Discussions take place among the Wake County school board members over the proposal to operate 10 low-performing schools more like charter schools. They plan to seek for permission to convert nonperforming schools into the charter school model. Two Southeast Raleigh elementary schools are being improved as part of the current expansion project.
The board may vote one the submission of restart applications involving ten schools following the federal guidelines for charter schools. This should allow them to avail of the government budget for educational expansion.
Restart schools are still expected to continue doing practices not required in charter schools like transportation and meals for students. Students from their attendance areas must also be catered. Wake's policy on this is based on the 2010 state law, that gives flexibility to low-performing schools.
So far, Wake is already permitted to facilitate the restart model at Barwell Road and Walnut Creek elementary schools this year. Longer school year, extended school hours and reassigning state money for teacher support to allow smaller classes are some of the flexibilities, says The News & Observer.
The Wake County Board of Education governs the Wake County Public School System. The nine members of the board are elected from the different districts. It sets policy for the school system as followed by the management and staff.
The board also scrutinized the annual budget proposal that focuses on local funding from the Wake County Board of Commissioners and also reviews business and financial plans for the federal and state funds received - although it has no power over tax policies.
The North Carolina State Board of Education, __as per the North Carolina General Assembly legislation, provides public school governance statewide. The state is responsible for the major district funding and the formulation of the central academic curriculum, according to the Wake County Public School System Website.
