Raleigh Public Record (https://theraleighcommons.org/raleighpublicrecord/topics/news/school-board/page/9/)
New student assignment plan options will be released to the public May 23, Wake Schools Superintendent Tony Tata said Friday. Tata’s student assignment task force has considered nine plans, but only two received the group’s endorsement and are considered the two finalists. Those two meet the 18 criteria for a good plan, including Tata’s often mentioned priority of student achievement.
Doubts from multiple parties came to a head at a public hearing Tuesday to address a Wake County Board of Education redistricting proposal put forth by the Shanahan Law Group. The law firm has generated criticism from citizens and the community group Great Schools in Wake for refusing to release exact data about seven voter tabulation district splits.
Wake Schools Superintendent Tony Tata hit his 90 days on the job mark this week. At a press conference Friday, Tata said he was making progress on the five goals he had set out for his first 90 days.
The Wake County School Board approved its $1.2 billion budget Tuesday. They also voted to give teachers a $500 bonus and moved some year-round schools with low enrollment to just one track.
The race for the District 3 school board seat may be between Kevin Hill and Heather Losurdo, a battle would pit against one another two candidates with very different resumes and stances on the issues. The election would give District 3 voters very clear choices on supporting the new school board community schools policy or not.
Wake schools Superintendent Tony Tata Friday explained the schedule for developing a new comprehensive student assignment plan. He said that he and his six-member student assignment task force have been reviewing research and policies in “a couple dozen” similar districts around the country. Using 18 separate criteria, they have developed nine options.
From recent inflammatory comments by conservative school board member John Tedesco to the first Republican school board candidacy announcement, Wake Republicans are coming out swinging.
Wake County’s huge population growth during the last decade posed a challenge for the law firm in charge of drawing a new districts map. The number of residents in the county flew from 627,846 in the year 2000 to 900,993 in 2010 — an increase of 43.5 percent. The U.S. Constitution requires redistricting every 10 years after the census. Districts within each governing body should be more or less equal with a 5-percent deviation up or down.
The Wake County Board of Education Tuesday continued its review of Superintendent Tony Tata’s proposed budget — now considering the General Assembly’s potential deep cuts to education. Officials say it’s only the beginning; traditionally, the State Senate proposes a stricter budget than the House.
At Saturday’s Wake County Democratic Party annual convention, the message from party leaders and members was clear: This year’s election is about schools.
