School Connection
April 15, 2004
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.
WCPSS TEACHER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS NAMED
WCPSS educators have recognized 10 teachers as finalists
for Wake County Public School System's 2004-2005 Teacher of
the Year. The finalists include
Marcella C. Cox, Davis Drive Middle
E. Anne Cunningham, Carnage Middle
Brandy Garrett, Creech Road Elementary
Janine Abbate Maldonado, Fox Road Elementary
Michael J. Clinkscales, Broughton High
Lara Spence Fricke, Wakefield Middle
Susan M. Lobasso, Cary High
Karen D'Elia, Reedy Creek Elementary
Claire Bambara, West Lake Elementary
Barbara J. Sorensen, Penny Road Elementary
The 2004-2005 Teacher of the Year will be named at a banquet on Thursday, May 13, 2004.
BOARD REVIEWS 2004-2005 BUDGET REQUEST
In a Wednesday (April 14) work session, the Board of Education
reviewed the 2004-2005 WCPSS budget request.
The 2004-2005 budget request helps to open seven new schools,
meet the needs of an additional 4,000 students, launch Goal
2008 efforts and retain high quality teachers. It proposes
using $15 million from WCPSS fund balances and makes $12.9
million in cuts.
The budget request seeks $15.7 million in increased local
funding. Much of the increase goes toward growth and inflation.
Nearly $2 million would go to new initiatives to promote parental
involvement in schools and hire new teachers to work with
academically gifted students and special-education students
Once federal and state money is included, the proposed 2004-05 operating budget would total $864.6 million.
Board members are expected to approve a final budget May 4 for presentation to the county commissioners.
BOARD RECEIVES HEALTHY SCHOOLS TASK FORCE REPORT
The Healthy Schools Task Force reported their recommendations
to the Board of Education at its Tuesday (April 13) meeting.
The task force made 20 recommendations to strengthen the Wake County Public School System after spending a year discussing best educational practices and community expectations for students and their schools.
The task force organized its recommendations under four headings:
1) Academic success for all students, 2) Diversity in schools,
3) Capacity utilization of facilities and 4) Community expectations
of WCPSS, and suggested action steps for each recommendation.
Each recommendation was aligned with one of the Board of Education's
eight healthy school characteristics:
· high academic achievement by all students,
· strong community support and commitment,
· attractive and appropriate learning facilities,
· strong and effective leadership,
· strong parental support and commitment,
· highly trained and effective staff,
· a safe, orderly, and inviting learning climate and
· a diverse student body.
Task force co-chair Dudley Flood directed the board's attention to four of the 20 recommendations 1) enhancing programming for high achieving students, 2) continuing the commitment to maintaining diversity in all schools, 3) adopting a long-term view of student assignment to enhance the stability of school assignment for children; and 4) reviewing the magnet school program and explain to the citizens of Wake County how the magnet schools support and promote the educational health of all schools in the district.
Board chair Susan Parry and Superintendent Bill McNeal offered their thanks to Flood, co-chair Dick Daugherty and others members of the task force for their hard work and concern for children and their education.
The task force report can be found at http://www.wcpss.net/healthy-schools/
ANNUAL REPORT STUDIES WAKE SCHOOL FUNDING, PERFORMANCE
The Wake County Public School System has shown unprecedented
growth in student achievement while per pupil spending continues
to be less than many comparable school systems, according
to an annual report released Tuesday (April 13) on school
funding and performance by Wake Education Partnership. Quality
Matters 2004: A Wake Community Review of the Public's Schools
is the fourth annual financial study conducted by the School
Finance Committee, an independent group of community and business
leaders convened by Wake Education Partnership.
"Quality Matters seeks to hold the Wake County Public School System accountable to the taxpayers of Wake County, stimulate critical thought and discussion in the community and build a base of knowledge regarding the funding of the public's schools," said Gordon Brown, senior manager with Nortel Networks and chair of the School Finance Committee. "The Committee spent many months analyzing the finances and achievements of the Wake County Public School System and how the system compares to other school districts across North Carolina and the United States." The School Finance Committee also emphasized the importance of a healthy school system to everyone in the community, not just for parents and students.
The committee included representatives of key community organizations such as the Greater Raleigh and Garner Chambers of Commerce, the N.C. Society of Hispanic Professionals, the Raleigh-Apex NAACP, the Wake County PTA Council, Wake NCAE and Wake Education Partnership, and key business organizations such as Nortel Networks, SAS Institute, Maupin Taylor, Ernst & Young, SouthTrust Bank, The Advisory Group, Kilpatrick Stockton, PL&E Sales and Manning, Fulton & Skinner. Members of the committee reviewed financial and performance data from other North Carolina districts, as well as data from some of the best districts in the nation. The use of these benchmarking districts enabled the committee to compare the successes of Wake County Public Schools to those of comparable districts in order to provide a clearer picture of both the strengths and weaknesses of our public school system. The report is sponsored by ABB, Bank of America, BellSouth, First Citizens Bank, GlaxoSmithKline, The News & Observer, Nortel Networks, Progress Energy, Rex Healthcare, Time Warner Cable, Wachovia and WakeMed.
