WakeCares Screws Wake County Schools, Parents, and Voters
In November, 2006, the voters of Wake County, North Carolina, voted on a school bond proposal, which included nearly one billion dollars for schools, and included a controversial provision to convert 22 public schools from a traditional schedule to a year round schedule.
Although the issue and the bond were controversial, the bond still passed with a significant majority.
A very small group of parents concerned only for themselves and their summer vacations, with no regard to the MAJORITY of the families in Wake County, sued the school board.
Wake County Superior Court Judge Howard Manning released his decision today, in which he determined that the year round program violates a 2004 state law saying that schools cannot begin before August 25, and cannot extend past June 10.
This law was never intended to affect year round schools, and Judge Manning foolishly applied it to the year round schools.
Now, with only 2 months until the new school year, the entire county will be cast into chaos, as 20,000 families have no idea what school they'll be attending, and the School Board will have to go through the entire reassignment process *AND* figure out where to put the NET INCREASE of 8000 students in the county schools.
My daughter starts Kindergarten this year, and we *WANTED* her to go to year round schools. The proposal would've converted our local school - only 1/2 mile from our house - to a year round calendar. Now, I don't know what we're going to do. IF they go back to the previous setup, our assigned Year Round school would be Turner Creek Elementary - 8-10 miles from our house. No big deal, I drive right past it most days on the way to work.
But will we be able to get her into Turner Creek? God only knows.
To WakeCares and those who support them - thanks a lot. Don't let democracy get in the way of your summer vacations.
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School board should be smart enough to figure this problem and should have fixed it 6-8 years back, but they sat on their big fat ass's and all of a sudden, say that Year round is your only option..
I have a 3 and 1 year old, still got 2 more years, but if the situation worsens, i will either move to another county or stay put depending on what i like...SIMPLE !!!
That's irrelevant though now. the fact is we have a net increase of 8000 students coming in, 20,000 families MOSt of whom were well prepared to go to the year round schedule, and now the whole school system is in chaos.
The Judge based most of his ruling on a 2004 calendar law that was never intended to apply to year round school programs. Most of the other reasons are based on equal education, and much of his opinion is irrelevant and/or invalid as far as I'm concerned.
He writes about how this will prevent SOME families from hiring wake county public school system EMPLOYEES as NANNIES during the summer months.
Who the heck hires nannies, and so what? Track out programs are certainly more cost effective than hiring nannies.
Those WCPSS employees will be tracked out too. Why can't those parents hire those same employees for track out periods as nannies?
If Most of the Parents are FOR year Round, then why can't they make it Optional. So that, you have a choice ?..
I know the answer to that.., and School Board does too..Not many parents are for year round, hence the Mandatory issue came in !!!.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1384595/
I bet at least 80% of the parents will choose year round.
I cannot believe more guilt and blame is not being thrown at the Commissioners, especially Gurley who has had 5 years to plan for this growth. Yet he continues to approve subdivisions left and right and find the gumption to call it, "Smart Growth." And then he says to submit a bond when the school board is up and not his precious seat.
And they rely on the county and the state to provide the necessary infrastructure in schools and roads.
If the cities controlled the growth AND the school system, you can bet that they'd be a lot more careful about growing without having the infrastructure. Back in Michigan, we had city-based school districts.
If the city of Saline (just outside of Ann Arbor) added 1000 new homes, then it and only it was responsible for making sure there was enough room in the schools.
When they build schools up there, they build them big enough to grow into.
The tax payers in the school district vote on bonds, and those bonds affect ONLY their school district. So the people paying for the Saline Public School System all live in or near Saline.
That's why I hate county schools. ESPECIALLY in a big county like Wake.