September 18, 2009

Top News

Wake County College Fair

The Wake County College and Post Secondary Opportunities Fair will be held 2:00-4:30 p.m., Sunday, September 20 at the McKimmon Center at NC State University.

High School students and their parents can talk with representatives from over 100 colleges, universities, community colleges and all branches of the military. The college fair will offer free sessions on financial aid and college planning.

The McKimmon Center is located on Gorman Street at the intersection with Western Boulevard.
This is a popular event, so provide time in your schedule for parking and then visiting with the representatives of the colleges and universities that are your top choices.

The fair is sponsored by Wake County Public School System Counseling and Student Services, Carolina Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and NC State University.

139,362 students on day 10

WCPSS had 139,362 students in the ten day count. This is 1,770 more students in school than the 137,592 students counted on the tenth day of school in 2008-09.

On the 20th day of 2008-09, student enrollment was 137,706.

Morrison Takes Board of Education Oath of Office

Carolyn Bond Morrison was sworn into office as the newest member of the Wake County Board of Education on September 15.

Dr. Morrison was sworn into office by husband Fred Morrison with her son Jimmy Earp standing beside her. Also on the podium with Morrison were Wake County Sherriff Donnie Harrison and Avera Acai, who is one of the first graduates from the Peace College Education Department and a current teacher at Lacy Elementary. Acai held the Bible on which Morrison placed her hand for the oath.

Morrison fills the District 6 seat on the Board of Education left vacant when Beverley Clark resigned from the board.

Dr. Morrison recently retired after serving as the director of the Division of Education at Peace College. Prior to that, she was an associate professor in the School of Education at Campbell University and was chairperson for the State ABC Assistance Team for the NC Department of Public Instruction.

She had a long career in the Wake County Public School System serving as principal at Lynn Road Elementary and Root Elementary, as a WCPSS Elementary Curriculum Consultant and as a teacher at Green Elementary.

Issue: Federal Stimulus Funds Create Wake County Public School System Jobs Federal stimulus funds are being used to create 558 jobs in the Wake County Public School System, according to WCPSS administrators. WCPSS Chief Business Officer David Neter told the Board of Education meeting in the committee of the whole session Tuesday that the school system has worked to provide job opportunities with the federal funds provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. WCPSS Chief Academic Officer Donna Hargens said there are four principals guiding the school system’s use of the two years of federal stimulus funds: Spend funds quickly to save and create jobs Improve student achievement through school improvement and reform Ensure transparency, reporting and accountability Invest one-time ARRA funds thoughtfully to minimize the “funding cliff” Funds are to be used for short-term investment that have the potential for long-term benefits rather than expenditures the school system may not be able to sustain once the recovery funds are expended. Dr. Hargens says all 558 jobs are in schools and include 460 certified jobs and 98 non certified jobs. In the certified jobs are 180 teachers and 280 instructional staff. The non certified jobs include 98 teacher assistants. Dr. Hargens said the school system was able to use the federal stimulus funding to create new teaching jobs and save some teaching jobs that would have been lost. Hargens said these job openings benefitted teachers who were displaced by budget cuts. The school system sought to fill these positions with displaced WCPSS teachers, or attract teachers whose positions could then be filled with displaced WCPSS teachers. Dr. Hargens said the school system used funds to create jobs that would have a big impact in the two years of funding. Hargens said the investment in pre-kindergarten instruction and instructional coaches would have a lasting impact on the students in our school system. She said the stimulus dollars will have increased our capacity to provide quality instruction and services that address the needs of every student as we work to achieve the board goal of having all students graduating on time, prepared for the future.

More News

Conrad Hooper Remembered

Conrad Hooper died Sept. 7 at the age of 92. Hooper is remembered in Wake County for his leadership in education. He was one of the school system leaders that guided the schools through merger in 1976.

Hooper was superintendent of the former Raleigh City School System from 1966 to 1976. Then he served as the first Deputy Superintendent of the Wake County Public School System from 1976 to 1979.

“Mr. Hooper was one of the many courageous leaders that worked long and hard on behalf of all children in Wake County,” said Superintendent Del Burns. “In fact, Dr. Morrison and I were present at his funeral service. The church was filled. It was packed. Men and women influenced by Mr. Hooper over his 92 years, his students, his colleagues, his friends and many admirers. On behalf of our staff and the Wake County Public School System, I offer our condolences to the Hooper family.”

