School Connection
April 1, 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.
BOARD APPROVES GROWTH MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR 2004-2005
At its Tuesday (March 30) meeting, the Board of Education
approved the Growth Management Plan for 2004-2005, filling
seven new schools that will open next year and reducing crowding
in existing schools.
"A by product of growth is building schools and moving students," Superintendent Bill McNeal said. "When people move here, we must build schools and put students in those schools."
McNeal said the community wanted us to listen. He pointed to the long process that began last fall with 11 community engagement meetings, and led to a draft proposal in January that received 1,800 comments leading to refinements to a proposed plan presented to the board March 2. Board members received comments, held public hearings March 17 and discussed the plan in a four-hour work session March 23 before voting on it.
Board members approved the plan with a 7-1 vote. Board member Ron Margiotta voted against approval.
The proposed plan now includes 7,738 students moved for year-round transportation changes and reassignment. There were 6,412 students reassigned and 1,326 moved for year-round transportation changes.
Board chair Susan Parry said passage of the plan was a milestone. Parry said the school system had responded to community request for sharing information. She said the new process resulted in a much smoother reaction and much smoother response. The board's community relations committee is assessing the process and looking for ways to improve upon it.
Parry named board members Amy White, Patti Head, Beverley Clark and Kathryn Watson Quigg to serve as a subcommittee to review the current transfer request process with special attention to timelines and unique circumstances. Board members said parents who recognize that assignment changes will cause a family hardship should file for a transfer. Parents can submit transfers May 14 to June 1.
The proposed plan will fill seven new schools opening next year. The schools include Forestville Road Elementary, Jones Dairy Elementary, Heritage Middle and Knightdale High in eastern Wake County and Highcroft Drive Elementary, Turner Creek Elementary and Salem Middle in western Wake County. Jones Dairy Elementary, Turner Creek Elementary and Heritage Middle will operate on the year-round calendar.
Current enrollment for 2003-2004 is 108,970. The Wake County Planning Department projects enrollment will reach 113,150 next year.
SUPERINTENDENT PRESENTS 2004-2005 BUDGET REQUEST TO BOARD
Wake schools Superintendent Bill McNeal presented the
2004-2005 budget request to the Board of Education at its
Tuesday (March 30) meeting.
"In building this budget, we asked how do we continue to progress, while being aware of the economy," McNeal said.
The budget formula developed by the Citizens Advisory Committee would provide $240 million in local funds for schools. The Superintendent's budget request asks for $239.4 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.
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.
A public hearing on the budget request will be held at 4 p.m., Tuesday, April 13 prior to the board's monthly meeting. Board members will meet in a budget work session April 14, and approve a final budget May 4 for presentation to the county commissioners.
BOARD APPROVES ALTERNATIVE REVENUE SOURCES REPORT
At its Tuesday (March 30) meeting, the Board of Education
approved recommendations from the board's finance committee
to consider alternative revenue sources. The committee's recommendations
were reviewed and discussed with WCPSS principals and cabinet
and compared to benchmark school districts. The school administration
will now continue to pursue leases with telecom companies
who build and/or operate antennae grids; consolidate purchases
for items such as school supplies, office supplies, vending
machines, food items, office equipment, athletic equipment
or any other purchases not covered by state contract to leverage
purchasing power in negotiation with vendors; and make available
access to the professional expertise, systems knowledge and
professional development services of WCPSS. The administration
will also consider selling of advertising and corporate sponsorships
on school property and school publications as long as it applies
to system wide situations, and not school specific sources
of revenue.
BOARD APPROVES JOINT USE AGREEMENT FOR KNIGHTDALE PROPERTY
At its Tuesday (March 30) meeting, the Board of Education
approved a joint use agreement for the Knightdale High and
Forestville Elementary school property with the Town of Knightdale
and Wake County. Board, town, and county funds were used to
purchase and master plan the 169.65 acre property for a high
school, an elementary school, and park amenities. The development
of the property includes the Board transferring to the Town
ownership of three areas of the site that will be primarily
used by the Town.
The Town agreed to pay design and construction costs for two lighted little league fields, concession/restroom building, tot lot playground, and parking at the high school baseball field area; and to upgrade the Forestville Road Elementary School multi-purpose room to a full-size gym and recreation center with additional parking. The recreation center will be on Board property but it will be principally used for Town purposes during school and non-school hours. The county will assist with maintenance of the high school track to allow for community use. The initial term of this agreement is for 50 years.
BOARD APPROVES PURCHASE OF MAINTENANCE SOFTWARE
At its Tuesday (March 30) meeting, the Board of Education
approved purchase of a software application that will allow
maintenance technicians to interact with MAXIMO maintenance
management software system remotely using handheld computers.
This will improve productivity, data, and accountability.
Technicians will be able to record work status, labor, materials
and failure codes: create new work orders; view equipment
histories; locate spare parts; and perform multi-location
inspections while at school sites. This will require less
travel, less paperwork, reduce data entry, promote better
adherence to business rules and provide more accurate and
timely data to support maintenance solutions.
BOARD AWARDS CONTRACTS FOR NORTHWOODS RENOVATIONS
At its Tuesday (March 30) meeting, the Board of Education
award a single-prime contract to Harrod & Associates Constructors,
Inc., in the amount of $3,953,500 for the renovations at Northwoods
Elementary. The improvements are funded through PLAN 2000
and PLAN 2004 building programs.
CHARACTER COUNTS: Lead Mine plans Building Kids of Character
Seminar
On April 17th, Lead Mine Elementary has planned an event
for its students and their families that combines character
building through an "indoor" camping experience.
