Education

The Wake County School Board has voted to adopt a new student assignment policy.

The new student assignment policy replaces one that re-assigned thousands of students. It moved some them based on family income, so that no school included too high a percentage of low-income students.

The new policy has no such control. It's a choice plan with four stated pillars - stability, choice, proximity, and student achievement. Opponents of the plan wanted stronger assurances that high-poverty, low-achieving schools would not be created.

The Wake County School Board is close to voting on a new student assignment plan. Last night, the Board conducted its only public hearing on the plan. It was a chance for parents and interested residents to address the Board directly as it considers how to assign more than 140,000 students to schools.

The plan is front and center in the ongoing political fight for control of the Board.

When his good friend and mentor Ron Margiotta lost his re-election bid on Tuesday, Republican John Tedesco offered this warning…

It was a near clean sweep for Democrats in yesterday’s Wake County School Board Election. Four of the five seats up for grabs were won outright by democrats. The fifth is not yet decided and will go to a run off, as no candidate captured 50 percent of the vote.

It was a stunning victory for supporters of the district’s old diversity policy… and a rebuke of the Republican majority that has been in charge for the last two years.

Some voters in Wake County did not receive voter cards this year showing new boundaries for local school districts. Residents head to the polls tomorrow to vote for five seats on the county school board among other offices. Wake Board of Elections director Cherie Poucher says county commissioners denied the funds needed to send voter cards with the new districts. Despite that, Poucher says she expects a higher turnout than normal.

The Wake County School Board campaign season is entering its final few days. It’s also a crucial time for the district’s long-awaited student assignment plan.

Wake Schools superintendent Tony Tata has worked for about 7 months on the specifics of the plan. He presented it to the school board earlier this week. A public hearing is scheduled for next Thursday.