General Questions
1. Why are some schools so much more over crowded than others, based on capacity?
Growth in areas and the attempt to provide stability by not moving students causes some schools to be more overcrowded than others. As new schools open, efforts are made to correct these situations.
2. Are question cards available online?
You can submit questions to studentassignment@wcpss.net
3. What factors are considered in long term school growth planning?
We maintain growth records for nodes and for schools. We also plot new subdivisions. These factors, plus enrollment trends, give us the direction we need to take for planning. This is done in conjunction with the Facilities department.
4. Will our comments really be taken seriously?
Yes. They will be used to the degree possible. In some cases, there are comments supporting “both sides of a question” and this will result in someone thinking we did not take them seriously. The comments of many parents reflect what they think is best for their family (and that is expected) while the staff must also consider that plus what is good for all students in the system.
5. When renovating an existing facility, what criteria are used to determine what size the expansion should be? Our elementary school has a renovated wing that opened this year that is already not large enough for the school population.
Expansions depend on space available, the infrastructure already present in the school, the maximum size desired for the school, etc. There is generally on-site discussion about what is planned and the school staff and school families have a chance for input. Available funds also play a role.
6. Please take after school activities and student illness into consideration when reassigning for distance. When children get sick how can we get there in a timely manner? As well kids need lessons and to explore interests after school, many are limited because they do not get home until 4:30 or so and have homework, dinner.
Travel distance/time made the top of most lists during these listening sessions.
7. Can we have a copy of the power point presentation?
It is currently on the Wake County Public Schools web site (wcpss.net)
8. With total enrollment predicted to reach 160,000 kids by 2020, why doesn’t WCPSS dissolve into five independent school districts? The current system is too large and unresponsive and this will only get worse. Be bold and don’t use the excuse that it wouldn’t be cost effective.
The division of the school system is not a local option. The state is consolidating as many districts in a county into one per county as possible.
9. When facing reassignment why does the WCPSS not electronically poll the residence/parents of impacted children? This would be an appropriate use of technology.
There is not a system wide electronic database at this time. Would there be uniform agreement among people surveyed in a general area?
10. I live in Chesney Glen on Hwy 55, within the Cary city limit; currently we are assigned to Apex High, maybe because our zip code before was 27502. Our community has 70 homes and there are less than 10 kids that will begin to high school over the next five years. Our neighboring subdivision (Ashley Woods) is zoned for Green Hope High; we are less than two miles away from Green Hope, why are we left out? Consider assigning us where we should be.
High schools reassignments will be reviewed this year but most changes will occur when we open new high schools in this area in 2006.
11. Why was Kingswood rebuilt for only 400 students when Northwoods is only being repaired? Why not combine and use Kingswood for offices?
Northwoods is receiving a major renovation while the students are sent to another site. We need all of the seats that are available plus more. As long as there is a population to place in a school, that space will have to be used.
12. I would like to request Director of Special Education to hold community meetings with parents.
This request would need to be directed to that person since he does not work under the direction of Growth Management.
13. Any plans on dividing WCPSS in two systems since it’s projected to get so large (160,000 by 2020)?
There are no plans under consideration to divide the school district. As currently understood, the state wishes to consolidate all districts within a county into one district as Wake County did several years ago.
14. How can I get more involved?
There are many ways to become involved. Include (but certainly not an inclusive list) would involve checking with individual principals about committees, etc., volunteering to your school board member to serve on citizen committees, and working with special interest groups to support a cause in which you believe.
15. Announcements made sooner (e.g., January) How are teachers assigned to new schools? How are charter or private school openings factored into school growth? Has a study been done of number of reassignments per a. node, b. income level?
Teachers are assigned to new schools as principals make those choices. In almost all cases, the principal is the person who makes that final decision even though when schools are losing staff for whatever reason, those teachers have priority for consideration for job openings. The Office of Growth Management keeps a record of node reassignment by years. While there is a history of node reassignment this is not directly correlated to income level of the charts kept. The history that is kept deals with percentages of students and not names of individual students.
18. What high school am I assigned to currently? Catlin Road, Cary
Apex High School
19. What is the U.S. average, median and research based optimum numbers of students that a
school system should manage? The number of 109 - 106,000 scares me for one management group to handle.
The size of school district varies from very small to very large districts across the country. That “average” size was not readily available.
20. I would love small group meetings about the 9th grade centers and the specific problems related to this?
This would be a school-based decision since each school will determine how to do this based on their own situation.