Diversity fight at center of Wake schools race

Busing kids divides candidates in District 1

BY T. KEUNG HUI - Staff Writer
Published: Mon, Sep. 21, 2009 02:00AM
Modified Mon, Sep. 21, 2009 03:47AM

There's no mistaking where the school board candidates in northern and eastern Wake County stand on hot-button issues such as student reassignment, school funding and the diversity policy.

Voters in District 1 who think the Wake school system is moving in the right direction and want to preserve the diversity policy will likely choose Rita Rakestraw, who has the backing of groups who support current policies.

But those who think Wake is out of control and spends too much time on busing can choose between Chris Malone and Debbie Vair.

Chris Malone
CONTEST: Wake County School Board, District 1

PARTY: Republican

OCCUPATION: Case manager at G4S Compliance and Investigations

EXPERIENCE: Wake Forest town commissioner 2001-2005; past member of Wake Forest Planning Board and Wake Forest Board of Adjustments; unsuccessfully ran for Wake County Board of Commissioners in 2004

ENDORSEMENTS: Wake Schools Community Alliance, Take Wake Schools Back, Children's PAC, Wake County Republican Party

FAMILY: Wife, Becky; two sons, Christopher, 16, and Benjamin, 14; daughter, Katie, 12

DATE OF BIRTH: June 10, 1957

BIRTHPLACE: Hanover, Germany

ADDRESS: 224 West Holding Ave., Wake Forest

CONTACT INFORMATION: maloneforschoolboard.com


Rita Rakestraw
CONTEST: Wake County School Board, District 1

PARTY: Democrat

OCCUPATION: Childhood development specialist, former teacher

EXPERIENCE: Chairwoman of C.A.R.E. (Citizens Against Residential Encroachment)

ENDORSEMENTS: Wake County chapter of N.C. Association of Educators, Bigger Picture For Wake, Triangle Labor Council, Wake County Democratic Party, Wake County Commissioners Harold Webb and Stan Norwalk, Knightdale Mayor Russell Killen, The News & Observer

FAMILY: Husband, Erich; two sons, Paul, 5, and Jack, 2

DATE OF BIRTH: Dec. 2, 1969

BIRTHPLACE: Atlanta

ADDRESS: 615 Jumping Frog Lane, Knightdale

CONTACT INFORMATION: ritaforboard.com


Debbie Vair
CONTEST: Wake County School Board, District 1

PARTY: Unaffiliated

OCCUPATION: Director of membership and promotions for the Granite Falls Swim and Athletic Club in Rolesville

EXPERIENCE: Member of Rolesville Chamber of Commerce Education Committee, past PTA president at Sanford Creek Elementary School

ENDORSEMENTS: Former UNC basketball player Lennie Rosenbluth, Rolesville Mayor Frank Eagles, NAACP South Central Wake President Ronald White

FAMILY: Husband, Steve; daughter, Brittney, 17; son, Elliott, 12

DATE OF BIRTH: Aug. 12, 1960

BIRTHPLACE: New Britain, Conn.

ADDRESS: 2701 Enville Court, Wake Forest

CONTACT INFORMATION: www.debbievair.com


The decision voters will make in two weeks in District 1 could help decide whether Wake continues its nationally recognized diversity policy or moves to a system of neighborhood schools.

"This is the most important school board election in 30 years," said Rakestraw, a former teacher. "Our community is at a crossroads."

Four of the nine school board seats are on the ballot Oct. 6. Critics of current policies hope to win all four seats and gain control of the board.

In District 1, all three candidates hope to replace Lori Millberg, who has endorsed Rakestraw. They'd represent a district that includes more affluent schools in Wake Forest and Rolesville and less affluent ones in Knightdale, Wendell and Zebulon.

The diversity policy has emerged as a sharp dividing line for the candidates. At issue is Wake's practice of trying to balance the percentages of low-income students at each school, a policy that causes some students to be bused to more distant schools.

"Diversity is a fine thing," said Malone, a former Wake Forest town commissioner. "We should strive to know more about other cultures and encourage understanding. But that has to be secondary to the primary goal of education."

But for Rakestraw, keeping schools balanced is an important part of providing a high-quality education. She credits the diversity policy with keeping schools healthy, fueling economic growth and leading to Wake having a higher SAT score than the national average and a higher graduation rate than the state average.

Getting to diversity

Rakestraw warns that dropping the diversity policy will lead to resegregation and an increase in the number of high-poverty schools. She says that this would result in higher taxes to help fund those high-needs schools.

"It's a good school system, but if we get rid of economic diversity, it's going to be really harmful for the school system and the economy," she said.

But Malone and Vair say concerns about resegregation are overblown. They say that allowing children to go to schools closer to where they live will help academics by increasing parental involvement.

"Our neighborhoods are diverse," said Vair, a former school PTA president. "Diversity is something done in the '60s. Our children need to stay in their neighborhoods. If any school has the right programs and teachers, it will succeed."

Malone questions the success of the diversity policy by pointing to the recent decline in Wake's overall graduation rate and how the district's 54.6 percent graduation rate for low-income students is below the state average.

"I can't imagine why they're so proud to support a policy which is only graduating 54 percent of the group that they claim to be heroes for," Malone said.

Pointing fingers

Both Malone and Vair accuse Wake of being unresponsive to parents and wasteful of money, pointing to the higher-than-expected costs for the new Forest Ridge High School, which is scheduled to open in 2012 in northeast Raleigh.

Rakestraw admits that Wake can do a better job of communicating with parents and minimizing reassignment. She says she'll try to keep siblings together and regularly hold town hall-style meetings with the public.

When it comes to mobilizing critics, Malone and Vair acknowledge they will take away votes from each other. But neither candidate is dropping out.

Malone, who has the backing of the major opposition groups, calls Vair a "one-issue candidate" because of her long-standing opposition to construction of Forest Ridge High in her neighborhood. But Vair accuses Malone of running to further his political career, which he denies.

"I'm not a politician," Vair said. "I'm a parent. But I'm definitely going to give it my all."

keung.hui@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4534
http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1698935.html