Republican school board in N.C. backed by tea party abolishes integration policy

[ProSense]

Via Think Progress: Fulfilling Father’s Campaign To Segregate Public Schools, Koch Groups End Successful Integration Program In NC

WaPo: Republican school board in N.C. backed by tea party abolishes integration policy

RALEIGH, N.C. - The sprawling Wake County School District has long been a rarity. Some of its best, most diverse schools are in the poorest sections of this capital city. And its suburban schools, rather than being exclusive enclaves, include children whose parents cannot afford a house in the neighborhood.

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The NAACP has filed a civil rights complaint arguing that 700 initial student transfers the new board approved have already increased racial segregation, violating laws that prohibit the use of federal funding for discriminatory purposes. In recent weeks, federal education officials visited the county, the first step toward a possible investigation.

"So far, all the chatter we heard from tea partyers has not manifested in actually putting in place retrograde policies. But this is one place where they have literally attempted to turn back the clock," said Benjamin Todd Jealous, president of the NAACP.

School Board Chairman Ron Margiotta referred questions on the matter to the district's attorney, who declined to comment. Tedesco, who has emerged as the most vocal among the new majority on the nine-member board, said he and his colleagues are only seeking a simpler system in which children attend the schools closest to them. If the result is a handful of high-poverty schools, he said, perhaps that will better serve the most challenged students.

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How regressive.

[Ken Burch]

1. The last two sentences in the quote in the OP say it all about these people:

"Tedesco, who has emerged as the most vocal among the new majority on the nine-member board, said he and his colleagues are only seeking a simpler system in which children attend the schools closest to them. If the result is a handful of high-poverty schools, he said, perhaps that will better serve the most challenged students."

[JoePhilly]

4. I live in Wake County and you could see this coming.

Over the last 2 decades, the huge growth in Wake County resulted in numerous school realignments.

In some areas, kids were reassigned to new schools almost every year, often separating kids from one side of the street from their best friend on the other side of the street.

So that frustration was an underlying factor. And "fixing" that problem was an easy sell. All else being equal, EVERYONE would like their kids to go to a GOOD neighborhood school. And in this area, most of the neighborhood schools are very good schools (notice the reference to a "hand-full" of high poverty schools in the quote).

And so, with Tea Party backing, the far right exploited the frustration with frequent school reassignments (an understandable frustration), to basically reintroduce segregation in Wake County.

As an aside, Wake is a "purple county" at the local level, and Obama won big here with something like 57% to 42% over McCain.

[hlthe2b]

2. Someone needs to take this to Federal court.

abysmal...

[supernova]

3. What's happening in Raleigh is scary

Wake County has had a great run integrating its schools. Tedesco and others on the new "board" want to turn back the clock.

Tedesco is a smarmy little rat bastard.

edit: I'm glad to see these awful people are finally getting a national spotlight shone on them.

[EC]

5. They can't - can they?

Isn't it a FEDERAL LAW?

[ncteechur]

6. At one time Wake County Schools was the largest yet highly successful district in the entire state.

This group of chuckwagon tea partiers on the Wake BOE will undo all the progress that has been made. And the two members mentioned in the story don't give one rat's ass about the kids in Wake County save those in their own rich neighborhoods. The last superintendent quit and didn't pull any punches when he quit.

[supernova]

7. Tedesco doesn't even have kids!