RALEIGH -- Wake County's public schools could be on the brink of a historic remake as candidates critical of the current board and its approach to school diversity swept three districts in Tuesday's election.
However, a race in which a fourth board opponent leads could result in a runoff crucial to the board's makeup.
If seen as a referendum on the board's policies on diversity, the election showed that the voters who turned out in the four districts at stake decided in large numbers to reject the status quo. The candidates who won outright had victory margins that averaged 22 percentage points over opponents who wanted to preserve current policies.
"We'll be focused on how to educate children, not moving them from place to place," said Deborah Prickett, a state Department of Public Instruction employee who posted an overwhelming win in District 7, North Raleigh and Morrisville. "We'll improve academics."
Candidates backed by the change-promoting Wake Schools Community Alliance won by convincing margins in Cary; in eastern Wake communities, including Knightdale; and, in North Raleigh and Morrisville. Their victories mean that the board's policies of busing to ensure diversity and mandatory year-round schools will at the very least face opposition from four members on the nine-member panel, a disappointing prospect for those who favor current school policies.
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