The contentious debate regarding the paradigm shift in public education under the new Wake school board has been sorely misrepresented, with those who support data-driven decision-making called radical.
We who support the previous board's policies agree changes were needed. However, to completely dismantle the district is ludicrous. Add decisions made on the fly, plans to hire a puppet superintendent, reduced opportunities for public input by ending board committees and cutting in half the number of board meetings and how can any sane person still believe our system will work?
It is reasonable, not radical, to expect a board responsible for the education of 140,000 students in a very tight budget period to carefully consider data, not ideology, when making decisions. It is reasonable, not radical, to expect the board to follow its own policies instead of ignoring them when they don't suit their narrow agenda. Not only has this board ignored 40 years of research on assignment, it ignored its own satisfaction survey when it did not support its cause! Taxpayers will fund this travesty, but the children will pay.
