TAKE ACTION!

I RECEIVED WORD late yesterday that on this coming TUESDAY, AUGUST 8, Wake County Public School staff will present to the School Board, at their 12:00 meeting, a list of schools it recommends for year-round conversion in 2007. This presentation was not to have taken place until AUGUST 15, giving parents a little time to organize and implement plans to continue fighting these conversions prior to the specific naming of schools. Now, however, most parents will be blindsided by the last-minute date change. It appears that even some of the School Board members may have been blindsided by the administration releasing to the press a preliminary list of schools even before next Tuesday’s meeting! I have just returned from a family vacation myself, and I’m sure others will return next week only to find that schools have already been announced for probable conversion to mandatory year-round attendance.

PLEASE – it is imperative that opponents of the forcing of year-round schools continue to let their voices be heard loud and clear. I know it seems like useless, wishful thinking, but these conversions are not inevitable! There is too much at stake to let that assumption weaken our resolve.

WHAT TO DO? First of all, I realize that some of you see an advantage to the last–minute change of dates. Perhaps, by seeing a list of schools now, more parents will mobilize. That would be great. If, however, you agree that the change was an attempt to throw parents off guard, please email / call ALL of the School Board members and voice your disapproval. Also, it would be a good idea to copy your letter to Chuck Dulaney and Superintendent Del Burns. Click here for a convenient email link. Here is the contact page for phone numbers and postal addresses for School Board members.

Secondly, I have talked individually with some members of the Wake County delegation to the General Assembly, and I would strongly urge you to call, write AND email ALL 13 of them and share in a very personal way why mandatory year-round school attendance would be detrimental to your family. If you wrote to School Board members in the past, you might want to use that letter as a guide. Be specific. Some of these legislative members are “on our side”, but they have got to know that the grassroots movement against this plan is alive and widespread. Please pass this on to anyone you know that shares your views! Numbers speak loudly to these folks! Even though the General Assembly has adjourned, messages are still received. In fact, now they actually have time to focus on things of this nature!

Thirdly, the Petition Against Mandatory Year-Round School Attendance in Wake County has been “on the back burner” since summer began. If you have not signed it, please do so now, and spread the word to others who have not signed it. Put your comments in the space provided there. This petition is a great way for you to make your opinions known. I assure you that I will heighten the visibility of this petition and your comments to the Wake County School Board, the WCPSS Administration, Wake County Commissioners, and Wake County members of the General Assembly.

OTHER OPTIONS seem few and far between, and certainly no ideal solution exists. In my opinion, however, limited sacrifices in other areas are preferable to the devastating repercussions of massive mandatory year-round conversion. I am not endorsing any single solution, because I think there are still some out there that have not yet surfaced. Options I have heard include: asking for a temporary waiver on the reduction of third grade class sizes (not a major change); filling all possible year-round seats with volunteers first (the board refuses to check this out to see what the outcome might be); more creative use of existing buildings that could be transformed into schools; raising the cap on charter schools; – and the list goes on.

REMEMBER that even after specific schools are listed by name for probable year-round conversion, nothing is set in stone. I personally appreciate your commitment to keep up the fight – it’s easy to get discouraged, I know---Don’t forget to follow up as soon as possible on the “What To Do?” recommendations, and urge others to do the same.

Thank you

Update: Even though some of the members of the General Assembly lost their primary election, it won't hurt to contact them about your concerns because they still officially represent their districts until newly elected members are sworn in after the November election.