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July 1-15, 2011, News Archive
7/15/11 Wake graduation rate up slightly
"Wake County schools' graduation rate likely increased by two percent during the school year just concluded, Superintendent Tony Tata said this morning."
7/15/11 Doing likewise
"If WCPSS is going to force the lowest-paid group to take a pay cut, should upper management, the highest-paid group, not also take a pay cut?"
7/15/11 Wake Supt: Test scores show district needs to work smarter
"Wake County Supt. Tony Tata released a preliminary academic progress report from last year's test scores."
7/15/11 The Follies (of the Speaker's two-step on salaries)
"It turns out that thousands of teachers, teacher assistants and other rank and file state employees won't be the only people laid off by the Republicans in the General Assembly this year."
7/14/11 Diane Ravitch on Edelman's Astroturf Enterprise
"Edelman was very candid in describing the hardball political tactics that Stand for Children used to push through legislation that diminished the collective bargaining rights of teachers. But above all, he used a massive financial political kitty to woo friends and allies to his side."
7/14/11 Paul Stam hosting campaign fundraiser tonight for Ron Margiotta
"The event starts at 6 p.m. at the Halle Cultural Arts Center, 237 N. Salem St. in Apex. It's the same event where state Rep. Paul Stam, Margiotta's honorary campaign, said people should attend because the election "will be analyzed on a national scale."
7/14/11 GOP's new districts: Whacking up Wake (or, No soup for y'all)
"Lord knows, I hesitate to do this. For one thing, the new legislative district maps squiggle all over the place, making them extremely difficult to read in terms of who exactly lives in which district - especially if you're squinting at a computer screen, as I am. This is where mistakes are made - thus, my apologies if I've made any."
7/13/11 Wake GOP on Democrats and per-student spending
"The Wake County Republican Party is praising the GOP majority on the school board, railing against school administration costs and downplaying the significance of per-student spending."
7/13/11 Wake schools scramble to make up $40 million
"With a new state budget in place, Wake County schools officials said the system will have to absorb a total budget cut of about $40 million during the 2011-2012 school year."
7/12/11 Considering whether to still require high school students to pass EOCs to graduate
"The Wake County school board may vote today on keeping tougher than state-mandated high school graduation requirements for the 2011-12 school year."
7/12/11 Three more file to run for CMS school board
"Three more people have filed to run for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board, bringing to eight the number of candidates vying for three at-large seats."
7/12/11 Wake school board votes to reduce teacher assistant pay
"The impact of state budget cuts on Wake County public schools dominated the school board agenda Tuesday. After a lengthy discussion in the afternoon work session, the board voted 7-1 in favor of cutting pay for teacher assistants. Board member Anne McLaurin was the lone "no" vote."
7/11/11 Judge Manning owes strong action for schools
"Now, though, clear evidence that this year's budget will undo hard-won gains after Leandro presents a choice for Manning: Be a champion of public education and defender of the constitution or another cog in the status quo machinery."
7/11/11 County prioritizes CMS projects
"And some people connected to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are blaming that on a new county system that uses objective criteria to determine what construction projects get funded."
7/10/11 Why parents love a lower-rated school
"Parents who want their children to learn about their world say they don't mind a little crowding at the school, or their children getting to know many students from different environments. That is why they are upset about being separated against their will from the diverse and involving family that Annandale High has become."
7/10/11 No, Seriously: No Excuses
"To point out the obvious: These are excuses. In fact, they are the very same excuses for failure that the education-reform movement was founded to oppose. (If early reformers believed in anything, it was that every student is an apple.) And not only are they excuses; they aren't even particularly persuasive ones."
7/10/11 Testing scandal sparks questions
"An Atlanta school cheating scandal is raising questions nationally about high-pressure testing and heightening concern about new exams Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is crafting to judge teacher effectiveness."
7/8/11 Tata, Barber meet; NAACP ponders steps
"State NAACP leaders are warning that they might take further action against the Wake County school system because of concerns about a new student assignment plan."
7/8/11 Busing critic to run for Wake school board
"Cynthia Matson, a longtime advocate for neighborhood schools, will vie for a seat on the Wake County school board."
7/8/11 Preschool disconnect
"The only problem: It was Tillis' Republican Party, via its majority in the General Assembly, that curled its lip at this state's two signature early childhood programs when it enacted a state budget so riddled with unwise decisions that Hunt and Easley's Democratic successor, Gov. Beverly Perdue, was moved to veto it. Whereupon, legislators promptly overrode her veto."
