Having a basic knowledge of who does what in your child's school district is important in communicating your child’s needs & supporting your child's success in school. The information below is to familiarize you with the basic
ins and outs of WCPSS as well as assist you in figuring out the best ways to communicate with WCPSS staff & board members. We hope this information
will aid you in your process of electing a School Board member before heading to the polls.
To run for school board, you have to be at least 18 years old, a citizen of the state, a resident of the district, a registered voter and eligible under the state constitution to be elected to public office. You are able to vote for the candidate in the district you live in. Wake County’s Board of Education represents an elected representative from each 9 districts in the county. They serve four-year terms which are staggered. A school board establishes a vision for the schools that reflects the board, community and district staff. The school board has other responsibilities, such as balancing the annual budget and issuing interim financial reports, adopting the school calendar, negotiating contracts with employee unions, approving curriculum materials and closing and/or construction of schools. Another responsibility of the board is the hiring and firing of the Superintendent.
The board sets policy, and the superintendent and administrative staff manage the system's day-to-day operation. The school district superintendent is the chief executive officer. It is the school superintendent who must implement the school boards vision.
In most States the School Board has taxing authority and control over where the money allotted for schools is spent. In North Carolina the School Board has budget review authority, but it is not a taxing body and must submit its annual budget requests to the Wake County Board of Commissioners, which controls allocation of funds to the schools. In North Carolina the basic public education program is funded by the state and is augmented with local funds. Wake County is governed by a seven-member Board of Commissioners, elected at large to serve four-year terms. Terms are staggered so that, every two years, three or four Commissioners are up for election. The Commissioners enact policies such as establishment of the property tax rate, regulation of land use and zoning outside municipal jurisdictions, and adoption of the annual budget. Commissioners meet on the first and third Mondays of each month. They develop and approve a budget for fiscal year 2009-2010 which maintains the property tax rate at 53.4 cents.
"The North Carolina State Board of Education (SBE) is responsible for "supervising and administering the free public school system and the educational funds provided for its support." Board members include the Lieutenant Governor, the State Treasurer and 11 other members appointed by the Governor. Eight members represent each of the state's educational districts, and three are at-large appointees. Those appointed serve eight-year terms. The policies developed by the North Carolina State Board of Education set the direction for all aspects of Department of Public Instruction and local public school organization and operations.
The responsibilities of the WCPSS administrative office are varied. They select curriculum materials, do staff assignments, employee hires and dismissals, labor negotiations and contracts, monitoring revenues and expenditures, compliance with state and federal laws. They oversee and manage the district's real property and facilities. Also included are staff development, purchasing, technology planning, strategic planning, public information, student transportation, student performance standards, and student assessments.
With the current downturn in the economy, school districts across the country are getting hit hard. WCPSS depends on state and local tax revenue, so when state and local budgets are in crisis, so do schools. NC is 44th in the nation in support of K-12 classroom education. Likewise, Wake’s schools are 85th (of 115 school districts) in the state (not counting the costs of constructing schools. Source NC DPI). These financial losses mean larger class sizes, and cutbacks in programs, supplies and school maintenance projects. The cost of public education in North Carolina is financed primarily by the state, which establishes minimum programs. Local funds, in varying amounts by district, supplement the basic program and are appropriated by local boards of county commissioners. Local boards of education in North Carolina have no tax levying or borrowing authority and are required to maintain accounting records in a uniform format. A 2006 EdTrust report notes there are unequal federal and state funding allocations, and within districts. Low-income and minority students suffer the most as less money is generally spent in schools serving the most disadvantaged students. Saving money in alternative schedules, delaying the high cost of construction projects, as well as reducing wasteful spending in Wake County are an important focus. Take notice of alternative funding for schools. Fairer finance systems may be some steps to education improvement. On the other side of the coin, a high rate of spending does not necessarily mean a higher level of student achievement. For example, The District of Columbia, which ranks high in per-pupil spending, is below average on the fourth-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in reading, a national test measuring student achievement, while New York, which ranks high in per-pupil spending, ranks above average on the fourth-grade NAEP in reading. A good finance system should align money and resources with specific student-learning goals rather than determining funding levels by individual school or district. Most states need to fix their school finance systems because they no longer align with the results expected from schools
Reform:
Wake’s success in attracting high-paying jobs is based on its competitive advantage. We need to nurture and feed this success by constantly raising the academic bar, looking at creative ways to teach, and finding new ways to make our schools even better so the children succeed. Ask the question, is there opportunity considering different schedules in teaching that saves money and not sacrifice learning? Explore green vocational technical course programs in existing high schools or creating a magnet high school for this movement. This would allow not college-bound students to graduate with a trained skill. One solution to improve drop out rates. A program similar to Wake Early College of Health and Sciences (WECHS), a Learn and Earn High School would work well in teaching students a curriculum focused on “green” trade skills with an emphasis on energy efficiency so that they can become contributors to our changing communities. History offers us the ability to see what has been accomplished and learn from it. Building new schools is expensive and is not the end-all. Fully utilizing the schools we have, further incorporating land banking, alternative calendars and delaying the opening of new schools affords funding to go directly to students, teachers, and existing schools. Using money that does come to our school district in more creative ways will excel our children to greatness. Diversity is honored in the world of business and government. WCPSS is devoted to teaching all our kids that diversity is something to respect and appreciate, therefore creating a learning environment where each child has equal opportunity for success in school. Learning from each other is a part of being on your way to being a responsible adult. We all want to prepare our children for an increasingly global world. Raising expectations and standards in ways such as increasing the quality of the school leadership and teachers, staff training, class size, aligning state standards to curriculum and accountability, and parent involvement are some ways to look at. Schools in more affluent communities, where parents and community members help to raise additional funds, are able to provide enrichment programs such as music, the arts, well-stocked school libraries, that less affluent schools generally can't afford. Growth will return to this area so we should take this down turn as time to explore, have dialogue, research, and implement in whatever small ways to advance academics in all Wake schools.
More Money for our Schools:
Without a transfer tax or other revenue source, officials grappling with growth face raising existing taxes or let key services lag. Alternatives include raising property taxes, having a sales-tax referendum, cutting school costs dramatically or accepting more crowded schools and congested roads. Many people in Wake County and elsewhere in the Triangle, including individual Realtors, developers and other business leaders, are highly supportive of public education. But where is leadership now that we need it?
People expect high-quality public services, but they're not always willing to pay the cost. Doing a better job of educating people that the public services they expect have, have to be paid for somehow. The fear of politicians in Wake County is if they put a transfer-tax referendum on the ballot next year, they'll have trouble staying in office.
One important issue with the proposed real estate transfer tax is that it allows politicians to avoid the issue of prioritizing spending. We must also address the issue of inflated spending in all areas of government. The answer is not a “this or that”. It is both: make hard choices about spending AND raise taxes. Government needs to make do with less when it comes to spending or smarter choices. Citizens realize they have to sacrifice in the form of higher taxes. Saying yes to new and increased taxes and urge the state to address its spending addiction.
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