I’m starting to think that the unofficial motto of the current Wake County School Board is, ‘Beatings will continue until moral improves’.

Besides looking at proposals for nearly $2 billion in new construction funding, Wake County Public Schools System Board (WCPSS) voted this week to hike your child’s meal cost.

Unless your child is eligible for free and reduced meals, your child’s lunch and breakfast will now cost 25 cents more. What does that mean for your wallet? Assuming your kid has both breakfast and lunch, that’s a hike of around $90 bucks a year.

K-5 breakfast jumps from $1.00 to $1.25 and lunch from $2.00 to $2.25
Middle and High school breakfast rises from $1.25 to $1.50 and lunch rises from $2.25 to $2.50.  According to a historical chart of pricing presented at the WCPSS board meeting, this is the first hike in five years.

The board rationalized  the hike, saying that Wake needed to keep up with what other districts charge.  Arguably the lack of a hike in recent years might lend that credence. Given that students are rejecting school lunches designed the behest of Michelle Obama and districts are losing money on said meals, I think perhaps recouping funds has more to do with the hike.

The WCPSS board also dropped the naming of a class valedictorian in favor of a more ‘fair’ system that doesn’t single anyone out for excellence.  It’s unhealthy to compete, you guys.

“We have heard from many, many schools that the competition has become very unhealthy,” school board Chairman Tom Benton said in an interview. “Students were not collaborating with each other the way that we would like them to. Their choice of courses was being guided by their GPA and not their future education plans.” – News and Observer

Gee, you mean like every class before them since the dawn of the public school system?

The designation of class valedictorians and/or  salutatorians were voted on and the measure passed. Those honors will end in 2018. Instead, the collegiate style system of using designations, such as ‘magna cum laude’, is being implemented.

The new system will work on a weighted GPA according to the policy documentation:

• Students with a 3.75 – 3.99 weighted grade point average shall receive the distinction of cum laude
• Students with a 4.0 – 4.249 weighted grade point average shall receive the distinction of magna cum laude
• Students with a 4.25 or higher weighted grade point average shall receive the distinction of summa cum laude

Also on the WCPSS board docket was a resolution for “district-wide voluntary desegregation” in which the board pats itself on the back for the creation of magnet schools. According to the resolution, Congress and the WCPSS Board believe magnet schools promote ‘diversity’ and ” achieve voluntary desegregation”.  Yeah, ok. Whatever helps you sleep at night.

Also approved were certain contract renewals for Principals, Assistant Principals and admin staff.

The board also discussed a revision to the student code of conduct. One of the changes arguably allows principals to enact shorter out of school suspensions. The changes affect Level II and III offenses and add time frame guidance. See the proposed revisions and view page 5 for Level II and 7 for Level III for details of offenses.

One ray of sunlight made it out of the board meeting. By standing up and fighting back, parents scored a win and kept multiple schools from going to year round calendars.

The schools proposed for year round were Brentwood Elementary, Bugg, Fox Road , Lynn Road, Creech Road, Smith Elementary, East Garner Elementary and Lincoln Heights Elementary located in Fuquay-Varina.

The board has yet to touch the “gender identity” topic.  Parents, be ready when they do.