July 14, 2011

Top News

2011-12 School Year Underway

First Day of School Photos Click on the photo for more

The school systems’ 40 elementary year-round and nine middle year-round schools began the new school year on July 11. Superintendent Tony Tata talked with news reporters from West Lake Middle School that morning to mark the start of the new school year. He later visited Banks Road Elementary. Tata found principals and teachers prepared and excited as they readied their schools for the students’ arrival. He commended principals and teachers for their work preparing for the new school year.

Tata held the first in a series of meetings to welcome teachers back for 2011-12. In the 90-minute meetings held at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High, Tata reviewed the board’s mission, vision and core belief statements. Upcoming meetings will welcome year-round school track four teachers and modified calendar school principals and teachers.

The school system has launched a Back to School webpage where you can find information about the start of the new school year. You can find a digital Back to School guide and the latest news for the new school year online here.

Board Makes Reductions Required by State Budget Cuts

The Board of Education approved further reductions to its 2011-12 budget at its meeting Tuesday in response to funding reductions included in the final 2011-12 state budget.

Plans were presented for reductions in custodial staffing, shortening work assignments of 10-month teacher assistant contracts and Central Services reductions. The use of one-time Federal Education Jobs Bill Grant funding during 2011-12 will mitigate the full impact of state funding reductions until the 2012-13 school year.

The final state budget reduced state funding to WCPSS by an estimated six percent. The school system developed its budget to absorb a projected five percent reduction in state funding. Earlier this summer, WCPSS cut 46 Central Services positions, one clerical position from each school, and reduced assistant principals' contracts to 10 months.

Even with these reductions, the board supported Superintendent Tata in approving a budget this year that will:

• maintain all student teacher ratios at current levels;
• reduce class sizes in grades 4-5;
• increase support for five small, under-utilized, and/or declining enrollment elementary schools, including Aversboro, Baileywick, Hilburn Drive, Jefferys Grove and Root;
• create new instructional opportunities for Aversboro Elementary, Hilburn Drive Elementary, York Elementary, Carroll Middle and Knightdale High in the STEM Collaborative Network and for Timber Drive Elementary, Jeffreys Grove Elementary and Stough Elementary in the Global Schools Collaborative Network.
• ensure foreign language at all middle schools;
• maintain the 26 pre-K classrooms that have been federally funded for the past two years; and
• expand alternative learning program seats to 2,106 from 1,346.

Board Reduces Teacher Assistant Assignments

The board approved a reduction in force for teacher assistants by shifting all full-time 10-month teacher assistants to 9.25-month assignments. The action keeps teacher assistants in schools on the days students are in place. The change keeps teacher assistants employed while providing a cost savings of $2.4 million in salary and benefits costs. The action was taken per Board Policy 4430.

Board members expressed concern about the impact on teacher assistants and agreed the change will only be in effect for the 2011-12 budget year.

More News

Board Approves Driver Education Fee for 2011-12 School Year

The board approved a new $45 fee for drivers’ education courses beginning with registration for driver education classes on or after Aug. 25, 2011. The fee will make up for some of the $493,075 in state funding reductions for WCPSS driver training. State lawmakers included a provision that school districts may assess a fee up to $45 to students for driver education. WCPSS staff will determine additional actions to be taken to meet the state requirement to provide driver education for all eligible students.

Board Approves Revisions and Amendments to Student Conduct Policies

The board gave final approval to revisions to the current Code of Student Conduct, Discipline, and Due Process policies at its meeting Tuesday. Staff presented the proposed changes to the board in September. The Professional Learning Team: Alternative to Suspensions; ED Task Force; Superintendent Leadership Team; and Division of Principals and Assistant Principals had discussed the policy changes. Board attorney Ann Majestic reviewed and approved all the revisions. Additional changes align polices with the most recent changes in state law.

The policy changes eliminate mandatory suspensions, except where required by law. The changes should reduce the frequency and length of suspensions with the goal of keeping students in school, improving academic performance, and increasing graduation rates. The updates will continue to provide principals with the tools they need to keep schools safe and to administer discipline fairly and consistently.

Building New Schools

The board continued to discuss new school construction in its work session on Tuesday. Board Vice-Chairman John Tedesco pointed to the number of mobile units at Garner Magnet High and recommended the school system focus on reducing the number of existing mobile classrooms on campuses. Chairman Ron Margiotta agreed and asked Chief Facilities and Operations Officer Don Haydon to bring details on projected crowding based on the optimum number of mobile units to the next meeting.

Haydon discussed the need for additional classroom space in 2013-15 to accommodate growing enrollment and shared options for using available savings in the CIP 2006 capital improvement program to meet those needs.

He discussed proposals to construct a new high school in either southwest Cary or Apex, a new middle school in Raleigh, or a new elementary school in Wake Forest or east Wake, and additional temporary classroom space for Middle Creek, Athens Drive and Holly Springs high schools, as well as the establishment of two early-start elementary schools at modular campuses in Raleigh and in Wake Forest. 

Board Approves Change Order for Rolesville Middle

The board approved a change order for the new Rolesville Middle school for $2,303,911 for offsite improvements at the intersections of Forestville Road / Burlington Mills Road and at Highway 401 / Burlington Mills Road. The board approved Change Order No. CM-04 to D. H. Griffin Construction Company, LLC, as part of their Construction Management at Risk contract for Rolesville Middle School.

The proposed project budget is $46,471,383, of which $42,509,271 is from CIP 2006, $246,134 from Wake County Parks & Recreation, $246,134 from the Town of Rolesville, and $3,469,844 will be from Offsite (Public) Improvements. This change order is for offsite expenses, which are currently encumbered from the furniture and equipment budgets within the project. The additional offsite funds to replace these project funds will be requested in September 2011.

WCPSS Central Services Moving to New Offices in Cary

The Wake County Public School System will consolidate Central Services departments in new offices at the Crossroads Office Park in Cary this summer.

You will find the new home for the school system in the Crossroads I Building, located at 5625 Dillard Drive, near existing WCPSS offices in the Crossroads II Building, located at 110 Corning Road. The move consolidates most WCPSS administrative services in two buildings at one location.

Central Services offices at 3600 Wake Forest Road, 2302 Noble Road, 4700 New Bern Avenue and the Magnet Resource Center on Millbrook Road in Raleigh will all be relocating to Cary this summer. The properties will be repurposed or sold.

Families will find a new central counter where staff will direct them to offices for Audiology, the Center for International Enrollment, Customer Service, Growth and Planning, Magnet Programs and Human Resources in the Crossroads I Building. The school board will hold its meetings in a new boardroom in Crossroads I.

In the Crossroads II Building, you will find offices for Community Services, Student Support Services, Counseling and Student Services, Special Education Services, Preschool Services and the Webster Training Center.

The moves will occur in stages. You may encounter some disruption in services as the moves are taking place, but we intend to be up and running in our new location as soon as possible.

Some telephone numbers will be changing, as well, as departments make the move to Cary. During a transition period, callers may still use old phone numbers as they become acquainted with the new numbers. The main Customer Service phone number will remain 919-850-1600 for a year after the move, however, callers should begin using 919-431-7400 starting Aug. 15.

You can find more details here.