The numbers are bearing out that year-round enrollment is way below projections this year.
As noted in today's article, the 10-day numbers show that Wake's 49 year-round schools are 1,591 students below their projected enrollment. It's having a variety of consequences, including teachers changing schools, classes being broken up and families changing tracks.
Rosa Gill, chairwoman of the school board, said they'll discuss the 10th-day totals at Tuesday's committee of the whole meeting.
The year-round schools were projected to have 41,976 students by the 20th-day of classes this year. They're now at 40,385 students. Considering how the year-rounds picked up only 81 students between the 10th- and 20th-days last year, that deficit is likely to remain this year.
The biggest gap is at Leesville Road Elementary, where the school is 130 students below projections. Next comes Wilburn Elementary, which is 102 students short.
Enrollment at some of the converted schools is below their traditional-calendar totals.
Click here for a spreadsheet showing this year's 10th-day totals. Click here for a spreadsheet showing the 10th-day totals along with the projected enrollment.
Keep in mind that the projected enrollment is part of the revised one that staff came up with in June. Districtwide, Wake is projecting it will grow by 5,245 students, down from the official projection of 6,441 students.
Based on the year-round numbers and talks with principals at traditional-calendar schools, school board member Ron Margiotta thinks this year's net gain will be even less that 5,245 kids.
Comments
best case; they'll say not
Mon, 08/18/2008 - 20:14 — bigwinniebest case; they'll say not opening ALL new schools as MYR....converting?! how do they choose?
You're right Lisa B.
Mon, 08/18/2008 - 20:11 — g88ky07I need some of that kool-aid you're drinking. :c )
But EVEN IF they convert some back in 2020, it's MORE inequality that stokes more fires. Why your school and not mine??
As far as Julie Patrick goes, hey Jules, give this a try!!!
YOU are an idiot!!
Margarita NOT Kool-Aid
Mon, 08/18/2008 - 22:29 — Lisa_BHey g88ky07 (what a CODE NAME!)
I don't think kool-aid is strong enough for this mess==I'll be happy to share my margarita with you though! Better yet, how about some CHAMPAGNE when WCPSS comes to their senses and gets rid of MYR for good. (yes, I honestly do believe this is a possibility although you'll be wondering just how strong my margaritas are as I make a statement like that!)
I think that if a school population (majority) wants to convert back to traditional, they DO IT. Whether it's 2 or 22 schools, take care of EVERYONE if traditional is what the majority of the school community wants.
Make YR a voluntary option again...there are people who do like the YR calendar. Unfortunately there are just too many YR seats for the demand now, AND there are still people who want to get into YR but aren't being allowed. (how does THAT make sense??)
Cheers....
YR Demand
Tue, 08/19/2008 - 10:15 — ct (not verified)It's not that there are too many year-round seats for demand - it's just that the school board won't give those seats to those who want it. They turned down almost 2,000 traditional to YR applicants (but didn't turn down any YR to traditional applicants). If you want a traditional calendar you can have it so just apply for it and quit complaining. Then maybe they will give those year-round spots to those of us who really want it.
Julie Patrick ?? Jilue
Mon, 08/18/2008 - 20:51 — al_in_garnerDidn't we have a pro-WCPSS poster named Julie (aka Jilue when she changed from one of her other names) senseless enough to believe such tripe?
These changes mean that Julie Patrick's daughter has had three first-grade teachers at Wilburn since July. But she blames the changes more on the families who refuse to send their children to year-round schools than faulty district projections.
"They're doing the best they can," Patrick said. "I wish parents would give year-round a try."
Julie: sometimes "doing best they can", just isn't good enough.
I am so tired of people
Mon, 08/18/2008 - 16:29 — Terrij39 (not verified)I am so tired of people blaming the failure of YR schools on the court ruling. Julie Patrick saying that parents refusing to send their kids to YR schools is the reason for YR schools being under capacity isn't even remotely true. Year-round schools were touted as being able to handle 33% more students than traditional schools and their current enrollment numbers aren't even close to that. The fact is... when you look at the "opt out" numbers and add them back into each school's enrollment numbers, the schools are still nowhere near YR capacity.