They have designed a Saturday morning Building Kids of Character
Seminar around fun, family-friendly camping activities. Young
campers will take part in flashlight stories, rope tying,
an "animal tracks" game and much more. Parents and
children will break into tribes. Parents will look at ways
to build character in their families, encourage responsible
decision-making and learn techniques to mentor children into
adulthood. Children will work in small groups practicing the
art of working cooperatively to complete camping challenges.
The morning ends with families regrouping to write their own
family covenant. For more information, contact assistant principal,
Scott Scheuer.
GUTHRIE IN RUNNING FOR NATIONAL ATHLETIC DIRECTOR OF THE
YEAR
Bobby Guthrie, Wake County Public School System athletics
and driver education administrator, will be in New Orleans
this week to be honored as the Southern Regional Winner of
the National Council of Secondary School Athletic Directors
by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education
(NASPE).
The National Athletic Director of the Year will be selected from the six regional winners and announced at the NASPE's Hall of Fame Banquet Friday, April 2.
"As an outstanding athletic director, Bobby Guthrie has brought integrity, enthusiasm and dedication to the support of a quality athletic program and quality experiences for the student athletes in our county," said WCPSS Superintendent Bill McNeal. "At the middle school level, he implemented the WCPSS Sportsmanship Education Program that connected character traits identified by the system to sportsmanship-like behavior. He is an individual that is representative and supportive of the standards upon which a quality athletic program is built."
Guthrie has been in his current job as WCPSS athletic director for nine years. He was a teacher and baseball coach for one year at Apex Middle School. Prior to that he was coach of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington baseball team for eight years and assistant coach for six years. He was baseball coach at Scotland County High in Laurinburg, NC where his team won the state championship in 1977. He has been administering or coaching athletics in North Carolina for 30 years.
GREEN HOPE WINS STATE ACADEMIC DECATHLON
Green Hope High's team of students won the state's United
States Academic Decathlon (USAD). Team members are Victor
Zhu, Jessica Geiss, Faisal Hussain, Aras Kabaca, Megan Morrison,
Jacob Karpel and Tyler Shelton. Coaches are Deborah Kramer
and Kathleen Benningfield. The team will compete nationally
at the finals in Boise, Idaho, April 14-17, 2004. Five Wake
County teams representing Apex, Enloe, Fuquay-Varina, Green
Hope, and Southeast Raleigh competed for the state title March
19 and 20 at Southeast Raleigh High School
WCPSS STUDENTS COMPETE IN 2004 BATTLE OF THE BOOKS
Nearly 400 students from 23 Wake County Public School
System middle schools competed in the Wake County Battle of
the Books Saturday (March 27) at Southeast Raleigh High.
The team from Carnage Middle School finished first for eighth grade. Ligon Middle School was first for seventh grade and Durant Road Middle was first for sixth grade.
The champion Carnage eighth-grade team included Mary Burroughs, Sonja Escamilla, Kary Koesy, Evan Kochuk, April Nonato and Alice Yen. Linda Armstrong was the team's advisor and Linda Cearbaugh is the school's media specialist.
The champion Ligon seventh grade team included Michael Chen, Amanda Hawkins, Eli Hornstein, Saranya Karthikeyan, Anna Kumar and Emily Myers. Sylvia Gorham was the team's advisor. Kevin Phipps and Kimberly Shelton are the school's media specialists.
The champion Durant Road sixth grade team included Lindsey Brunson, Sam Carter, James Goertz, Shay Kimzey and Lise Ross. Doug Sturdivant was the team's advisor. Judy Bright, Kyra Davis and Kristen Ziller are the school's media specialists.
More information on the Battle of the Books is available at http://www.wcpss.net/news/poston/2004_battle_books/index.html.
WAKE PTA NAMED STATES BEST
The North Carolina PTA selected the Wake County PTA Council
as the state's Outstanding Council of the Year. The Wake County
PTA Council was recognized for having the most complete program
in the state that helps school's children and PTA. The WCPTA
council is comprised of 122 PTA units with approximately 48,000
members.
Superintendent Bill McNeal says "I am not surprised that the Wake County PTA Council was selected as the State's outstanding PTA Council. They only recognized the many wonderful programs and support the Wake County PTA Council provides parents, students and staff that we have known for some time."
WCPTA Council President Liza Weidle says earning the award is a team effort. "By allowing our strategic plan (goals, objectives, action steps) to guide and direct us, the combined efforts of the Council's executive board, committee members, and PTA units are supporting and promoting National and State PTA and are having a positive impact in the education, health, care and protection of children and youth in Wake County."
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:
o Learn about planning around priorities set at last year's
Summit;
o Review the alignment process of local, state and federal
goals for student achievement; and
o 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 5-9 |
Spring break - schools closed |
|
April 9 |
Holiday - school offices closed. All schools closed |
|
April 12 |
Holiday only for ten-month WCPSS employees in traditional-calendar schools. It is a regular working day for eleven- and twelve-month employees. Traditional calendar schools closed. Year-round and modified-calendar schools have classes. |
|
April 13 |
4 p.m. Public hearing on 2004-2005 budget request |
|
April 13 |
2 p.m. Committee of the Whole meeting, Board Conference Room; 4 p.m. Board meeting, Board Room, 3600 Wake Forest Road |
|
April 14 |
Board work session on 2004-2005 budget, Board Conference Room, 3600 Wake Forest Road |
|
April 18-22 |
Magnet Schools of America national conference in Raleigh 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 |
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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