Superintendent's Journal Archives
Categories
Recent Entries
- Superintendent's Journal: Funding Our Schools in 2010-11
- Superintendent's Journal: Race to the Top Grant
- Superintendent's Journal: Winter Graduation
- Superintendent's Journal: Helping Overage Students Catch Up
- Superintendent's Journal: Saluting National Board Certified Teachers
- Superintendent's Journal: Celebrating What's Right
- Superintendent's Journal: When It Snows
- Superintendent's Journal: The Numbers Behind the Budget
- Superintendent's Journal: Your Investment In Our Students
- Superintendent's Journal: Systems Responding to Challenging Times
Superintendent's Journal: Funding Our Schools in 2010-11
In this week's journal, Dr. Burns provides an update on the revenues available to the school system from state and local sources in the next school year. Dr. Burns also discusses some of the strategies that will be used to respond, including budget cuts in Central Services.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 4:51 PM on February 5, 2010 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: Race to the Top Grant
The Wake County Board of Education and WCPSS joined every school district in North Carolina in supporting our state's application for a federal Race to the Top grant. In this week's journal, Dr. Burns explains the significance of Race to the Top and talks about how its priorities align with our school system's.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 4:10 PM on January 29, 2010 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: Winter Graduation
A number of WCPSS students are graduating from high school this month. Learn more about mid-year graduation in this week's Journal.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 2:28 PM on January 22, 2010 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: Helping Overage Students Catch Up
Dr. Burns discusses the Boosters program, which helps motivated middle school students, who are older than their peers, catch up and enter the ninth grade in half a school year.
You can learn more about the Boosters program on the February 2008 episode of The School Connnection.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 2:35 PM on January 15, 2010 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: Saluting National Board Certified Teachers
Dr. Burns takes a moment to praise the 197 WCPSS teachers who earned certification last year from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in this week's journal.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 4:44 PM on January 8, 2010 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: Celebrating What's Right
Dr. Burns reflects on our students' and schools' accomplishments during 2009, as the holiday season begins and we prepare for 2010, in this week's journal.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 11:39 AM on December 23, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: When It Snows
Dr. Burns discusses our school system's inclement weather procedures and offers tips to parents in today's timely journal entry.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 11:52 AM on December 18, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: The Numbers Behind the Budget
Dr. Burns provides a snapshot of the Wake County Public School System's budget, and describes our next steps, as we conclude our look at the school system's four strategic directives in this week's Journal.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 4:45 PM on December 11, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: Your Investment In Our Students
We begin covering the last of our four strategic directives -- to expand fiscal accountability -- as Dr. Burns discusses efficiency, transparency, training and vigilance in the Wake County Public School System.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 4:05 PM on December 4, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: Systems Responding to Challenging Times
Dr. Burns discusses some of the improvements being made to the systems and organizational structures of the Wake County Public School System, with the goals of supporting schools, ensuring accountability, and engaging our community, in this week's Journal.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 3:33 PM on November 25, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: Planning for Budget Reductions for 2010-11
In today's Superintendent's Journal, Dr. Burns makes an important announcement about planning for budget reductions in Central Services operations in response to an anticipated revenue shortfall for the 2010-11 fiscal year.
A transcript is also available, as well as a news article.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 2:00 PM on November 19, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: The Fundamentals of Doing Business
Continuous improvement is the focus of WCPSS's third strategic directive: "Develop and implement systems and organizational structures to support schools, ensure accountability, and engage our community."
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 3:41 PM on November 13, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: Strengthening the Team
Dr. Burns provides a current update on the retention and recruitment fronts before focusing on efforts "helping our employees not only keep their edge, but grow into leaders."
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 4:00 PM on November 6, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Journal 21: People-Powered and Purpose Driven
"'Things' don't teach children or feed them lunch or keep the computers running or manage building programs. 'Things' won't close the achievement gap. People will."
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Paul Cory at 2:26 PM on October 30, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: Our Most Important Strategies for Learning and Teaching
Concluding our look at the first of WCPSS's four strategic directives -- focusing on learning and teaching -- in today's Journal Dr. Burns reviews two strategies we are using for systematic improvement: undertaking and responding to the independent curriculum management audit, and supporting Professional Learning Teams.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 3:39 PM on October 23, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: Every Child, Every Classroom, Every School
We begin an in-depth look at WCPSS's four strategic directives with the first: A renewed focus on learning and teaching.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 3:30 PM on October 16, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: Strategic Directions for Our Schools
Following up on last week's discussion of WCPSS's mission, vision and goals, Dr. Burns talks about the four strategic directives that have guided the school system since 2006.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 1:56 PM on October 9, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: Who We Are Meant to Be -- Our Mission, Vision and Goal
What drives the Wake County Public School System? In today's journal, Dr. Burns discusses our longstanding mission; our vision of every child graduating on time, prepared for the future; and the school board's academic goal for WCPSS, unanimously adopted last year.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 3:00 PM on October 2, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: Retaining our Teachers in a Tough Economy
The state's recent release of its teacher turnover statistics -- a report of the percentage of teachers voluntarily leaving their positions -- showed that WCPSS has the lowest rate in the Triangle region (11.12 percent), which is better than the state average (12.72 percent). Dr. Burns talks about our efforts to retain teachers in this week's Journal.
A transcript is also available.