We should question
Mon, 08/18/2008 - 12:43 — shearertwWe should question, we should raise cane, we should resist, we should fight back until we're heard. Ms. Patrick has one of the most dangerous statements in this article that I've heard in a long time, "we should just give YR a try". My behind we should! I'm sure she meant it in a innocent way but that type of thinking is what gets society in a lot of trouble.
and for those of us who
Mon, 08/18/2008 - 12:50 — bigwinnieand for those of us who "gave it a try" and found out it s**ked worse that we thought, well I want people like her to walk the walk (split calendars with multiple children) and then tell it to people's faces again, to "give it a try"
IF you are lucky enough to have ALL your kids on a one track calendar, I can certainly see the benfits, and those people are the ones who are liking this....but to PRETEND that these cirumstances (MYR) are even close to being desirable is just insulting and certainly ignorant.
Didn't mean to go too far....
Mon, 08/18/2008 - 12:37 — shearertwDadof3
Didn't mean to go too far. I only meant to show examples of the failures that occur when people start suggesting personal choices and preferences should be given up for the "good of all".
Good of All is impossible
Mon, 08/18/2008 - 15:18 — Lisa_BI'm cautiously optimistic that some of the MYR schools will be converted back to traditional for 2009-10 as the MYR experiment continues to cause problems, waste money, etc...The truth has been revealed, and they can't hide from the troubles anymore.
Some people (not speaking to Dad or shearer) just don't realize that the "good of all" won't ever occur. HOWEVER, since there is no perfect situation, it would be nice if WCPSS at least looked at what the majority wants and took that into consideration when formulating the plans.
We at Leesville know all too well how much they cared when faced with a group of 450 parents and teachers who showed up to voice their opposition to the MYR conversion...it did NOT matter.
MAYBE (just maybe) this time around they'll finally listen.
Its those irresponsible parents fault...
Mon, 08/18/2008 - 12:15 — shearertwBW,
You can blame all this on those irresponsible parents who just won't fall in the lemming line and "give YR a try". If we'd all just give this communism thing a try, we'd all be as happy as the Chinese, N. Koreans, Cubans, Russians, Vietnamese.....
Heil Burns! Heil BoE(eR)!
Now now...
Mon, 08/18/2008 - 12:30 — Dadof3Careful with the nazi rhetoric. Any parrallels are erased in the spector of what the Nazi regime means in total. The BoE(eR) & WCPSS are many nasty things, but they aren't intent on wipping out a race of people.
well, you are right
Mon, 08/18/2008 - 12:39 — bigwinnienope not wipping {sic} out a "race" of people, just family time, neighborhoods, a sense of community, a sense of pride in a school, an adequate education, but no not a "race" of people.
Now now again...
Mon, 08/18/2008 - 13:35 — Dadof3Apex on a bad day is far better than a good day was at Dachau or Kolyma (a gulag site -- the commies have much blood on their hands, too, lest we forget) We disrespect the victims of unimaginable gore when we liken modern day problems to such evil.
If you want to cripple a discussion, bring on the Nazis. That's my only point.
Shearertw, I normally love your posts --and I appreciate your note.
true again, discredits what
Mon, 08/18/2008 - 13:36 — bigwinnietrue again, discredits what is a credible complaint against WCPSS.
just an FYI
Mon, 08/18/2008 - 12:01 — bigwinniedid you know that at Leesville elementary, now currently leading the under-enrolled MYR pack with 130 less than predicted, actaully had enrollment as high as 1,020 during the 95-96 school year, and that was with 11 mobile units. We currenllyhave 11 trailers and a 6 pod unit and 959 MYR students with certain classes with 27 or 28 students.....now tell me again how MYR was supposed to GAIN anything for anyone? increased transporation costs, sure!, increased utilities, oh sure those AC units are crankin' only when they are NOT, like in maybe half the school not all....but yup let's just keep selling the population on the "cost savings" of MYR....
Unconvert MYR!
Mon, 08/18/2008 - 11:48 — NWRaleighMomI think it is obvious that at least part of MYR schools must be unconverted.
Now, if we unconvert ALL the schools, would it be enough space for all the students taking into account declining enrollment?
Building operating costs and transportation costs would go down significantly. Just imagine, all kids are assigned to the closest school. No Magnets, no YR, no lotteries, not even Growth Management Department. Am I dreaming too much ?
The Gordian knot and Wake County Public Education
Sun, 08/17/2008 - 00:01 — Dadof3There's a wonderful old tale about the Gordian knot. Alexander the Great solved the riddle of the Gordian knot with a single blow of his sword.
