Wake School Buses Used for Lobbying

The Carolina Journal had an interesting piece last week while many (including my family) were on vacation. The article is about the improper use of Wake County School buses by the N.C. Association of School Administrators, of which former Wake Superintendent Bill McNeal is now executive director. Here's an excerpt, but be sure to read the whole article by clicking on the link above:

“Yellow buses can only be used for instructional purposes by the local school district,” Graham said, writing from a school transportation conference in Asheville. “Activity buses are for school activities, either instructional or not,” such as trips for athletic events— “[but] state law also allows them to be leased to non-profits for transporting school age children,” he said, referencing G.S. 66-58.
That statute says that state and local government will not provide transportation services in competition with private enterprise, except for the use of public school buses and activity buses for specified purposes, including nonprofits using them to transport schoolchildren to activities at their facilities. Other statutes stipulate that such use, even by emergency management teams or the National Guard, must be fully reimbursed to the local school board.

The Time Is Now

If the past couple of years (plus) of terrible MYR and school assignment decisions by the current Wake County School Board have made you consider running for a seat yourself, the time is at hand. Seven things you should know (if you don't already) are:

1. The filing deadline for the October 9th election is only 12 days away - July 20th at noon.
2. Here's a pdf map of the five seats that are in play this election cycle. (Here's a .jpg of the same map.)
3. If you don't know what district you're in for School Board elections, go here.
4. UPDATED: Here are the lists of candidates who have filed as of 7/9, 7/10, 7/11, 7/12, 7/13, 7/16, 7/17, 7/18, 7/19, and 7/20. (Each link should become active sometime on the date itself).
5. Here's the Wake County Board of Elections website, and the office location.
6. Even though MYR proponent Susan Parry is not running for re-election in District 5, "a longtime friend and neighbor in Boylan Heights", Anne McLaurin, M.D., is running for that seat.
7. Dr. McLaurin is an employee of SAS Institute, as is Sean O'Brien, a candidate who has filed for the District 6 seat currently held by Beverley Clark.

Three Items of Note

Happy Independence Day!!

First Item:
WTVD News is reporting that some schools set to open Monday do not yet have traffic signs warning motorists to slow down. Apparently WCPSS did not request the signs until yesterday! Wake County spokesman Michael Evans says that it's the media's job to remember those kind of things...

"Often times not everything is up by the first day of school," said Evans. "That's why it's important for stations like you to cover this and let people know that come Monday school starts, and you need to be careful with the kids."

Second Item:
Susan Parry will not seek re-election to the Wake County School Board.

Which brings us to the third item...
"The filing period for candidates in the October and November school board and municipal elections has shrunk to two weeks this year, elections officials said Tuesday."
The deadline for filing is noon on Friday, July 20.