By the numbers: 162,000 Wake students head back to school
Students in dozens of counties in North Carolina head back to classrooms Monday for the first day of traditional calendar school.
South Garner High School is one of four new schools in the Wake County's district this year, and two other schools feature brand new renovations.
In Wake County on Monday, 162,000 students will attend 187 schools in the county, and 740 school buses will operate.
The school year starts with about 19,000 staff members, and Wake officials say about 70 teachers are still needed.
What's new for the 2018-19 year? Families can expect curriculum changes in reading and math classes this year, social and emotional training for teachers and students and a number of security changes to make schools safer.
Where once only new schools in Wake County featured enhanced security like buzzers and cameras, now all schools have those tools.
Cathy Moore, the Wake Schools Superintendent, said many students in middle and elementary schools will have brand new language arts and math curriculums this year. Another change is the cost of lunch, which has gone up 20 cents.
According to Moore, Wake County has secured the bus drivers it needs for the new school year plus substitutes, but the school system always wants to recruit more.