To download a copy of the full report, please visit http://www.WakeEdPartnership.org and click on Research & Reports.
BOARD REMEMBERS STUDENTS KILLED IN CAR CRASH
There was a moment of silence during Tuesday's (April
13) Board of Education meeting. Superintendent Bill McNeal
asked for thoughts and prayers to be with the families of
three students involved in a fatal wreck on U.S. 64 Monday.
Killed in the wreck were Kassel Smit of Cary High and Breann
Nicole Gentz of Apex High. Katherine Hart of Apex High was
injured in the accident.
BOARD APPROVES BELL SCHEDULE FOR 2004-2005
At its Tuesday (April 13) meeting, the Board of Education
approved the bell schedule for 2004-2005. The board approved
recommendations from WCPSS Transportation that set times for
seven new schools and changed start times at three schools.
Forestville, Highcroft, Jones Dairy and Turner Creek elementary schools will have a 9:15 to 3:45 schedule. Heritage Middle will operate 8:15 to 3:00; Salem Middle 7:30 to 2:15; and Knightdale High 8:05 to 3:00.
Carver and Knightdale elementary schools will have a 9:15 to 3:45 schedule. Hodge Road Elementary will operate 8:30 to 3:00. Zebulon Elementary was removed from the proposal and will keep its same schedule.
The bell schedule modifications open and close schools at times the Transportation Department can more effectively and efficiently provide bus service to students.
TRIANGLE BUSINESS LEADERS, AREA PUBLIC SCHOOLS JOIN IN
HIGH SCHOOL REFORM INITIATIVE
Five major Triangle business leaders and five public school
superintendents announced the creation of a unique public/private
sector high school reform initiative designed to reduce the
drop-out rate, increase the number of graduates and better
prepare students for successful lives after high school. The
"High Five: Regional Partnership for High School Excellence"
is the five-year, $2.5 million program announced as a first
for the five major area public school systems.
The program is designed to specifically support and enhance public high school performance by developing a regional approach in sharing best practices; facilitating collaboration between school districts, colleges and universities; identifying alternative delivery systems to reach at risk students; and broadening community support.
The regional partnership's funding comes from The News & Observer Publishing Company, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, SAS, Progress Energy and Capitol Broadcasting Company. The five Triangle public school systems participating in the program include: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Durham Public Schools, Johnston County Schools, Orange County Schools and Wake County Public Schools.
"We have very specific goals for High Five - to see all high school students graduate from high school and to increase the percentage of high school graduates who meet admission standards for our colleges and universities," said Orage Quarles III, publisher of The News & Observer.
A 20-member coordinating council of education and business leaders will lead the consortium. A full-time director and support staff person will staff the initiative which will help create strategies and coordinate programs across school systems to build on the current strengths at the high school level. IBM is donating office space for the initiative, which is also supported by BellSouth.
BOARD APPROVES MEAL PRICES FOR 2004-2005 SCHOOL YEAR
At its Tuesday (April 13) meeting, the Board of Education
approved meal prices for breakfast and lunch for the 2004-05
school year. Prices for elementary and high school students
will remain the same. Elementary students will continue to
pay 80 cents for breakfast and $1.75 for lunch. High school
students will continue to pay $1 for breakfast and $2 for
lunch.
Middle school lunch and breakfast prices will increase and be the same as high school. Increasing meal prices will enable Child Nutrition to enhance menus and increase offerings.
Child Nutrition Services will review a la carte prices based on the market rate and food bids received in July 2004.
BOARD HEARS TIMELINE FOR NCLB SCHOOLS OF CHOICE
In its Tuesday (April 13) committee of the whole meeting,
the Board of Education heard from Associate Superintendent
Jo Baker and Ramey Beavers WCPSS senior director of Growth
Management about the process of identifying the schools of
choice under No Child Left Behind and reviewed the calendar
for making decisions in the process. Under NCLB, Title I funded
schools that do not make annual yearly progress for two years
in a row enter school improvement. WCPSS has 19 Title-I funded
schools that did not make AYP last year, WCPSS's first year
of NCLB. If a school enters school improvement, families may
ask that their children be moved to another school. Under
NCLB, WCPSS is required to provide parents a choice of two
schools to which the students could move.
Baker and Beavers told board members WCPSS was working to identify these schools of choice. The criteria will include: 1) any non-Title I school, 2) Any Title I school making AYP in 2002-2003 and predicted to make AYP in 2003-2004, 3) traditional calendar schools, and 4) no schools that will be opening in 2004-2005.
