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Superintendent's Plan for Student Success Calls for 6% Increase in Local Per Pupil Funding

March 4, 2008 – In the presenting the Plan for Student Success to the Board of Education today, Superintendent Del Burns said the school system is looking at the resources needed to eliminate the achievement gap and help all students graduate on-time, prepared for the future.

As the school system uses the tools of the Curriculum Management Audit and Professional Learning Communities to improve student academic results, Dr. Burns called for an increase of $140 per student in the county appropriation, about a six percent increase in the local annual per pupil expenditure to maintain the current levels of programs and services.

“Our students’ academic performance, although high by state and national standards, has been on a plateau since 2003. Academic standards are continuing to increase, including elementary and middle school math, various high school courses, and overall graduation requirements,” said Burns. “With higher standards comes increased urgency in our efforts to eliminate achievement gaps between a child’s performance and potential -- both for our struggling and academically gifted students.”

The school system and school board have been hard at work reviewing the Curriculum Management Audit, a comprehensive independent review of WCPSS academic programs. School administrators will soon share the results of the Phase I work in a quarterly report on implementing recommendations as part of a three to five year process. Professional Learning Communities in schools and Central Services departments are part of the ongoing effort to provide team-based, data-driven decision making to make a difference for students in the classroom.

The school system’s annual strategic plan and budget, the Plan for Student Success, leverages these tools and contains a detailed FY 2008-09 budget with business cases for new or expansion items as well as a three-year projection.

The 2008-09 Plan for Student Success begins the process of addressing higher standards, moving academic progress upward off its plateau, and eliminating achievement gaps, while at the same time addressing growth and other changes that impact student learning.

“The Plan represents our assessment of the financial resources necessary to ensure the strength of the Wake County Public School System, one of the economic engines of our county,” said Burns. “Our schools must prepare all students for a global and technological future difficult to imagine as we work toward academic success for all students.”

The school system has already made fiscal and administrative improvements such as streamlining the Central Services divisions, strengthening internal financial controls, integrating community feedback through superintendent’s summits, and supporting School Improvement Planning through the area superintendents’ offices. The school board has adopted a new fund balance policy that limits the use of undesignated reserves while maintaining sufficient funding for unanticipated needs.

Maintaining Current Services

Dr. Burns said adequate funding is required just to maintain the current level of services to existing students. “Just to meet the needs of students currently in our schools requires millions of dollars in additional local funding for legislative staffing mandates,” said Burns. “That’s before we tackle elimination of the achievement gap or consider meeting the needs of 6,000 additional students and opening three new schools.”

The school system is seeking to keep pace with thousands of new students entering the schools. Enrollment grew by 7,500 for 2006-07, 6,000 for 2007-08 and is projected to increase by more than 6,000 for 2008-09.

The largest increase in funding is in response to growth. The plan includes $16.4 million to open three new elementary schools and meet the needs of an additional 6,400 students. The new schools opening for 2008-09 are Mills Park Elementary, Laurel Park Elementary and Sycamore Creek Elementary.

Legislative changes for salary increases and employer's matching benefit changes require the school district to spend an additional $10.1 million for existing staff.

The plan includes $8.3 million in savings, removing one-time costs from the previous year and budget reductions.

The school system receives 61 percent of its funding from the state, 33 percent from local government and six percent from the federal government. The county appropriation that provides most of the local funding totals $335.7 million. That includes the Superintendent’s Plan for Student Success proposal for an increase in the county appropriation of $35.0 million.

3-year plan based on strategic directives
The Plan for Student Success describes a three-year budget plan. It provides an in-depth and detailed business description of financial needs based on growing student enrollment and the school system’s four strategic directives:

• Rededicating the focus on learning and teaching;
• Retaining, recruiting and training high quality employees;
• Developing and implementing systems and structures to support schools, ensure accountability and engage the community;
• Expanding fiscal accountability.

Approximately 82 percent of the school system’s total funding pays for employee salaries and benefits, and approximately 95 percent of the school system’s positions are school based.

The Board of Education will have work sessions in March and April and a public hearing on March 18. The board is expected to approve the plan in late April.

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Plan for Student Success 2008-09

 

Our vision is that working as a community of educators
with the support of the broader community, we will ensure
that every child educated in our school system
graduates on time, prepared for the future.

 

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