House Bill 704 passed by the NC General Assembly in June sets up a study committee to explore breaking up large school districts — Wake and Mecklenburg are the state’s two largest ones. Critics of the bill say it could lead to re-segregation of our public schools. We look at the bill, what’s next, and the history behind the current school district system in our state.
Guests:
Sen. Floyd. B. McKissick, Jr. (D-Durham, Granville)
Rep. Rosa Gill (D-Wake)
Dr. Dudley Flood, Retired Educator
RESOURCES
EdLines:
State Board Appeals Ruling
http://www.wral.com/state-education-board-to-appeal-court-ruling-in-favor-of-nc-superintendent-/16829001/
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/under-the-dome/article162513578.html
Public School Enrollment Dips
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article162752723.html
Department of Public Instruction Cuts
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article163498468.html
More Girls Taking Computer Science
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2017/07/twice_as_many_girls_took_ap_computer_science.html?cmp=soc-tw-shr
Interview segments:
House Bill 704
http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2017&BillID=H704
NC lawmakers will study how to break up large school districts
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article159078264.html
http://www.courier-tribune.com/news/20170413/after-decades-of-merging-nc-school-districts-bill-looks-at-how-to-divide-them
Dr. Dudley Flood NPR interview
http://wunc.org/post/meet-dudley-flood-champion-desegregation-north-carolina#stream/0
In unity we are the most powerful. These two great school districts should look at the consequences of their actions very closely. If these two educational institutions do break up, no school will find it useful to look for help from outside. Resegregation in all the meaning of these words will, hopefully, not start at the schools of the district.