Quantifying the School Board Issues

While I'm not a parent, and therefore have hesitated addressing the hovering Wake County School Board issues, these matters do affect my career. Good schools can make neighborhoods more desirable, while conversely, bad schools can stigmatize a neighborhood. Wake County has better schools and not-as-good schools, but overall our school system is far and away superior to those in other parts of the country.

That being said, I heard some statistics today that are STAGGERING. Based on these numbers, from Dr. Ann Denlinger, President of the Wake Education Partnership, it's amazing to me that the school assignment plan has gotten into the HOT MESS that it's in now.

Ponder this:

*If all students are assigned to the closest school to home, 19 schools would be AT OR GREATER than 150% capacity.
*If all students are assigned to the closest school to home, more than 20 schools would be at LESS THAN 50% capacity.
*In fact, Wake Forest Elementary would be at 267% capacity!
*If all students are assigned to the closest school to home, at least 15 schools would have 66% free and reduced lunch students
*If all students are assigned to the closest school to home, 27 schools would hve a student body with fewer than 10% poor students.

The ramifications of these numbers make neighborhood schools seem outragously unrealistic. By no means do I think I have a solution, but I'm not sure the current school board does either. Parents, understandably, focus on what is best for their children, but someone needs to objectively look at the big picture. What does that mean for you and me? We need to get out and VOTE come election day.

Thoughts?