"Opt Out" Survey

 

You may have heard about the school calendar survey ( very rough example) that the WCPSS just sent out to families who "opted out" of year-round schools. David Holdzkom, assistant superintendent for evaluation and research with WCPSS, is the contact person. To request a survey form, call 850-1863. They are due back Oct. 12. There are a lot of questions surrounding the survey, such as: What about those families who "opted out" prior to Judge Manning's ruling? Some have indicated that they haven't received a form. Were they supposed to? Also, some parents are questioning why the results will be summarized across sub-groups. 

What the public really needs to see is a list of those who stayed at their converted school, but wrote "under duress" and other such comments on their consent forms - the ones who didn't want to "opt out" for some unknown location.

Anyway - just wanted to pass this along.

WCPSS Audit

Many of you know that in January, Superintendent Burns initiated an independent curriculum management audit for the Wake County Public School System. The purpose was to have an outside organization come in and completely open up and scrutinize all areas, in hopes of providing feedback that would lead to improvements in our school system.

On Tuesday, September 4, the auditors presented their findings to the Board of Education. You can access the full report at http://www.wcpss.net/curriculum-management/. I attended the meeting, and came away with mixed feelings. The main theme seemed to be lack of consistency and coordination in all areas. While I agreed with many of the findings, I was disappointed in the way that some were presented. I commend Del Burns for calling for the optional audit, and much good can come out of it, depending on where the School Board and Administration choose to place their focus. My fear is that the teachers, principals, and County Commissioners will bear the brunt of any finger-pointing that takes place.

At the September 18 School Board meeting, Dr. Burns will present the Administration's response to the audit.