Weighted lottery fills student body at new Apex charter school
JIMMY CARTER WAS 98 YEARS OLD
AND THE LONGEST LIVING U.S.
PRESIDENT.
>> AN EXPANSION OF THE NEWEST
CHARTER SCHOOL IN WAKE COUNTY
IS REVEALING THE RISE IN
POPULARITY OF SCHOOL CHOICE
FOR PARENTS TRIANGLE MATH AND
SCIENCE ACADEMY TELLS WRAL MORE
THAN 6500 STUDENTS ARE ON A
WAITLIST TO GET INTO ONE OF ITS
SCHOOLS HERE. WRAL'S MATT
TALHELM EXPLAINS WHY CRITICS
OF CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE PUSHING
BACK.
>> WAKE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
OPPOSED THE PLANS FOR THIS
CHARTER SCHOOL HERE IN APEX.
IT IS NOW OPEN AND BEING
CELEBRATED BY THE STATE'S TOP
EDUCATOR.
THE ARTS TAKE CENTER STAGE IN
A CELEBRATION.
TO OPEN A SCHOOL WITH MATH AND
SCIENCE AND ITS NAME. THIS APEX
IS DOING.
>> IS REALLY IN LINE WITH WHAT
OUR STATE'S ECONOMIC NEEDS ARE,
WHERE THE JOBS ARE. STATE
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC
INSTRUCTION CATHERINE TRUITT
HELPED CUT THE RIBBON TO 102.
ON THE FIRST PHASE OF A
65 MILLION DOLLAR CAMPUS FOR
TRIANGLE MATH AND SCIENCE
ACADEMY.
STATEWIDE CHARTER SCHOOL
ENROLLMENT IS INCREASING 15
48,000 STUDENTS SINCE 2017
WHILE TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOL
ENROLLMENT DROPPED BY MORE THAN
61,000 STUDENTS. A CHOICE AND
THE CHOICE IS REALLY THE GREAT
EQUALIZER. AND THE MORE CHOICE
THAT PARENTS HAVE IN WHAT
EDUCATION IS BEST FOR THEIR
CHILD. THE BETTER CRITICS SAY
CHARTER SCHOOLS TAKE RESOURCES
AWAY FROM PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS
AND DON'T REPRESENT THE
DIVERSITY OF THE COMMUNITIES.
THEY'RE IN WAKE COUNTY PUBLIC
SCHOOLS OPPOSED TM ESSAYS,
EXPANSION IN THIS 2021 LETTER
TO THE STATE, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM
WROTE THE ACADEMY IS A CLASSIC
EXAMPLE OF THE CHARTER SCHOOL
CONTRIBUTING TO DEFACTO
SEGREGATION.
>> BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE
DEMOGRAPHICS OF STUDENT
ENROLLMENT FROM THE DEPARTMENT
OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, CHARTER
SCHOOLS IN WAKE COUNTY MATCH UP
PRETTY CLOSELY WITH NON CHARTER
SCHOOLS. THERE ARE MORE
STUDENTS WHO IDENTIFY AS ASIAN,
WHITE OR 2 OR MORE RACES IN
PUBLIC CHARTERS. THERE ARE 7%
FEWER HISPANIC STUDENTS AND
4% FEWER BLACK STUDENTS IN
CHARTER SCHOOLS THAT IN WAKE
COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, TMS 8
SUPERINTENDENT TELLS WRAL THEY
USE A WEIGHTED LOTTERY FOR
ADMISSIONS AND THEY SAID, OK,
TEND TO PUT 10% 15%. WE ARE
GIVING THEIR PRIORITY FOR THE
EDUCATION. WITH THIS SEGMENT TO
STUDENTS. SO THEY CAN FOR SURE
BENEFIT OUT OF OUR PROGRAM.
I WOULDN'T HAVE IMAGINED.
AND YOU THIS IN A REGULAR
PUBLIC SCHOOL CITY SON IS IN
3RD GRADE IN THE ACADEMY.
HE LOVES THE CHALLENGE. HE'S
EXCITED ABOUT IT. BOSS WHO SAYS
IT'S GIVING HIS SON A HEAD
START FOR A CAREER OF THE
FUTURE. IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE
THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE FOR YOUR
CHILDREN WHAT YOU LIKE THEM TO
DO IN THE FUTURE AND WHAT KIND