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The First 90 Days: Dr. Burns Reports to the Community

September 29, 2006 - The opening of the 2006-07 school year combined the excitement that always accompanies the first bell and the tough decisions made by a school system facing unprecedented school enrollment growth. In seeing an increase of more than 7,300 students this year (with even more to come), the Wake County Board of Education expanded our use of multi-track year-round schools. It was a difficult choice driven by the need to make fiscally responsible use of existing facilities.

As challenging as those choices were, in reflecting on my first 90 days as superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, the key to our future success may lie more in an important August meeting with our school leaders -- when I shared my vision for the future, the strategic directives to frame our work, and a glimpse of things to come. Today, I am just as excited about the future as I was in 1976 when I completed my first 90 days as a special education teacher at Aldert Root Elementary School.

Holding the hands of Jordan and Nia, twin kindergarten students, and followed by students from each grade, we walked into the meeting.  As the students introduced themselves I asked several questions:  What do you want to be when you grow up?  What do you plan to do when you graduate from high school?  Responses varied from “I want to be a mommy” to “I plan to get a degree in business and then implement my business plan to open a clothing store.”  The principals and administrators were able to look into the eyes of children from kindergarten through twelfth grade, see their youthful dreams and aspirations, and recognize their schools' roles in preparing a child for graduation and beyond.

"We continue to be recognized as a great place to live; our quality of life is buoyed by our strong school system."

Our school system is an asset -- a major component of the economic engine that makes Wake County a dynamic, growing community.  Expansion Management magazine recognized our school system as the strongest in mid-sized metropolitan areas.  Forbes magazine ranked our school system in their top ten list of best education in the biggest cities. Money magazine listed Cary fifth of America’s Best Small Cities and Raleigh the fourth best place to live among big cities.  We continue to be recognized as a great place to live; our quality of life is buoyed by our strong school system.  To preserve our value to Wake County's economy, we must ensure we are not resting on past accomplishments, but becoming more effective and efficient in serving our students.

I hit the ground running on the first day and immediately began to build upon the strong foundation laid in the past by community and school leaders. On July 1, I streamlined our organizational structure to provide increased leadership and support for our schools.  A new chief academic officer position has been created to provide greater focus on our core business of teaching and learning.  There is no longer a deputy superintendent between the superintendent and the central services staff.  Instead, our first chief business officer has been hired -- a CPA with an MBA degree and 24 years of for-profit business experience -- to focus on the business of the school system.  Two assistant superintendent positions have been eliminated in the past six months to flatten the organization.  Also, roles have been redefined and existing resources repurposed.  The organization is forward-looking, more agile, and leaner.  And it allows me to be close to schools. 

Also on the first day, I began work to address my vision for WCPSS: that every child educated in our school system will graduate on time, prepared for the future.  Supporting this vision and framing our work are these strategic directives:

No time was lost in transition as we continue our work to increase student performance and to address the challenges facing us.  And there are plenty of challenges.  Although student enrollment growth is one of them, our greatest challenge is maintaining a strong focus on teaching and learning in a time of change, with so many important choices to make.

Our community has high expectations for the Wake County Public School System.  I am proud and privileged to lead the school system in a community that values teaching and learning and demands we maintain our focus.  I know Jordan, Nia, the other students who accompanied me on stage at that August meeting, and nearly 128,000 other students are depending on us -- to help them graduate on time, prepared for the future.