{"id":6846,"date":"2011-04-29T16:08:32","date_gmt":"2011-04-29T20:08:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.raleighpublicrecord.org\/?p=6846"},"modified":"2011-05-02T18:02:42","modified_gmt":"2011-05-02T22:02:42","slug":"tata-to-release-student-assignment-plan-options-by-mid-may","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/news\/2011\/04\/29\/tata-to-release-student-assignment-plan-options-by-mid-may\/","title":{"rendered":"Tata to Release Student Assignment Plan Options by Mid-May"},"content":{"rendered":"

At a press briefing on Friday, Wake schools Superintendent Tony Tata further outlined the schedule for developing a new comprehensive student assignment plan.<\/p>\n

He said that he and his six-member student assignment task force have been reviewing research and policies in \u201ca couple dozen\u201d similar districts around the country. Using 18 separate criteria, they have developed nine options.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve looked all the way from a complete free choice plan to a complete neighborhood school plan,\u201d Tata said. \u201cEach of the plans is unique to what we do now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still at the concept level,\u201d he added. \u201cWe\u2019ve done a lot of looking at data upon which to build a plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Tata offered no specific details of any of the plans, he briefly outlined what the task force is seeking.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe plans focus on standards like proximity and stability,\u201d he said. \u201cStability is the clarion call I\u2019m hearing from parents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tata will release the nine student assignment options with their 18 criteria by mid-May, when they will be posted on the district\u2019s website<\/a> for online feedback from the public before a public hearing is scheduled.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe intend to be very transparent,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In mid-June Tata will report to the board of education on the topic of student assignment, but he may not have a final plan for the board to vote on at that time.<\/p>\n

\u201cJune is a stake in the ground to have something very tangible to bring back to board,\u201d he said. \u201cIs there going to be a perfect solution by June? I don\u2019t think anyone has intimated that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Budget Waiting Game<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the briefing, Tata also addressed the budget uncertainty prompted by machinations in the North Carolina General Assembly.<\/p>\n

As the school board discussed at a public work session on Tuesday, the State House of Representatives has proposed an 8.8 percent decrease in funding for public schools, which would require deeper cuts than are already present in the superintendent\u2019s budget proposal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese budget cuts I find very severe and could quite possibly lead us to the point where we have to impact classrooms,\u201d Tata said.<\/p>\n

Tata\u2019s budget doesn\u2019t fire any teachers or teacher assistants or increase student-teacher ratios, but targeted House cuts would eliminate funding for teacher assistants beyond first grade.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeacher assistants perform a variety of critical tasks each every day,\u201d Tata said, including \u201cbuilding and maintaining strong relationships with children\u201d and \u201cclerical support for the teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked if the district would ask for additional money from the county to make up shortfalls, Tata expressed doubts that the county had more money to give.<\/p>\n

This is the third year in a row in which school funding from Wake County has remained flat.<\/p>\n

Tata said that he will meet soon with the Wake delegation to the General Assembly and ask them to avoid cutting public school funding beyond Governor Bev Perdue\u2019s 5 percent reduction.<\/p>\n

14 Year-Round Schools May Go Single-Track <\/strong><\/p>\n

At next Tuesday\u2019s school board meeting, Tata will make a recommendation on whether or not to move 14 under-enrolled year-round schools from multi-track to a single-track.<\/p>\n

The intention is to save money by operating the schools only during certain periods.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month Tata tasked principals with surveying parents about the option to go to a single track. He has received about 2,400 responses.<\/p>\n

In addition to survey data, Tata is examining each student in the 14 schools to determine how students and their siblings would be affected.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we cannot align them on the same track we will recommend then that\u2019s not an option,\u201d he said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to have that impact on families.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Tata will make a recommendation about each school separately.<\/p>\n

The following schools are under consideration:<\/p>\n