November 20, 2009

Top News

Superintendent Calls for $20 Million in Central Services Budget Cuts

Facing a potential funding gap of $20 million for the next fiscal year, WCPSS Superintendent Del Burns yesterday called for his senior management team to prepare plans for cutting its Central Services operations.

In a briefing for reporters, Burns outlined anticipated cost increases and revenue declines for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010. "We are in the midst of our budget planning process and given what we see in the leading indicators, we must take proactive steps now to address the problem of rising expenses and decreasing revenue," said Burns. "As we did last year, as information became apparent regarding our financial situation, we made decisions to absorb the impact.  This year, we are trying to avoid going back to the classrooms for cuts."

The changes the school system must prepare for include:

• $8 million in discretionary cuts in state funding as part of the second year of the biennial budget;
• an anticipated increase of $6 million in employee retirement, hospitalization, dental insurance and local salary supplements;
• a reduction of $3 million available from system reserves to balance the budget; and
• unknown expenses associated with growth and new schools.

"In our current budget, more than 88 cents from every dollar is spent directly in schools," Burns said. "The remaining 12 cents goes to the business functions that support our schools, such as human resources, technology support, maintenance and payroll. There will be an indirect impact on our schools, however we will do everything we can to mitigate that impact."

Burns directed his leadership team to develop and submit the reduction plans. Burns will then review them, make any revisions and include them in his budget recommendations which are slated to be presented to the Wake County Board of Education in early March.  The school board will work through the recommendations and submit their request to the Wake County Board of Commissioners by May 15.

Board Approves Reduction In Force for the Capital Improvement Program

At the Nov. 17 meeting of the Board of Education, the board approved a recommendation for Reduction in Force identifying seven filled positions, 1 filled position to become vacant upon a retirement and two currently vacant positions to be eliminated. The board action followed Nov. 3 board approval to RIF 10 positions funded by the Capital Improvement Program. The actions follow a slow down in the availability of funding for the school construction program resulting from the downturn in the national economy.

ISSUE:  Update on Annual Graduation Rate Report The WCPSS Evaluation & Research Department has recently completed its analysis of high school four-year graduation rates for the 2008-09 school year. The report shows four years' worth of graduation-rate results for WCPSS as a whole as well as for various student subgroups. Here are some findings from the report. High School Graduation Rates, Wake County Public School System (WCPSS): 2008-09 The overall graduation rate for WCPSS in 2008-09 was 78.4%, meaning that about four out of every five students who enrolled in 9th grade for the first time in the fall of 2005 had graduated four years later. This rate was down just slightly from 2007-08, when 78.8% of the cohort graduated. The individual high school rates in 2008-09 varied from 71.8% 2 to 96.6%. Sixteen of twenty-four (67 %) schools had graduation rates above 80%. The four-year graduation rate varied considerably (from 51.1% to 89.4%) among ethnic subgroups, with White and Asian students showing the highest rates and African American/Black and Hispanic/Latino students the lowest. In 2008-09, the rate for the White (89.4%) and Multiracial (81.2%) subgroups increased, but the Asian (88.3%), African American/Black (63.4%), and Hispanic/Latino (51.1%) rates decreased. Also, the African American/Black and Hispanic/Latino subgroups are showing a decreasing four-year trend. Students with disabilities (SWD), students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (FRL), and students with limited English proficiency (LEP) had graduation rates that were substantially below the system-wide average. The rate for the LEP subgroup rose in 2008-09 as did the rate for the SWD subgroup (38.9% from 38.6% in 2007-08 and 56.8% from 56.3%, respectively). The rate for the FRL subgroup fell to 54.2% from 56.5% in 2007-08. Comparisons reveal that WCPSS overall rates compare favorably to other North Carolina school districts, the state, and the nation. WCPSS rates were as high as or higher than most other large NC public school districts in 2008-09, and higher than the state. Education Week, which used a different method to estimate rates, reported WCPSS to be second-highest in graduation rates among the 50 largest public school districts in 2005-06, 10th highest in 2006-07, 6th highest in 2007-08, and 7th highest in 2008-09 . Subgroup analysis that compared WCPSS 2008-09 graduation rates to other selected North Carolina school districts and the state found that WCPSS had rates above the state rates and also above most of the comparison districts for male, female, Asian, Multiracial, and White students. African/American and SWD rates were close to the state rate, while Hispanic/Latino, FRL, and LEP rates were all below the state rate and also below most of the comparison districts.

