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.March 24, 2005
SUPERINTENDENT PRESENTS PLAN FOR STUDENT SUCCESS TO BOARD
Wake schools Superintendent Bill McNeal presented the Plan for Student Success
to the Board of Education at its March 15 meeting.
The plan is different in that for the first time it describes three years, instead of just one year. It also provides a more in-depth and detailed business description of financial needs based on growing student enrollment and Goal 2008 efforts to boost student academic success.
Superintendent McNeal said the Plan for Student Success provides the foundation for attainment of Goal 2008 and is an investment in the future of our children.
"The Wake County Public School System is a very efficient organization, as has been cited in audit after audit during the past 10 years," said McNeal. "However, efficiency isn't enough to reach Goal 2008. Hard work, dedication, and care for students aren't enough for our teachers and those who support them in the daily effort to reach each of our 114,000 students. Additional resources are required."
The plan helps to open five new schools, meet the needs of an additional 5,000 students, launch Goal 2008 efforts and retain high quality teachers. It proposes using $7 million from WCPSS fund balance and makes $11.3 million in cuts.
The plan seeks $26.8 million in increased local funding. Much of the increase goes toward growth and inflation. Growth-related issues will require $11.2 million. Legislative changes for salary increases and employer's matching benefit changes would require the school district to spend an additional $6 million.
The formula developed by the Citizens Advisory Committee would provide $277.4 million in local funds for schools for 2005-06. The plan asks for $266.2 million in local funds. The county commissioners and school board created the citizens committee to look at the budget and its connection to student achievement.
Board members will meet in a budget work session during their committee of the whole meeting 2 p.m., Tuesday, April 5. A public hearing on the Plan for Student Success will be held that evening at 7 p.m., as part of the board's monthly meeting. The board is expected to approve a final budget May 3 for presentation to the county commissioners. More information is available at http://www.wcpss.net/budget/2005-06-spss/
WAKE PTA COUNCIL OFFERS "FUNDING FOR GROWTH" RESOLUTION
At a meeting March 17, the Wake County PTA Council offered a "Funding
for Growth" resolution. The resolution indicates that due to the substantial
growth that Wake County has experienced, additional funding - both operational
and capital funding - must be provided to the Wake County Public School
System in order for it to continue to educate children in a quality fashion.
The PTA Council plans to vote on the resolution at its May 5 meeting and
has asked school PTA units to consider adopting the resolution.
BOARD HOLDS WORKS SESSION ON GROWTH MANAGEMENT PLAN
In a work session that met March 15 and 16, the Board of Education refined
the 2005-06 Growth Management Plan, one of the smallest proposed in the
last ten years.
Board members agreed to move node 369.1 from Reedy Creek Elementary to Adams Elementary, a year-round school across the street from the node. The Growth Management Department has sent letters to families affected by this action. As a result of this board action, a public hearing will be held at 4 p.m., April 5 for parents who live in this node.
The board discussed capping enrollment at four schools. They agreed to cap enrollment at Brassfield, Creech Road, Pleasant Union and Root elementary schools. The cap would go into effect May 1 and families moving into the school's attendance area after May 1 would be sent to other schools designated by the board. For Brassfield, those schools would include Lacy, Leadmine and Lynn Road elementary schools. For Creech Road, students would be assigned to Aversboro Elementary. For Pleasant Union, students would be assigned to Forest Pines Elementary at the Dubois Center. For Root, students would be assigned to Lacy Elementary.
Caps have been used to control crowding at schools. Board members expressed concern about residential growth in the north Wake County watershed area where schools cannot be built and the impact on nearby elementary schools such as Baileywick, Brassfield, Pleasant Union, Wakefield and the new Forest Pines.
WCPSS NAMES TEACHER OF THE YEAR SEMI FINALISTS
WCPSS educators have recognized 20 teachers as semi-finalists for Wake County
Public School System's 2004-05 Teacher of the Year. The semifinalists include:
Paige S. Hutto, Apex Middle,
Lori Goforth Shaw, Cary Elementary,
Edward L. Kelley, Combs Elementary
Che-Von N. Stone, East Millbrook Middle
Vickie K. Peoples, Enloe High
Jane House, Garner Senior High
Deanna Bahl, Holly Ridge Middle
Katherine Kison, Joyner Elementary
Michelle Von Hoene, Knightdale High
Jennifer F. Piscorik, Leesville Elementary,
Elizabeth Henning, Lincoln Heights Elementary
Frank C. Adamkiewicz, Lockhart Elementary
Tricia J. Liberatore, Lynn Road Elementary
Mary Carreno, Millbrook High
Marti Doane, Root Elementary
William M. Ferriter, Salem Middle
Maureen W. Stockdale, Wakefield High
Torri Jackson, Washington Elementary
Elizabeth Sri, Wiley Elementary
Anne L. McCandlish, Willow Springs Elementary
The selection committee will now visit each semi-finalist for a classroom observation. Then committee members will determine the 10 finalists. A reception will be held in April to honor the semi-finalists and name the finalists. The 2004-05 Teacher of the Year will be named at a banquet on Thursday, May 12, 2005.