"We owe a great debt to the Wake County leaders who had the foresight to bring our community together and create a school system that powered the opportunities and growth we share today," said Kevin L. Hill, chair of the Wake County Board of Education. "Conrad Hooper, Vernon Malone, and other courageous leaders worked long and hard through difficult times establishing the foundation of our school system. As we look at our community today, it is easy to see the benefits their vision brought us."

Hooper came to Raleigh in 1948 to teach at Olds Elementary, eventually becoming principal at Olds Elementary. He later served as principal at Hugh Morson High School and at Daniels Junior High. Morson High which looked similar to crosstown rival Broughton High was torn down to make way for Raleigh's federal building. Daniels is now a middle school.

Final Touches Being Put on Renovated Root Elementary

The Wake County Public School System has received a Certificate of Occupancy for Root Elementary which has been undergoing major renovations. During renovations, the school has been operating in a temporary modular campus off St Albans Street near North Hills Mall.

Don Haydon, WCPSS Chief Facilities and Operations Officer, offered his congratulations to the Root Elementary project team for their hard work in finishing the renovations and receiving a Certificate of Occupancy ahead of schedule. Haydon said their hard work contributed to a successful project.

With construction complete, the WCPSS Facilities team will be moving in the equipment and furniture, preparing the school for the return of students and faculty. Students are scheduled to arrive on Monday, November 2.

Root principal Drew Ware says the school is excited about moving back into their newly renovated building. He says the faculty is working on the details of making the move work smoothly for students, their families and teachers. He’s talked with PTA leaders to prepare students and families. For kindergartners and first graders, it will be their first time at the campus on Northampton Road.

Ware says the school is returning to its campus as Root marks its 50th year as a school.

Special Education Support for Secondary Level Framework Schools

At its meeting Sept. 15, the Board of Education heard from Cam Lopes of the special education K-12 support team. Lopes described how the team provides targeted assistance and resources to secondary schools. Schools are identified as framework schools based on specific variables. The purpose of the targeted support is to respond to the needs as identified in the review of data associated with the variables. Lopes showed their work was bearing fruit with improved test scores.

Information for parents

Here’s a collection of information for families to help with the start of the new school year.

You can find articles on building relations with teachers, preparing for flu season, and WAKE Wednesdays in the Parent Matters newsletter. 

You can get the latest information from Sarah Martin, the Wake County PTA Council President in the ParventVision webvideo. 

You can listen to Rene Herrick, Wake County Teacher of the Year, and parent Denise Huska talk about teachers and parents working together in the WCPSS audio podcast. 

Board reviews policy updates

At its meeting September 1, the Board of Education gave final approval to revisions of
Policy 1200 – Duties of Officers 
Policy 1214 – Attorney
Policy 1300 – Board Meetings
Policy 1323 – Rules of Order
Policy 2100 – Employment of Superintendent
Policy 2110 – Job description of Superintendent  

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
Deletion of Policy 1315 – Public Hearings - incorporated into Policy 1300 Board Meetings
Deletion of Policy 1316 – Hearing Panels - incorporated into Policy 1300 Board Meetings
Deletion of Policy 2110 – Qualifications of Superintendent – incorporated into Policy 2100 Employment of the Superintendent
Deletion of Policy 2120 – Recruitment of Superintendent – incorporated into Policy 2100 Employment of the Superintendent
Deletion of Policy 2130 – Election of Superintendent – incorporated into Policy 2100 Employment of the Superintendent
Deletion of Policy 2140 – Oath or Affirmation of Superintendent – incorporated into Policy 2100 Employment of the Superintendent
Deletion of Policy 2160 – Compensation and Benefits of Superintendent – incorporated into Policy 2100 Employment of the Superintendent
Deletion of Policy 2170 – Expenses of Superintendent – incorporated into Policy 2100 Employment of the Superintendent
Deletion of Policy 2180 – Evaluation of Superintendent – incorporated into Policy 2100 Employment of the Superintendent
Deletion of Policy 2190 – Separation of Superintendent – incorporated into Policy 2100 Employment of the Superintendent

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