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Sept. 1-15, 2011, News Archive
9/10/11 Magnet busing may be cut back
"Wake County magnet school students could lose door-to-door bus service under a proposal to save money and reduce long bus rides that sometimes reach two hours each way."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/10/1474974/magnet-busing-may-be-cut-...
9/10/11 Potential impact of switching to express busing only for magnet schools
"How much of an impact would going to express busing only for Wake County magnet schools have on the program?"
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/potential-impact-of-switching-to-ex...
9/9/11 North Raleigh school board forum follows familiar division
"The sizable crowd at a North Raleigh school board forum Thursday heard from a likely firm ally of the current board in Donna Williams and from a determined critic in Christine Kushner."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/09/1471808/forum-follows-familiar-di...
9/9/11 Wake school assigning meeting draws 30
"Southeast Raleigh parents soon will decide whether they want to continue the longtime practice of sending their children to suburban schools or have their kids stay closer to home."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/09/1471810/school-assigning-meeting-...
9/9/11 ‘Choice' plan
"Wake County Schools Superintendent Tony Tata, as a former U.S. Army general, has more than a little experience with leadership."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/09/1472586/choice-plan.html#ixzz1XSm...
9/9/11 Consequences
"Something indeed needs to be done to increase enrollment at Hilburn Elementary and to relieve overcrowding at Leesville Middle. But why is this the case? Why do these two problems need to be fixed?"
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/09/1472589/consequences.html#ixzz1XS...
9/9/11 Grounds for dismissal
"Margiotta and the GOP-led legislature have told us that school budgets are rife with waste with room to cut. But when basic things like mowing the children's playground occasionally and having a sufficient number of custodians to keep the school grounds clean are jettisoned, we've obviously gone way past the fat and are sawing into the bone."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/09/1472587/grounds-for-dismissal.htm...
9/9/11 Wake may reduce bus service for magnet school students
"Wake County magnet school students could lose door-to-door bus service as part of a systemwide effort to reduce the length of bus rides and save money."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/09/1473195/wake-may-lose-bus-service...
9/9/11 Would single-sex academies in Wake be single-race too? And other notes from the District 6 school board debate
"What Tata somehow failed to mention about the Guilford schools, and what went unreported in the press from the school board meeting, is that the two schools are a good deal smaller than what he has in mind and both are overwhelming black. One, apparently, has zero white students."
http://www.indyweek.com/citizen/archives/2011/09/09/would-single-sex-aca...
9/9/11 Wake schools staff looking at how to reduce long bus rides
"Wake County schools Superintendent Tony Tata said Friday that his staff is looking for ways to reduce the amount of time some students have to spend on buses."
http://www.wral.com/news/education/wake_county_schools/story/10110916/
9/9/11 Wake might only use express busing for magnet schools
"Wake County magnet school parents are not going to be happy with the latest proposal being considered by Superintendent Tony Tata."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/wake-might-only-use-express-busing-...
9/9/11 Wake County Supt. adds positions to help with new student assignment plan
"Wake County Supt. Tony Tata filled several positions to help with the transition to the new student assignment plan."
http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2011/sep/09/wake-county-supt-adds-positions-h...
9/8/11 Tata fills new post to direct student assignment
"Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata turned to a telecommunications executive to oversee student assignment, and he picked a career educator to be in charge of academics in the state's largest school system."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/08/1469287/tata-fills-a-post-he-crea...
9/8/11 Pre-K gavel down
"Even though Wake County Superior Court Judge Howard Manning Jr. is a long-time Republican, the GOP's leaders in the legislature are assailing him with the worst insult they can think of, calling him an "activist judge," a term they like to apply to Democrats.
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/08/1468925/pre-k-gavel-down.html#ixz...
9/8/11 Wake school board member announces bid for state House seat
"Wake County school board member Chris Malone on Thursday announced that he is running for the newly redrawn 35th District seat of the North Carolina House of Representatives."
http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/story/10105555/
9/8/11 Blog: Wake school board candidates meet for forum
"The first in a series of five Wake County Board of Education candidate forums kicks off Thursday night at Hudson Memorial Presbyterian Church in Raleigh."
http://www.wral.com/news/education/wake_county_schools/story/10105325/
9/8/11 The GOP move on More at Four
"More at Four, now N.C. Pre-Kindergarten, has moved in the last couple of months in the Republicans' view from a program that helps struggling four-year-olds perform better in school to a "massive new welfare program."
http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2011/09/08/the-gop-move-on-more-at-four/
9/7/11 Girl, boy leadership schools touted
"Single-sex schools could soon become an option for families in Wake County."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/07/1466539/girl-boy-leadership-schoo...
9/7/11 Durham school extends day for sixth graders
"A low-performing Durham middle school will extend sixth-graders' school day by about three hours to prepare its students for a more successful future."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/07/1466535/school-extends-day-for-gr...
9/7/11 Pre-K ruling stands, but GOP is critical
"North Carolina cannot impose a cap that limits pre-kindergarten for low-income 4-year-olds, a Superior Court judge reaffirmed in a new order that also swatted down attempts by Republican legislative leaders to intervene in the issue."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/07/1466533/pre-k-ruling-stands-but-g...
