Parents, Students, Teachers Get a Voice In Under-Enrolled Year-Round Schools Decision
April 13, 2011 - Parents, students and staff at 14 under-enrolled Wake County year-round schools are being asked their opinions about the idea of scheduling all students on a single-track for the 2011-12 school year. Notification of an online survey begins today, with the internet survey going live tomorrow, April 14. The deadline for completing the survey is April 30.
As part of a holistic facilities utilization review and budget-building process,Wake Superintendent Tony Tata has asked the staff to study traditional schools with declining enrollment as well as under-enrolled traditional and year-round schools to determine what if any programs or modifications are necessary.
The school system identified 14 year-round calendar schools where the student enrollment is less than 100 percent of single-track capacity. The schools meeting this criterion are Alston Ridge, Ballentine, Banks Road, East Garner, Harris Creek, Highcroft, Lake Myra, Rand Road, River Bend, Timber Drive, Wakefield and West Lake elementary schools, and East Cary and Holly Grove middle schools.
Tata proposed providing scheduling flexibility to principals of these year-round calendar schools in order to focus on student achievement, operational efficiencies and maximum use of resources.
“Almost everywhere I’ve been in the county, parents, teachers and principals have asked about the idea of having the option for a single-track year-round calendar model,” said Tata. “While we have a responsibility to ensure the efficient use of our resources, we must focus our efforts to maximize student achievement, and in order to do that, we need input from those schools’ communities on whether scheduling all students on a single-track would accomplish both those objectives.”
Parents will use their child’s student identification number to access the on-line survey. Letters with instructions on how to participate in the survey are being sent home starting Thursday, April 14 with students who are currently in school on tracks 1, 2 and 3 of the year-round calendar. Parents of students who are assigned to track 4, and who are not in school this week, will receive their instruction letters by mail. Students can share their thoughts about the proposed concept by responding to one question specifically addressed to them in the survey. Staff at these schools will receive a separate survey to provide their feedback.
While the final deadline for completing the survey is April 30, the Board of Education will receive preliminary results at their April 26 work session and final survey results at the regular school board meeting on May 3.
In addition to the review of under-enrolled year-round schools, the system has committed resources to support five under-enrolled elementary schools. The board agreed to approve the superintendent's recommendation for five schools to receive extra funding for months of employment for teachers and to receive the three full time specials teachers for physical education, art and music. The schools that will receive this assistance include Aversboro, Bailywick, Hilburn Drive, Jeffery's Grove and Root.
The staff review will also identify 10 additional schools: five to join the STEM Schools Collaborative Network and five to join the Global Schools Network. These networks will offer an intensive international studies or technology program for which six elementary, two middle and two high schools will be selected.