The Wake County Board of Education authorized staff on Oct. 21 to notify parents of schools designated as low performing under North Carolina law and described the steps for developing district plans for improvement.

Doctor Clinton Robinson, Associate Superintendent, explained the distinction between two kinds of plans: every school’s routine school improvement plan (a two‑year, school‑based process) and a separate, district‑led “plan for improvement” required for schools formally identified as low performing by the State Board of Education under NC law. Robinson said the district must submit proposed plans for low performing schools to the local board by Oct. 31, and the board must act within 30 days; approved local plans must then be submitted to the State Board of Education within five days.

Why it matters: Statute requires notice to parents and a specific approval process for low performing schools; the board’s authorization starts the district’s statutorily required parental notification and signals a timetable for local review and public posting.

What the board authorized

- Staff may proceed with written parental notifications that include each school’s low‑performing status, performance and growth scores, the proposed plan for improvement, the board meeting date for plan presentation, and a description of steps the school is taking to improve.

- Superintendent and staff will develop individualized district plans for each low performing school and provide those plans to the board by Oct. 31. The board will consider, approve, reject or modify each plan within 30 days; any approved plan will be posted publicly on the district website.

Board discussion and follow‑up

Vice Chair Swanson moved to approve the parental notifications; Board Member Hershey seconded. Board members discussed adding contextual data — including school progress reports and growth figures — to provide parents more nuance, and staff agreed to supply additional materials and attach school progress reports where useful.

Ending

Board members were advised they will receive the proposed plans promptly (superintendent’s staff said materials would be sent the following morning) and that the board can request deeper briefings and attend school quarterly reviews to monitor implementation.