New board wants brakes on school

Monday, November 16, 2009

Tags:

wake county, wake county schools, local/state

WAKE COUNTY (WTVD) -- Less than 24 hours after claiming victory and gaining the new majority on the Wake County School Board, its newest members have set the stage for their first fight.

On Wednesday, they sent a letter to the school system saying they want to put the brakes on the controversial Forest Ridge High School site near Forestville Road and 401 in northeast Wake County.

The proposed high school site isn't without its controversy with added costs for granite rock removal, nearby residents who don't want extra traffic, and now the letter from the school board's newest members.

The letter -signed by Chris Malone, Deborah Prickett, Debra Goldman, John Tedesco and current member Ron Margiotta- demands all spending on the site stop while the board considers other locations.

It's a move that some fear will delay the opening of the new school by as much as a year and possibly impact overcrowding at other schools. But the county has accused the board of hasty and expensive land deals.

Now the new school board majority claims it's the voice of frustrated parents and taxpayers saying, "call it servant leadership. Call it politics. Sometimes the intrinsic value proposition of public opinion outweighs other concerns."

The new school board members will be sworn in at the school system headquarters on Dec. 1.