Partnership President Steps Down

W. Robert Saffold, president of Wake Education Partnership since June 2004, this week stepped down from his position. “Bob's commitment and passion for education will be missed by all. He has worked tirelessly to help bring a new focus and direction to the Partnership and for this we are grateful,” said Board of Directors Chair John McKinney. “Bob is a man of unquestionable character and I wish him much success in the future.” The staff and Board members at Wake Education Partnership thank Bob for his years of dedicated service and for his commitment to excellence in public education for all students in Wake County.

Report Says Schools Must Pay More Attention Inside Classrooms

More attention should be paid to what happens inside Wake County’s classrooms, and not only to how or where we build more classroom space, according to an annual independent review of the public’s schools from Wake Education Partnership. Wake Ed, a local education advocacy organization, released Quality Matters 2006 last week at a meeting of the Board of Education, the Board of Commissioners and other school leaders at Kilpatrick Stockton. The report has been issued annually since 2001.

“Most of our community’s attention in 2006 centered on constructing schools and adding seats for new students,” said Jay Silver, chair of the Quality Matters Committee and partner with Kilpatrick Stockton. “While these issues are important, they draw public attention away from critical issues related to student performance. The next level of success will not come easily. The challenges on the horizon require time, attention, and even money—all of which are in limited supply.”

Despite past successes in Wake County public school performance, significant challenges continue to confront our schools, including enrollment growth, student achievement and school funding. Among the findings in Quality Matters 2006, supported by data and research included in the report:

• WCPSS should utilize all available data that can provide meaningful and powerful information about our schools, including the results of the N.C. Teacher Working Conditions Survey.
• WCPSS should provide teachers with the opportunity to grow in their profession and utilize their talents to bring up the next generation of teachers, while still making a difference in the lives of students.
• The state of North Carolina must fully fund extra resources for all identified special needs students and should extend to school systems the same tax benefits it extends to other state agencies and education entities.
• WCPSS must make sure that education dollars are being used in the most efficient and effective ways.
• WCPSS should conduct periodic assessments of the magnet programs to ensure that the policies and programs are meeting the needs of the community.
• Our community and WCPSS must provide learning environments that are safe, healthy and supportive of instructional excellence.
• Our community, along with WCPSS, must ensure that all students are encouraged to achieve at high levels and provided with appropriate resources and opportunities.

Quality Matters is the result of a year-long study of key issues related to academic performance and funding of the Wake County Public School System. It provides data, research and recommendations for what we must do as a community to ensure that students can learn better, teachers can teach better, and how school leaders can be more effective in building a system where quality truly continues to matter. The report is a collaborative advocacy effort researched and written by business, civic, and education leaders convened by Wake Education Partnership.

To download a copy of the full report or the executive summary, please visit our website. To read more about the meeting with the school board and county commissioners, visit The News & Observer online.

Commissioners Restore Funding for Renovations

During a work session last week, the Wake County Board of Commissioners informally agreed to put most of the renovations back into the spending plan this year. At an earlier meeting, they had postponed the funding in favor of building new schools faster. But commissioners said that they had not realized that the delays would increase the cost on the renovations in at eight schools in the long run. The renovations were postponed Jan. 8 when commissioners rewrote a spending plan for $970 million in school bonds approved by voters in November. Commissioners will formally vote whether to restore funding for most of the renovations during their regular meeting Feb. 5. But during a straw poll Tuesday afternoon, all seven agreed in principle to the idea. For more, visit The News & Observer online.

Wake Superintendent Calls for Academic Audit

Superintendent Del Burns called for an outside audit of the school system's academic program Tuesday as part of his first “midterm report” to the Wake County Board of Education. School board members said they expect to approve the audit, which has a projected cost of $215,000, at their Feb. 6 meeting. It will take about 26 weeks for the Curriculum Management Center of Phi Delta Kappa International to conduct it.

The audit would look at things such as:
- Does the school system have a properly managed instructional program?
- Are instructional programs used consistently and equitably?
- Are programs being effectively monitored?
- How are money and resources being used in the classroom?

For a fact sheet about the audit and highlights from the midterm report, visit WCPSS online.

Schools Predict Bond Needed in 2008

School administrators said Tuesday that they will need to ask for another bond vote as soon as 2008 to keep up with faster-than-expected growth among high school students. Board members hope to schedule a meeting soon with county commissioners, mayors, town councils and chambers of commerce to discuss growth and the timing of the next bond issue. The financial model developed by the county called for the next bond issue of $822 million to be voted on in 2008 or 2009.

