Putting Parents in Charge

The debate over the upcoming Charlotte/Mecklenburg school bond referendum kept churning this week when Lindalyn Kakadelis joined WFAE-FM’s “Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins.” The panel of three guests was stacked with two bond supporters but Kakadelis reports she pushed back at the notion that money is the answer to education reform. Listen to the Wednesday interview here. In an interview with the Charlotte Observer this week, Kakadelis commented on Gov. Easley’s teacher pay increase. She told the paper a pay raise won’t result in improvements in student achievement unless the raise is tied to individual performance, which highlights the need to convert to a merit system. On Wednesday, the NCEA hosted a Charlotte luncheon featuring T. Will Fair, president of the Greater Miami Urban League and a vocal supporter of school choice who frames the argument as a civil rights issue. Kakadelis also commented on school choice in the fall issue of Southeast Education Network.