2 sides of a coin

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
~ Newton's 3rd Law of Motion

Today is the day the Wake County Board of Elections certifies the election results. All our monotonous work last Tuesday will be legally finalized. Today will determine whether or not District 2 (Garner's education district) will have a run-off in November (which for election officials determines whether or not we have to contend with 2 ballots: one for those in the town limits and those like me outside of the town limits).

The sad thing is on our October election only 10% of our precinct turned out to vote. This election ushered in a round of conservatives onto the Wake County School Board, and the main issue at stake, depending on who you ask, is either diversity or busing. In actuality, it eventually all boils down to the same thing. I don't know what the results of this election will bring. Proponents of neighborhood schools cheer - this was the candidates' promise. Civil rights activists moan for inequality is supposedly to come.

As always, I have a multitude of intersecting thoughts on the issue. What civil rights activists fail to realize is that October's reaction (whether by the voters or lack thereof) is a perfect example of Newton's Third Law of Motion. The previous school board blatantly ignored families, choosing diversity over family rights and family authority. Decisions to prohibit siblings to attend the same high school, busing one across town when there's a high school just down the street, for the sake of diversity, would of course push parents to unite for a neighborhood school. Had common sense prevailed and the board allowed an exception in such cases, while it would have created minor headaches from other parents fighting reassignment, it would have helped families feel the BOE actually cared about families. Decisions to turn every single elementary school into a year-round facility, regardless of parents' wishes or desires prompted a lawsuit, resulting in a ruling overturning the BOE decision and costing taxpayers even more money. Had BOE even remotely cared about families and the hardship of having a HS and MS kid on one school schedule with an elementary child on a totally different schedule, this election might not have been the equal but opposite reaction. I think most everyone would agree that diversity and equality of education is important. Yet I also hear from neighbors who haven't moved in 20 years, and by the time their child begins third grade he will be in his second school and slated for reassignment the next year. Does anyone wonder why Wake County school students are performing below level? Some children may thrive with changing environments, but many don't. Does diversity and equality of education mean everyone must receive a substandard education? When students are bussed around so much to balance out the economic backgrounds of students that parents become concerned with their kids being in a classroom where only 1/2 speak English and pull them out for a private school or homeschooling, then what has all the extra money we've spent on busing truly accomplish?

I do understand some of the fears of the civil rights community. Neighborhood schools sometimes suffer. But I disagree with the reason being racial. The reason is in appropriate priorities.

From first through third grade I attended an all white school. Half-way through third grade we moved to another town in the same county that was integrated. Same textbooks, same lessons, but a totally different mindset. The active parents' association was gone, as were music classes and the top of the line library. Oh we had a library, but with about half the books. My new school did have a top of the line playground. Sports, football to be more specific, ruled in this new town, and it showed, all the way down to the elementary school. I received a somewhat decent education, but only because my parents and I cared. By high school extra money from the community went to the quarterback club or some other sports organization, not replacing ancient books in the library or dried up chemicals in the antiquated science lab. We sold candy and paid extra science dues to cut up frogs in biology class while the football players were given free steaks for supper every Thursday night. My cousins from the all white high school attended universities and didn't seem to struggle with classes too much. Students from my integrated high school usually attended the local jr college. Those who did go straight to university often did fine in classrooms, but struggled valiantly to earn a D in science lab. When you enter a lab where the assignment is given and the instructor only comes to check final results, and you're left with instructions such as 1. Fill the beaker with.... and you have absolutely no clue what a beaker is, how can you expect to pass?

Such inequality from 2 schools within the same county system is not the fault of neighborhood schools and racism, but rather the result of different parental and community standards. Each school received the same amount of money from the county school system. One community felt sports was most important and poured all their extra money into those avenues. The other saw fine arts and education as most important and poured their extra money into other things. The equipment on the playground is broken? That's okay. They'll be running laps and exercising anyway. Let's divide the money between the library and a new computer.

I don't see this election as a racial issue nor think the outcome will be quite as dire as the civil rights activists predict, though it does concern me. I think this was simply a result of Newton's 3rd Law of Motion. Wake BOE acted upon their village mentality of government knows best, and the people reacted (whether by voting or not) with an equal and opposite reaction for parental control and choice. For the sake of family rights and authority, I pray we don't look back at this day with a shaking of head as other counties have done.