Amid a flurry of questions and overheated discussions Tuesday, the Wake County school board laid to rest any notion that it might delay or change the choice assignment plan for the time being.<\/p>\n
The informal decision means that the first round of the selection process will begin on Jan. 17 as scheduled.<\/p>\n
However, board members emphasized the need to closely monitor the plan and make changes as needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is consensus that we need close monitoring and scrutiny,\u201d said Board Chair Kevin Hill. \u201cAs [the plan] moves along it will need adjustments. \u201c<\/p>\n
While the board may have consensus on the plan being monitored, Republican board member Deborah Prickett countered, \u201cI can\u2019t say I\u2019m open to adjusting the plan on the 17th<\/sup>.\u201d<\/p>\n In a work session last week, Democrats, who regained control of the board in December, asked staff to gauge the impact of making several key changes to the plan, including delaying new feeder patterns, switching certain selection priorities, and setting aside seats for low-performing students in high-performing schools.<\/p>\n Members of the student assignment task force argued against any delays to the plan as well as switching any selection priorities. However, they recommended setting aside seats for students from low-performing nodes in high-performing schools\u2014something for which Republican members have long touted the dangers.<\/p>\n In the end, some Democratic board members, such as Jim Martin, didn\u2019t support the set-asides.<\/p>\n Martin called the set-aside option too \u201csimplistic,\u201d saying it would disrupt a delicate balance \u2013 potentially for the worse \u2013 in already high-achieving schools.<\/p>\n As an alternative, Martin proffered a system where schools would be offered additional resources for taking on additional students from low-performing nodes.<\/p>\n