THREE WCPSS SENIORS NAMED MOREHEAD SCHOLARS
Three Wake County Public School System seniors have been named Morehead
Scholars by the trustees of the John Motley Morehead Foundation and earned
a full four-year academic scholarship to the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill. Kaylan Alyssa Christofferson, Eleanor Rousseau Oxholm and
Daniel Gerard Randolph were among the 43 students to receive the prestigious
awards valued at $80,000. The WCPSS students, the largest group from any
one school district, were selected from among 112 finalists, all top-ranked
students from North Carolina, other states and Great Britain.
FIVE WCPSS STUDENTS NAMED 2005 PARK SCHOLARS
Five Wake County Public School System seniors have been named Park Scholars
by North Carolina State University. Philip Pinckney Boyne, Kaylan Alyssa
Christofferson, Carrie Virginia McMillan, Sonya Vipul Patel and Molly Elizabeth
Tully were among the 46 students to receive the prestigious awards valued
at $55,000. The five WCPSS students, the largest group from any one school
district, were selected from among 101 finalists, all top-ranked students
from North Carolina and other states.
BOARD APPROVES CHARACTER EDUCATION POLICY
In its March 15 meeting, the Board of Education gave first reading approval
to a character education policy. The policy formalizes practices and beliefs
related to the importance of character education and positive learning environment
in the Wake County Public School System. The policy reflects the eight character
traits adopted by WCPSS in 1993 and focuses on curriculum, climate and community
involvement as core components of the Character Education Program. The eight
traits include courage, good judgment, integrity, kindness, perseverance,
respect, responsibility, and self-discipline. Final approval of the new
policy is expected at the next board meeting.
APPOINTMENTS
At its March 15 meeting, the Board of Education named four school system
employees to new positions as assistant principals. The new assistant principals
include Kelley Bradshaw at Middle Creek Elementary, Ruth Freeman at Bugg
Elementary, Robert Matheson III at Apex High and Beth Jarman at Oak Grove
Elementary.
-Bradshaw has worked as an assistant principal/instructional resource teacher
at Lufkin Road Middle. Prior to that, Bradshaw was a teacher at Salem Elementary
and Kingswood Elementary.
-Freeman has worked as an assistant principal intern at Bugg Elementary.
Prior to that, she worked as a teacher at Conn Elementary, Green Elementary,
Morrisville Elementary and Adams Elementary.
-Matheson has worked as an intervention coordinator at Apex High. Prior
to that he worked as director of Kestrel Heights School in Durham and was
a teacher at Apex High.
-Jarman has worked as assistant principal at West Lake Elementary. Prior
to that, she was an assistant principal intern at Middle Creek Elementary
and a teacher at Vance Elementary.
SCHOOL CONNECTION TV
The March edition of School Connection TV hosted by Christy Hardee looks
at the Superintendent's Parents Advisory Council, visits with student artists
who have been designing silk banners at Southeast Raleigh High and introduces
students at Dillard Drive Middle School who are designing future cities.
You can see these stories at http://www.wcpss.net/schooltv/
SCHOOL SYSTEM OFFICES MOVING
The WCPSS Office of Continuous Improvement and Professional Development
(OCIPD) and WCPSS Human Resources (HR) are relocating to offices at Crossroads
II in Cary. OCIPD is in the process of moving and will open their offices
at Crossroads II March 28. All professional development activities that
were scheduled for the Webster Center at the old location of 4401 Atlantic
Avenue will be held at the new Webster Center at 110 Corning Road.
HR's teacher recruitment staff moved to the offices at 110 Corning Road last July. Assistant Superintendent Toni Patterson's staff and Assistant Superintendent Maurice Boswell's staff will open their offices at Crossroads II April 12. Patterson said the move will allow WCPSS to house all human resources, recruitment and training staff at one site.
WAKE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS DISCUSS THE FRESHMAN TRANSITION
More than 110 Wake County high school teachers, administrators, counselors,
parents and business representatives met last month to discuss the transition
students make from middle school to high school. Sponsored by the Wake County
Public School System and Wake Education Partnership through a U.S. Department
of Education Smaller Learning Communities grant, the High School World Café:
Making a Difference in the Lives of Our Students was designed to engage
teachers in dialogue about high school reform. Teachers from 17 Wake County
high schools shared best practices with one another and left with new ideas
about how to best help freshman make a successful transition to the high
school environment. To learn more about Smaller Learning Communities, visit
http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sslc/index.shtml.
NC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION LAUNCHES READING FIRST
The No Child Left Behind Act established Reading First to enable all students
to become successful early readers. The goal of NC's Reading First initiative
is to ensure all children learn to read well by the end of the third grade.
Ensuring that more children receive effective reading instruction in the
early grades is of critical importance to NC and the nation. This goal will
be accomplished by applying scientifically based reading research to reading
instruction in all NC schools. For more information, visit http://www.ncpublicschools.org/readingfirst
CALENDAR
| March 25 | Holiday - offices and schools closed |
| March 21-28 | Spring break - traditional calendar schools closed |
| April 5 | 2 p.m., Board of Education meets - work session on Plan for Student Success |
| April 5 | 4 p.m., Board of Education public hearing for families in node 369.1 added to growth management plan, followed by board meeting in board room, 3600 Wake Forest Rd. |
| April 5 | 7 p.m., Board of Education public hearing on Plan for Student Success |
| April 19 | 2 p.m. Committee of the Whole Meeting - Board Conference Room and then at 4 p.m., Board of Education meeting - Board meeting room |
| April 20 | 12 p.m., board of education and county commissioners luncheon |
You can find more information on school events at http://www.wcpss.net/Calendars
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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