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Seems like only yesterday that Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) employees were stealing millions from within and nobody noticed, plenty of taxpayer money for all. Turn the clock forward to today and I would be surprised if that could happen. I guess one bright spot of a tight budget is accountability.
Wasn't that "Thrill" Bill McNeal's neighbor that was scamming the money? I remember the story being in the news, and then kind of vanishing.
Oh, and don't be surprised if that same thing could and did happen today. Government, at its very nature, is inept when it comes to managing large sums of money. And where there is money, there are always a few dishonest people willing to do the crime.
How about we start filling up the schools that are sitting HALF EMPTY first?
For example: East Cary Middle school? It's only a few extra miles away from some of the more crowded Cary middle schools, yet it sits at 55% capacity. WHY?
When new families move to areas of high growth and crowded schools, give them a list of the under-enrolled schools in the area to choose from! If they still want a different school closer to home, put them on a waiting list for a spot. I personally have a very hard time supporting building brand new schools in places like Western Wake when there are plenty of seats already available in many Cary schools.
I had no idea that any schools were this empty. Makes no sense.
Yep, my daughter attends East Cary and it's at 55%!!!! And thats not the only one! Reedy creek is seriously underenrolled too, among others all across Wake County!
Yep, my daughter attends East Cary and it's at 55%!!!! And thats not the only one! Reedy creek is seriously underenrolled too, among others all across Wake County!
Yep, my daughter attends East Cary and it's at 55%!!!! And thats not the only one! Reedy creek is seriously underenrolled too, among others all across Wake County!
Because the heavy emphasis on test scores has made people believe that they only way they can get a good education is if they jam their kid into Davis Drive. And this phenomenon isn't unique to Wake County but in other areas of the country your choice is limited to moving to get into the better-testing school. But there's a reason the test scores are high and it's not necessarily the demographics of the school. As I've said before, a lot of people are in for a big surprise this spring when they see how hard they work the kids to ensure those scores - they don't happen by magic. It can be done just as easily at other schools. I have a relative teaching at a wcpss school and they don't do ANYTHING to prepare for tests (no study island etc). No reason they can't, they just don't. Parents who want those great scores can simply push their own school to do these things. Not sure the endgame there, but obviously this is what people want to point to, to be able to show how great their school is.
The "taxes vs. bonds" debate seems to lose sight of the fact that everything the district spends is tax money. Bonds are just a way of borrowing against future tax revenue. It's nothing more than a timing/cash flow issue - not one of whether we raise taxes or not.
I think everyone recognizes that it is all tax money.
The difference revolves around which way is more likely to provide needed capital for infrastructure in a timely basis.
Whether saving up for it to pay cash via impact fees and taxes, or leveraging into the future while money is still cheap and amortizing via impact fees and taxes, it is all tax money.
Bipartisan arrogance and ineptitude and irresponsibility on the part of leadership reduces the likelihood of the public eagerly accepting either approach.
Because the heavy emphasis on test scores has made people believe that they only way they can get a good education is if they jam their kid into Davis Drive. And this phenomenon isn't unique to Wake County but in other areas of the country your choice is limited to moving to get into the better-testing school. But there's a reason the test scores are high and it's not necessarily the demographics of the school. As I've said before, a lot of people are in for a big surprise this spring when they see how hard they work the kids to ensure those scores - they don't happen by magic. It can be done just as easily at other schools. I have a relative teaching at a wcpss school and they don't do ANYTHING to prepare for tests (no study island etc). No reason they can't, they just don't. Parents who want those great scores can simply push their own school to do these things. Not sure the endgame there, but obviously this is what people want to point to, to be able to show how great their school is.
This is ridiculous! (not you, but anyone who thinks that). My daughter is a high scorer on standardized tests and I can assure everyone that the teaching and resources there are the same as Davis Drive. In any case, I don't want to divert attention away from the topic by debating why scores are higher at some schools over others.
My point is, there is space for over 400 students at East Cary, which is only 6 miles away! and there are 400 seats open at West Cary. Between those two schools, there is enough space to fit an entire school of kids.
This is ridiculous! (not you, but anyone who thinks that). My daughter is a high scorer on standardized tests and I can assure everyone that the teaching and resources there are the same as Davis Drive. In any case, I don't want to divert attention away from the topic by debating why scores are higher at some schools over others.
My point is, there is space for over 400 students at East Cary, which is only 6 miles away! and there are 400 seats open at West Cary. Between those two schools, there is enough space to fit an entire school of kids.
thanks for pointing out the empty seats at some of the schools as I had no idea.
However, telling a parent that their child may have to go to a school that is a mere SIX MILES away seems to be another issue!
How about we get rid of the current school board...go back a few years ago, reinstate that school board and instead of tossing the entire plan, we MODIFY IT a bit?
How about we start filling up the schools that are sitting HALF EMPTY first?
For example: East Cary Middle school? It's only a few extra miles away from some of the more crowded Cary middle schools, yet it sits at 55% capacity. WHY?
When new families move to areas of high growth and crowded schools, give them a list of the under-enrolled schools in the area to choose from! If they still want a different school closer to home, put them on a waiting list for a spot. I personally have a very hard time supporting building brand new schools in places like Western Wake when there are plenty of seats already available in many Cary schools.
Schools are sitting half empty? Good grief.
Seems that I've heard nothing but fuss and bother about school assignment and overcrowded schools since we got here. Now several posters say there are a number of schools with low enrollment.
Then clicked around trying to find basic information on schools. This is a muddled mess. Had to click through numerous screens even to find test scores.
Then went down to list of schools and clicked on several. Wealth of information on test scores, goals, mission, budget, etc. presented in an easy to understand format and one page.
Edmonton, Alberta has had open enrollment for some time. Edmonton Public Schools - Home As I recall, they made the information readily available so that families could make informed choices.
i am so glad we're not trying to make sense of this for our kids.
However, telling a parent that their child may have to go to a school that is a mere SIX MILES away seems to be another issue!
Vicki
Well, it currently takes almost half an hour to get home from a school that's 1.5 miles away, so therein lies part of the problem.
It is amusing, though, because I grew up where there are town-based school districts and there were kids in my town who lived a good 5 miles from the high school - no choice! And because you had to go through a busy downtown area it was a good 20 minute trip.
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