Wake County schools’ request for local dollars in the 2017–18 school year will shrink to $45.4 million from $56.6 million if the General Assembly passes the class-size bill called HB 13. That was the word from Superintendent Jim Merrill to Wake County Board of Education members at a work session Tuesday. The bill, which was […]
Thomas Goldsmith
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HB 13, Bill That Addresses Class Sizes, Moves Forward
In a response of sorts to concern about possiblerepercussions of state-mandated K–3 class-size reductions, a Senate committee on Monday night rapidly moved forward a modified bill designed to phase in smaller classes. The bill, an altered version of HB 13, gives systems more flexibility in reducing classroom size and paying specialties teachers in the school […]
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Consultants Hired to Create New Image for Raleigh Also Behind Hated Rebranding Campaign in Western Massachusetts
A rebranding campaign for three Massachusetts counties—designed by the same Oklahoma consultants hired to create a new core image for Raleigh government—has received such negative reaction that it’s been put on hold by its sponsors. Raleigh officials say they’re aware of the controversy surrounding the Massachusetts proposal by Cubic Creative but remain happy with the […]
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Days After the NCGA Forced Counties to Pay More for Inmate Hospital Care, the DHHS Dropped Inmates from Medicaid Coverage
A state rule change that made sure Medicaid benefits were cut off for county jail inmates came days after the legislature put responsibility for their hospital care squarely on the backs of county taxpayers. Recent concern about the multimillion-dollar cost of inpatient care for inmates, especially in large counties, put a spotlight on events that […]
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Wake Schools Superintendent Jim Merrill Has No Good Options to Deal with Coming Budget Crunch
Jim Merrill, superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, has a list of options in the event of a possible fiscal meltdown next school year, but he’s not wild about any of them. Along with the system’s 159,000 students, more than 10,000 teachers, and nine school board members, Merrill is looking to the state […]
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Thanks to a Change in State Law, N.C. Counties Have to Shell Out Millions to Pay for Jail Inmates’ Hospital Care
These are the bills no one wants to pay.When taxpayers name their priorities, paying millions of dollars for hospital treatment for county jail inmates usually isn’t at the top of the list. But it has to be done, and the bills add upa jail’s population often includes a high percentage of people with mental illness […]
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The City of Raleigh Wants to Fix Its “Logo Problem” and Develop a “Narrative Foundation” for Its Brand
Of the images conjured up during a city council work session on how to create a brand for Raleigh, the most memorable came from communications staff member Eric Bannister, a senior graphic designer. Council members were hearing a presentation Tuesday from the Tulsa, Oklahoma, marketing firm Cubic, which had spent weeks in Raleigh interviewing employees […]
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Wake Schools Want an Extra $56 Million, Partly to Offset an Unfunded Class-Size Mandate
Wake County commissioners, who decide on the level of local taxpayers’ contributions to public schools, put a bull’s-eye Monday on actions by the General Assembly that they were told increased the cost of public education in Wake by $20 million. The panel met in a work session to consider Superintendent James Merrill’s request for $56 […]
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Wake County Eyes a New School as Part of a Transformation Plan for a Capital Boulevard Block
There was always a lot to learn in the 1800 block of Capital Boulevard, whether the subject was stormwater management at the often-flooded Milner Motel or comparative anatomy at the Foxy Lady lounge. Both establishments are now gone. And Wake County leaders have a different kind of education in mind for that stretch nowa new […]
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Wake Schools Want an Extra $56 Million This Year. County Commissioners Blame the General Assembly.
Wake County commissioners, who decide on the level of local taxpayers’ contributions to public schools, put a bull’s-eye Monday on actions by the General Assembly that they were told increased the cost of public education in Wake by $20 million. The panel met in a work session to consider Superintendent James Merrill’s request for $56 […]