CMS board members have long discussed a new student assignment plan, but only in broad terms. Soon, things are going to get specific as they begin coming up with an actual plan. Michael Alves is the consultant who's going to help the board do that, charging $135,000 to do so.
His company is based in Massachusetts. Alves has worked with many school districts over the years to help design student assignment plans that take into account diversity, including Wake County's. Alves is a controversial pick, since he's known for something called "controlled-choice," basically creating diversity at schools by doing away with assignments based solely on students' addresses.