Wake County staff outline earlier, expanded public engagement for 2026–27 student assignment plan

Wake County Schools staff told the Board at a March work session that they plan to expand and move earlier the public engagement activities tied to the 2026–27 student assignment (enrollment) plan, and to make it clearer how community feedback influences final recommendations.

The update, presented by Miss Pulliam, a staff presenter on student assignment, said the district will restructure its website and community messaging, produce multiple public-engagement summary reports throughout the process rather than only at the end, and continue multiple input formats including regional sessions and open houses. “We’re here to talk to you about just the public engagement plan, not the plan itself,” Pulliam said.

Why it matters: staff emphasized that early and clearer engagement makes community input more useful while the plan is still being developed. Pulliam noted the district’s intent to show the “continuum” from past feedback to current recommendations so families can see how their input was used.

Staff said lessons from the…