9/7/11 School day gets longer for some Durham students
"A new program aimed at helping to improve low-performing schools started Wednesday at Neal Middle School in Durham."
http://www.wral.com/news/education/story/10099820/
9/6/11 Blog: Wake school board talks assignment plan, bus rides, new schools
"The school board disussed concerns about long bus rides and early pick up times for some Wake County students Tuesday."
http://www.wral.com/news/education/wake_county_schools/story/10094181/
9/6/11 DPS to lengthen Neal sixth-graders day by 2 hours
"Durham Public Schools announced today that it will partner with a national nonprofit organization to lengthen the school day at Neal Middle School by over two hours for all sixth graders."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/bullseye/dps-to-lengthen-neal-sixth-grader...
9/6/11 Wake school board approves math placement policy
"The Wake County school board voted 5-4 tonight to give initial approval to a policy that would require middle school students to be placed in advanced math classes if a computer program considers them ready."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/06/1466448/wake-school-board-approve...
9/6/11 Wake fills top school administrative jobs
"The Wake County school board filled two of the district's top administrative positions tonight and appointed a new principal for Wake Forest-Rolesville High School."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/06/1466487/wake-fills-top-school-adm...
9/6/11 Wake school board to meet in new headquarters
"The Wake County school board will hold its first meeting today in its new headquarters in Cary."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/06/1464370/school-board-to-meet-in-n...
9/6/11 Wake may create single-gender schools
"Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata wants to create a pair of schools, one for boys only and the other for girls only, that would become the first of their kind in the state's largest school system."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/06/1465937/wake-may-create-single-ge...
9/6/11 Jennifer Mansfield urges school board to stop work on student assignment proceedings
"Under this controlled choice model, parents may not get their first, second or even third choice in this plan and they will never know why."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/jennifer-mansfield-urges-school-boa...
9/6/11 Today is the start of something bright
"Now that the dust has settled, here's the scene: 48 schools around Mecklenburg County host Bright Beginnings classes, compared with 13 schools and five centers last year."
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/09/06/2582473/today-is-the-startof...
9/5/11 Wake school board races ramp up
"In a little more than a month, Wake County voters will decide whether they approve of how the state's largest school system changed the way it determines which students attend which schools."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/05/1462797/school-board-races-ramp-u...
9/5/11 An analysis of the Wake school board race
"It's a fine line that the Democratic candidates for Wake school board are treading."
http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/an-analysis-of-the-wake-school-board-ra...
9/4/11 School layoffs report confounds
"But more than anything, the report designed to clarify the connection between budget cuts and education jobs illustrates just how difficult that is."
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/09/04/2577941/school-layoffs-repor...
9/3/11 Children's Initiative gives kids an early boost in Durham
"When Mia Garcia started kindergarten last week at Y.E. Smith Elementary School, she was a different little girl than she had been when the summer began."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/03/1456961/childrens-initiative-an-e...
9/3/11 Science of compromise
"The student assignment controversy is ratcheting up once again ("Tata is backing diverse schools," Aug. 17), but there is a rational way to promote a consensus of compromise."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/03/1456264/science-of-compromise.htm...
9/3/11 Unacceptable ride
"Two days prior to the first day of school, his bus driver called and said it had been changed to 5:30 a.m. She said the route had been lengthened because of budget cuts."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/03/1456262/unacceptable-ride.html#ix...
9/2/11 Wake may use Hilburn for K-8
"Wake County public school leaders want to convert a chronically underenrolled elementary school to an elementary-middle school combination - a plan that is projected to save the county $35 million."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/02/1454363/hilburn-may-be-used-for-k...
9/2/11 Fast track approval set for charter schools
"New charter schools can begin to open in North Carolina next fall - the first since the legislature ended the state's longstanding 100-school cap."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/02/1454386/fast-track-approval-set-f...
9/2/11 Money tight in CMS race
"This year's Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board race may be vital to the community, but early donations have been scanty as 16 candidates began vying for three open seats."
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/09/02/2572299/money-tight-in-cms-r...
9/1/11 N.C. school cuts just keep coming
"Parents and students will notice changes this year, including larger class sizes in upper grades and less access to counselors, social workers, nurses and library staff, State Superintendent June Atkinson said. Bus rides may be longer, and school supplies will be less plentiful."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/01/1451745/school-cuts-just-keep-com...
9/1/11 Christine Kushner says she will "carry" the values represented by the Democratic Party
"Wake County school board candidate Christine Kushner is walking on a tight rope promoting her endorsement from the Wake County Democratic Party while also saying she's for leaving partisan politics behind."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/christine-kushner-says-she-will-car...
9/1/11 Art Pope directly donating to Donna Williams' campaign
"There's no question this election cycle about conservative businessman Art Pope's direct financial involvement in the Wake County school board elections."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/art-pope-directly-donating-to-donna...
9/1/11 Weighing the impact of high-performing school choice options
"But Susan Pullium also said a number of times that no decision has been yet whether firm set asides need to be established for the high-performing schools. This comes after talk about using as much as a 20 percent set aside drew complaints from people such as school board chairman Ron Margiotta."
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/weighing-the-impact-of-high-perform...
9/1/11 Charter School Transportation Is a Thorny Problem
"The purpose of this law is to allow for innovation and to let charters to circumvent teaching licensing standards. Oddly, this law also exempts charters from the school bus safety regulations that are followed by public schools."
http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2011/09/01/charter-school-transportation-...
