A coalition of Wake County, N.C., school board candidates opposed to the district’s economic-diversity policy has completed a sweep of seats in this year’s elections.
John Tedesco won a runoff in his race Nov. 3, becoming the fourth member of the coalition to gain a seat on the school board. A fifth board member is already opposed to the policy, meaning the group will now have a majority.
Wake County’s policy has become a model for districts seeking to increase student diversity in schools. Local officials now assign and bus students to schools to ensure that no campus has more than 40 percent of students receiving free or reduced-price lunches. The opposition candidates have said that policy doesn’t improve test scores.