More News

Four Board Members Honored for Service

Four board members who are completing their service on the board received NC PTA honors.

Four members of the Wake County Board of Education were honored during the Nov. 17 meeting of the school board as they completed serving their terms in office. The four board members were honored by parents and educators. Click here to listen to Four Board Members Honored for Service. This is a 7.5 minute mp3 file.

Board Names Principals

At its November 17 meeting, the Board of Education named principals for four new schools due to open next year. The principals and their new assignments are Mark Savage at Heritage High, Ken Proulx at Holly Grove Middle, Bob Smith at Mills Park Middle and Fran Venezia at Alston Ridge Elementary.

Savage has served as principal of Wakefield High since 2006. Proulx has served as a senior director in WCPSS Organizational Development and Support since 2008. Smith has served as principal of Durant Road Middle since 2005. Venezia has served as principal of Farmington Woods Magnet Elementary since 1996.

Update on Planned Forest Ridge High Site

A joint meeting on Nov. 18 of the Wake County Commissioners and Wake County Board of Education heard an update on the site for the planned Forest Ridge High School from county and school staff. Staff traced the timeline of the project with the original board approval given in early 2008, first rejected by the commissioners in August 2008 and then approved after a comparison with alternative sites in October 2008. Design and infrastructure planning for the site began. The NC Department of Transportation noted in July 2009 that road improvements totaling $7.5 million would be required. At that point, the county manager and school superintendent convened a joint staff work group to look at infrastructure requirement options and possible alternative sites. The working group identified 130 sites. They worked with a team of reviewers from NC DOT, the City of Raleigh and Town of Rolesville that examined a number of criteria that reduced the number of potentially workable sites to 4. The working group is now developing comparative analysis for these four sites and NC DOT traffic analysis information for different access to the current location, as well as traffic analysis for the four alternatives. Staff said it would require another 30 days of analysis before they would report findings to the county manager and school superintendent.

Update on Student Enrollment Projections

A joint meeting on Nov. 18 of the Wake County Commissioners and Wake County Board of Education heard the annual update on student enrollment projections from county and school staff. Staff reviewed the 2009 projection and actual count. The projection was for 140,012. On the 20th day of school, WCPSS had 139,599 students, an increase of 1,893 students over the previous year. Staff noted one impact on this year’s enrollment was a change in state law for kindergarten enrollment. This one year change affected more than 1,400 students who would have entered school in 2009.

Staff estimates student enrollment providing projections for operation budgeting and for school construction.

In discussing projections for operation budgeting, staff noted they consider the progression of age cohorts, in-migration and market share. They estimate an additional 3,800 students for 2010 for student enrollment of 143,400.

In discussing projections for school construction, Staff explained the projections are generated for multiple years to plan demands on current and future building programs. The projection assumes economic recovery is seen in the fall of 2011 and assumes that future growth will mirror student growth experienced in past economic cycles. The model anticipates a pace of 6,000 to 7,000 additional students annually beginning in 2012.

The projections are updated and reported annually based on the most recent student and economic data.

Update on Facilities Utilization

A joint meeting on Nov. 18 of the Wake County Commissioners and Wake County Board of Education heard the annual update on facilities utilization from school staff. The annual report includes the system’s school membership, school capacities, utilization of temporary classrooms, and the impact of programs on capacity. The report includes capacity models that describe the planned use of classrooms in each school, including accommodations for students with special needs and magnet programs.

