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.April 3, 2006
SUPERINTENDENT PRESENTS 2006-07 PLAN FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
At the March 7 meeting of the Board of Education, Superintendent Bill McNeal
presented the 2006-07 Plan for Student Success, the school system budget
plan for the next three fiscal years.
"Without a doubt, the greatest challenge facing the Wake County Public School System today is growth," McNeal said. "The foundation and infrastructure of our schools must be reinforced. Campuses must be built and educators must be retained and recruited in order to meet the influx of students whose families were attracted to the excellence of our schools and the vibrancy of our communities."
This year, the Plan for Student Success is tightly focused on supporting the infrastructure that enables teachers to teach and students to learn. New initiatives are limited to additional employee compensation -- to allow continued recruitment and retention of high quality employees and to ensure that the school system continues to operate efficiently and effectively in the face of rapid growth. Other new programs were deferred this year in recognition of the significant public investment that will be required to support that growth.
Aside from recruitment and retention, the locally-funded portion of the 2006-07 Plan for Student Success is driven by enrollment growth, legislated salary and benefit issues, systemwide issues, commitments by the Board of Education, budgetary savings, and revenue adjustments.
Staffing and supplies will be needed to start-up and support five new year-round elementary schools and two new high schools. Along with the new campuses will come increased costs in maintenance, utilities, custodial and landscaping. In addition, a second smaller school will be opened on the campus of East Wake High with some grant support from the New Schools Project. A 6 percent increase is expected in the student population, requiring additional teachers and staff. A 4 percent increase is projected in charter school enrollment, with associated per-pupil funding transferred to those schools. Increases are expected in special student populations, including Special Education, Limited English Proficiency, and Academically Gifted students. Additional buses (and mileage), modular classrooms and technology will be needed. Three central office departments directly affected by enrollment growth -- Security, Growth Management, and Evaluation and Research -- have hit critical mass and need additional support.
The board will hold a work session and public hearing April 4 on the 2006-07 Plan for Student Success.
BOARD APPROVES 2006-07 GROWTH MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL
After seven months of discussion with the community on filling new schools
opening for 2006-07, the Board of Education approved a growth management
plan at its meeting March 21. The proposed plan could affect up to 9,307
students and caps enrollment at two elementary schools. The assignments
will fill seven new schools: Holly Springs High, Panther Creek High, Barwell
Road Elementary, Brier Creek Elementary, Carpenter Elementary, Holly Grove
Elementary and E19. Enrollment is capped at Brassfield and Pleasant Union
elementary schools. The plan is significantly smaller than the first proposal
presented in December. The final plan included 9,307 students, nearly 2,200
less than the initial proposal of 11,495.
The proposal allows grandfathering. Fourth-, fifth-, seventh-, eighth-, 10th, 11th-, and 12th-graders reassigned to an existing school may use the grandfathering option. These students may remain at their original school, with the condition that they provide their own transportation.
For the first time, WCPSS will assign students to two new high schools in the same year. Holly Springs and Panther Creek will open with ninth and tenth grade students, providing juniors and seniors the chance to remain at their schools. The plan provides relief to crowded high schools across the school system. It may be 2010 before the next high school opens. It would be part of the next school construction program.
The board's actions followed a lengthy community discussion that included two board work sessions and seven public hearings that drew more than 500 speakers, a public comment period on a draft proposal that resulted in more than 2,000 comments and a series of 12 community engagement meetings held across the county last fall.
RESPONSE TO SUMMERFORD'S FRAUD VULNERABLILTY ASSESSMENT
At its March 21 meeting, WCPSS Finance Officer Mark Winters reviewed with
the board the school system's initial response to Summerford Accountancy
recommendations.
Summerford presented its findings to the board March 7. Board chair Patti Head said the audit's most important result was that there were no areas of the school system where Summerford found probable cause to begin a fraud examination -- no "red flags" other than those resulting from the Transportation Department collusion. The auditors said that the control environment, what they called the "tone at the top," was positive and operating effectively, and that WCPSS's internal controls were also operating effectively.
Summerford made 26 recommendations that encourage strengthening the school system's internal audit staff and giving it the technology and manpower necessary to be more proactive in identifying risks of fraud. The auditors also urged the school system to fully integrate its information systems to provide better oversight.
Winters discussed plans to review and implement recommendations, scheduled status reports to the Board of Education, and projected a timeline. He said the board is working to set up an audit committee and the school system is seeking to add two internal auditors, obtain financial data mining software and train staff in its use and move toward a risk-based internal audit program. Winters says the board will receive quarterly reports on the school system's progress in implementing Summerford's recommendations.
EARLY COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND SCIENCES TO OPEN FOR 2006-07
At a news conference March 20, Superintendent Bill McNeal announced plans
to open the Wake Early College of Health and Sciences next year, providing
high school students the opportunity to earn free college credit while obtaining
their high school diplomas. The Wake Early College of Health and Sciences
was formed through collaboration with WCPSS, Wake Technical Community College
and WakeMed Health & Hospitals. The high school, which will open in
the fall with ninth-grade students, will be located on Wake Technical Community
College's Health Sciences Campus, at 2901 Holston Lane, adjacent to WakeMed.
