The Economy, the Budget, and Looking Ahead
February
12, 2002 - So far, the 2001-2002 school year has been a very
good one for Wake County students. Many of their teachers
have been recognized
as among the best in the state, and 121 of them were added
to the esteemed ranks of National
Board Certified Teachers in November. They successfully
raised about
$180,000 to support those who were hurt by the September
11 attacks, and an unprecedented number of our schools earned
the state's highest honors for growth in student achievement.
Working together, our students, teachers, and support staff
have accomplished great things this year.
The school year didn't start quite as smoothly as we would have hoped. It was preceded by a countywide conversation about school funding that, while necessary, was at times painful. Although the Wake County Board of Education and the Board of Commissioners struggled over how best to meet the county's many needs, ultimately they were able to come together to provide many of the resources that we needed to continue our march toward Goal 2003. They also created a new Citizens Advisory Committee that hopefully will help build a countywide consensus on the resources required to meet students' needs in Wake County.
The 2002-2003 school year is also likely to begin with a great challenge, though I'm confident that together as a county we will be able to face it in a spirit of cooperation and unity. The challenge is this: although sustaining our progress toward having 95 percent of our students at grade level requires additional resources, the current economy leaves those resources in short supply.
At the state level, which provides the majority of our school system's funding, Governor Easley announced that North Carolina faces a budget shortfall of over $900 million. Because the North Carolina Constitution requires a balanced budget, the Governor will have to cut state budgets by that amount. Governor Easley has promised to avoid making cuts that affect classrooms, but the choices he and the General Assembly must make, including budget reductions at the State Board of Education level, will have an indirect effect on the services we are able to provide students.
The state budget crisis will also affect the budget bottom line for Wake County government, the source of our local funding. Reimbursements from state government to the Board of Commissioners will likely be reduced, cutting into county revenues. And The News and Observer reported on February 2 that revenue from sales and hotel taxes has also declined.
What this means is that our student population growth of more than 3,000 additional children each year, and the resources required to meet that growth, are likely to outpace the growth in revenue available from the state and county for the 2002-2003 year.
The county is not yet in a position to predict what revenues will be available to support Wake County's public schools at the current tax rate. We are anticipating that belt-tightening will be necessary -- and we're already examining our budget for any savings that we can find. Fortunately, in the past few years WCPSS has demonstrated repeatedly our ability to use taxpayer funds efficiently in service to our children. A series of external audits, including the 1997 KPMG audit and the Quality Matters 2001 finance report by the School Finance Advisory Committee, have repeatedly shown that we provide the best "bang for the buck" of all the large, urban school districts in the state. I am confident that the work of the Citizens Advisory Committee and the management audit conducted by MGT of America will confirm that we're heading in the right direction and identify both additional resources needed and further efficiencies.
Limited resources next year will make our job more difficult, for certain. Current state funding formulas leave our school system challenged in meeting the needs of special education, English as a Second Language, and academically gifted students. Like other school districts and local governments in the state, we must comply with legislative mandates that do not include all of the funding to meet them. And we must continue striving to compensate our teachers and support staff at a competitive level.
Nevertheless we have a history of efficiency and effectiveness. Thirty Schools of Excellence and 53 Schools of Distinction are proof of that. In the last month, we have worked with North Carolina State University and the Wake Education Partnership to develop a Master's program tailored to school administration in our county: Leaders for a New Millennium. More than 5,000 people attended our Magnet Fair this month, seeking information about the specialized programs we offer. Teams of students from Enloe High won top honors in the North Carolina State University Mathematics Competition and the North Carolina Regional Science Bowl.
When all is said and done, we still have to make certain that all children receive what they need to succeed in life from the Wake County Public School System. With community support, even in tight budget times, we intend to fulfill this commitment to the children of Wake County; your support is appreciated.
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