Wake school board vows to work together after contentious election

Raleigh, N.C. — John Tedesco's election to the District 2 seat on the Wake County Board of Education means the majority of the board favors neighborhood schools.

School board member Keith Sutton said members will need to take time to become familiar with the school district before they make big changes.

Sutton was appointed to the school board in August. He supports Wake's current diversity policy, which assigns local students based on socioeconomic factors, but said he's willing to work with the other side.

“It will be a challenge for some of the things to get through. We'll see. We're not a perfect system. The folks that are remaining on the board, I think we're all open,” Sutton said.

Board-elect member Debra Goldman is part of the new majority. She said it will take more than a year to study the district and come up with a plan to re-create neighborhood schools.

“It’s going to take a process of really evaluating what needs to happen, evaluating how we got to where we are right now before we can move forward with it, and really getting the lay of the land,” Goldman said.

Chairman Kevin Hill is tasked with bringing the two sides together.

“I applaud anyone who runs for public office, so I know their hearts are in the right direction and that's what counts, so I think that will make the task a lot easier,” Hill said.

Sutton announced a "Listening and Learning Tour" in his district, which covers southeast and parts of central Raleigh. He said he hopes the visits with constituents will help him serve their needs better.

Wednesday night, he planned to attend a meeting at Hunter Elementary School at 7 p.m. Other dates on the tour are:

• Saturday at St. Matthew AME Church, 9 a.m.
• Sunday, Martin Street Baptist Church, 4 p.m.
• Nov. 18, Longview School, noon