Jan.  21, 2010

Board tweaks rules on school calendars    

In a compromise that is likely to mean more to politicians than parents, the Wake County school board gave itself a tiny amount of wiggle room next year on the issue of mandatory school assignments.

The board initially approved a resolution on Jan. 5 saying “there will be no mandatory year-round school assignments” next year. But the same resolution also said “every effort will be made to accommodate families into the calendar of their choice.”

Board rules required the resolution be voted on twice because it changes school system policy. That gave board member Kevin Hill the opportunity at this week’s meeting to repeatedly point out the conflict between prohibiting mandatory year-round assignments and also stating “every effort will be made.”

“Which one is it?” Hill asked several times. He also returned to a familiar theme among the four members who are a minority on the nine-member board, suggesting the resolution is bad policy given the number of unanswered questions about how many families could be affected by the change.

While compromises have been rare since the new five-member majority took office Dec. 1, majority member Debra Goldman surprised some of her colleagues by agreeing with Hill’s assessment. That opened the door for a slightly different resolution that dropped the phrase “no mandatory year-round school assignments.”   

The practical effect for families is minimal as the rest of the resolution makes it abundantly clear the board opposes mandatory assignments. But those who are sensitive to school board politics, which is just about everyone who now attends the board’s  marathon meetings, were quick to note the first issue on which a new majority member sided with the new minority.

In a News & Observer story after the meeting, board Chairman Ron Margiotta said he was “very disappointed” in Goldman’s position. Goldman said she strongly supports the same goals as the new majority, but that does not keep her from being “an independent thinker.”

Choices cloud reassignment predictions

The school board’s decision to make every effort to give families a choice of school calendars next year is making it unusually difficult to predict how many students will move and where they will attend class in 2010-2011.

Lost in most of the discussion about giving students a choice of traditional-calendar schools is the fact that far more students requested – and were denied – seats at year-round calendar schools this year.

According to figures provided board members this week, the requests from 884 students for year-round calendar seats were denied in 2009-2010 while 143 requests for traditional-calendar seats were denied. A lack of room in general and the opening of one new school school in particular were the primary reasons.

Summary of applications to change schools: 2009-2010

The numbers are important because they offer a starting point for how many students would likely ask for a calendar change next year knowing the board has offered to make every effort to accommodate requests. (Click here for maps showing the locations of student applications that were accepted and denied.)

The actual number of students who will move will be larger given the opening of four new schools next year, the board’s willingness to convert the calendars of entire schools based on parent surveys and general publicity about the topic.

With that in mind, Superintendent Del Burns insisted the board offer some guidance on how school options will be determined next year. While board Chair Ron Margiotta was reluctant to define any limits on choice until after the board sees the results of parent surveys, the group ultimately decided that capacity, parents’ preferences, the effect on a school’s instructional program, staff preferences, and matching calendars within school feeder patterns would all need to be considered.

The survey of parents will end Jan. 25 with the board scheduled to make a decision March 2 on whether to convert schools. About 15 percent of all parents had responded as of Tuesday.

Should the board delay its decision past March, Burns said it would be “extremely difficult” to provide students a smooth opening to the coming school year. Year-round schools begin classes July 9.

Outside attorney to offer review and advice

After much debate and a few adjustments, the school board voted 7-1 to hire Thomas Farr of the law firm Ogletree Deakins to review the board’s legal costs and “offer recommendations regarding potential options for providing more efficient and higher quality legal services in the future.”  The review will be done at a cost of $250 an hour with a cap of $50,000.

The board also made some changes to the agreement proposed by Farr. The changes make it clear that any advice Farr might offer board Chair Ron Margiotta outside of the financial review also be conducted at $250 an hour with a cap of $25,000.

The hiring of an outside attorney is a point of friction among board members. While the new board majority insists it is being done to get a better handle on expenses, other members have questioned whether it is the first step in replacing the current law firm of Tharrington Smith.

Farr is a well-respected attorney with strong ties to the Republican Party that reach back to the days of former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms. The board’s current attorney works for a firm with strong ties to the Democratic Party.
 
Board member Kevin Hill was rebuffed in his effort to separate the agreement into two resolutions – and therefore two votes. He supported the review of legal costs, but not the provision allowing separate counsel for Margiotta.

Margiotta said he did not expect to use Farr without the board’s prior knowledge, but he refused Hill’s request to formally commit to that expectation.

Review finds no benefit in switching HS site 

A three-month review of where to place a new high school in eastern Wake County found there is no benefit in abandoning a 79-acre site off Forestville Road despite cost overruns that have made it a lightning rod for criticism.

According to a team of 19 administrators from the state, the county and the cities of Raleigh and Rolesville, the site currently owned by the school system would be $2 million to $3 million cheaper to prepare for a new school than any of the other five sites that meet the criteria for a new location.

The recommendations were based on land costs, site improvements, road improvements, specific infrastructure needs and other variables. Site comparisons and recommendations as presented by the team can be found here.

The location for Forest Ridge High School was a recurring campaign issue this fall and an immediate source of contention when new board members were elected. The source of the problem was roughly $5.7 million in cost overruns related to road and site improvements.

But the team that was asked to review other sites said every alternative posed many of the same issues. Choosing a new site would delay construction of a high school by at least two years in addition to costing more.

That didn’t stop several members of both the county commission and the school board from questioning the findings, saying they still didn’t like the site. The board’s next Facilities Committee meeting is scheduled for Feb. 9.

Noteworthy…

… The Independent Weekly offered an analysis this week of what the school system might look like if attendance zones were divided along the lines of an assignment plan suggested by board member John Tedesco. It suggests a system of “haves” and “have nots” with heavy concentrations of poverty in as many as 10 schools. Unlike Tedesco, other board members have been hesitant to discuss new assignment plans. Tedesco will chair a student assignment committee created Jan. 5.

… Members of the new board majority will lead all but one standing committee following a reorganization released by board Chairman Ron Margiotta. Committee assignments, found here, are heavily weighted in favor of new board members. Former board Chair Kevin Hill was given only one committee assignment.

…Was the resegregation of schools the most underreported story of 2009? That would be hard to argue in Wake County, but that was the conclusion of a Time/CNN online story last month that looked at national coverage. The short article was framed in the context of segregated schools hurting the competitiveness of U.S. graduates.

… Wake Education Partnership Trustee Smedes York will be honored Feb. 18 as one of the inaugural members of Triangle Legacy Leaders. The group was named by the Triangle Business Journal and Boom! Magazine. York is chairman of three development companies – McDonald York, York Properties and Prudential York Simpson Underwood – and also served two terms as Raleigh mayor.

… A new community relations committee was created this week by the school board as a way of providing parents and others with formal input into school board issues. Details of the committee will be worked out later, although early intentions are to appoint at least three people from each of the nine school board districts. It will meet quarterly.

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Wake Education Partnership is a 501(c)(3) non-profit created in 1983 to support public schools, in part by educating the community on current school issues. Most of its financial support comes from local business. Send comments to Tim Simmons, VP Communications, at  tsimmons@wakeedpartnership.org