Census: Population jumps up – Source: The Daily Reflector

Pitt County’s population grew nearly 26 percent and Greenville’s grew nearly 40 percent in the last decade, according to 2010 U.S. Census data released Wednesday.

North Carolina’s overall population grew by nearly 1.5 million people over the last decade, reaching 9.5 million people: (Read more)

Raleigh among fastest-growing cities in NC – Source: WRAL

RALEIGH, N.C. — Raleigh is among North Carolina’s fastest-growing cities, with a nearly 50 percent increase in residents over the past decade.

U.S. census numbers released Tuesday shows the city, still the second largest in the state, reached a population of 403,892 in 2010 – a 46.3 percent jump since 2000 and the third strongest increase among the state’s 20 largest cities. (Read more)

[CoalitionofConcernedCitizensforAfricanAmericanChildren] Updates

Hi! Here is today’s BOE update.

Death to public schools?

Even before the BOE majority was elected in 2009, many believed that businessmen Art Pope and Bob Luddy, along with BOE Chair Ron Margiotta, were being motivated by a plan to destroy public schools in Wake County. Now, the N.C. Association of Educators has made its suspicions public in a video that links Pope, Luddy, Margiotta and N.C. House Majority Leader Paul Stam, according to the N&O. You can watch the video, Money & Privatization: A Love Story, on NCAE’s website.

Summary of yesterday’s BOE meeting

Courtesy of a Great Schools in Wake colleague:

Giving the Chair a vote

Breaking a tie, Chair Ron Margiotta was the deciding vote in approving a legislative priority that will give the Wake Board of Education chair the chance to vote on each Board action.  Currently, the Board chair only votes in case of a tie, which has happened repeatedly since December 2009.  The proposed change in current policy will still require legislative approval but tonight the item was added to the Board of Education’s 2011 Legislative agenda.  (The original proposed list is online.)  Carolyn Morrison, Deborah Prickett, Chris Malone and Debra Goldman voted for the policy change, while John Tedesco, Kevin Hill, Keith Sutton and Anne McLauren voted against, with Chair Margiotta breaking the tie. 

Earlier at the Board’s Committee of the Whole, Keith Sutton and other Board members noted that the Board Chair does wield considerable influence over the Board, setting the agenda and guiding the process of the Board’s work, but others such as Debra Goldman said she thought it was important for the Board Chair to represent and vote on behalf of the Chair’s district.  Former Chair Kevin Hill noted that traditionally, the Board chair works to build consensus and remain neutral.
Lifting the charter school cap, dissing Public School Forum

In addition to the item on the Chair voting, the Board approved a legislative agenda that includes lifting the cap on charter schools, reviewing the state accreditation process and having the Department of Public Instruction provide clarification to school systems, giving school districts greater flexibility with calendar and with instructional time, and increasing flexibility to use State funds for teacher performance pay models.  The Board voted 3-5 against a proposal by member Keith Sutton to adopt the legislative priorities of the Public School Forum of North Carolina, a nonprofit that works to strength en public schools in the state, with Hill joining Tedesco, Malone, Goldman and Prickett against adding those items.

Additional coverage about the legislative agenda, as well as video archives of yesterday’s meeting, are on WRAL.
Capping Cedar Fork

The Board also voted to maintain the cap on enrollment of Cedar Fork Elementary School in Morrisville at 843 students.  The overflow school is Weatherstone Elementary.  About 100 students who are assigned to year-round schools like Alston Ridge, who have Cedar Fork as their traditional calendar choice, will now be steered toward Green Hope Elementary as their traditional calendar choice.  Cedar Fork is one of two schools in the District that is currently capped; the other is Forest Pines Drive Elementary in northern Wake County.
Teacher of the Year finalists

Superintendent Tata announced the 24 semi-finalists for the 2011-12 Teacher of the Year award:
The semi-finalists are Leslie Bailey of Baileywick Elementary, Debra Baize of Holly Grove Middle, Kevin Boynton of Dillard Drive Elementary, Kathryn Caggia of Olive Chapel Elementary, Priscilla Chappell of Enloe High, Ashley Cooper of Underwood Elementary, Kristen Curley of Oak Grove Elementary, Rhonda Dunn of Zebulon Middle, Matthew Garcia of East Wake High School of Health & Science, Henry Hammond Jr. of Athens Drive High, Kyle Hamstra of Davis Drive Elementary, Catherine Hantla of Wake Forest-Rolesville Middle, Mary-Kathryn Hixson of Broughton High, Shireen Mehl of Fuquay-Varina Elementary, Alicia Miller of Wake Forest Elementary, Saswati Mukherjee of Farmington Woods Elementary, Julie Oliver of West Millbrook Middle, Stephanie Rhodes of Sanderson High, Shannon Russell of Carpenter Elementary, Amy Scheffel of Joyner Elementary, Daniel Strain of East Garner Middle, Patrick Tart of Banks Road Elementary, Kate Whittier of Daniels Middle and Maia Wirth of Wendell Elementary.
The semi-finalists will be honored April 13 at a ceremony where the 12 finalists will be named. The 2011-12 Teacher of the Year will be named May 12.

In the News

Senate committee votes to dump high school tests

Hunt defends pre-kindergarten programs against cuts

Wake superintendent to meet with NAACP

LTEs/opinion

Testing fills in the blanks

Fix Hilburn, now

The new normal (NY Times)

Thanks for staying engaged with WCPSS.

