Here are some plain-truth observations about Wake County’s public school system: It’s successful, educating a broad range of students who perform well (with some exceptions) on mandated tests and enjoy a host of extracurricular activities and academic opportunities. It’s admired, a major selling point for communities in the county hoping to lure progressive employers who rightfully want to know about the schools’ quality.
It’s come a long way from the days of racial segregation, and of wide disparities in offerings for students in affluent neighborhoods and poor ones. It’s been efficiently run, generally passing with flying colors various examinations over the years regarding numbers of administrators, etc.
A lot of people, from superintendents to school board members to teachers, parents and students, have shared credit in the accomplishments of our public schools. On a good foundation, success after success has been built.
Newly elected members of the school board, despite their calls for change, surely do not want to wreck that foundation. They do share an aversion to compulsory year-round schools and busing for diversity of students in terms of economic background, and they indicate they favor neighborhood schools, with its risk of resegregation...
Like most people, these new board members want the best for their kids and for other kids. Their ideal of neighborhood schools sounds great and conjures visions of kids walking a block or two or three down a tree-lined sidewalk en route to school. And in Wake County, many children do go to what in effect are their neighborhood schools...
But in the belief that it pays academic dividends across the board, Wake school leaders have worked hard not to put all poor kids in this school and all rich kids in that one (a pattern that typically would also lead to racial segregation).
Accomplishing a measure of economic balance and thus diversity isn’t easy, particularly in a time of tremendous growth. The schools have done a pretty good job of it, and those on the school board know, as new members will quickly learn, that reassignments that so inflame some parents are about growth and the efficient use of buildings more than they are about the hot-button word, diversity...
The new school board members will run the show, and they have a right to argue that fresh eyes on long-standing challenges might offer clear perspective and new and better ways of doing things. There’s always room for improvement in student performance. But bringing change to long-valued public institutions comes with the same warning as chartering any new territory: Proceed with caution.
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