The appearance of Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker at our Monday evening East CAC meeting has generated news, with Meeker calling for the school board’s reassignment policy to be scrutinized by legal experts. I could tell when he took that question that he was fired up about the issue. He should be: over 40% of student families are Raleigh residents.
I dashed off this letter to the editor this morning:
Thank goodness Mayor Meeker is fighting this RECKLESS WASTE of TAXPAYER DOLLARS by our irresponsible school board majority on their pet project social experiment. There are serious and lasting repercussions to the board’s ill-conceived changes, not the least of which is to your wallet and mine!
As mayor of over 40% of the students in the Wake County School System, Meeker is rightfully concerned about the abject destruction taking place at the hands of the current school board.
I applaud Meeker’s efforts!!
Hopefully the board will consider the magnitude of their reckless changes. But I doubt it.
Update 29 June: The N&O ran my letter today.
Not being provocative here because I just don’t know but how does this plan waste money? And, while I’ll give you that this is a social experiment, how was busing not?
I’m not necessarily defending the old way, Scott. I actually thought it was good to reexamine the old policy and have a discussion about what is working and what isn’t. What I don’t agree with is skipping the discussion and study and instead doing whatever the hell one wants to without considering others.
We’re hurting now with double-digit unemployment in the Triangle. Funds are tight, and the county cannot afford to make these hugely expensive changes at the moment. It’s totally irresponsible and it will cost us all big money at a time when we can ill afford it. The new board majority needs to understand this.