School Connection
June 20, 2003
2003 Goal: By 2003, 95 percent of students tested will be at or above grade level as measured by NC End-of-Grade testing at grades 3 and 8.
BOARD ELECTS NEW OFFICERS
At its Tuesday (June 17) meeting, the Board of Education unanimously
selected Susan Parry chair. Parry was elected to the board
in 1999 to the District 5 seat and served as vice chair for
the past year. She is a school and community volunteer and
a retired educator with a masters in education. Her district
includes south central Raleigh. The chair of the school board
serves as its chief spokesperson and top liaison with other
board members and the community.
The school board chose District 7 Representative Patti Head
to serve as its Vice Chair.
Superintendent Bill McNeal congratulated Kathryn Watson Quigg for her service as board chair for the past year. McNeal listed a number of academic accomplishments the school system achieved during the past year and thanked Quigg for her leadership.
BOARD APPROVES BUDGET RESOLUTION
At its Tuesday (June 17) meeting, the Board of Education approved
the 2003-2004 budget resolution. The action followed Wake
County Commissioners' approval Monday of the Wake County budget.
Superintendent Bill McNeal thanked the county commissioners
for providing the resources that will keep the school system
moving forward. Commissioners increased local funding for
schools to $223.7 million.
BOARD REVIEWS SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANS
At its Tuesday (June 17) meeting, the Board of Education reviewed
the waivers of local and state rules included in school improvement
plans. Teams at each school develop plans for school improvement
every two years.
The board waived its rule against juniors leaving some high
school campuses for lunch. Board members agreed to the waiver
because schools indicated they lacked space in their cafeterias
to meet the needs of all students. The waiver is for Apex,
Broughton, Cary, East Wake, Garner, Green Hope, Leesville
Road, Millbrook, Sanderson Southeast Raleigh, Wake Forest-Rolesville
and Wakefield high schools. Board members indicated they would
like to further study the issue next year.
The board has approved waivers for juniors to eat off campus
for the past eight years. Seniors are allowed the privilege
of leaving campus for lunch. Parental permission is required
for any of these students to leave campus for lunch.
BOARD GIVES PRELIMINARY APPROVAL TO UPDATED FIELD TRIP
POLICY
At its Tuesday (June 17) meeting, the Board of Education gave
preliminary approval to an update of the policy on school
field trips.
A team of school administrators reviewed the policy and provided
updated guidelines for taking trips based on the amount of
school time lost, issues of students' safety and supervision,
and any additional demands placed upon student time to raise
funds to finance the trip. Guidelines generally prohibit overnight
stay, trips 125 miles away and trips for competitions for
elementary and middle school students. Amusement park trips
for elementary students are prohibited. Middle and high school
trips to amusement parks and any trip involving water-related
activities must be approved by an area assistant superintendent.
Trips outside the continental U.S. must be approved by the
Board of Education.
The policy clarifies the difference between school sponsored
trips approved by the school policy and non-school sponsored
trips arranged by an agency with a school employee acting
as an independent agent. The update indicates the school system
may have to cancel trips and cannot guarantee reimbursements
when cancellations occur.
During the 2002-2003 school year, trips outside the country
were cancelled based on U.S. State Department travel warnings
about the threat of terrorism to Americans abroad and trips
to Washington, D.C. were cancelled because of a series of
sniper shootings in and near there.
PLANNING CONTINUES FOR FALL SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BOND
WCPSS Facility planning staff talked with Board of Education
members in the committee of the whole meeting Tuesday (June
17) and met with Superintendent McNeal, County Manager David
Cooke and county staff June 13. The meetings are helping to
finalize plans for building new schools and improving existing
schools. County officials are seeking to determine the amount
of a bond issue that would not involve a tax increase for
construction of schools. School officials are seeking to determine
what projects in a list of needs fit into the available funding.
It will be up to the commissioners to decide if the bond vote
should be put on the Oct. 7 ballot.
