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You cannot, according to a ruling by Judge Howard Manning (WakeCARES vs. WCPSS) - (it's being appealed) - be ASSIGNED to a year-round school.
My daughter's base school is Morrisville Year Round Elementary. When I filled out the paperwork it did say I had the option of traditional calendar at a school in Cary. My daughter is going to Morrisville. I feel she is getting a good education. I believe this school has actually been year round for 12 years. So, they really have the schedules down!
We've had a great experience with WCPSS and don't see that changing anytime soon.
Of course you're happy. Your above quote sums it up perfectly. WCPSS hasn't screwed you -- YET.
Tell that to the THOUSANDS of families who are on 2 different schedules, (y/r or traditional, or 2 different tracks WITHIN year-round) or with kids of elem age in two different schools. Tell that to the THOUSANDS of parents who WANT year-round and are denied, and to the THOUSANDS more than DO NOT want year-round, and have been FORCED into it. Tell it to those parents who begged and pleaded with the board to approve a transfer so their kids could go to the same school, only to be told "Sorry, can't help ya."
Tell that to the THOUSANDS of kids who get bussed 12 miles from home, on rides that are 1 hour plus, in ONE HUNDRED DEGREE HEAT WITH NO A/C.
Tell that to the parents that have tirelessly gone to board meeting after board meeting, only to have the school board members pick at their nails, shuffle papers, and seemingly FALL ASLEEP while their constituents are talking. (I've seen it with my own eyes, have YOU?)
So, sure, you're fine. I, however, refuse to sit around waiting for the school system to dish up their latest social agenda with MY child as the pawn in their game.
Folks, if you want to read BOTH sides of the story, and make up your own mind, visit the local paper's (News&Observer) education section AND the blog there. Mr. Hui blogs AND is the #1 reporter on the issues for the paper. You can also research the history behind the WakeCARES lawsuit, Judge Manning's ruling, and the school board's response.
Get informed, don't ASSUME anything, don't automatically take what a realtor or school rep tells you as gospel regarding your assigned schools. DO YOUR HOMEWORK and make the best choice for your child(ren).
Of course you're happy. Your above quote sums it up perfectly. WCPSS hasn't screwed you -- YET.
Tell that to the THOUSANDS of families who are on 2 different schedules, (y/r or traditional, or 2 different tracks WITHIN year-round) or with kids of elem age in two different schools. Tell that to the THOUSANDS of parents who WANT year-round and are denied, and to the THOUSANDS more than DO NOT want year-round, and have been FORCED into it. Tell it to those parents who begged and pleaded with the board to approve a transfer so their kids could go to the same school, only to be told "Sorry, can't help ya."
Tell that to the THOUSANDS of kids who get bussed 12 miles from home, on rides that are 1 hour plus, in ONE HUNDRED DEGREE HEAT WITH NO A/C.
Tell that to the parents that have tirelessly gone to board meeting after board meeting, only to have the school board members pick at their nails, shuffle papers, and seemingly FALL ASLEEP while their constituents are talking. (I've seen it with my own eyes, have YOU?)
So, sure, you're fine. I, however, refuse to sit around waiting for the school system to dish up their latest social agenda with MY child as the pawn in their game.
Folks, if you want to read BOTH sides of the story, and make up your own mind, visit the local paper's (News&Observer) education section AND the blog there. Mr. Hui blogs AND is the #1 reporter on the issues for the paper. You can also research the history behind the WakeCARES lawsuit, Judge Manning's ruling, and the school board's response.
Get informed, don't ASSUME anything, don't automatically take what a realtor or school rep tells you as gospel regarding your assigned schools. DO YOUR HOMEWORK and make the best choice for your child(ren).
My daughter has an hour and a half bus ride, thank you very much.
I don't think economic diversity is a bad thing for schools...in fact, it was, and still is a HUGE selling point for my family.
I don't cry a river over different schedules for families...it's called modern life. There is enough overlap....you pick up your big kid panties and work with it. Since when did all members of the family have the same exact schedule anyway?
No, it's not that my family hasn't 'been screwed over yet'. It's that WCPSS is a solid district (with growth issues and things that can be improved on -I said as much in my first post in this thread) that I choose to work with...rather then againest.
I find it beyond insulting....not to mention flat out wrong....that some think that to be a 'good' parent you run away from Wake County, or Durham County schools as a matter of course.
You look at the options the entire Triangle offers...you make the best choice for your family. You stop running down the choices that others make for theirs because you wouldn't agree with them. (Personally, I wouldn't put my child in an outlaying county's school such as Johnson, Granville, Chatham etc. I am sure they are fine schools for others....but not for my daughter.)
My opinion is as valid as anyone's, with or without a child in the system. *I* find it insulting that you think my experiences are second hand. How do you know who I am, or how I came to the conclusions I have?
Anyway, I am done beating this dead, smelly horse. If people want the truth, they'll seek it out and make the best decision for their family (this is "only" the 3rd time I have said this: "do your homework").
How can your experiences be anything *but* second hand if you have never had a child in this system?
If I am wrong, please descibe your personal experiences with the system and how they have wronged you?
Our last child (of 2) graduated in 2000 and we have nothing but praise for WCPSS.
He had an elective in computer networking that set him on fire for an IT career. After 2 years of tech school, he's now doing quite well for a 24 year old guy. Was even able to attend an on-campus Bible study in his high school.
WCPSS has been hit hard by the unfettered greed of development. Dr. Burns is doing what he can to keep his head above water while drowning in a sea of new students.
Hopefully, folks may slow down migrating here giving WCPSS a chance to catch up.
At first I was scared off by WCPSS. I was considering Orange or Johnston county. But my husband said we should not cross off an entire county of towns. I'm glad I had another look. I know there is a chance of redistricting. We'll deal with that when the time comes. I'm trying to keep a very open mind on how things are done here. I am a brand new resident that had a child go right into a year round school. I'm sure it would be a harder adjustment to go year round if we had been here for some time already. But year round schools are not just something that is in Wake County. My teacher friend in CO told me there are some in her area. A military family told me they are in parts of VA. I was just reading about some year round schools in NV due to the growth there. I don't think this type of schedule affects the quality of education.
The school system here is very frustrating. If you don't want any extras like foreign language, electives, band or orchestra in elem, then going to your base school is perfectly fine. It gets trickier if you want the extras. The magnet 'lottery' is not a true lottery. Not everybody has an equal change of getting in--it is based on your socio-economic status and the status of your base school. You may be deemed too 'wealthy' or too 'poor' to receive access to the magnet programs based on where you live. (They also take into account siblings, which is completely understandable.)
Like you're finding out, there is no 'master list' for the schools. The best you can do is look up the address for each house, but like you've also found out, that assignment can change next year. Some people are very lucky and haven't been reassigned (I've lived in 2 different houses in Raleigh since I moved here in 98 and my address was only reassigned once, but I didn't have kids in school yet). Other people are reassigned quite often. Its a total crap shoot. I wish I had a better answer for you. I'd be very wary of moving here with school age kids knowing what I know now. We've just been very lucky so far.
Depending on the age of your child I think DA runs about $11k a year. But Durham really has a good school system. There are basically 3 problem schools in Hillside, Southern, and Neal, but 4 of the High Schools: Riverside, Northern, Jordan, and The School of the Arts are all in the top 5% of High Schools in the Nation.
My wife's 15 year old brother lives with us and goes to Riverside and really likes it. Also, I grew up in Chapel Hill, but had plenty of friends who went to Durham Schools as well. They really get a bad rap.
We were down and I agree with you, I had heard alot of bad things about Durham and was surprised at how nice things appear to be.
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