Chuck Dulaney, assistant superintendent for growth and planning, said enrollment projections from N.C. State University based on housing permits from the various municipalities showed increased growth among older students. Dulaney said the schools need to accelerate the opening of two new high schools to accommodate the older students and would need the money by January 2009. Pushing up the bond issue a year would require an increase in property taxes, potentially $84.75 more per year on a $150,000 home, according to county budget models. For more information, visit The News & Observer online.

Wake School Board Adopts 2007 Legislative Agenda

At its Jan. 9 meeting, the Board of Education adopted the 2007 Legislative Agenda. The recommendations were made by the WCPSS Legislative Committee comprised of a Board member, central service administrators, a principal, a teacher, and a representative from the PTA. Some of the agenda issues include: Limited English Proficiency Funding; Disadvantaged Student Supplemental Fund; Dropout Prevention-Graduation Rate; and Special Program Caps; Retain and Recruit Teachers; Retain and Recruit Support Personnel; Retain and Recruit School Administrators; and Retired Teachers and School Employees, Technology Resources, Testing Coordinator; Sales Tax; State Funding of Public Schools; Construction Funding, and Taxing Authority. For more information, visit the Board of Education online.

WCPSS Budget Staff Earns Award

The Wake County Public School System earned the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the 2006-07 budget document. WCPSS is one of 46 N.C. local government agencies to earn the GFOA recognition for 2006-07. WCPSS is one of the three N.C. school systems that had budget documents earn the award this year. The 46 N.C. local government agencies honored also include Wake County and the Town of Cary. This is the 13th consecutive year the WCPSS budget document has earned the GFOA award. The budget is compiled at the direction of WCPSS Chief Business Officer David Neter by WCPSS Senior Director for the Budget Office Terry Kimzey and her staff. The GFOA Budget Awards Program is designed to encourage governments to prepare budget documents of the highest quality to meet the needs of decision makers and citizens. In order to receive the budget award, the school system had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation.

Report Calls on State to Move Beyond Test Scores

North Carolina's intense focus on boosting passing rates on math and reading tests has meant less emphasis on subjects such as science and foreign languages and has left high-achieving students with too little attention, according to the latest educational study from the Public School Forum. The report calls for the state to set its focus on creating a system of schools that is internationally competitive, not simply one that is registering higher standardized test scores. The Forum study contends that the state needs to find a balance that keeps the focus on moving low-performing students up at the same time it offers high-performing students the opportunity to reach their potential. For more information or to download the report, visit the Forum online and The News & Observer online.

Continuing Education Class Focuses on Special Education

Meredith College is offering a continuing education course this spring called “Teach for Success: Understanding the LD and ADHD student.” The course, which is offered during three separate weekend sessions, is for teachers, parents or any individuals who work with students with learning differences. The three available sessions are Feb. 9-10, March 2-3, or April 20-21. To register and for more information, visit Meredith College online. Contact instructor Karel DiFranco at difrancok@hotmail.com.

Coalition Building Support for Statewide School Bond

The Education: Everybody’s Business Coalition held a series of public forums in January to learn more about a real and immediate crisis regarding public school facilities. The most recent estimate of public school facility needs, which was revised this summer and made public in October, identified $9.7 billion in school facility needs statewide over the next five years. The assessment, conducted by the Department of Public Instruction with the cooperation of school boards and county governments across the state, also showed that every county has at least $1 million in needs for school facility construction, renovations or additions. At the public meetings, speakers representing school systems were impassioned about the need for the state to give local communities relief from shouldering the full responsibility for keeping up with the states unprecedented school construction needs. A growing number of legislators have pledged to support the drive for a school bond and others are expected to add their names to the list of bond supporters as momentum builds at the local level. The N.C. County Commissioners Association included support for a school construction bond among their top legislative priorities. According to the Association, increases in student enrollment and state-mandated reductions in class sizes have made the construction burden more than counties can meet alone. For more information, contact the Public School Forum at 919.781.6833.

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UPCOMING PARTNERSHIP EVENTS

Jan. 25: Author and teacher Rafe Esquith will be at Quail Ridge Books & Music TONIGHT, Thursday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. Esquith will discuss his book, “Teach Like Your Hair’s On Fire!: The Method and Madness Inside Room 56,” and his students will play music. For more information, visit Quail Ridge Books online.

Feb. 6: Wake Regional Education Roundtable from noon to 1:30 p.m.; hosted by Wake Ed and the Wake Forest and Rolesville Chambers; discussion topic will be charter schools. Registration for this event is full.

March 7: Pieces of Gold at 7 p.m.;Progress Energy Center for Performing Arts; tickets go on sale later this month.

March 28: Deadline for Food for Thought grant applications. Applications for Wake Education Partnership’s Food for Thought grants are being accepted online now through March 28.