Here's an abbreviated recap of today's Wake County school board meeting with more to come later.
A decision on the grading practices was delayed until Aug. 16 to give more time for public comment and to allow staff to report back on additional information on the rationale for going back to letter grades in grades 3-5 and to learn more about how behaviors would be incorporated into the policy.
But the signs are that the new grading policy will pass with school board vice chairman John Tedesco strongly advocating for the revision. But you could still see some revisions made to the R&P.
Superintendent Tony Tata reported back favorably on the effectiveness of the school resource officer program, saying the program is working very well.
Russ Smith, Wake's senior director for security, presented survey data from principals who backed the SRO program and school crime data showing a decline in acts of violence in recent years.
Smith said they’ll hold an annual meeting with the school resource officers, their supervisors and school officials before the start of the school year to enhance teamwork and cooperation. The first meeting is scheduled for Aug. 23.
No decision was made on how to use the $99.3 million in bond savings for school construction projects. Staff will report back Aug. 16 with information from the blue plan test drive to give an indication how the new choice-based student assignment plan might impact facility needs.
