Without teachers there would be no other professions. Teachers are tasked with guiding students to see beyond their current status to future careers. The paradox for many K-12 educators is that they will prepare hundreds of students for various careers, while their profession is based in the classroom. A math teacher prepares future engineers without …
Five months ago, more than 100 businesses and educators gathered in a cafeteria to have a conversation. The official name for the event was the STEM and Global Studies World Café, sponsored by Biogen. The partnerships that came from the event have caused educators and business leaders to rethink the public-private partnership. Last month we talked …
I have been very fortunate to be part of the WakeEd Partnership over the past seven years, first as a volunteer and now as a member of the board. Providing opportunities in education is a true passion of mine as well as our partners and staff at PwC. In the past year, PwC Carolinas partners …
Johnny Carson often used a classic setup for jokes. He would open with, “Boy, was it hot today!” Then he would wait for the audience to respond with, “How hot was it?” Then he would deliver the punchline by starting with, “It was so hot…” It was a dark humor that had this particular setup …
The last week of April featured the all-important legislative crossover deadline. WakeEd has been following several bills that address drivers education funding, teacher pay, financial flexibility, and calendar flexibility. We thought a review of how these bills have moved through the General Assembly would be helpful. As a reminder, bills that are introduced must be …
At their May 6 meeting, the North Carolina State Board of Education approved a waiver that allows WCPSS to not administer NC Final Exams at the end of this school year. NC Final Exams are administered in courses that do not have a state end-of-grade or end-of-course exam. This includes elementary, middle, and high school …
The Wake County Board of Education adopted a budget for the 2015-2016 school year. It is the same budget as previously proposed by Supt. Merrill. The $1.4 billion budget includes a local funding request increase of $48.3 million. The increase requested funds growth and expansion of programs. It also sets out to raise teacher salary …
Much has been made over what items are included in the Superintendent’s proposed budget. Little has been made over items not included. Some of these items can be found on page 14 of the budget document titled “Deferred Needs.” They include items like, “Technology Refresh Operating Dollars for Classrooms – $8 million.” These dollars would …
What’s NOT in the Superintendent’s Proposed Budget Read More »
At a Facilities Committee meeting on April 15, Joe Desormeaux, Assistant Superintendent for Facilities, identified $348 million per year in new schools, major renovations, life cycle replacements, and land acquisition over the next six years. This keeps pace with the number of new students expected to arrive in Wake County, which is just over 3,200 …
You could say that making up days missed by inclement weather this spring has been problematic. You’d also be understating the issue. A bit. School board members heard recommendations from staff on inclement weather make-up days for the 2015-2016 school calendars (traditional, year-round, and modified). Staff presented options that included use of early release days, …
