Education: Bill Fletcher 2018 May Newsletter
Cary, NC – Thoughts for May 2018 from Bill Fletcher, Member of the Wake County Board of Education.
Chronic Underfunding of Our Schools has been Exposed!
Your Board of Education made a profound statement when it adopted the superintendent’s recommended budget as the Board’s Proposed Budget for 2018-19. The Board will request $58.9 million in additional, recurring local funding to meet the reduced class size mandate, open new schools, protect principal pay, expand counselor support for students, recruit and train new academic teachers, maintain excellent services to students with special needs and expand services for AIG students.
Where Does WCPSS Rank in Per Student Funding?
Wake ranks 85th out of 115 NC districts in Per Pupil Funding. In spite of local funding increases in recent years, Wake per pupil funding is significantly less than most other districts in North Carolina. While the real problem may be on Jones Street, do the citizens of Wake want average schools or excellent schools? We can choose!
How Does Wake Funding Compare to Academic Benchmark Districts?
For years Wake has benchmarked academic performance against other large, well-performing school districts. The comparison of Per Pupil Expenditures shows a large gap between Wake and others. Wake taxpayers are getting high quality schools at a relatively bargain price. To continue to provide high quality education for all of our students will require increases in local funding.
What is Possible in Terms of Local Tax Revenue in Wake?
As a practicing residential REALTOR, I have never had a client move to Wake from out of state and complain that the property taxes are too high. Typically, new arrivals are seeing at least a 50% reduction, if not an 80% reduction, in property taxes when they move here. Yet Wake Commissioners continues to prize “the lowest rate” more than “the best schools”! Our community can do better!
Factoid #41
The NC Association of County Commissioners recently compiled school spending data. It reveals that 106 of 115 school districts use local property taxes to supplement state teacher salaries. We have a state salary structure. The state should fully fund it.
Parent chats (except on holidays)
Note: No parent chat Monday, April 16 due to other school board business.
1st Thursday – 1 PM
Cary Chamber, 315 N Academy St., Cary
3rd Monday – 11 AM
Caribou Coffee shop, 109 SW Maynard Rd., Cary
Bill Fletcher school info: BFletcher@wcpss.net || Voice Mail: 919-694-8843 || Mobile: 919-880-5301
Story by Bill Fletcher, Member Wake County Board of Education. Graphs and tables courtesy of Bill Fletcher. Photos courtesy of the Wake County Public School System.
Thanks for standing up for our schools and students! These numbers are illuminating.