11 letter "Edge to Charlotte," the writer pointed out
that Charlotte-Mecklenburg's EOG scores outpace WCPSS. In assessing
school performance, the CMS Accountability Office offers that "it is
also important to recognize test scores are only one way of judging a
school." To that end, a look at graduation rates would be in order."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/18/440655/in-the-schools.html4/18/10
Divided loyalties"In response to an August 2007 interview with
businessman Bob Luddy (founder of Franklin and Thales academies) about
his goal of opening two dozen Thales private schools in the area over
the next decade, school board member (now chairman) Ron Margiotta
stated that this plan was a threat to our school district. Now
Margiotta sits on the board for Thales Academy! Whose best interest do
these board members have at heart? Not public school students, that's
for sure." http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/18/440654/divided-loyalties.html4/18/10 Board's budget tool
"The budget is the board's most powerful tool to positively affect
student learning now! The question is, will this board use its
political muscle to actually impact the educational outcomes of our
children? Or is its agenda focused elsewhere?"
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/18/440653/boards-budget-tool.html4/18/10 Thy neighbors
"Who is my neighbor?" is a fundamental question that the Wake County
Board of Education needs to resolve before proceeding to dismantle the
current enrollment practices in the county."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/18/440666/thy-neighbors.html4/17/10
Divisive Tedesco"One would think that a person concerned about bringing
intelligent resolutions to the problems facing the children of Wake
County would be less involved in divisive behavior and more focused on
building consensus."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/17/440675/divisive-tedesco.html4/17/10 A clear conflict
"It is either disingenuous or naïve for Chairman Ron Margiotta to claim
there is no conflict of interest in his serving on the board of a
private school while serving on the WCPSS board."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/17/440703/a-clear-conflict.html4/17/10 Private benefits
"It
is now crystal clear that the ruling majority and the head of the board
(Margiotta) have selfish motives that do not serve the best interest of
the public. Rather, they are in bed with private business and private
schools."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/17/440712/private-benefits.html4/17/10 Tedesco's ambitions
"Holding
the position Tedesco does, these statements are irresponsible and an
affront to the residents of Wake County. These are the actions and
words of someone using the school board as a springboard to a political
career, not someone interested in the welfare of children."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/17/440673/tedescos-ambitions.html4/17/10 Craziness adds up
"As a pediatrician, Christian, father of a child in Wake public schools
and son of a former school superintendent in North Carolina, I am
appalled at the ideological agenda of the school board majority. Rather
than make choices affecting our children's welfare based on educational
research, cost analysis and experienced administrative advice, they
have voted along ideological lines."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/17/440706/craziness-adds-up.html4/17/10 Tired of tea partyers
"More important is John Tedesco's speaking to a tea party rally. This
political climber has proved he has his interests at heart, not those
of Wake County's schoolchildren. He has allied himself with a group
saying we're "Taxed Enough Already" at a time when Americans' taxes are
as low as they ever have been post-World War II."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/17/440672/tired-of-tea-partyers.html4/16/10
Wake school board: It is hard to buy into the best neighborhoods (for
some)"Unfortunately, the truth is different. CRA-NC has studied
mortgage lending in Wake County for three years, from 2006 to 2008.
Our results show that minority families are obstructed from moving to
upper and middle class neighborhoods." http://banktalk.org/2010/04/16/neighborhood-schools-in-wake-county-will-reinforce-school-resegregation/ 4/16/10
Seeking new times for professional learning teams"But the bell
schedules proposed for this fall eliminate those extra 10 minutes."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/seeking-new-times-for-professional-learning-teams
4/16/10
The Public School Forum's Friday Report: Groups Call on Legislators to "Fund Schools First"
"North Carolina public schools are the backbone of this state's
economic future," Atkinson said. "If we fail to meet the needs of the
students today - we fail not just those students but our communities'
and our state's future health."
http://www.ncforum.org/doclib/2010_0416.pdf
4/16/10 Tea party's values lauded by Tedesco"Tedesco, who has emerged
as the school board's point man in its effort to change the district's
policy of busing students to achieve diversity in Wake's public
schools, said in his speech that the crowd stood for conservative
values. "These kind of values need to be instilled in education," he
said."http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/16/439303/tea-partys-values-lauded-by-tedesco.html 4/16/10
The Follies"Speaking of local school boards, Wake County School Board
Gang of Fiver John Tedesco appeared at this week's tea party in Raleigh
to talk about what he calls conservative values, so now it's clearer
than ever where Tedesco stands and who he stands with."http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/cms/2010/04/16/the-follies-73/ 4/16/10
Uncounted costs"Maybe board member Chris Malone should have thought
about "showing they are saving money" when he drove the decision to
waste $15 million on the Forest Ridge High site to satisfy his campaign
backers." http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/16/438981/uncounted-costs.html
4/16/10 Tedesco busy visiting schools"In addition to visiting district
schools, Tedesco is inviting his colleagues to join him on visits to
private and charter schools in Wake and to schools in other districts.
He says he's been in touch with people in Winston Salem, Durham, and
Johnston counties."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/tedesco-busy-visiting-schools
4/16/10 Bell schedules, budgets and voluntary desegregation on board agenda
"The
April 6 vote on the resolution was 5-4 with members of the new majority
saying it showed they support keeping schools diverse. But minority
members complained the resolution goes against the majority's plan to
end the use of busing for diversity."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/bell-schedules-budgets-and-voluntary-desegregation-on-board-agenda4/16/10 Looking for administrative cuts first
"Can anyone honestly say teaching staff should be cut before additional
layoffs to Facilities Planning, Auxiliary Services or Growth and
Planning?," Luebke writes. "If the purpose of Wake County Schools is to
educate students, shouldn't the budget reflect those priorities?"
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/looking-for-administrative-cuts-first
