Wake County Public School System
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Wake County Public School System | |
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| Type | Public |
| Budget | $1.78 bil (2007-2008) |
| Established | 1976 |
| Region | Wake County, North Carolina |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Superintendent | Del Burns |
| Teachers | 9,000+ |
| Students | 137,706 (2008-2009) |
| Location | Wake County, North Carolina United States |
| Website | www.wcpss.net |
The Wake County Public School System is a public school district located in Wake County, North Carolina. With 137,706 students enrolled in 159 schools as of the 2008/09 academic year, it is the largest public school district in North Carolina[1] and the 18th largest district in the United States.[2] The student population is projected to grow by 20,242 students by the 2010-2011 school year.[3] Numerous new schools are under construction, but there is an acute transportation shortage, as the system currently is in need of 75 additional bus drivers.[4]
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[edit] History
The current school system is the result of a 1976 merger between the previous (historically largely white) Wake County school system and the former (historically largely minority) Raleigh City schools. The merger was proposed initially by business leaders in the early 1970s out of concerns that continued "white flight" from Raleigh's inner-city schools would negatively impact the county's overall economy. Political and educational leaders also hoped that merging the two systems would ease court-mandated desegregation. The proposal proved initially unpopular with residents, however, who rejected it by a 3-1 margin in a non-binding referendum in 1973. School and business leaders instead convinced the North Carolina General Assembly to force the merger.[5]
The district since has become notable for its integration efforts. Schools in the system are today integrated based on the income levels reported by families on applications for federally subsidized school lunches, with the goal of having a maximum ratio of 40% low-income students at any one school. Consequently, thousands of suburban students are bused to magnet schools in poorer areas—and likewise, low-income students to suburban schools—to help maintain this income balance. The county's residents are divided in their support for the system's integration program due, partially, to some of the means of achieving that integration, such as long bus rides for many students and a lack of neighborhood schools. Despite improved integration, test results among poorer students continue to lag: for the 2007-2008 school year, only 18% of the district's schools met the adequate yearly progress goals of the [No Child Left Behind] Act[6], with only 71 percent passing state standardized tests.[7] Due to the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling restricting the use of race in assigning students, Wake has been cited as a model for how other school systems can still maintain diversity in enrollment.[8]
In the effort to maintain economic diversity and keep up with rapid growth in its student population, Wake routinely reassigns thousands of students each year to different schools.[9] Many parents object to this annual shuffle. For the 2008-09 school year, for example, the school district has stated that it will reassign some 6,464 students in order to affect a new system-wide policy designed to help schools in the same geographic area achieve similar economic demographics. This wave of changes will require the reassignment of many low-income students to schools that have greater proportion of higher-income students.[1] In February 2009, the school board approved a plan that would move 24,654 students to different schools over the next three years.[2]
There are currently 150 public schools in the system, consisting of 93 elementary (K-5), 28 middle (6-8), 22 high (9-12), and 7 special/optional schools. With numerous new schools coming on line each year, the school board names new schools for a geographic feature (such as Holly Ridge) or for road where they are located (such as Athens Drive and Leesville Road) or for the geographic area they serve (such as Apex High and Garner High). The board, however, has recently tried to avoid naming schools after nearby subdivisions because such names may lead some residents to believe that the school is the "neighborhood school." Unlike earlier times, schools are no longer named after people, which has proven to be controversial in the past. Schools named prior to the current naming policy, however, retain their existing non-geographic names.[10]
[edit] Year-round calendar
The Wake County Public School System made headlines in 2006 and 2007 for converting 19 elementary schools and three middle schools to a mandatory year-round calendar. It puts more than a third of the elementary schools on the year-round calendar starting in July 2007. The decision was unpopular with some families who argued that the calendar switch should be voluntary.[11] The switch to a year-round calendar in many schools has led to some unanticipated needs. For example, PTA chapters at some of the affected schools are considering the purchase of sun shades for playgrounds to provide shelter for students during North Carolina's hot and humid summer months.[12]