See related:

Wake County Public Schools

Wake superintendent meets with NAACP – Source: WITN

Raleigh, N.C. — The Wake County Public School System’s new superintendent met with the state NAACP on Wednesday afternoon to talk about diversity and the school board’s controversial move away from the district’s longstanding practice of busing students. (Read more)

See related:

Wake County Public Schools

How You Can Boycott the Kochs – Source: AlterNet

The backlash against the Kochs’ influence in Wisconsin is gaining steam, with labor supporters starting to boycott Koch Industries’ many products (listed here). (Read more)

See related:

Wisconsin

Residents Question Big Salary Hike For County Manager – Source: WITN

A more than $40,000 salary increase in one year for a county manager in the east had concerned citizens packing a county commissioner meeting Monday Night. (Read more)

Note: Maybe he talked to Wilson County’s county manager. C. Dancy II – DCN Publisher

See related:

Wilson County Manager Raise

NC House Approves Bill To Reverse Kinston Annexation – Source: WITN

One city in the east that voted to expand its boundaries a couple of years ago, and bring more residents and property into the city, could have those efforts undone. (Read more)

See related:

Annexation

Lil Wayne Embarrassed by 10-Year-Old Girl in New Song: An Open Letter on Hip-Hop Greed–Source: Black Voices

The rapper Lil Wayne may be ready to take on all haters in the club (since he regularly reminds us that he stays strapped). He may be ready to have sex with every girl in the world (the title of one of his songs), and he might have more money than King Tut. But there is one attack that Lil Wayne was probably not ready for, and that came from a 10-year-old girl. (Read more)

Confirmed: Union-Bashing Right-Wing Media Stars Hannity, Limbaugh and O’Reilly Are AFL-CIO Union-Affiliated Members – Source: AlterNet

When it comes to the Wisconsin union fights, right-wing pundits Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh have a couple of things in common. For starters, have all voiced their opposition to the plight of public employee unions in the state. (Read more)

See related:

Wisconsin

Gryphons lose in Eastern Regional semifinals – Source: The Rocky Mount Telegram

FAYETTEVILLE — Back before games took on significant meaning this season, Rocky Mount High boys’ basketball coach Mike Gainey would call some of his players by phone and ask that player to pass along to him the cell phone number of a teammate.  (Paid Content)

Rural Electric Youth Tour/Scholarships for High School Juniors

Sent: Tue, March 1, 2011 3:42:44 PM
Subject: Rural Electric Youth Tour/Scholarships for High School Juniors

The 2011 Rural Electric Youth Tour for high-school juniors – June 11 – June 17, 2011
NOTE: Applications are now available for the 2011 Rural Electric Youth Tour.
Wake Electric seeks applicants for a one-week, all expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the 2011 Rural Electric Youth Tour.  Winners also receive a $1,000 scholarship. The trip will be from June 11 – June 17.  Students who attend the Youth Tour will join 1,500 high school students from across the U.S. to learn about electric cooperatives, American history and the U.S. government. Students also visit the historic sights and federal facilities of the nation’s capital, including a newly added White Hour tour, as well as spend time with their congressional delegations. Youth Tour winners also create podcasts and digital photo projects while learning about issues in renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate change legislation that face their communities and the nation.  The $1,000 scholarship will be awarded the following year upon proof of enrollment in a college or university.
The deadline to apply is March 11, 2011. All applications must be RECEIVED on or before that date. Any applications received after that date will be disqualified. Applicants will be notified of their status in early April.
Applicants must currently be high school juniors in Durham, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Nash,Vance and Wake counties. Applicants DO NOT have to live in households served by Wake Electric in order to win.
For exciting details on the Youth Tour and what you can expect, visit www.youthtour.coop.

This opportunity is an excellent way for students to boost their college applications, as well as win a $1,000 scholarship from Wake Electric towards their college education. Youth Tourist winners from across North Carolina will also be eligible to apply for and win one of three annual scholarships: The Gwyn B. Prince Youth Tour Scholarship ($2,500); The Katie Bunch Memorial Scholarship ($2,000) and the Youth Leadership Council Scholarship ($2,000).
If you have any questions, please contact Wake Electric at communications@wemc.com or (919) 863-6312.
To download the 2011 Rural Electric Youth Tour application, please click here: 2011 Rural Electric Youth Tour Application
2010 Rural Electric Youth Tour winners

 
Clay Long Sallie Thompson
High-school juniors Clay Long and Sallie Pete Thompson, both of Wake Forest, were selected by Wake Electric to attend the 2010 Rural Electric Youth Tour in Washington D.C. last June. Long, 17, is a student at Wake Forest-Rolesville High. Thompson, 17, attends Raleigh Charter High School. The two joined nearly 1,500 students from across the United States for a one-week all expenses paid trip to the nation’s capital. Both students will also receive a $1,000 scholarship in their high school senior year upon enrollment in a college or university.

For more information on Wake Electric’s Youth Tour, click here. To learn more about the youth tour, visit http://www.youthtour.coop. The youth tour is funded through voluntary member and employee donations to Operation Round-Up.

Questions and applications can be directed to:

Wake Electric
2011 Rural Electric Youth Tour
Communications/Public Relations
P.O. Box 1229
Wake Forest, NC 27588

E-mail: communications@wemc.com
Fax: 919.863.6430
Phone:  919.863.6312