Baker and Beavers said they would return to the board June 1 to ask the board to approve a list of schools of choice. In identifying the schools of choice, WCPSS will give consideration to potential impact on the profile of the schools of choice, transportation patterns and availability of services.
Letters will be mailed to parents June 7 notifying them of their choice option. Parents wishing to make a request for a school of choice must return a completed form to WCPSS that is stamped received by 5 p.m. June 21. WCPSS will process the request and identify transportation needs so that parents and schools can be notified of the changes in assignment. Parents must notify WCPSS by July 23 if they do not want the assignment.
FRIDAY INSTITUTE GROUNDBREAKING SET FOR THURSDAY
North Carolina State University's College of Education
had a groundbreaking ceremony for the new, privately funded
William and Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation
this morning.
Students from Centennial Campus Middle School donned T-shirts proclaiming "I dig it," and formed an outline of the Institute's perimeter as officials turned ceremonial shovels of earth at the building site adjacent to Centennial Campus Middle School on NC State's Centennial Campus.
UNC System President Molly Broad, NC State Chancellor Marye Anne Fox, College of Education Dean Kathryn Moore WCPSS Superintendent Bill McNeal and other key officials joined Institute namesakes William and Ida Friday to celebrate the construction of the $9 million, 33,000 square-foot facility. The mission of the Institute is to create innovative teaching and learning solutions that address critical educational needs of learners across North Carolina.
The new institute will organize its work in "collaboratories" - customized physical and electronic environments that bring together students, teachers, education professionals and research scientists - to focus on five critical need areas: mathematics and science education; educational leadership; middle grades education; cultural connections in education; and instructional technologies to enhance teaching and learning.
APPOINTMENTS
At its Tuesday (April 13) meeting, the Board of Education
named Dr. Greg Decker principal of West Lake Middle School.
Decker has served as principal of Lead Mine Elementary since
1998. Prior to that he was principal of an elementary school
and assistant principal of a middle school in Illinois. Decker
was a finalists for the 21st Century Educators Award and has
published articles in Technology and Learning and Experience
Odyssey.
BOARD APPROVES PANTHER CREEK HIGH CONSTRUCTION
At its Tuesday (April 13) meeting, the Board of Education
awarded a single-prime contract to D.H. Griffin Construction
Co., LLC in an amount not to exceed $32,136,113. The new high
school will be built using the Knightdale High prototype.
The current proposal does not include a stadium, which was
removed from the contract and will be addressed later. Associate
Superintendent Don Haydon said bids for the project reflected
increasing construction costs, and he will address the impact
of increased building costs on the capital construction program
with the board's Facility Committee and the Committee of the
Whole.
Panther Creek High is scheduled to open for the 2006-2007 school year. Construction will be from the PLAN 2004 School Building Program.
BOARD APPROVES HODGE ROAD ELEMENTARY ROOF REPLACEMENT
At its Tuesday (April 13) meeting, the Board of Education
awarded a single-prime contract to Metal Roofing Corp. in
the amount of $591,050 for the roof replacement at Hodge Road
Elementary. The project will be funded from the PLAN 2004
School Building Program.
BOARD APPROVES BROUGHTON HIGH ROOF REPLACEMENT
At its Tuesday (April 13) meeting, the Board of Education
awarded a single-prime contract to Owens Roofing, Inc. in
the amount of $149,769 for the partial roof replacement at
Broughton High. The project will be funded from the Plan 2004
School Building Program.
REGISTER TO ATTEND WAKE EDUCATION SUMMIT
The seventh-annual Wake Education Summit, The "Journey
to 2008: Planning, Process and Possibilities" will take
place on April 29, 2004, from 7:30 - 11:30 a.m. at the McKimmon
Center. With a focus on Goal 2008, participants will:
· Learn about planning around priorities set at last
year's Summit;
· Review the alignment process of local, state and
federal goals for student achievement; and
· Explore the possibilities of high school reform to
meet the needs of all students.
To reserve your seat now, contact Lashley Russ at 821-7609,
extension 38, or lruss@wakeedpartnership.org. For more information
and complete list of host organizations, visit http://www.WakeEducationSummit.org.
CALENDAR
|
April 18-22 |
Magnet Schools of America national conference hosted by WCPSS |
|
April 20 |
2 p.m. Board's Community Relations Committee, Board Conference Room, 3600 Wake Forest Road |
|
April 21 |
12 p.m. Joint meeting of Board of Education and County Commissioners, downtown |
|
April 21 |
2 p.m. Board's Program Committee, Board Conference Room, 3600 Wake Forest Road |
|
April 29 |
7:30-11:30 a.m., Wake Education Summit at the McKimmon Center |
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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