cliddy@newsobserver.com
Wake County School Superintendent Tony Tata clarifies a question as the Wake County School Board discuss transportation needs during a work session Tuesday Feb.21, 2012 in Cary, N.C.
Wake County school superintendent Tony Tata apologized today to school board members Susan Evans and Christine Kushner for suggesting that they had violated ethical principles, according to a joint statement released early this evening.
The statement arose out of a week of controversy in which elected officials Evans and Kushner found themselves the object of criticism from Tata for their membership in the community organization Great Schools in Wake. In emails that were part of public record, Tata criticized their membership in the group, which has opposed much of the new student assignment plan Tata has backed and said that he had asked them to leave the group.
Tata, Evans, Kushner, school board chairman Kevin Hill and board attorney Ann Majestic signed the statement, saying they had met today for "a serious, frank, and constructive conversation to discuss events of the past week." The statement continued:
"We all agreed that Ms. Evans and Ms. Kushner have not violated any ethical rules or principles in their work as board members. Mr. Tata has apologized to these board members for suggesting otherwise and has acknowledged that he should have handled his concerns in a different manner.
"We recognize the importance of a positive working relationship between the Board and the Superintendent and are all committed to working together on behalf of our students and our community."
The statement represents a significant change of direction for Tata, who had said he was acting to ward off criticisms of the 147,000-student system's governance at a time when an accreditation agency and an investigative unit of the U.S. Department of Education are investigating Wake schools.
Evans and Kushner both initially said they have little current involvement with Great Schools in Wake, even though both appeared in late January as two of several of those honored at an awards presentation to the group. The board members also noted that as elected officials, they were not prohibited from associating from any group they chose.
The board's ethics policy prohibits a board member from having his or her positions dictated by any one person or group.