Staff reported utilization of a school is defined as the student membership divided by the school’s capacity. Capacity of each school comes from the planning model used for the school and adjustments to the model that arise form the need for spaces to serve special programs and the use of temporary classrooms on the campus.
:
Elementary: Overall utilization at the elementary level was at 89.8 percent at the end of October compared to 92.6 percent last year. There are 60 elementary schools operating on a traditional or modified calendar and 42 four-track year-round schools. There are 577 mobiles on elementary campuses for 2009-10 resulting in an average of 5.7 per campus.

Middle: Overall utilization at middle schools was at 94.5 percent at the end of October compared to 95.0 percent last year. There are 21 middle schools operating on a traditional or modified calendar and nine four-track year-round schools. There are 162 mobiles on elementary campuses for 2009-10 resulting in an average of 5.1 per campus.

High: Overall utilization at the high school level was at 92.9 percent at the end of October compared to 95.3 percent last year. All high schools operate on a traditional or modified calendar. There are 331 mobiles on elementary campuses for 2009-10 resulted in an average of 13.2 per campus.

Board Receives Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

At its Nov. 17 meeting, the Board of Education heard from WCPSS Finance Officer Mark Winters on the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2009. 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. The auditor’s reports on the schedule of federal and state financial assistance, internal control structure, and compliance matters are a part of the single audit section of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. As a result of appropriate fiscal management, including realistic budgeting practices, effective cost controls, and sound cash management, the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report indicates a strong financial position at June 30, 2009.

Board Approves PD 360 Professional Development Resource

At its Nov. 17 meeting, the Board of Education approved the purchase of PD 360, a web-based, on-demand library of professional learning resources that will support schools in the establishment of a systemic, job-embedded program that emphasizes classroom implementation. PD 360’s content is divided into hundreds of indexed and searchable segments that make it easy for teachers, administrators, aspiring leaders, coaches, mentors, and professional learning communities to use. The web-based resource contains over 200 hours of research-based video content plus tools for follow up, tracking, reflection, and group training. PD 360 is an on-demand library of professional development resources that leverages technology to provide effective, convenient, and sustainable professional learning. This 3-year PD 360 purchase and pricing agreement totals $1,192,485.

Board Approves Title I Supplemental Educational Services

At its Nov. 17 meeting, the Board of Education approved tutoring services for students who qualify for free/reduced lunch and attend Brentwood, Fox Road, Poe Montessori, Wendell and York Elementary. The total cost of the services for 225 students is $319,950.00. The services are being provided as required under the “No Child Left Behind” law. Under the law, Title I schools that have not met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goals for three consecutive years must offer Supplemental Educational Services (SES) for all eligible students. The services must be offered by a provider that is approved by the Department of Public Instruction.

WCPSS is now on YouTube and Twitter

Introducing two additional ways to stay up-to-date with the Wake County Public School System:
Search our library of videos on YouTube for your school, your favorite teacher, or simply browse around and discover interesting video stories and resources within the Wake County Public School System. Receive timely Tweets of news and information - follow WCPSS1 on Twitter.

Board reviews policy updates

At its meeting Nov. 17 meeting, the Board of Education gave final approval to
Policy 2338, 3038, 4038, 6414: Harassment /Bullying
Policy 2500: Public Information

After a review of the board’s Policy Committee, the board gave final approval to deletion of the following policies that have been incorporated into other revised policies:
Policy 2510: Public Information Program – Incorporated Into Policy 2500 – Public Information
Policy 2511: Publics Right To Know – Incorporated Into Policy 2500 – Public Information
Policy 2430: Public Use Of School Records – Incorporated Into Policy 2500 – Public Information
Policy 2810: Public Information Repository – Incorporated Into Policy 2500 – Public Information

The review of board policies is based on a recommendation from the curriculum management audit.