It's official — Tedesco seals new school board majority

John Tedesco was elected to the Wake County school board today, providing the swing vote to form a new majority that’s expected to move the state’s largest school system away from busing for diversity and toward neighborhood schools.

Tedesco, a Big Brothers Big Sisters official, easily defeated retired educator Cathy Truitt in the runoff for the District 2 seat that covers Garner, Fuquay-Varina and Willow Spring. With all 21 precincts reporting, Tedesco received 76 percent of the vote. Truitt got 23 percent.

Tedesco will join three new board members elected last month and current board member Ron Margiotta to form a majority on the nine-member board that will alter the direction of the 140,000-student school system.

Wake has been nationally known for its policy of busing students to balance the percentage of low-income students at individual schools.

But Tedesco and the new board members questioned the validity of the diversity policy and promoted allowing children to go to schools in their communities even if it results in racially and economically imbalanced schools.

Groups such as the state NAACP have vowed to watch the new board’s actions and, if necessary, take legal action to prevent school resegregation.

Tedesco takes the seat now held by Horace Tart, a supporter of the diversity policy who finished third last month.

The new board members will take office Dec. 1. National education journalists and, on Monday, USA Today focused on the Wake election as a barometer on the use of busing to ensure diversity in schools.

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• Link:
  Wake school board vote totals, by precinct
• Link:
  Wake County vote totals, by contest and precinct