Education Exchange Meeting to Discuss School Finance
Wake Ed Partnership invites you to join us for the third meeting in our Education Exchange series on Monday, June 11 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Brier Creek Community Center (10810 Globe Road). This meeting, which is free and open to the public, will provide Wake County citizens an opportunity to learn more about the 2007-08 school system budget, as well as policies and practices which exist to ensure financial accountability. No registration is required. Gordon Brown, a member of the Wake Ed Board of Directors, will facilitate the meeting. Presenters from WCPSS will be Chief Business Officer David Neter, Finance Officer Mark Winters and Budget Officer Terri Kimzey. Presentations will be followed by time for Q&A and discussion with participants.
Goodnights to Host Campaign Celebration
Ann & Jim Goodnight invite you to mingle with friends and colleagues who share a common vision of world-class public education. The campaign celebration for Wake Education Partnership will be held on Wednesday, June 6, 2007, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary. Tickets will be available at the door – all proceeds will benefit Wake Education Partnership. For more information, contact Jackie Brown at 919.821.7609 ext. 140.
Growth Impacts Assignment, Diversity and Taxes
The following recent articles highlight different effects of a rapidly growing student enrollment in Wake County:
- Many pupils stick to year-round: WCPSS received 95 percent of consent forms back from parents of 30,500 students. Parents of more than 2,500 Wake County students have declined assignments at year-round schools in favor of traditional-calendar schools.
- How tight are Wake schools?: School capacity is about more than just seats—it’s also about whether or not those are permanent seats, where in the county the school is located, and how new schools are phased in. As school critics argue that the district has the space to avoid year-round conversions, school leaders search for balance.
- Wake schools' diversity may ebb: A judge's ruling against the use of mandatory year-round assignments increases parental choice, but could also weaken Wake's nationally recognized school diversity policy.
- Wake tax may rise 5.7%: Responding to Wake County's explosive growth and school needs, Wake County Manager David Cooke is proposing a 5.7 percent tax increase. Among other items, the budget includes an increase in operational spending on schools by $18.9 million -- $12.8 million less than what the school board says it needs to cover state-mandated raises for teachers, accommodate about 8,000 more students this fall, pay rising utility and fuel bills and meet other expenses. The county commissioners will have to decide whether to raise taxes more. Two public hearings are scheduled for June 4.
Wake Schools in the News
Two Triangle high schools have made Newsweek's annual ranking of "100 Best High Schools in America." Raleigh Charter High came in 18th and Enloe High ranked 53rd. Reporter Jay Mathews bases his ranking on the number of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests taken at a school divided by the number of graduating seniors. Newsweek expands its list to 1,200 high schools on its website. Broughton High School is ranked 383.
In other news:
- Four Wake elementary schools will lose magnet status: Four Wake County elementary schools are losing their magnet programs as they do not meet the school district's goals for reducing concentrations of impoverished students and maximizing school capacity.
- English Teacher Receives Honor: Fuquay-Varina High School teacher Paige Elliott is the 2007 Wake County Teacher of the Year. Elliott has taught her entire career of 9.5 years as an English teacher at Fuquay-Varina High. Candidates for Teacher of the Year are nominated and elected by their peers.
- WCPSS Earns Accounting Award: The Wake County Board of Education was awarded the 2005-2006 State Treasurer's Award for Excellence in Accounting and Financial Management for the establishment of a Fraud Prevention Program, internal control improvement, and implementation of a budget manager certification program.
Food Service Program Provides Summer Meals to Students
Only about 1 out of 5 children who are eligible for free or reduced price school meals during the school year will get the food they need this summer without assistance. When school is out, thousands of children must search for meals outside of their school cafeteria – and too often these foods cannot be found at home. USDA’s Summer Food Service Program bridges the gap by providing free food to kids at park and recreation areas, summer bible schools and other sites in the community during the summer. The key to the success of this program is increasing awareness. North Carolina’s Summer Food Service Program reaches approximately 17% of the eligible children. There is a tremendous need for expansion. For information about how you can help, contact Cynthia Ervin, NC Summer Food Service Coordinator, (919) 707-5774 or cynthia.ervin@ncmail.net.
Gang Violence Conference Open to Community Leaders
Community leaders are invited to join with local pastors and others concerned about the rise of gang violence at a conference sponsored by Another Step Forward Ministries on Friday, June 15, at 7 p.m. The event will feature Dr. Tony Evans and will be held at the Ezra Conference Center (3670 Bastion Lane, Raleigh). The conference is free of charge, but requires registration by June 4. For more information or to register, call 919-562-9988 or visit ASF Ministries online.
What Is The Future of School Integration?
Breaking up concentrated poverty – the “ever-present attendant” of racial segregation – should be the next focus of attempts to integrate schools, if the Supreme Court does not allow integration programs based on race, according to panelists at a Center for American Progress event this month. Three of the four panelists agreed that efforts to promote racial integration in public schools are as vital now as ever, and the possibility that the Supreme Court might throw up another obstacle to school integration means that we must think of new ways to promote educational equity for the students who our society leaves behind. For more information about WCPSS’s goals for economic integration and the research explaining why the policy is good for students, read Wake Ed’s “Making Choices” report.
Strong Leaders Make Schools Great
Great principals with lots of energy are a requirement for great schools—their leadership and vision set the tone for the school. But finding those great leaders is harder than ever. Today’s school principals have to be mentors, advisers, politicians, crisis managers, quasi parents, cheerleaders, legal experts, disciplinarians, entertainers, coaches, psychologists, and persuasive advocates for their school's educational mission. They also need to be statisticians to digest the reams of data required by the federal No Child Left Behind law and local testing. To find out more about the special pressures of running a successful high school today, Newsweek talked to five school leaders around the country. Follow this link to read their very different stories.
ED in ’08 Campaign Pushes Education into Presidential Race
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have pumped more than $2 billion into improving schools. Now they are joining forces for a $60 million foray into politics in an effort to vault education high onto the agenda of the 2008 presidential race. Experts on campaign spending said the “Strong American Schools/ED in ‘08” project would rank as one of the most expensive single-issue initiatives ever in a presidential race. For more information, visit http://www.edin08.com. The website also offers toolkits for educators, parents and community members. This campaign compliments the Give Kids Good Schools campaign launched last year by the Public Education Network (PEN) that encourages Americans to take responsibility for the quality of their public schools and to become engaged in order to hold elected officials accountable for public education.
MAKE AN INVESTMENT
Your donations make the Partnership's work possible. Please help us continue to support excellence in public education in Wake County by making an investment in the Annual Fund for Education today. When we invest in our schools, we build a better, stronger, more prosperous community for us all. And together, we all win.
UPCOMING WAKE ED PARTNERSHIP EVENTS
June 6: Campaign celebration reception hosted by Ann & Jim Goodnight to support the Wake Ed ’07 campaign at Prestonwood Country Club from 5:30-830 p.m.
June 11: Education Exchange meeting from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Brier Creek Community Center. Topic: School budgeting and financial accountability. No registration required.