7/8/11 Spinmeisters weaving their web
"Say what? Keep teacher and teaching assistant positions? Earth to Rep. Holloway: Your budget will cause thousands of teachers and other essential school personnel to be pink-slipped."
7/7/11 Wake superintendent, NAACP president meeting Thursday
"Wake County public schools Superintendent Tony Tata is holding a closed-door meeting with state NAACP President Rev. William Barber Thursday to talk about diversity and student assignment."
7/7/11 Cuts for Governor's School may end summer program for gifted students
"Atkinson said in an interview Wednesday that she will recommend discontinuing the school "until such point that we can have adequate funds to support its offering to students across the state."
7/6/11 Game on in District 8 Wake school board race
"Susan Evans, an outspoken critic of the Republican majority on the school board, said Tuesday that she would seek the District 8 board seat. She'll take on school board Chairman Ron Margiotta, who has led the efforts since December 2009 to scrap the use of family income as a factor in assigning students to schools."
7/6/11 Less money, less time in summer school
"After several years of state and local budget cuts, thousands of school districts across the nation are gutting summer-school programs, cramming classes into four-day weeks or lopping days off the school year, even though virtually everyone involved in education agrees that American students need more instruction time."
7/6/11 Teachers and jobs
"The assumption being made is that the educators themselves are the major stakeholders! Whoa! That should bring pause to many a thoughtful person."
7/6/11 Zip it! Charters and Economic Status by Zip Code in NY and NJ
"While this information is relevant to the research question at hand (comparing effectiveness among lottery winners and losers), it skips over entirely another potentially relevant tidbit - whether, on average, the charter students are comparable to students in surrounding schools."
7/5/11 Ron Margiotta on the benefits of the N.C. School Boards Association
"Contrast the letter with what Margiotta was saying last year when he cast the tie-breaking vote for Wake to leave the NCSBA. Back then, he was talking about the financial savings that would come from not paying dues to the group."
7/5/11 Tata rallies Wake teachers amid budget worries
"The Wake County Public School System's superintendent on Tuesday set out on a series of rallies with teachers prior to the start of the 2011-12 school year, encouraging them to stay focused on student achievement amid budget worries."
7/5/11 Systematic Cheating Is Found in Atlanta's School System
"It becomes a question of what it means to be educated," said Maria Pease, a former teacher who is the parent of a high school student. "Does it mean the highest test score? I would argue it does not. This is part and parcel of a general dysfunction that isn't particular to Atlanta public schools."
7/5/11 Susan Evans will run against Ron Margiotta in District 8 school board showdown
"Evans' announcement fills a hole for Wake County residents who think the Republican school board majority, led by Margiotta, has harmed rather than helped a very school system since four GOP-backed candidates swept into office following the 2009 elections."
7/3/11 New CMS chief called low-key and reliable
"Many in the community know little about him; CMS officials say they plan a meet-the-press event sometime this week to introduce him publicly. Hattabaugh said in an email he would reserve comment until then."
7/2/11 Tata's minority hiring plan slammed
"Wake County Schools Superintendent Tony Tata is facing a backlash over his efforts to increase the number of minority teachers in the state's largest school district."
7/1/11 Burke County keeps high school accreditation from AdvancED
"How this decision could impact Wake remains to be seen. During today's press conference, Wake Superintendent Tony Tata said the district is in "good shape' to respond to AdvancED when the monitoring team comes back in the fall."
7/1/11 Potential Raleigh mayoral candidate a critic of school board majority
"As noted in today's article by Matt Garfield, J.B. Buxton is weighing a run for Raleigh mayor in order to be a "forceful advocate for quality schools."
7/1/11 Tata defends Wake's minority teacher recruitment efforts
"Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata defended today his efforts to recruit more minority teachers, saying it's helping to ensure that the district has a better chance of getting more high-quality educators."
7/1/11 Wake graduation rate up; results on state exams mixed
"Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata reported today that the school system has experienced gains in the graduation rate with mixed results on state exams."
7/1/11 False protection
"These politicians rode roughshod over the public schools so carefully built up by previous generations of North Carolinians and then proudly, falsely proclaimed they had protected the classroom by cutting only non-essential items, like central office personnel."
7/1/11 Cuts to early childhood programming will be costly
"Early childhood programming is the best and most cost-effective educational investment. This seems like common sense since the best and cheapest way to deal with a problem is almost always to prevent it from happening in the first place."
7/1/11 Wake schools chief: Good teachers priority even amid layoffs
"Layoffs are a reality in Wake County schools amid budget cuts, but the mission of educating children won't be impaired, and hiring high-quality, diverse teachers continues, Superintendent Tony Tata said during a weekly press conference Friday."
