Ms. Chester, in her Letter from Dec. 19, “We need a Cary school system,” proposes that Cary have its own school system in order to end the “reassignment nightmare.”This is not the first time in the past decade that a frustrated parent has suggested this; however the reality is that it is near impossible at this time. The General Assembly alone has the power to create and modify school districts. Given the current political leadership, beholden to a government education establishment determined to maintain the status quo at all costs, things will remain as they are, despite broad bipartisan support for reforms such as the elimination of the cap on charter schools, tuition tax credits, or smaller local school districts, some of the bills proposed earlier this year by local State House Reps Paul Stam, Nelson Dollar and Marilyn Avila. Electing Republicans for governor and in the General Assembly in 2008 would likely change the current situation; however the battle against such reforms will be fiercely fought by those enjoying the educational monopoly that exists today.

Until then, it is up to normal citizens to take back the control of our schools. A group of concerned citizens is doing just this in Apex, through the construction of an affordable private school (tuition $5,000 per year) patterned after the successful Franklin Academy in Wake Forest, where 1,600 students applied this past fall for the 100 available seats. Our Thales Academy will be a not-for-profit “community” school open to any local student, centrally located near the Apex Town Hall on land generously donated by Apex First Development, the Apex-based company now building the Villages of Apex housing development. We’ll break ground in February and open the doors in September to grades K-5, eventually expanding this to K-8, on a traditional calendar and with a guarantee of no reassignments, ever. A high school/college prep school will logically follow from our efforts in future years.

Thales Academy, brainchild of Raleigh businessman Bob Luddy, is a highly efficient, highly effective model for any community searching for world-class schools more in tune with local needs. Interested citizens and community leaders may contact me for details on establishing their own campus. Applications for enrollment at the Apex campus of Thales Academy are now being taken. Interested parents should contact the school via its Web site, thalesacademy.org.

Kent Misegades, Cary

Laudable goal?

Dear WCPSS BOE officials:

Your recent reassignment proposal plans to bus elementary school kids 45 minutes or more each way to Davis Drive Elementary School to achieve the laudable goal of increasing the number of students on free and reduced lunch at the school to 20 percent from its current 9 percent. I have no doubt this element of the sagacious plan must have taken into consideration the impact of approximately two hours of bussing each day on children as young as 5 years old. Or did it?

Therefore I issue this challenge to each of you: Ride with these kids every day for a year, and let us know how you fare in your blog at your no doubt important jobs of governing and making policy decisions at the Wake County Public School System. I am sure you agree that the results of such an experiment will make it much more easy for us, the parents of these children, to accept your no doubt well thought out proposal.

If you cannot take up this challenge, please be sure to write The Cary News on the reasons why.

Dr. Vasudev P. Anand, Ph.D., Cary

Micro-managing

I was not impressed with the Cary Town Council meeting until 1:15 a.m. It is just too much micro-management that would necessitate a meeting this long. Either let the manager manage or do away with the position and save the taxpayer dollars.

Bill Smith, Cary

Thank you town workers

On the coldest morning of the year recently, I was sitting in my warm house drinking hot coffee and looking out the window towards my street when I heard what sounded like a large vacuum coming down the street. Shortly thereafter, a Cary town truck appeared with three men walking beside it, scooping leaves into the large vacuum and then the leaves were gone and so were they. All that was left was a clean street and front yard with no evidence they had ever been there. A short while later a Cary street cleaning vehicle appeared and washed away all telltale signs of the mess that was there before they did their job.

My special holiday thanks to those workers braving that cold morning and to the Town of Cary for keeping our community and streets safe and clean for the holidays. Now I do not have to worry about incidents when I place my luminaries in the street on Christmas eve night. Again, we thank you for a job well done.

Bob Decatsye, Cary

Water needs long-term fix

My friends and I are sick and tired of hearing the constant plea that the only way to solve the water shortage problem in the Triangle is through conservation. Conservation is one short term solution. By not flushing toilets, watering lawns, showering once a week, etc., we can probably skim by until the next drought. But conservation is not a long-term solution, especially when every town and city in the region continues to add consumers at an accelerating pace. With the advent of global warming (whatever the cause) the prediction is that droughts will become more frequent and of longer duration.

So what’s the answer? All the politicians from Governor Easely, the legislature, mayors, town councils and the federal government have got to start “biting the bullet” and generating a long-term plan to provide for our citizens’ needs.

Some suggestions that might be hard to swallow”

1. Put a moratorium on building in every community where supply is less than one year.

2. Develop a long-term plan for reservoir capacity to be expanded well in advance of projected need considering that rainfall will be significantly less than historical.

3. Secure federal and state funding to implement program to recycle treated wastewater.

4. Institute a program of industrial/commercial conservation.

5. Initiate program to evaluate alternate sources/technology for fresh water generation.

Raymond Czarnecki, Cary

Haves versus have-nots

When campaigning, Sen. John Edwards likes to talk about two Americas, the “haves” and the “have nots.” Well we have that situation happening right here in Wake County, especially when it comes to student reassignment. The “haves” that live in/around Raleigh who don’t have to worry about these things because of who they are and where they live, and those that live in the Davis Drive Elementary school area. However, live outside the beltline or Davis Drive Elementary, and you automatically become a “have not” in the eyes of the school board, school administrators and area politicians.

Well, I certainly don’t know what happened this year, but the “magic” that had been protecting Davis Drive Elementary all these years has disappeared. They are in the reassignment mix just like rest of the schools in western Wake. I and many others who have been fighting for equality in student reassignment for years in western Wake are saddened to welcome these new parents/students to the “have nots.” As a “have not” in Wake County, you will hear, see, and experience things that you only thought were possible in a thirdworld banana republic. School sdministrators, school board members and most local politicians will treat you with both “lip-service” and lots of head nodding, or utter contempt. During this annual reassignment dance, the “educational haves” of Raleigh will once again sit back and enjoy the misery they have once again created in western Wake.

A Cary/western Wake school system, even with higher taxes, is looking better every day!

Mike Dodson, Cary