Thread by @APDillon_

So, in the PS1 packet this morning is the #wcpss board's imaginary 'charter school tax'

#nced

We are being given a history lesson by Policy Watch's Rob Schofield about the "far right" former WCPSS school board and their "fluke" election.

Schofield says corporations and #schoolchoice are "picking winners and losers".

Equates choice with "privatization' and 'segregation'.

First panel is three school board members from CMS, Winston Salem and WCPSS's Christine Kushner.

CMS Carol Sawyer speaks first. Talks about 'hypersegregation' of towns and neighborhoods.

Sawyer makes a veiled racism reference to towns wanting to secede from CMS 'so their kids don't have to go to school with other kids'.

What?

Sawyer talks about municipal charter school proposal last year, claims the funding from across the district would only fund that school...
Says towns are trying to 'intimidate' CMS with the 'threat' of a municipal charter.

Sawyer makes no mention of why towns like Matthews would make that 'threat' - that parents are upset CMS ignored they don't want their kids bused across the district.

Sawyer says it was a good thing Rep. Brawley was defeated and replaced by an opponent of charter schools, former Hob. Hunt's daughter Rachel.

Now up is Malishai Woodbury from Winston Salem Forsyth.
She's reading a paper she co-authored about school choice.
She gives credit for help on it from Policy Watch's Kris Nordstrom.

Her paper is to "inform" people about #schoolchoice but as she reads, it's clear her paper is about declaring charter schools and vouchers "vehicles for white students to flee" public schools.

It's important to understand Nordstrom and Woodbury ignored that NC charters are as or more diverse than their "integrated" counterparts.

Woodbury's paper blames school choice for district school failures, teacher loses and test score drops then turns around and says it's unclear how much school choice has an impact.

In short, Woodbury and Nordstrom's overarching promise is not enough white kids are being segregated into schools equally in districts.
Put another way, School choice is free association with better integration results.

So far, neither Sawyer nor Woodbury have not addressed the elephant in the room: why are families leaving public schools?

It's not the families.
It's the schools.

Woodbury says electing Democrats to school boards leads to less racist schools because they assign by race better than Republicans.
What the hell?

She also cites radical Educrat Linda Darling Hammond.

The themes so far:

public schools are the only thing that can save society.

Parents choosing other options are racist that are desegregating schools.

WCPSS' Kushner says the board has "bipartisan support" for their enrollment policies.

Families in Southern wake beg to differ.

Kushner is outraged that the district has to give charters 45 million" as a "pass thru".

Kushner just outright lied, saying there is no accountability for the money they 'pass thru' to charters.

Charters have do document all expenses and ARE public schools.

Kushner says they've been seeing "resegregation" and that charters are bad and 'uninnovative' be because the offer "traditional" curriculum.

She just said there is no accountability...

She, like the others, doesn't talk about why families are leaving.

Kushner calls for a moratorium on charters.

She also attacks 'vouchers' and that those should be scrutinized.

Claims wake High schools draws back students but does mention there are only a handful of charter high schools in the district.

Woodbury says WSF schools are so segregated that white students don't have to flee, that's why there aren't that many charters.

Woodbury wants the Supt to talk to charter schools to let them know those are "our children", they "belong to us", meaning WSF school system.

Sawyer says CMS area charters are "not innovative" but doesn't explain why students are choosing them.

Sawyer repeats the lie that charters take money from the district.
Charters are public schools. The money follows the kid minus capital outlay money that only the district schools currently gets.

Sawyer says a "highly mobile" student population hurts public schools.

Someone asks why the state board doesn't get innovation reports from charters.

Kushner says local boards should get that info to "control" charter operations

I asked the panel point blank why parents are leaving and not of them answered the question.

Kushner just lied again, calling charters "for profit."
Woman asks why charters don't serve special needs kids. Panel doesn't correct her.

Fact: a lot of families leave district schools b/c they aren't being served.
Just ask SN kids in WCPSS who aren't even getting picked up.

Another woman says charters are draining students, trashes N. Wake charters as the cause.

Kushner tells her to "speak out."

Teacher asks question about hiring freeze?
Complains charter schools are the only ones hiring and Wake hired her "at the last minute."

Former Raleigh councilman comes to the mic, pushes Kushner for NCGA, then trashes charters and asks if we "should lobby the legislature" to go back to a cap on charters.

Sawyer answers she wants to see the state go back to a 100 charter cap.

Kushner says the fed grant NC just got will fuel charter segregation

Woman asks why NC schools don't use a structured literacy approach.
Kushner asks her to define 'structured literacy'.
The panel looks confused.

Sawyer says there is a new k-3 curriculum that needs time to work.
Kushner tells her "continue to advocate".