A Letter From a Concerned Parent

The letter below was written to the School Board by Wake County parent Scott Haviland.  He has graciously allowed me to reprint it here.

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Imagine that the President of the United States has deemed mandatory year round conversion in Wake County to be a clear and present danger to the security of the United States, and issues an executive order mandating that it cannot be an option for our public school system. You're still charged with educating all the children in Wake County.

What do you do?

You solve the problem.

You call in every resource at your disposal. You work the system in any way you can to do what you need to do to make it happen, because we all believe you very much care about your charge to educate our children.

You finally listen to the intelligent suggestions made by intelligent parents who have studied this issue for countless hours and beg to be heard. You look at their honest quantitative assessments and you objectively question your own analysis and those who helped you to derive it. You have no choice because converting to mandatory year round is no longer on the table.

You work the political system as you have done before as you are, of course, politically savvy in your own right. You reach out to the folks copied on this note and you ask for their help. You convince yourself there has to be a solution because you have no choice but to provide education for the children of Wake County.

You put behind the ill-will that has been created with parents and work with them to figure out what can be done.

At the end of the day you hammer out a solution, and get on with planning for the future as the County Commissioners have graciously endorsed you to do. I'm not going to pretend I know what that solution is. I've seen a number of ideas coming from parents that seem to make sense. I don't believe talking to you is like talking to a brick wall so I'm quite sure you've heard and understood many of these arguments. In the "clear and present danger" scenario you would bring several of these parents into the fold for their contribution. Of course my executive order notion is ridiculous. The rest of my scenario is not.

And neither is this.

Imagine my middle school son is on a traditional calendar. His twin sisters are on a year-round calendar. One of those girls has special needs which may well limit her track options. She may not even have the same teacher throughout the school year. Imagine that being the one adjustment she is unable to handle, brave as she is. There is no guarantee the girls will be on the same calendar. Imagine their mother, in school herself, busy as she already is getting them to school and activities now, trying to balance their schedule and hers.

Imagine their grandmother and great-grandmother in Egypt no longer having the summers to see these precious children.

Imagine that our family budget is now enduring a property tax hike from the bond passage, and paying through the nose for track out programs, euphemistically referred to as "business opportunities" for area organizations. Imagine our son "escaping" reassignment for sixth grade but likely facing it
in seventh grade.

Imagine yourselves explaining to our family why we have to endure this, when you're finding previously unidentified traditional seats. Imagine the inequity in how this burden is shouldered by the families affected by this conversion. Better still, imagine the joy you would feel in reporting to your constituents that you've found a solution after all. Imagine their feeling of being heard, respected, and well-served. Imagine my family being relieved of the stress of
MYR conversion that has dogged us through this entire school year when our lives are crazy enough already.

Take mandatory year round off the table. You don't need an executive order. Nobody wants it. And you know it. The next parent who tells me they are for mandatory year round, will be the first parent who tells me they are for mandatory year round.

Not even you want it. Reach out to the people on this note and ask for their help. None of them want it, either. You know that, too.

To Chuck Dulaney....you have a tough job and a lot of people who don't even know you don't seem to like you very much. I've met you on a couple of occasions and know you're not the person people say you are. You're a nice man in a tough spot. I know this is a lot to ask, but could you try to push the envelope a bit harder? Imagine that the solution is out there but is just eluding you. There are a number of people more than willing to help you find it.

For all of you copied on this note.....imagine what you can do, that you're not already doing (and for those things I thank you), to help the Wake County BOE, right now, to find an answer.

Let me know if I can help. I realize I suggested no alternatives in this note, but despite my going through school having my summers off, I managed not
to forget too much during each of those ten weeks off and got educated. I don't pretend to understand the issues as many of the other parents do, but I'm  happy to help in any way I can. Just don't ask me to support what you're doing now.

That I cannot do.

Sincerely yours,
Scott Haviland