Wake Schools Plan Audit of Academics

RALEIGH, N.C. — Wake County schools are about to be audited, but the examination is academic, not financial.

Superintendent Del Burns announced the plan Tuesday as part of his 2007 Midterm Report. He said the goal is to bring a business approach to evaluating the district’s educational processes and tracking student progress.

The school system will have an outside company come in for 6 and half months and audit their programs.

Burns says the schools need to identify programs that aren't working in addition to figuring out what they're doing well.

Phi Delta Kappa International, an educators’ association that offers the auditing service through its International Curriculum Management Audit Center, will send in the examiners.

The fee for Wake County would be $215,000 if the school board authorizes the project on Feb. 6.

On another fiscal note, Wake School Board Chair Patti Head says a partnership is needed to resolve tension with county commissioners over funding to expand school capacity, which stalled when the commissioners said they would not approve bond money needed to convert 22 schools to a year-round schedule.

“I'm calling on both boards to resolve the impasse,” head said. “A special effort will be needed in order to re-establish and environment of trust and respect.”

In his report, Burns said Wake schools is one of the strongest large school systems in the country and has an on-time graduation rate—82 percent—second only to Fairfax County, Va., among large urban school districts. A curriculum management audit, however, makes as much sense as the annual financial audits, Burns said.

Burns also noted in the midterm report that Wake Schools are doing a better job of keeping teachers and has improved fiscal responsibility and that he has streamlined his management staff.