Perdue declares "war" against school resegregation

[ccharles000]

Declaring that the state was ''in a war,'' Governor Beverly Perdue told members of the NC Legislative Black Caucus last weekend that she, as a citizen, fully supported the efforts of NC NAACP President Rev. William Barber in challenging the resegregation of public schools across the state.

Even if that ''war'' ultimately ends up in the US Supreme Court.

''North Carolina is in a war,'' the governor declared last Friday during the opening night banquet of the 24th Annual NC Legislative Black Caucus Foundation's Education Scholarship Weekend at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Convention Center in the Research Triangle Park.

''From my position as citizen, not as governor but as a citizen of this great state, I applaud every single thing that is doing, and I, for one, do believe that diversity does make for a better end product for children
in this state,'' Perdue said.

''If it takes going to the Supreme Court of this great country from Wayne County and for Wake County, and for other counties in North Carolina, so be it,'' the governor continued. ''We will stand together, to make sure that all of the children of this state have a chance.''

http://www.wilmingtonjournal.com/News/article/article.asp?NewsID=103603&sID=4&ItemSource=L

[xchrom]

1. Good. Very good. Nt

[mzteris]

2. more background

WAKE COUNTY

Raleigh, N.C. — The Wake County school board Tuesday erased the last vestige of its longtime bid for socioeconomic diversity in the system’s schools, approving a policy change that removed diversity or student achievement as reasons its staff should approve transfer requests.

. . . A 5-4 board majority that includes four new members elected last fall has turned assignment decisions toward creating assignment zones that keep students as close to their homes as possible.

. . . The change drops language that says requests for transfers contributing to "greater socioeconomic and achievement diversity may be approved." Parents who dislike their student's school assignment appeal for a transfer.

The move Tuesday was accompanied by a decision to suspend a requirement for two votes to change a policy.

. . . The district needs to replace Superintendent Del Burns, who resigned effective June 30 because he disagreed with the board majority's action to move away from using socioeconomic diversity as a criterion in making school assignments and approving transfers.

When Burns criticized the board, it put him on administrative leave and named Donna Hargens as interim superintendent. http://www.wral.com/news/education/story/7702010/

[mmonk]

5. And here.

http://americancommentary.wordpress.com/2010/04/11/suffer-the-children-the-war-on-public-education-one-school-districts-story/

[mzteris]

6. fwiw -

just because some people want charter public schools for the "wrong" reasons, doesn't mean that there aren't a whole DAMN lot of people who support charter public schools for exactly the OPPOSITE reasons. Nor does it mean that charter public schools are bad. (Just like there are rw fundies who homeschool for the worst reasons, but people forget the HUGE population of liberal homeschoolers - or hell even conservative homeschoolers - who hs because it the is BEST - and sometimes ONLY option for their child(ren).)

Most especially in communities where discrimination exists - like the south, like inner cities, charter public schools can provide the ONLY opportunity for disadvantaged children to get a quality education.

The fact remains that the problem for Wake County lies in what the TRADITIONAL SCHOOL BOARD is doing to the TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

Wake County suffers from extreme overcrowding. If all the charters closed, I'm not sure where the hell those kids would even find a DESK. (Not to mention all the homeschoolers going back to school.) There aren't enough BUILDINGs for all the kids in Wake county.

Let's keep the focus on the problem that needs solving and not make this another charter public school witch hunt.

[mmonk]

7. The purpose of my post is not a witch hunt.

The model Wake used before the tea party invasion of the school board was nationally recognized and worked. The purpose of the new tea party majority is that they are generally opposed to diversity on economic grounds. To expand charter schools in light or in place of the magnet targets is ideological and not oriented towards improving the educational opportunities of disadvantaged children or alleviate overcrowding.

[mzteris]

11. Then let's talk about what the SCHOOL BOARD is

doing - not charters. They have no place in this discussion.

WAKE NEEDS CHARTERS - in very large part due to overcrowding!!!

