School Connection
Goal 2008: WCPSS is committed to academic excellence. By 2008, 95 percent of students in grades 3 through 12 will be at or above grade level as measured by the State of North Carolina End-of-Grade or Course tests, and all student groups will demonstrate high growth.November 23, 2005
SUPERINTENDENT MCNEAL ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
Superintendent Bill McNeal announced Nov. 15 he plans to retire from the
system to become the Executive Director of the NC Association of School
Administrators. His retirement will be effective June 30, 2006. He will
assume his new duties on July 1, 2006.
McNeal is the longest serving Superintendent of the Wake County School System since the merger of the Raleigh City Schools and the Wake County Public Schools in 1976. McNeal was named Superintendent in 2000.
In remarks to the Board of Education, McNeal said, "I have been blessed to have been given the opportunity to work for, and then lead an organization that has faced challenges, but I believe we faced those challenges head on, with character and integrity which are the same traits we expect of our children. And as a result, we have award-winning schools in every part of our county. It has truly been a labor of love."
McNeal began his career with the Wake County Public School System in 1974 as a Social Studies teacher at Carroll Middle School. In subsequent years, he served in the roles of Assistant Principal, Principal, Assistant Superintendent, and Associate Superintendent and was named Superintendent in July 2000. In 2004, the American Association of School Administrators named McNeal "National Superintendent of the Year."
BOARD APPROVES 2007-08 SCHOOL CALENDAR
At its Nov. 15 meeting, the Board of Education approved calendars for the
2007-08 school year.
The traditional calendar contains 180 days of instruction for students, as well as 11 paid holidays, 10 paid vacation days, and 8 of 14 teacher workdays. The first day for students will be Monday, August 27, 2007. Winter break would be December 24 through January 1. Spring break is March 31 through April 4. The last day of school for students will be Tuesday, June 10, 2008.
The year-round calendar begins July 9 for Tracks 1-3 and July 30 for Track 4. Winter break would be December 24 through January 1. The last day of school would be June 3 for Track 1 and June 27 for Tracks 2-4. Currently, there are 15 year-round schools. The board has agreed to open five more elementary year-round schools in 2006-07.
The first day for modified calendar students will be Wednesday, July 25, 2007. Winter break would be December 19 through January 1. Spring break is March 10-28. The last day for students will be Friday, May 30, 2008. The first semester is similar to Track 4 of the year-round calendar, and second semester is similar to Track 1. This calendar is used at Southeast Raleigh High, Centennial Campus Middle, Moore Square Middle, as well as Carver Elementary, and Partnership Elementary.
The 2006-07 calendar was adopted in 2004. You can find the school calendars at http://www.wcpss.net/Calendars/
BOARD APPROVES LEARN AND EARN EARLY COLLEGE CALENDAR
At its Nov. 15 meeting, the Board of Education approved staff's proposal
to seek a calendar waiver from the State Board of Education to support the
Learn and Earn Early College High School. The Learn and Earn Early College
High School is proposed to be located on the Wake Technical Community College
Health Sciences campus. The waiver is being sought from the State Board
of Education to allow the planning committee to plan for a calendar that
would be compatible with the community college calendar.
APPOINTMENTS
At its Nov. 15 meeting, the Board of Education named two new high school
principals and a new Western Area Assistant Superintendent. The board named
Kathy Chontos Western Area Assistant Superintendent, Rodney Nelson principal
of Panther Creek High and Luther Johnson, Jr. principal of Holly Springs
High.
-Chontos has served as principal of Athens Drive High since 1998. Prior
to that she was principal of Longview School and assistant principal at
East Cary Middle. She has also worked as an administrator and teacher with
school systems in Florida and New York. She is the current president of
the Wake County Division of Principals and Assistant Principals.
-Nelson has served as Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for the
Durham Public Schools since 2004. Prior to that he was principal of Jordan
High in Durham County as well as assistant principal at Leesville Road High
and Wake Forest-Rolesville High. He was also an assistant principal and
teacher at Roanoke Rapids High.
-Johnson has served as principal of Leesville Road Middle since 2003. Prior
to that he was assistant principal at Wakefield High, West Forsyth High,
East Forsyth High and the Downtown Middle School of Winston-Salem. He was
also a high school teacher in the Triad.
BOARD UPDATED ON ANNUAL INITIAL LICENSURE PROGRAM
At its Nov. 15 meeting, Diane Kent Parker of WCPSS Human Resources reported
to the board on services rendered to initially-licensed teachers. Kent Parker
said more than 650 experienced teachers who had been trained to serve as
mentors worked with 1800 new teachers - initially licensed and lateral entry.