APPOINTMENTS
At its Tuesday (June 17) meeting, the Board of Education named
David Ansbacher principal at East Millbrook Middle and Luther
Johnson principal of Leesville Road Middle.
Ansbacher has served as assistant principal at East Millbrook
Middle since 2001. He also served as an assistant principal
intern and teacher in Wake County, as well as teaching six
years in California, Rhode Island and Namibia. He is working
on his doctoral degree in the Educational Leadership program
at NC State University.
Johnson has served as assistant principal at Wakefield High
since 2001. He worked as an assistant principal in other North
Carolina school systems from 1997 to 2001 and worked as a
high school teacher for three years. He earned a masters in
Educational Administration at UNC-Greensboro.
BOARD PROVIDES READING PROGRAM AT MORE SCHOOLS
At its Tuesday (June 17), the Board of Education contracted
with Scientific Learning for $375,800 to expand use of its
Fast ForWord reading program in 24 schools in 2003-2004.
Fast ForWord is a reading intervention program that focuses on foundational skills related to auditory discrimination.
Fast ForWord was initiated at Creech Road and York Elementary Schools for Special Education students in 1999-2000. In 2000-2001, Durant Road Middle School was added. Success of the program initiated expansion of the pilot to 10 elementary and middle schools during the 2002-2003 school year.
BOARD SETS TUITION FEE FOR NONRESIDENT STUDENTS
At its Tuesday (June 17) meeting, the Board of Education set
the tuition fee for the 2003-2004 school year at $3,573 for
nonresident students. The fee is based on the county tax appropriation
for current expenses, capital outlay, and capital improvement.
BOARD APPROVES DESIGN
At its Tuesday (June 17), the Board of Education approved
the schematic design documents prepared by Jill B. Smith Architect
for the construction of the dining addition at Wake Forest
Rolesville High. The improvements are part of the PLAN 2000
School Building Program.
WAKE ELECTION COMMISSION CHAIR CONGRATULATES ENLOE HIGH
At the Tuesday (June 17) meeting of the Board of Education,
Wake County Election Commission chair John Gilbert presented
a banner to students of Enloe High for registering the highest
number (96%) of their senior class to vote.
Approximately 2,300 WCPSS high school students got their voter cards during the registration drive held at the end of this past school year.
Gilbert and Superintendent Bill McNeal launched the voter registration effort last year to address low voter turnout by young voters. Teacher volunteers, who were either their school's social studies department chair or the character education designee, paired with student council presidents to lead the registration drive.
WCPSS BEGINS MONTHLY NEWS MAGAZINE TV SHOW
The School Connection is Wake County Public School System's
monthly television program that connects you to news, features
and information about education in Wake County.
The 30-minute news magazine program focuses on WCPSS news,
programs, employees, students, services and issues. Each month,
the show takes a look at interesting programs or activities
in our schools, features employees who make a difference in
the lives of our students, offers insight into an educational
issue, and provides answers to parents' questions. The program
concludes with an artistic performance by a different student
group each month.
The School Connection will air on Time Warner Cable channels
10 and 11 in Raleigh and on channel 11 in Cary. You can view
the show online at http://www.wcpss.net/schooltv
INSIDE THE NEWS
U.S. Department of Education reports "Secretary
Paige's Remarks at After-School Summit"; "Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Education Secretary Paige Co-Host First-Ever
After-School Summit" and "President
Bush, Secretary Paige Celebrate Approval of Every State Accountability
Plan Under No Child Left Behind"
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction reports "State
Board Deletes Portfolios from Teacher Requirements"
and "North
Carolina Students Continue Improvement; Perform Above National
Average on 2002 NAEP Reading Assessment"
The Beacon of LEARN NC reports on education
Time Warner News 14 reports School
News
CNN reports on education
The National School Board Association reports the School
Board News
CALENDAR
| June 26 | 5 p.m. Healthy School Task Force meeting at the Webster Center |
| June 30 | 8 a.m. Board of Education work session in board conference 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
Schools. 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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