But - they're going to need them even MORE to educate the kids left to languish in the inner-city schools. Do you think this school board is going to put much $$ into those inner city schools? DO you think they're going to put their "good teachers" there?

[mmonk]

12. The News & Observer is agreement with my assessment

and this school board, which includes charter schools in this new school board strategy. There is this quote,

A majority of board members voted last week to ask legislators to raise the cap on the number of charter schools in North Carolina. Charter schools are taxpayer-funded public schools that are free of some of the regulations that traditional public schools must follow.

"Honestly, I would like to see the public schools get involved with the charter schools and develop a better working relationship because of the way that they tend to be theme schools," Margiotta said.

What this means is that diversity and reassignments aren't the only topic separating members of the Wake County school board - there's also a philosophical divide on how central a role traditional public schools should play. For the school board's Republican-backed majority, approaches such as increasing the number of charter schools and granting tax credits to parents who send their children to private schools don't have the stigma they held under the mostly Democratic coalition that held sway for decades.

in the report, Role of public schools questioned. My whole piece wasn't about charter schools but the overall plan of the school board, their approach to education, and their ending the diversity model based on socio-economic factors. If you are going to single out my work, my advice to you is come armed with more than your political position on charter schools because I've been fighting this battle with the Wake County School Board from day one.

[mzteris]

13. too bad you see it as a war

I believe in alternative models of education - whatever a child needs to learn effectively.

I support the CHILDREN and what is best for THEM. Period.

[mmonk]

15. My article was primarily about scrapping the current diversity program.

The group that wants to do it wants expanded charter schools, vouchers for private schools, and "zones" to achieve their "neighborhood" schools and that is what I wrote about. They are dumping the successful system we had in place. If they are dumping it, who's starting the war? It is a war in that they state publicly they are against "government" schools and want more privatization. Why don't you start a thread about charter schools if you want to discuss that subject? My piece was in keeping with the OP. And I generally oppose charter schools because they are an end around many requirements of public schools and I used to be an advocate for children with disabilities (and how many of them are picked for these charter schools?). There is one near my house in a shopping center and I can assure you it is primarily made up of North Raleigh suburbanites with very little diversity to be seen.

[mzteris]

14. I like the comment from your article:

Charter schools use a lottery system to determine who is granted a space in the upcoming school year. There is a lottery system just to get on the waiting list for some charter schools. Some charter schools cannot even accommodate the siblings of their current students. I have tried and tried to get my child into a charter school and haven't been successful due to the immense popularity. WHAT DOES THIS TELL YOU?!?!?! The way things have been done in the past DOES NOT WORK!!!!!!! People are running from public schools. That's plain fact. We can argue over what may be the best coarse of action but one huge, glaring fact remains: THE PEOPLE HATE THE CURRENT SYSTEM!

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/12/433559/for-schools-a-bigger-agenda.html#ixzz0qkb0Hwv1


FYI - I oppose tax credits and vouchers for private or religious schools. THERE's the real enemy. Not charter PUBLIC schools

[bluestateguy]

3. I wish her the best of luck. I really do.

But if affluent white parents want to send their kids to a creamy all white private school--thereby making the public schools more black-- there is not a whole lot Perdue can do.

[mzteris]

4. not private schools -

redistricting the public schools. They're going to be "neighborhood" schools.... which will be defacto segregation - at least in terms of MONEY, which is the most important thing anyway.

[Catshrink]

8. Does NC have private school tuition vouchers?

Those are quite a scam -- getting the public to pay for wealthy kids' tuition to private schools. Yeah, poorer kids could use them but would need to come up with additional funding. Private schools can be very selective about whom they admit so, well, you know.

[Catshrink]

9. NC and GA governors are both Perdue's?

[madfloridian]

10. Are charters a fast track to resegregation?

http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2010/02/fast-track-to-resegregation-corporate.html

http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/julia_james/2010/04/ucla-report-says-charters-are.html

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/2/11/charter_study

http://www.statepress.com/archive/node/10893