Wake County commissioners Stan Norwalk and Tony Gurley got into a tussle Monday over the possibility of teacher layoffs in next year's schools budget.
As noted in today's article by Thomas Goldsmith, Norwalk warned that the school system might have to fire as many as 2,000 teachers to make up for expected cuts in state funding and the loss of federal stimulus funding it received for the current year.
Norwalk got an angry response from Gurley, the board chairman, when Norwalk proposed that the county sell unused land and convert the proceeds into operating expenses.
“Everything you are saying is so off-the-wall,” Gurley said.
Norwalk persisted, predicting a possible shortfall of $120 million and suggesting that the system consider means such as using more portable and modular classrooms instead of building new schools.
“That’s serious stuff,” Norwalk said. “When that hits the headlines ...”
Gurley broke in: “So that’s what this is about, generating headlines.”
The school board and administrators haven't publicly gotten into specifics yet about how it will deal with the loss of $100 million or more in funding next year.
Comments
Gurley or Norwalk?
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 20:41 — pat1962I think I'll go with Norwalk!!!! At least he is suggesting that we look for reductions in expenditures in things rather than teachers. Especially, if he can convince the other commissioners to stop building fancy, expensive schools and go back to more efficient and less costly construction methods. We could then save some money and at the same time increase the salaries of our teachers. The School Board was presented with ways to reduce cost in the basic construction of schools and they acted like they would be committing the ultimate sin in even considering such a move!
School Funding Title 1 - Can Someone Clarify?
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 12:18 — RMC10I have been following and posting on this blog since the MYR blogs started. I am wondering if someone from WCPSS can clarify. My friend went to the Magnet School Fair on Saturday. She is considering three Magnet schools in her area. She asked about why all three of those schools were under Title 1 status, along with several other Magnet Schools. She was told that Title 1 is a good thing, because it means economic diversity is being achieved in all those schools.
Our daughter also brought home a flyer last week explaining the Title 1 status, and explaining the how and why schools received that status. I also wrote to the lady whose name from the DPI was signed on that flyer.
I inquired why so many schools in Wake County was under Title 1 and why so many schools since 2008 have fallen to Title 1. She too wrote back saying Title 1 was a good thing and based on poverty levels and F&R percents at each school. I wrote stating that I thought it was because AYP's were not being met that was the determination under the NCLB guidelines. Schools that used to be Schools of Excellence and Distinction have seen a decrease in scores in 2007-08-09 and have lost their "Schools of" titles.
So Title 1 funding is received based on percents of F&R (people on this blog agree on that issue), and that's a good chunk of Federal revenue into our state/county and increasing each school's F&R to around 37-50% means more money from NCLB into the county. But not meeting AYP's gets schools under that "Title 1 - watch status (I think is a bad thing). But if Title 1 is a good thing why then can parents opt out of schools that fall under the Title 1 designation? Because that to me just says the school is underperforming. And the lower scores on EOG/EOC, AYP seem to bear that out.
If all of this is just a end to the means to achieve funding to comply with the Federal NCLB, and if schools that before all this NCLB nonsense were higher performing, why are educators not more aggressively lobbying for a repeal of that program. I know there is some undertow of that movement, but is everyone afraid all that Federal Funding will dry up?
Did I just figure out the secret to "bussing" students in Wake County, and why now no one is willing to give up all that Federal Funding. Is Title 1 status a good thing for schools, because I would never put my child even in an enriched Magnet school under Title 1 status. And for people moving into this area like my friend - it really has a negative connotation - spin on it or not.
it is not just Wake
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 21:52 — snordoneTitle I funds were meant to level the playing field for low income kids, to give them the extra resources necessary to give them a good education. But there has been a lot of talk on the national level about how these funds are not being used for that purpose. I saw a figure somewhere that 90% of the public schools in the US receive Title I funds. In Wake it goes to the school, not the child, which means many of our ED kids don't have the resources they need.
Magnet schools are intended to desegregate and prevent racial isolation. But many of our elite magnets have F&R that is less than 30%, so they are not really desegregating as much as they are functioning as elite private schools.
Title I schools, like all schools, are great when they have a strong principal and effective teachers. My son is in a Title I school, we are 50% F&R, primarily LEP, but it is a good school, good academic growth, we make AYP and all kids (not just a select few) are learning. It is all about the adults in the school, kids can neither harm nor help a school.
Suspect you are on to something
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 20:09 — SDR256I believe you are on to something. I have been suspicious for a long time that there is some connection to the Title 1 money and the systematic double crime. Fleecing the government for money and blatant disregard for childrens' future - all while saying it was for the good of the community. I doubt it was a plot. We may much more likely have come into it bassackwards, one bad decision for 'good' reasons after another. No one has yet connected the dots in the same way that the Algebra 1 debacle has been investigated, but I sure hope it happens.
Maybe all Wake County parents should declare themselves F&R to prompt a housecleaning. In the meantime, maybe there will be a short term influx of Federal cash. :P
So...
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 14:51 — Bob_SconceThis web page does a pretty good job of describing it:
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/nclb/abcayp/overview/ayp
Title I schools are those that receive federal money for having more than some threshold number of poor students, as measured by Free & Reduced lunch status.
