Dreamer. Chasing Dreams.

At the risk of being overly judged and labeled, I feel that SOMEONE needs to shed a student’s point of view on the Wake County School Board fiasco that was highlighted on last night’s Colbert Report.

Fun Facts:

- I am a product of the Wake County School System

- I went to two (almost three) middle schools in three years

- I was threatened with redistricting three times in high school, one of which would have forced me into a different school my senior year. And, since my parents couldn’t afford a car for me— I wouldn’t have had the choice to transport myself to my original school.

My point:

Wake County has undoubtedly become the laughing stock of the nation, but let’s be real— a LOT of counties across the nation suffer from socio-economic segregation- they just don’t do anything about it. The real question is, “what can you do about it without hurting someone or some group?” I come from a middle class family that lives outside the city limits of Raleigh. Outsiders need to understand that the busing and redistricting taking place in Wake County is not one-sided. EVERYONE is getting bused in one way or another. Whether it’s the upper middle class getting shipped downtown, or the lower-middle class and poverty-stricken classes getting shipped into Brier Creek— we are all affected.

To Colbert’s point, if 94% of the population are happy, then what’s the big deal? First, that’s not a correct representation.

• Point blank— This is not a new issue. This has been going on for years. and years. and years.
• Point blank— No one likes getting on the bus at 5:45 a.m. to ride an hour across town— driving PAST several schools that you could potentially walk to. It just doesn’t make sense.
• Point blank— Extracurricular activity participation, where students learn more than content in books, get exercise, receive extra one-on-one attention, and gain comradeship with their peers drops significantly when students don’t have buses that can take them home after their activities— and their parents work on the other side of town.
• Point blank— There is less community involvement in schools where the majority of the student population is not local. Let’s face it- it’s harder for parents and volunteers to justify contributing to their local community— when their child’s community is no longer local.
• Point blank— This is not about racism. This is about feeling like you are a part of something. This is about saving money for the county, which is struggling as it is. This is about making sure that every kid gets a good education— and can receive the attention they need to succeed. 
• Point blank— The best performing (AG programs, IB programs) are available in the most impoverished areas of Raleigh- forcing anyone who qualifies to find their own transportation to attend- other than the students who are districted based on location. My point? Those areas with lower income families are handed the opportunity to give their kids a GREAT education. My other point? If you visit these schools, it is clear that they are still segregated. Take Enloe for example, how many of those under privileged children do you think qualify for the IB and GT programs? (Retorical) But, are they under 40% reduced lunches? You bet. Sadly, this socio-economic busing plan wasn’t really working, now was it?
• Point blank— This is not about gated communities— actually, let me take that back. This is not about gated communities unless you are districted for Broughton, or Wakefield. I have no tolerance for their point of view.

Judge me however you like. But, thankfully I made it through ONE high school. I can only wish that my friends who were bused from 30 miles away, from a less privileged area, had experienced the community feeling that I received from my hometown school. Because, I know, they would’ve appreciated that, might have participated more in school activities, and might have received more one-on-one attention- it’s just a shame the county’s funding comes from making the reduced-lunches look good on paper.