The school's course content will be focused around the theme of health and sciences. Students enrolled in the school will follow an integrated curriculum of high school and college courses, allowing them to simultaneously fulfill the requirements for a high school diploma and a two-year associate degree. In addition, job shadowing and internship experiences offered through WakeMed will provide those students who choose to enter directly into the workforce following graduation with the skills they need to secure a job in the health and sciences field.
WCPSS DROPOUT RATE REMAINS BELOW STATE AVERAGE
In the annual dropout report issued by the NC Department of Public Instruction
March 1, the WCPSS dropout rate for grades 9-12 was 3.7 percent for 2004-05,
up slightly from a rate of 3.4 percent for 2003-04. The WCPSS rate in 2004-05
remains below the statewide rate of 4.7%. Over the past seven years, the
drop out rate for WCPSS schools has declined from 4.7% to 3.7%.
BOARD RECEIVES HEALTH COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
At its March 21 committee of the whole meeting, the Board of Education received
recommendations from the Health Advisory Committee. The recommendations
were for the establishment of a wellness policy that addressed a number
of nutrition issues and for the full implementation of the state Healthy
Active Children Policy, which requires 30 minutes of physical activity daily
for K-8 students. The board agreed to have Board Advisory Committees review
the recommendations during 2006.
DRIVER EDUCATION CONTRACT RENEWAL
At its March 7 meeting, the Board of Education continued the contract with
Jordan Driving School to provide Driver Education Program services for the
period of July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007. This is the renewal of the July
2004 contract, which had a two-year renewal option. Statutory authority
G.S. 20-881, 115C-216 and Title 16 of the N.C. Administrative Code provide
enabling authority to contract for Driver Education Program Services. The
total projected contract cost is $2,080,000.00 based on 10,000 students.
The N.C. Department of Transportation Allocation will fund all costs of
the program for Driver Education. No local funds will be used to support
this program.
REAL ESTATE SERVICES SUPPORT FIRMS AGREEMENT APPROVED
At its Feb. 21 meeting, the Board of Education approved the standard form
of agreement for real estate service support firms that will assist WCPSS
in the procurement of real property. The board approved the selection of
Real Estate Service Support teams on Nov. 1, 2005. All selected firms (Triangle
Commercial, Inc., Coldwell Banker Commercial Trademark Properties, and The
York Companies) will execute the final form of agreement as approved by
the Board's attorney and the Board of Education. The contract duration is
no more than 18 months, beginning upon execution and ending June 30, 2007.
WCPSS WINTER ATHLETIC CHAMPIONS HONORED
At its March 21 meeting, the Board of Education congratulated students and
their coaches who won titles representing their schools in winter sports.
The NC High School Athletic Association provides state championships in
22 sports throughout the school year. The board offered congratulations
and resolutions for the accomplishments of the following teams:
- Leesville High School Gymnastics Team won the state high school gymnastics
award.
- Enloe High School won the state championship for boys swimming for the
8th straight year.
- Southeast Raleigh High School won the state championship for indoor girls
track.
- Cary High School won the individual team state championship in wrestling
and finished second in the wrestling dual team state championship.
- Green Hope High School won the North Carolina Cheerleading Coaches Association
(NCCCA) state championship.
- Middle Creek High School won the National Cheerleading Sport Competition
held in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Wakefield High School won the boys NCHSAA State 4A Basketball Championship
this past Saturday.
- Broughton High School won the Champion Cup National Cheerleading Competition
held in Virginia Beach, Virginia
WCPSS CREATES ONLINE GROWTH RESOURCE CENTER
WCPSS has just put online a Growth Resource Center which addresses the issues
facing the school system related to the dramatic growth in our county and
our schools. Next year, 127,513 students are expected to crowd into the
school system - a gain of 7,000 new students for a district already short
15,000 classroom seats today. Projections indicate the rate of growth will
continue. This new resource center details the incredible growth; the existing
overcrowding; and the health, safety and instructional needs driving the
upcoming November 2006 school bond referendum. The Growth Resource Center
can be found at http://www.wcpss.net/growth/
CALENDAR
| April 4 | 2 p.m., Committee of the Whole including work session for 2006-07 Plan for Student Success- Board Conference Room; 4 p.m., Board Meeting including Public Hearing on 2006-07 Plan for Student Success-Board Room |
| April 11 | 9:30 a.m., Facilities Committee Meeting-Board Conference Room; 12:30 p.m., Policy Committee Meeting - Board Conference Room; 2:30 p.m., Finance Committee Meeting-Board Conference Room |
| April 12 | 10:30 a.m., Community Relations Committee- Board Conference Room; 12:30 p.m., Human Resource Committee Meeting-Board Conference Room; 2:30 p.m., Instructional Program Committee-Board Conference Room |
| April 18 | 2 p.m., Committee of the Whole - Board Conference Room; 4 p.m., Board Meeting-Board Room |
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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