Wake schools must again answer to complaints

Cary, N.C. — Amid partisan bickering and a reset of the student assignment plan implemented by ousted Superintendent Tony Tata, the Wake County Public School System faces a deadline from accrediting agency AdvancED.

After Tata was fired, AdvancED warned the school board that the decision could threaten accreditation for the county's schools. Without the approval from the agency, a Wake County education lacks a standard that some universities use in considering students for admission.

This is the second time that the Board of Education and AdvancED have clashed.

The first came after the elections of a slate of Republicans to the board majority in 2009. AdvancED accused the Republicans of a "premeditated attack that resulted in destabilizing the school system and community." That instability led to a lack of effective leadership and ineffective policy decisions, AdvancED wrote in a report issued in March 2011.

AdvancED President and CEO Mark Elgart wrote to Acting Superintendent Stephen Gainey Oct. 2, reminding him that Wake County schools are due for a progress report Nov. 1. In his letter, he noted a new complaint against the board which "describes the continued practice of the Wake County Board of Education to legislate rather than govern the school system."

"For a statutorily recognized, non-partisan governing board, determining major or significant policies and direction by partisan votes of simple majority is not an effective process to govern the school system," he wrote.

The letter goes on to question the back-and-forth on student assignment that, most recently, resulted in board members asking staff to develop a plan for 2013-14 that would be based on that implemented by the Republican majority for 2011-12.

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Latest Comments

AdvanceED won't do anything but send letters.

me2you
October 16, 2012 11:14 a.m.

"westernwake1 & ConservativeVoter....State laws would have to be changed in order to send more money to one school than another. Student funding is a complex formula that basically provides equal funding per student. As far as fewer buses - bus funding comes from the Federal gov't - fewer buses means fewer dollars - you cannot re-purpose bus funding. As I have said many times before, operating a schools system this size and diverse is not as simple as the answers given on this board make it out to be" - tired2

State Law would not have to be changed for a School District to allocate funding across schools in their system. The state only commits equal amount of funding per student in each county. It does not tell each county how to divide this money between schools. Several school systems in North Carolina such as Lenior already provide more funding for Title 1 schools than higher performing schools. BTW, Wake already provides different funding per student in different schools.

westernwake1
October 16, 2012 10:22 a.m.

tired2, and THAT is the problem. Funding is too complex. The school board and the people in the schools are hamstrung by the legislature.

Not_So_Dumb
October 16, 2012 8:33 a.m.

westernwake1 & ConservativeVoter....State laws would have to be changed in order to send more money to one school than another. Student funding is a complex formula that basically provides equal funding per student. As far as fewer buses - bus funding comes from the Federal gov't - fewer buses means fewer dollars - you cannot re-purpose bus funding. As I have said many times before, operating a schools system this size and diverse is not as simple as the answers given on this board make it out to be.

tired2
October 16, 2012 8:05 a.m.

"tired2 - I would go so far to say that if Wake County implements neighborhood school assignment then we must make the commitment to provide extra resources and funding to schools with high poverty levels. There are schools in the US (e.g. near D.C.) that are good examples of the type of programs that are needed to have students in high-poverty schools be successful.

Any money should be shifted within the existing Wake County school system budget and not require state level approval. There may be people in more affluent neighborhoods who are opposed to "over-funding" low-income schools - my answer to them would be either we can do this and focus on the success of every student system-wide, or we can see how you like the next "busing for diversity" program. - westernwake1"

The savings in diesel fuel, bus drivers, buses, and bus maintenance from not shipping kids all over Wake County should cover the money needed to over special funding for low-income schools.

ConservativeVoter
October 15, 2012 6:42 p.m.