In a letter to the editor, Hope Carmichael, founder of Wake Families for School Choice and opponent of mandatory year-round schools, has a real dilemma.
Hope recognizes that “all the money in the world, right now this second, still would not give us enough seats for 2007-2008.” She also knows that many parents do not trust the Wake County Board of Education. Finally, she wants to implement a limited school choice plan that would allow parents to choose between a traditional and year-round school.
Yet, Hope supports Wake’s $1 billion bond because “without the bond issue it is a certainly that parents will only be more limited in their choices.” Does she really think that the BOE will support any kind of choice if the bond is passed? No way. And would approval of the bond restore our trust in the BOE? I doubt it. Finally, will the bond funding slow year-round converstions? Nope. If the bond passes, the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) that would be implemented would create a deficit of nearly 3,000 elementary school seats by 2010.
Hope puts herself right back where she started. Along the way she has enabled the BOE, which she does not trust, to spend a billion dollars their way, with no obligation to her or her cause.