A group of parents sued[13] to block the school system from converting the schools.[14] In May 2007, Judge Howard Manning ruled that the school system may offer a year-round calendar, but that it must obtain informed consent from a student's parents before assigning the students to a year-round school. Approximately 9% of the affected students did not consent and were assigned to a traditional calendar school.[15] As a result, many year-round schools have empty seats and many traditional-calendar schools remain overcrowded.[16] In May 2008, the North Carolina Court of Appeals overturned the lower court decision, ruling that Wake does not need parental permission for students to attend year-round schools, but the State Supreme Court School agreed to hear the case and stayed the appellate decision until it makes a ruling.[17] District leaders sought consent for the 2008-09 school year but do not plan to do so the following year (2009-10).[18]
In October 2008, the school board voted to convert Baucom Elementary in Apex and Green Hope Elementary in Cary back to the traditional calendar, citing a less than expected increase in enrollment. Salem Elementary in Apex was also considered for conversion back to a traditional calendar but that move was voted against by the board. Also at that same meeting, the board voted to convert Leesville Road Middle in North Raleigh to a year-round calendar.[19]
In May 2009, the state Supreme Court ruled that parental consent is not needed to send students to year-round schools.[3] As a result, the school board decided to no longer seek consent.[4]
[edit] School directory
[edit] High schools (9-12)
[edit] Raleigh
- Athens Drive High School
- Broughton High School
- Enloe High School
- Leesville Road High School
- Millbrook High School
- Sanderson High School
- Southeast Raleigh High School
- Wakefield High School
[edit] Apex
[edit] Cary
[edit] Fuquay-Varina
[edit] Garner
[edit] Holly Springs
[edit] Knightdale
[edit] Wake Forest
[edit] Wendell
- East Wake High School (subdivided):
- School of Arts, Education and Global Studies
- School of Health Science
- School of Integrated Technology
- School of Engineering Systems
[edit] Middle schools (6-8)
[edit] Raleigh
- Carnage Middle School
- Carroll Middle School
- Centennial Campus Middle School
- Daniels Middle School
- Dillard Drive Middle School
- Durant Road Middle School
- East Millbrook Middle School
- East Wake Middle School
- Leesville Road Middle School
- Ligon Middle School
- Martin Middle School
- Moore Square Middle School
- Wakefield Middle School
- West Millbrook Middle School
[edit] Apex
- Apex Middle School
- Lufkin Road Middle School
- Salem Middle School
- West Lake Middle School
[edit] Cary
- Reedy Creek Middle School
- West Cary Middle School
- Davis Drive Middle School
- East Cary Middle School
[edit] Fuquay-Varina
- Fuquay-Varina Middle School
[edit] Garner
- East Garner Middle School
- North Garner Middle School
[edit] Holly Springs
- Holly Ridge Middle School
[edit] Wake Forest
- Heritage Middle School
- Wake Forest-Rolesville Middle School
[edit] Wendell
- Wendell Middle School
[edit] Zebulon
- Zebulon Middle School
[edit] Elementary schools (K-5)
[edit] Raleigh
- Alston Elementary school
- Baileywick Elementary School
- Barwell Road Elementary School
- Banks Road Elementary school
- Brassfield Elementary School
- Brentwood Elementary School
- Brier Creek Elementary School
- Brooks Elementary School
- Bugg Elementary School
- Combs Elementary School
- Conn Elementary School
- Dillard Drive Elementary School
- Douglas Elementary School
- Durant Road Elementary School
- Fox Road Elementary School
- Fuller Elementary School
- Green Elementary School
- Harris Creek Elementary School
- Hilburn Drive Elementary School
- Hunter Elementary School
- Jeffreys Grove Elementary School
- Joyner Elementary School
- Lacy Elementary School
- Lake Myra Elementary school
- Lead Mine Elementary School
- Leesville Road Elementary School
- Lynn Road Elementary School
- Millbrook Elementary School
- North Ridge Elementary School
- Olds Elementary School
- Partnership Elementary School
- Pleasant Union Elementary School
- Poe Elementary School
- Powell Elementary School
- River Bend Elementary School
- Root Elementary School
- Smith Elementary School
- Stough Elementary School
- Swift Creek Elementary School
- Sycamore Creek Elementary School
- Underwood Elementary School
- Vance Elementary School
- Wakefield Elementary School
- Washington Elementary School
- Wilburn Elementary School
- Wildwood Forest Elementary School
- Wiley Elementary School
- Yates Mill Elementary School
- York Elementary School
[edit] Apex
- Apex Elementary School
- Baucom Elementary School
- Middle Creek Elem=entary School
- Olive Chapel Elementary School
- Salem Elementary School
- West Lake Elementary School
[edit] Cary
- Adams Elementary School
- Briarcliff Elementary School
- Carpenter Elementary School
- Cary Elementary School
- Davis Drive Elementary School