Get back to education
No departments of analysis and dissection, no departments of give-me-a-freakin-break. A department of education. Break the beast up, and teach our children, not indoctrinate and schedule and move our children around like cattle until our spreadsheets are pretty and basque in a deluge of ribbons.
Return public education to education.
So, while some here experience juvenile delight in the ignorance that some of us have in the gizzards of the current beast that afflicts us, keep your eyes on the prize: a simple, yet effective, return to education.
I think there is another way to say it
Sun, 08/17/2008 - 05:53 — Voice_of_Reason_You mean the K*I*S*S principle
Keep It Simple Stupid. It actually works well in bureaucracies. But to give the WCPSS some credit, the Federal and State government have agencies that are trying to justify their existence, so their meddling doesn't help. It is amazing private schools thrive without that oversight. But Diversity Balancing and MYR are WCPSS's "rotting albatrosses" and we have to live with the stench.
Not exactly my point
Sun, 08/17/2008 - 08:17 — Dadof3That wasn't the point. When we get to public education promised land, yes, KISS. I'm talking about the process before then and the occasional odd criticism about how well someone knows about the details of the beast before us.
The Gordian Knot story says it better than I can.
"You Call That A Knife?"
Sun, 08/17/2008 - 12:27 — Lisa_BHey Dad:
Great story. We just watched "Crocodile Dundee" with our kids, and do you remember the part where Croc encountered a kid with a knife??...after all of the kid's fancy dancing and moves, out came the machete. (sp?)
Time to stop in our tracks, correct the wrongs that have been done with the MYR experiment, and move forward. All of this extra "stuff" just takes away from our school system's the most important job--educating our kids.
just teach the kids
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 22:32 — JustWonderingEducating children should not be this complicated. Something is very wrong.
wonder if heads are rolling
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 19:04 — bigwinniewonder if heads are rolling over incorrect projections again?
Administrator
9700145
Evaluation & Research
Senior Administrator - Data Analyst. Creates system of analyses to summarize student outcomes. Requires bachelor's degree; 3 years of experience; and SAS. Master's degree and SQL preferred. (E-mail for job description)
Iris Senzig
E-mail resume and cover letter with position number to isenzig@wcpss.net
9/1/08
Band 3
Administrator
9700147
Evaluation & Research
Senior Administrator - Data Trainer. Supports schools & departments on use of data in decision-making process. Requires bachelor's degree & 3 years of experience. Master's degree preferred. (E-mail for job description)
Iris Senzig
E-mail resume and cover letter with position number to isenzig@wcpss.net
9/1/08
Band 3
Administrator
9700146
Evaluation & Research
Senior Administrator - Evaluation Specialist. Conducts program evaluations, instructional research, &/or training. Requires master's degree & 2 years of experience. SAS analysis experience preferred. (E-mail for job description)
Iris Senzig
E-mail resume and cover letter with position number to isenzig@wcpss.net
ROFL - AGAIN
Sat, 08/16/2008 - 14:51 — shank56Keep posting your baseless speculations! Just shows how little time and effort you spend to inform yourself. ROFL.
http://www.wcpss.net/evaluation-research/
About Us
E&R staff support WCPSS board members, school and central services administrators to understand student data and the programs that result in desired learning outcomes. The staff also ensure that tests and grant-based programs are administered and/or managed within local, state, and federal guidelines. For more information go to: Testing | School Accountability | Program Accountability | Grants Admin. & Compliance Reporting.
PS. Have you EVER scrolled through and read teh departments comprising WCPSS??
I especially noticed the
Sat, 08/16/2008 - 18:28 — bigwinnieI especially noticed the "about US"...telling...hey skanky tell me, what do you know about Growth Committees?
nothing to say about the numbers at Leesville though do you? nothing to say about MYR schools being down over-all, nothing to say about projections being off causing loss of jobs...baseless my *@#!
Big
Sat, 08/16/2008 - 20:27 — shank56Big Whiney,
Evaluation and Research is not the department concerned with growth projections. That department may fall under Growth planning. However those numbers are usually crunched in conjunction with the Wake County Govenment planners.
Growth Committees- schools in high growth area are/were urged by some BOE members (not all) to form committees within the school to keep on top of potential assignment issues as applies to its schools. I like the idea for parents to be involved in this to advocate for their school. Have no problem that Leesville is involved- not my problem. To blame Eval and Research is totally offbase, but not surprising considering the source.
PS. If you click the link to the website I posted above, you will see that I copied the "About Us" from the Eval and Research website. Go ahead and check. I dare you!
