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.