NCLB and Title 1
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 15:50 — RMC10But then doesn't AYP and student achievement play a big role in Title 1 allocations - and is it really good or bad if schools fail to meet AYP's. Good we get more money to subsidize underperforming, bring it on. Or bad, because low performing schools hurt Wake County overall? I have reviewed NCLB and Title 1 and WCPSS and NCDpi. But it looks like as usual, follow the money to be lost or gained from a program to determine if it's a benefit or a detriment...
?
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 16:28 — Bob_SconceI'm not sure how low-performing schools hurt Wake County overall. The rules are of the form "You get more money, or you don't." There's no "Not only are you not getting any money, but we're going to take away some of what you do have."
It's like my offering to pay my kid $15 to mow the lawn -- if he does what I want, he gets the $15. If he doesn't, he gets nothing, but I don't raid his piggy-bank to get more money.
I always thought that the
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 12:46 — user12345I always thought that the more subgroups you have (diversity) the higher chance you had of failing to meet a few of them. Less diverse schools that are affluent and white typically don't have enough kids in the subgroups (e.g. poor and minority) to be considered / held against them. As Wake becomes more diverse and poor, I think the subgroup will become large enough to be counted in more schools and if not met will put a school in Title I. The right process would be to welcome diversity and address it such that all subgroups are progressing which I think is the purpose of the NCLB.
To clarify - Title I school and Title I Improvement Status
Wed, 11/10/2010 - 02:04 — nmoskalAre two separate, but related concepts.
Being Title I is based on having a certain percentage of low-income students (F&R) attending the school.
Being in Title I Improvement Status - relates to when a Title I school does not meet AYP in the same subject for two years in a row. Title I schools that do not meet AYP and go into improvement status face sanctions.
Non-Title I schools that do not meet AYP do not face sanctions, but do have to change their school improvement plan. (there are a number of schools in this group in Wake)
http://accrpt.ncpublicschools.org/app/2010/ayp/
So, it is actually not the "not meeting" that puts a school in Title I, it is being a Title I school and not meeting that puts it in Title I Improvement Status.
Students are also rolled up to the district level, so a district can be in Title I Improvement Status.
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/nclb/titleI/faqs/title1faqs.pdf
Off-the-wall Stan Norwalk
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 08:37 — FSandYOUNothing new there.
I'm not a Stan fan, but I
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 08:39 — CaryCurmudgeonI'm not a Stan fan, but I think we are going to need some "off the wall" ideas to solve the coming budget deficit.
Off the wall maybe
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 10:32 — FSandYOUOff Stan's wall, no thank you.
Norwalk proposed that the
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 08:22 — CaryCurmudgeonuse of school funds
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 08:14 — igliigliWake should fire all coaches and sports teams and use the money to fund academics.
Don't forget the arts
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 19:40 — Solon77Don't forget the arts - dance, drama, music.........
Discontinue magnet programs
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 18:01 — NWRaleighMomnot covered by magnet grants first...
That makes absolutely no
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 18:24 — magnetParentThat makes absolutely no sense at all...
If the magnet grants are intended to start up magnet programs, and you say that the magnet programs not covered by MSAP should be discontinued.... Why start them up in the first place? The magnet programs have help getting started through MSAP because that is where the largest amount of cost is. But if they are destined to be shut down after the first 3 years because the MSAP runs out, when the cost has reduced to a maintenance cost, why start them? Its like junking a perfectly good car after the car payments are paid off (the initial cost of the car) because you still have to do maintenance and put gas in on a regular basis. There are still alot of years left on that car if it is well taken care of.
Wrong car analogy
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 21:30 — NWRaleighMomIts like forcing a family on a budget to buy a Rolls-Royce and a car from a junkyard instead of two midlevel cars, and helping with financing the Rolls-Royce for the first 3 years.
You seriously think that the
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 23:06 — magnetParentYou seriously think that the difference between magnets and non-magnets are the same as a Rolls Royce vs Junk Car? I'm sorry, but I cannot agree with that. The non-magnets have alot to offer as well. Look at the academies offered at Apex & Sanderson. The IB program offered at Broughton. Some of the non-magnet HS offer as many, if not more, AP classes than some of the magnets. And as far as the helping with financing, unfortunately you cannot transfer that money to the "junkyard car" so its use it or lose it. I still say that your suggestion to discontinue a program after the MSAP money runs out is ludicrous.
Let's start with ES
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 23:38 — NWRaleighMomOfferings in Wiley. French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Chinese, Advanced Drawing Techniques, Architecture AG, International Popular Dance and many more.
Wiley's F&R % is lower than in most of the non-magnet schools
So, why do we have to keep all of these courses while making painful cuts in other areas? I don't care if MSAP paid to start this program.
So we keep paying
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 23:16 — CaryCurmudgeonSo we keep paying maintenance costs so that a lucky few can drive the Rolls-Royce? Staring down a $100M budget cut, everything should be on the table including magnets.
...
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 19:01 — Sideburns"Why start them up in the first place?"
Exactly.
So is Gurley going to wait
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 08:13 — user12345So is Gurley going to wait to see if the number is 2000 or 1900 before talking about alternatives / actions?