Sure have
Sat, 08/16/2008 - 16:03 — Bob_SconceAbsolutely. Were you aware that the school district employs a concierge? Look at the "Customer Service Center." Did you know that it produces reports about how well kids do on computer skills, produces a video podcast and has a lobbyist?
The district tries to do too much and, in doing so, loses its focus on what's important. Why does the district have a group for doing statistical studies anyway? Can't that be outsourced? Why doesn't it combine its purchasing department with the County's? Why does it do its own payroll instead of outsourcing that?
[And, while I'm on the subject, why is its 401(k) run by Prudential, which charges high fees, instead of with Fidelity or Vanguard. which don't ?]
you think these are replacements?
Sat, 08/16/2008 - 10:53 — Anonymous (not verified)Heads are not and will not roll with wrong projections-these positions are new-that's right-schools can't get the teacher and specialists they need for our kids, but CO can ADD high paying positions/
In defense of the school
Sat, 08/16/2008 - 13:38 — gwaihirIn defense of the school system. These positions mentioned SAS experience, and those who use SAS tend to have some form of quantitative degree such as math or statistics.
People with 3 years experience of SAS are in a position to take their pick.
The school system will need to offer a competitive wage for these types of positions, or the pharma industry, which is quite large in this area, will outbid them.
Well....
Sat, 08/16/2008 - 14:38 — Bob_SconceYou're presuming that the district needs to fill the positions in the first place. I fully agree that if the district wants to get good people, it has to pay them a wage set by the market.
However, there are plenty of districts that do not have these roles at all. If they had the money to do this, they would send it to the classroom.
If you think about it, these administrators are going to be crunching the numbers largely to support the administration's bussing policy -- these are the people who look at the demographic data for each node and decide which nodes should be moved and where. They are a direct cost of the busing policy.
Perhaps the district could decide not to do this and, instead, restore the teachers' bonus or maybe undo the increase in parking prices.
You have a point. I
Sat, 08/16/2008 - 17:28 — gwaihirYou have a point.
I suppose, if they wanted statistical analysis of their data to measure a policy's effectiveness, they could even hire a contractor for a specific term/task, or ask a research organization to perform one for them.
heck yeah they cannot even
Sat, 08/16/2008 - 13:27 — bigwinnieheck yeah they cannot even get enough math books for the students either....
finally....
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 18:55 — bigwinniehow much extra did this cost (hint hint---over-budget)
http://www.wcpss.net/news/2008_aug14_sycamore_creek/
Why does article ignore Opt-In numbers?
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 17:05 — gstelmackI'd like to know why the article completely ignores the fact that when the optional seats were assigned out (those applying to magnets, or their year-round option, or their traditional option), just under HALF of the children that applied to CHOOSE a year-round school got that choice? Remember that the school board rejected applications from a number of folks who wanted in to a year-round school. Parents declining MYR assignments are only part of the problem.
I agree 100%! I have
Mon, 08/18/2008 - 14:42 — Anonymous (not verified)I agree 100%! I have applied for years to the year-round program and keep getting turned away. There are hundreds of us out there who would gladly fill the seats at the year-round schools if given the opportunity. I don't understand why the schools don't offer the vacant seats to us instead of dropping classes and firing teachers. At least those of you assigned to MYR have the option of transferring to a traditional school and 100% of you will be transferred. Those of us assigned to traditional should be given the same option to transfer to YR as well with 100% acceptance rate as well.
Wasted money in a tough economy
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 15:44 — Citizenmom"Enrollment at some of the converted schools is below their traditional-calendar totals. "
Mandatory Year Round was sold on the promise of increased capacity on the cheap. The result has been seriously overcrowded traditional schools and operating the MYR at greater expense without the efficiencies. We can't afford a continuation of MYR.
For those who like year round, you fight is not with the parents who have opted out. Voluntary Year Round schools have long been popular in this area and could have been increased in number. Instead the BOE chose to knowingly force year round on parents that suffered the struggle of having children on multiple schedules or who needed the summers to make it work for their families. Your beef is with BOE for failing to listen when parents tried to explain the problems that would result from mandatory conversions.