WCPSS teachers' responses to the state's 2008 Teacher Working Conditions survey are analyzed here.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 3:46 PM on September 25, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: School Attendance is More Important Than You May Realize
Education is cumulative, a series of building blocks requiring a foundation of earlier knowledge. When students -- young and old -- do not attend school regularly, they build barriers increasingly difficult to overcome. Dr. Burns discusses the implications, and asks for your help, in this week's Journal.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 3:08 PM on September 18, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: Consistency and Creativity in Learning and Teaching
Continuing the conversation about the two vital behaviors -- attending school and learning the North Carolina Standard Course of Study -- students must demonstrate to succeed, Dr. Burns talks about how the entire school system is aligning to provide more consistency in teaching the Standard Course of Study across all schools in this week's journal.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 4:13 PM on September 11, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: Two Vital Behaviors for Student Success
Parents, our community, and our schools can work together to influence our students' adoptions of two vital behaviors in order for them to graduate on time, prepared for the future: attending school and learning the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. Dr. Burns explains the importance of those behaviors, and offers resources for families to help their students, in this week's journal.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 3:08 PM on September 4, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: High SATs and a Strong Start to the Year
Dr. Burns highlights our students' strong performance on the SAT, and expresses his appreciation to school staff for a smooth and positive beginning of the traditional calendar school year, in this week's journal.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 1:14 PM on August 28, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Journal #11: Balancing the Budget and Stimulus Funding
This week, Dr. Burns explains how the Board of Education balanced this year's operating budget in light of the state budget cuts. He also discusses how WCPSS will be using federal stimulus funds over the next two years.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Paul Cory at 3:24 PM on August 21, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Superintendent's Journal: Did Our Schools Make the Grade?
Dr. Burns describes the background of the state's "ABCs of Public Education" evaluation of schools, and notes our schools' performance against the No Child Left Behind Act's AYP standards, in this week's video journal.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 4:26 PM on August 14, 2009 | Leave Feedback
August 7 Superintendent's Journal: 21st Century Learning
"21st Century Learning" is still a common phrase in North Carolina, even though we're already ten years into the century. Dr. Burns explains the importance of the phrase, and what its components are in a child's education, in his latest journal.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 2:56 PM on August 7, 2009 | Leave Feedback
July 31 Superintendent's Journal: Our Focus on Graduation
Superintendent Burns discusses our efforts to attain our vision: every child graduating on time, prepared for the future.
A transcript is also available
Do You Know Which Graduating Class Your Child Is In?
| This Year's: | Are the Class of: |
|---|---|
| Seniors | Class of 2010 |
| Juniors | Class of 2011 |
| Sophomores | Class of 2012 |
| Freshman | Class of 2013 |
| 8th Graders | Class of 2014 |
| 7th Graders | Class of 2015 |
| 6th Graders | Class of 2016 |
| 5th Graders | Class of 2017 |
| 4th Graders | Class of 2018 |
| 3rd Graders | Class of 2019 |
| 2nd Graders | Class of 2020 |
| 1st Graders | Class of 2021 |
| Kindergartners | Class of 2022 |
Posted by Paul Cory at 1:05 PM on July 31, 2009 | Leave Feedback
July 24 Superintendent's Journal: EOG and EOC Results
Superintendent Burns shares his perspective on the recently-released "modest, steady" End-of-Grade and End-of-Course preliminary test results in this week's Journal.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 1:16 PM on July 24, 2009 | Leave Feedback
July 17 Superintendent's Journal: The Role of Central Services
While our school system has weathered budget reductions before, the state's budget shortfall is severe enough to affect schools more deeply this year. In today's journal, Dr. Burns talks about where Central Services -- the school system's business infrastructure -- fits in during this challenging time.
A transcript is also available.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 3:19 PM on July 17, 2009 | Leave Feedback
July 10 Superintendent's Journal: What We Saw During the First Week
Dr. Burns visited ten of our year-round schools on opening day. He talks about what he saw and learned then, and reports on our first early dismissal Wednesday for teachers to work in Professional Learning Teams, in this week's journal.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 3:35 PM on July 10, 2009 | Leave Feedback
July 2 Superintendent's Journal: Back to School
In this week's video journal, Dr. Burns talks about preparations for the start of the new school year, particularly regarding transportation and early dismissal Wednesdays.
School Bus Policies:
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 12:04 PM on July 2, 2009 | Leave Feedback
June 26 Superintendent's Journal: Further Actions to Prepare for a Lean Year
In this week's video journal, Dr. Burns explains further steps taken this week -- prompted by recent developments in the North Carolina General Assembly -- to prepare for the possibility of significantly reduced state funding.
Dr. Burns says that the possibilities of significant cuts in funding for teachers, teacher assistants and schools "are rapidly becoming probabilities." As a result, Dr. Burns announces extending the existing hiring freeze to include teacher assistants and teachers in grades six through twelve, as well as banning out-of-state travel and restricting all expenditures of county funding to essential goods and services only.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 3:04 PM on June 26, 2009 | Leave Feedback
June 19 Superintendent's Journal: The Budget's Potential Impact on Schools
Dr. Burns provides an update on local funding following the adoption of the county budget, and discusses some of the potential changes in the classroom after the state government completes its work, in this week's Journal.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 3:25 PM on June 19, 2009 | Leave Feedback
Dr. Burns Launches Superintendent's Journal
The Journal is a videotaped message from Superintendent Del Burns to parents and the community regarding the issues that affect the Wake County Public School System. In what are expected to be regular webcasts, the Journal will allow parents and other key stakeholders the opportunity to hear directly from the Superintendent about plans for the new school year, ways to become involved and how we are improving to meet the needs of all of our students.
In his first Journal entry, Dr. Burns discusses the impact the recession has on the system as we have developed our funding request for the 2009-10 school year and are planning for the opening of school in a few weeks.
You can find text of his talk here.
Posted by Chip Sudderth at 4:16 PM on June 12, 2009 | Leave Feedback