My wife and I have had a special needs child in the Wake County Public School System for four years. On almost every count, we have been blown away by the care and skill rendered to him and to us as we have navigated this important path.
The dedication of the WCPSS administrators and staff along with the quality of education that we have received from his teachers has been superb. From the bus drivers to the teacher assistants to the principals, we have experienced dedication and excellence at every level.
There have been times in which we, as parents, have been concerned about things such as a school reassignment that we had to go through. We contacted members of the Wake County School Board to discuss the matter. Within days, they put together a meeting with us that also included administrators of the school system. When we met, our concern had been thoroughly researched and our concerns were taken seriously. We came to learn why the decision had been made and ended up agreeing that it was the best course of action for our son and for the school communities. We could not have asked for a better experience.
It has become to clear to me over the recent months that Wake County has a large number of engaged parents who long for the very best education possible for their children. It has also become too clear to me that the residents of this fine county have a lot to be proud of when it comes to public education here. We have outstanding teachers. We have a responsive administration at the county level. We have a hard-working school board made up of servants who do a job that most of us would not do even if it did pay us big money. And we have options … many good options.
Our younger son will enter WCPSS next year. We have toured multiple schools (including magnet schools) and every single principal, teacher and parent who met with us exuded a genuine enthusiasm. Each of them encouraged us to send our child to that particular school if the opportunity arose. The overwhelming sense of pride and quality at each school is making our decision, as parents, a tough one. And for that we are grateful.
In an age when we are saturated with stories of overpaid corporate executives, crooked politicians, over-hyped athletes and self-absorbed coaches, it has been refreshing to think of the public servants that we have come to know through our public schools. Our school system is not perfect. It will never be perfect. But it is excellent, and we have dynamic people in place that are working hard to make it better.
David S. White
Raleigh