Maybe your beef is with the high percentages of F&R families who opted out of year round when given the chance because they felt it would not work for them. Why? Because the reason that the BOE did not first try increasing voluntary year round was they knew it was not as popular with the F&R families and they had long struggled to explain why they left seats at the voluntary schools empty while denying applications for more affluent families.
we have almost the same
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 18:17 — bigwinniewe have almost the same numbers as when we were Trad., and some of our classes are now at 27 and 28 kids with a teacher and 1.5 TA's, due to loss of teacher and 3 TA position due to incorrect projections by WCPSS, so how does this SAVE anything? How does this DECREASE class sizes, how is this efficient in ANY WAY?
We are WORSE off in class sizes that we were before....
You asked for it...
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 15:28 — SideburnsHey Dad,
Try this...
http://wwwcache.wral.com/asset/news/local/2007/07/11/1578590/Garner-220x165.jpg
Where is a picture of Delaney?
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 13:35 — Dadof3My drawing muse is stirring. Are there any online? My googling came up dry. Thanks!
Just write a job posting for his replacement
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 15:29 — CitizenmomUse those creative energies to do what needs to be done and write a job posting for his replacement. There is no excuse for him continuing to be employed with the responsibilities he has given his performance to date.
Support 8300668, 669, 670,
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 18:57 — bigwinnieSupport 8300668, 669, 670, 671, 686 Custodial Services Area Custodial Manager (5 positions) Lisa Smith 856-8274 or e-mail resume to lsmith5@wcpss.net 8/29/08 Grade 26
Support 8300667 Custodial Services Regional Custodial Manager Lisa Smith 856-8274 or e-mail resume to lsmith5@wcpss.net 8/18/08 Grade 27
ole' Lisa B and bless your
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 12:36 — bigwinnieole' Lisa B and bless your heart, can't wait to see that tat!
is this not the BoE(eR) and WCPSS??
"The ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen.
Winston Churchill
On qualifications desirable for prospective politician."
What about Rosa's district......
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 12:26 — WuptdoWhen will there be MYR Schools in Rosa's district. Shouldn't the children and parents in Rosa's district also learn to "adapt" like the rest of us?
MYR:FAIL
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 10:53 — Anonymous (not verified)This would make a great bumper sticker!
This is from the REVISED projections?
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 09:25 — Lisa_BUNBELIEVABLE.
Even after WCPSS took a do-over and REVISED their projections, we're that far below?
I'm sure I'll be called a fool by g88ky (no hard feelings! :)
but I'm looking forward to seeing if WCPSS actually, FINALLY faces the truth beginning with Tuesday's meeting and makes the decision to abandon the failed MYR experiment.
I know---DREAMING---but if I didn't have hope I might fall right into line with the others who just choose to accept it and aren't willing to keep advocating for what is right.
Better odds
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 15:54 — CitizenmomLisa ya have better odds of hearing an update on the miles walked by the BOE than hearing them admit they failed on anything.
Adjust to this
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 09:15 — rr77rr99I read the article this morning and wanted to throw my coffee across the kitchen in frustration. I am sick and tired of reading how "children and parents" will ADAPT! Ask the teachers who are losing their positions how they are "adapting" to not knowing if they have a job, healthcare coverage, a longer commute, having to teach a different grade and "reprepare" for the year.
No, everyone is SICK AND TIRED of "adapting".
I have made no bones about my great hatred for MYR, but I have no choice! There's no where else for my children to go. The traditional schools are now becoming overcrowded and the principals pulling their hair out.
And someone mentioned... why is there no planning for the horrible overcrowding at middle schools? HRMS classes were illegally sized for three years before DPI got any information .... and I am sure they will be over crowded again this year and it will "slide" again because the numbers will be "worked" to make it look as if they are not.
MYR is a FAILURE and the BOE (er) is a failure! The only thing they have mastered is working it to test our kids so that they achieve passing marks that make the system look good.. .. over all, the system is in chaos, the kids are pawns and the parents are nursing their knife wounds in their backs.
That there is the truth.
Hmm...
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 11:17 — Bob_SconceInteresting that the school board doesn't seem capable of adapting when court rulings go against them.
Does anybody have these numbers
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 08:46 — Voice_of_Reason_The seats prior to ES MYR conversions.
The number of students in ES before conversion.
The seats available today (Do not take in account extra capacity due to MYR but do add new schools).
The ES population today in WCPSS.
I wonder if we actually added more permanent seats than we added students. This would be nice to know; did we even need to do the conversions (along with all the costs involved)?
not sure if this is what
Fri, 08/15/2008 - 10:31 — bigwinnienot sure if this is what you mean, but I gathered this for a report I needed: