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Wake school board votes to end mandatory year-roundRALEIGH, Jan 05, 2010 (The News and Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Wake County school board voted 5-4 today to end mandatory year-round school assignments in the 2010-11 school year. Members of the new board majority argued that they were carrying out their campaign promise to end mandatory year-round assignments by guaranteeing every applicant a seat at a traditional-calendar school. Also as part of the resolution ending mandatory year-round schedules, the board said they would no longer use diversity as a factor in determining which applicants are accepted into year-round schools. "Let 's give the people what they want, " said school board vice chairwoman Debra Goldman. But critics complained that ending mandatory year-round and not using diversity in filling year-round schools would have unintended consequences. They also complained about how the resolution was added to the agenda today without prior notice. "We may know what the intended outcomes are, but we don 't know what the unintended outcomes are, " said school board member Kevin Hill. Also today, the board fast-tracked today plans for a parental survey that will now allow them to have results that can be used to convert some schools back to a traditional calendar next school year. The board agreed to an online-only survey of parents this month of all 140,000 students to see what calendar they prefer. Based on the results, staff will report back Feb. 16 with recommendations for calendar changes at individual schools. "My goal is to make changes for next year, " said school board member Deborah Prickett during a work session today. It was a major shift from the Dec. 15 meeting in which board members agreed to do a combination online and paper survey that staff said they would not be able to report back on until April. Based on that late date, board members said changes for next school year was unlikely. But following the Dec. 15 meeting, school board chairman Ron Margiotta asked administrators to find ways to speed up the process. Previously, administrators had raised concerns that low-income families who don 't have access to computers would be underrepresented in an online survey. But today, administrators said they 'd deal with the concerns by telling parents they can ask their child 's school to mail them a paper copy of the form if they can 't fill it out online. The surveys will now be sent to parents of all students. On Dec. 15, the board had agreed to only survey parents of elementary and middle school students. Letters will be sent home with students next week telling parents the identification number for their child that they'll need to take the survey online. Letters will be mailed to students at year-round schools who are on break next week. Parents will have until 5 p.m. on Jan. 22 to complete the survey. In addition to the surveys, four community meetings will be held before the end of February to get feedback on calendars. The change to online-only surveys drew complaints from some board members. "Do we want to do this quickly or do we want to do this correctly? " said school board member Kevin Hill. "Did I miss a meeting here? " The surveys are part of the effort by the new school board majority to end mandatory year-round schools. Supporters of mandatory year-round schools have argued that they save on construction costs because they can hold more students than traditional-calendar schools. But critics have countered that enrollment has grown much less than expected and that the year-round calendar is a hardship for many families. Supporters of the diversity policy and magnet schools have been mobilizing for today 's meeting. They also came out in large numbers for two meetings in December. Opponents of the new board say that they don 't want a lull that would allow the board to implement policies to create neighborhood schools that they fear will lead to re-segregation. Four new school board members easily won election this fall on platforms attacking the policies of the old board. They 've joined Margiotta, a veteran board member, in forming a new majority on the nine-member board that 's been attempting to implement the changes they promised to voters. The board members were unable to vote today on a controversial proposal setting the terms to hire Thomas Farr to be a special interim legal counsel. Board members accidentally pulled from the agenda a resolution that would have paid Farr $250 per hour to audit the district 's legal expenses and provide other legal advice. A vote to add it back to the agenda, which would have required two-thirds support, failed. Margiotta said he 'll have to schedule a special meeting to vote on the resolution. On a split 5-4 vote, the board voted Dec. 1 to hire Farr to audit the district 's legal services and to provide legal advice as needed. Members of the board minority have complained about not bidding out the work and Farr 's ties with the state Republican Party, where he 's been the legal counsel. Under the proposed financial terms, Farr 's firm, Ogletree Deakins, would cap the cost of the legal audit at $50,000. The cap wouldn 't cover any additional work the board wants Farr to perform. Members of the new board majority have said they want Farr on board should the state NAACP follow up on threats to sue Wake for going to neighborhood schools. To see more of The News & Observer, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsobserver.com. Copyright (c) 2010, The News and Observer, Raleigh, N.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. 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