December 19, 2008

Top News

Teachers Earn National Board Certification

The Wake County Public School System had 197 educators earn certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards this year, making WCPSS one of the nation’s leaders in the certification program. This is the fourth largest number of educators to earn certification of any school district in the nation and the largest in the state. With a total of 1,487 National Board certified teachers, WCPSS employs the second largest number of National Board certified teachers in the nation behind Broward County, Florida. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards began its certification program 14 years ago. The process requires teachers to undertake a vigorous self-examination over the course of up to three years, complete an extensive portfolio and take computer-based assessments required by the National Board. The Wake County Public School System and the state of North Carolina support and encourage teachers to earn certification. More information, including the list of teachers earning certification this year can be found here.

WCPSS Retains Quality Teachers

An effort to retain quality teachers is having an impact in the Wake County Public School System, as the school system’s teacher turnover rate remains below the state average and below other urban districts in the state. The 2007-08 Teacher Turnover Rate report issued by the NC Department of Public Instruction reports the WCPSS rate at 11.67 percent, below the state average of 13.85 percent. The 2007-08 WCPSS rate of 11.67 percent compares with rates of 14.57 percent for Charlotte-Mecklenburg, 14.69 percent for Johnston County, 14.84 percent for Chapel Hill-Carrboro, 15.70 percent for Guilford County and 17.38 percent for Durham County. More information can be found here.

ISSUE:  Staff Multi-Year Assignment Proposal Presented to Board After months of work on the first ever multi-year student assignment proposal, WCPSS has given a much earlier look at a draft proposal and has used the input from thousands of families to improve the proposal presented to the Board of Education on Dec. 16. Beginning Saturday Morning, Dec. 20, the latest student assignment proposal will be online NEWS RELEASE Staff Multi-Year Assignment Proposal Presented to Board The proposal to fill 10 new schools over the next three years now includes 25,486 students, 1,285 fewer than in the draft proposal released for comment Nov. 15. Assistant Superintendent Chuck Dulaney of WCPSS Growth and Planning said information received from the five Community Engagement Meetings held across the county and from online comments improved the proposal presented to the board. More than 1,800 people attended the five Community Engagement Meetings held by the school system on the multi-year student assignment proposal. Attendance was estimated at 200 at Knightdale High, 700 at Cary High, 250 at Wake Forest-Rolesville High, 250 at Holly Springs High and 400 at Broughton High. During the time comments were received online, the proposal received 511,939 page views and visitors have downloaded 43,860 maps and other files. The school system received 4,165 comments. The multi-year proposal responds to public requests for information and input and was made possible thanks to improved technology and planning information provided by municipalities. This year’s process provides families with more information and provides it earlier. The board will now review the staff proposal in work sessions and hear comments on the proposal in five public hearings. Jan.5 at Apex High, 1501 Laura Duncan Road, Apex, NC Jan. 8 at Southeast Raleigh High, 2600 Rock Quarry Road, Raleigh, NC Jan. 12 at Millbrook High, 2201 Spring Forest Road, Raleigh, NC Jan. 14 at Fuquay-Varina High, 201 Bengal Blvd., Fuquay-Varina, NC Jan. 15 at East Wake High, 5101 Rolesville Road, Wendell, NC Meetings will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the auditorium of each high school. Persons interested in speaking at the hearings may register online. Speakers will be scheduled in the order they sign up. Preregistration is on a first-come, first-served basis. In order to maximize the number of people able to share their thoughts with the Board, you will be allowed to speak at only one public hearing. People who speak at a public hearing will also be able to submit comments online during the online comment period, which starts the morning of Dec. 20 and ends Jan. 15.

More News

Board Approves IB Magnet Changes

After agreeing to reconsider the magnet status of Broughton High School, the Board of Education voted Dec. 10 to phase out the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years and Diploma Programmes at Broughton over the next five years. The board voted to implement the IB Middle Years and Diploma Programmes at Millbrook High School to continue to serve IB elementary and middle school students. The board action has an impact on the assignment proposal, reducing the number of students reassigned in the proposal for Broughton High, Leesville Road High and Sanderson High.

River Bend Moves into New Facility

School started Dec. 8 for River Bend Elementary faculty and students for the first time in their new home at 6710 Perry Creek Road after lots of hard work by River Bend teachers and staff and Wake County Public School System Facilities staff. The new River Bend Elementary is a 51 teaching space reuse of the two story elementary school prototype used at East Garner Elementary. The facility was designed by Pearce, Brinkley, Cease and Lee. Barnhill Construction was the Construction Manager. The 103,806 square foot facility is located on a 20 acre site, master planned in collaboration with Wake Technical Community College and the City of Raleigh. It is adjacent to the Wake Tech North campus and a future City of Raleigh Park. Principal Lois Hart credits hard work by her faculty and staff as well as the school system movers in getting the entire school moved over a weekend from the temporary modular campus on Spring Forest Road to the school’s permanent home at Perry Creek Road.

School Resource Officers are Important Part of School Security Team

Thanks to the Wake County Sheriff’s Department and municipal police departments, law enforcement officers serve as School Resource Officers in every WCPSS middle and high school. There are 26 SROs at high schools and 28 at middle schools. At the high school level, Raleigh provides 9 SROs, Cary 5 and Wake County 4. Garner and Holly Springs each provide two. Apex, Fuquay-Varina, Knightdale and Wake Forest each provide one. At the middle school level, Wake County provides 19, Cary provides 5 and Garner provides 2. Apex and Holly Springs each provide one. You can find more information about SROs in the December 2008 School Connection TV report here. Click on "To Serve and Protect."

Board Hears From Auditors and Receives Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

At its Dec. 16 meeting, the board received the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2008. WCPSS Finance Officer Mark Winters said the CAFR indicates a strong financial position. As a result of appropriate fiscal management, including realistic budgeting practices, effective cost controls, and sound cash management. Winters said the board’s independent certified public accountants, Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, LLP, have audited the general purpose financial statements and related combining and individual fund and account group statements and schedules and have rendered their unqualified opinion on them. In its transmittal letter, the auditor warned of the trying times in the U.S. financial sector trickling down to state and local governments and recommended the board re-evaluate revenues and consider cost containment measures. The board heard from Gordon Brown, chair of the school system’s Independent Audit Committee, who said the committee talked with the independent auditors and the school system finance team about the audit results. WCPSS is one of the first school systems in the nation to establish an Independent Audit Committee. You can read Brown’s comments to the board here.

Magnet Schools Update

Senior Director for Magnet Programs David Ansbacher extends an invitation to parents in this ParentVision update on magnet schools to find out more about our offerings. December and January are excellent times to explore magnet programs in person through visits and tours. Ansbacher expands on this in the podcast and also notes the changes in the magnet draw area. More information about our magnet programs is available on their website. The online application period is February 9-28, 2009. Watch David Ansbacher on ParentVision.