- Farmington Woods Elementary School
- Green Hope Elementary School
- Highcroft Drive Elementary School
- Kingswood Elementary School
- Northwoods Elementary School
- Oak Grove Elementary School
- Penny Road Elementary School
- Reedy Creek Elementary School
- Turner Creek Elementary School
- Weatherstone Elementary School
[edit] Fuquay-Varina
- Ballentine Elementary School
- Fuquay-Varina Elementary School
- Lincoln Heights Elementary School
[edit] Garner
- Aversboro Elementary School
- Creech Road Elementary School
- East Garner Elementary School
- Polenta Elementary School
- Rand Road Elementary School
- Vance Elementary School
- Timber Drive Elementary School
- Vandora Springs Elementary School
[edit] Holly Springs
- Holly Grove Elementary School
- Holly Ridge Elementary School
- Holly Springs Elementary School
[edit] Knightdale
- Forestville Road Elementary School
- Hodge Road Elementary School
- Knightdale Elementary School
- Lockhart Elementary School
[edit] Morrisville
- Cedar Fork Elementary School
- Morrisville Elementary School
[edit] Rolesville
- Rolesville Elementary School
[edit] Wake Forest
- Forest Pines Elementary School
- Heritage Elementary School
- Jones Dairy Elementary School
- Wake Forest Elementary School
[edit] Wendell
- Carver Elementary School
- Wendell Elementary SChool
[edit] Willow Springs
- Willow Springs Elementary School
[edit] Zebulon
- Zebulon Elementary School
[edit] Special/optional schools
[edit] Raleigh
- Bridges Program (K-5)
- Longview School (6-12)
- Mary E. Phillips High School (9-12)
- Mt. Vernon School (6-8)
- Project Enlightenment (Pre-K)
- Richard Milburn School (6-12)
- River Oaks Middle School (6-8)
- Wake Early College of Health and Sciences (9-12]
[edit] References
- ^ T. Keung Hui and Kinea White Epps. "Wake school enrollment in top 20". The News & Observer. http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/wake/story/734480.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-14.
- ^ T. Keung Hui and Michael Biesecker (2008-10-02). "Growth slowing for pupils, funds". The News & Observer. http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1240109.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-14.
- ^ "WCPSS: New Enrollment Projections Released". http://www.wcpss.net/news/2007_enrollment_projections/. Retrieved on 2008-11-14.
- ^ http://media.newsobserver.com/content/news/education/wake/story_graphics/20071012_wschools.jpg
- ^ http://wakeedpartnership.org/publications/d/WCPSS-30th.pdf
- ^ "Scores on state tests decline". The News & Observer. 2008-11-06. http://www.newsobserver.com/front/story/1283616.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-09.
- ^ "Scores soften Wake's boast". The News & Observer. 2008-11-12. http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1291237.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-14.
- ^ "To Get Diversity, Some Schools May Look to Socioeconomic Class Rather Than Race". US News and World Report. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070708/16deseg.htm.
- ^ http://www.wcpss.net/assignment-proposal/history.pdf
- ^ WCPSS: Board Policy - Naming of Schools (2570)
- ^ "Wake Cares letter to School Board et al.". http://www.wral.com/asset/news/local/2007/05/08/1395637/wakecaresletter.swf. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
- ^ "Schools want sun shelters for hot kids". News and Observer. 2007-07-12. http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/634631.html. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- ^ "Wake Cares Inc, vs. Wake County School Board et al.". http://www.wral.com/asset/news/local/2007/05/04/1384275/wakeschoolsruling.swf. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
- ^ T. Keung Hui (2007-03-14). "Parent Group Sues Wake Schools". The News & Observer. http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/wake/reassignment/story/553347.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-14.
- ^ WCPSS:Board Assigns 2,600 Students to Traditional Calendar Schools
- ^ T. Keung Hui (2008-02-07). "Year-round school shuffle possible". The News & Observer. http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/929147.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-14.
- ^ T. Keung Hui and Kinea White Epps (2008-08-28). "Wake's all-year lawsuit lives on". The News & Observer. http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/story/1197216.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-14.
- ^ T. Keung Hui and Kinea White Epps (2008-05-07). "Wake schools regain control over year-round plan". The News & Observer. http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/wake/story/1063879.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-14.
- ^ Hui, T. Keung (October 7, 2008). "2 Wake schools to end year-round schedule". News and Observer. http://www.newsobserver.com/167/story/1246066.html.
[edit] External links
- Wake County Public School System
- Year Round Schools Conversion
- WRAL-TV archive of year round conversion stories
- News & Observer's Wake school reassignment archive
- Mandatory year round assignment story archive from WRAL
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