Currently there are 1,197 experienced teachers who are training to mentor
in WCPSS. 848 teachers are mentoring this year. 449 of the 848 mentors are
mentoring more than one initially-licensed teacher. Kent Parker said the
Department of Public Instruction requires an annual report that describes
activities and job responsibilities of mentors, retired mentors, and school-level
initially-licensed coordinators.
BOARD APPROVES ABC ACCOUNTABILITY COMPONENTS FOR ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS
At its Nov. 15 meeting, the Board of Education gave its approval to local
objectives for alternative schools that will be included in the 2005-2006
ABCs under a special policy adopted by the state Board of Education. The
evaluation of alternative schools will be based on two state-mandated achievement-based
components and three local options. Local options defined by the state include
attendance, dropouts, school safety/student conduct, higher expectations
for student achievement, student progress and proficiency, parent involvement,
community involvement, and customer satisfaction. Schools achieving five
of the five components will be determined to have made high growth, at least
three of the five will be expected growth, at least two of the five will
be no recognition, and one or none of the five will be low performing. As
part of their school improvement plans for 2005-2006, the alternative schools
identified three local options that reflect their school's mission. Mt.
Vernon School, Mary E. Phillips High and River Oaks Middle school improvement
teams approved the local options. Approval by the board and submission to
the state means the teachers at the alternative schools may now be considered
for state ABC incentive funds.
SCHOOL CONNECTION TV REPORTS ON NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM
The current edition of School Connection TV reports on AVID, a new program
implemented in WCPSS middle schools to encourage students to take the rigorous
courses needed to attend college. Join host Christie Hardee as she talks
with Louisiana teachers who have relocated to Wake County and looks at the
latest Quality Matters report from the Wake Education Partnership. You can
watch it at http://www.wcpss.net/schooltv/
FLETCHER URGES CONTINUED FOCUS
"The hallmark of the next school board must be a continued laser-beam
focus on raising academic achievement for all students," says Wake
County Board of Education member Bill Fletcher, who is leaving the school
board after 12 years of service. In a column for The News & Observer
, Fletcher cites the remarkable academic and operational progress of WCPSS
over the past decade. The operating budget has been "scrubbed"
and programs eliminated to reduce central office expenditures to less than
7 percent; more money than ever before is flowing to the classroom. Twelve
years ago, fewer than 70 percent of children could read and do math at grade
level. Today that number has improved to 91 percent. But continued focus
on academic success for all students is critical for the future - and for
the three new members of the Board of Education. To read the complete column,
visit http://www.newsobserver.com/559/story/367474.html
.
RECORD NUMBER OF SCHOOLS AUDITION FOR PIECES OF GOLD
Seventy WCPSS schools will compete Nov. 29 in the Southeast Raleigh High
auditorium in auditions for the 23rd annual Pieces of Gold, a performing
arts extravaganza produced jointly by the Wake County Public School System
and Wake Education Partnership. The two days of auditions will involve more
than 1,800 Wake County public school students and their teachers. Judges
will select 25-30 groups to perform in the show, which will be held at Memorial
Auditorium on March 8, 2006. Selections will be announced by Dec. 5.
WAKE EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP FUND DRIVE KICK-OFFS IN JANUARY
The Wake Education Partnership's 2006 Annual Fund for Education Campaign
Kick-Off is set for 5:30 p.m., Jan. 12, 2006 at the KB Home Studio in Brier
Creek Shopping Center. Business, academic and community leaders, Wake County
Public School System educators, Wake County citizens and friends of education
will be on hand to support a shared vision for excellence in public schools.
For more information, contact Alison Gaucher at 821-7609 ext. 35 or agaucher@wakeedpartnership.org
.
CALENDAR
| Dec. 6 | 2 p.m., Committee of the Whole-Board Conference Room (Board); 4 p.m. Board Meeting-Board Room (Board) |
| Dec. 13 | 9:30 a.m., Facility Committee Meeting-Board Conference Meeting, (Board); 12:30 p.m., Policy Committee Meeting-Board Conference Meeting, (Board); 2:30 p.m., Finance Committee Meeting-Board Conference Room, (Board) |
|
Dec. 14 |
10:30 a.m., Community Relations Committee Meeting-Board Conference Room, (Board); 12:30 p.m., Human Resources Committee Meeting-Board Conference Room, (Board); 2:30 p.m., Instructional Program Committee Meeting-Board Conference Room, (Board) |
|
Dec. 20 |
2 p.m., Committee of the Whole-Board Conference Room (Board); 4 p.m. Board Meeting-Board Room (Board) |
|
Dec 21 |
9 a.m., County Commissioners/ Board of Education Meeting |
School Connection is published electronically every other week for everyone interested in the Wake County Public School System. Is what you read in this edition helpful? What information would you like to see in future editions? Contact me by calling 850-1829 or e-mailing bposton@wcpss.net.
Bill Poston
Wake County Public School System
Communications Department
3600 Wake Forest Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27611
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