After nearly 1 year on the job, WCPSS Superintendent ready to lead district into the future
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- It has been nearly 11 months since Dr. Robert Taylor became superintendent of Wake County Public School System, and he has dedicated much of that time to visiting schools and gathering feedback.
"Now I can begin to implement those changes that I think will move us to the next level," Taylor said.
Taylor emphasized that one major takeaway from his visits is the persistent concern parents have regarding their children's academic progress.
"We want to make sure that we continue to look at our academic programs to meet the needs of every student," he added.
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He highlighted the need to support students across all achievement levels, including high achievers, low achievers, and students who are considered average students. Taylor also noted the importance of addressing mental health.
"I can't say enough about what we've learned about the mental health of students," he said. "We've tried to ensure that we continue to support them through our mental health staff, including social workers, guidance counselors, and psychologists, that was funded through COVID funding."
Taylor said the recent budget has allowed Wake County to maintain the mental health support, stressing that the focus is crucial for optimal learning.
"Everything is really about focusing on mental health and wellbeing," he said. "This is what puts students in the best position to succeed."
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Taylor also noted that addressing students' mental health is a crucial step toward improving school safety.
"We continue to assess and reassess every aspect of school safety. Much of what we do cannot be shared with the public for obvious reasons, but my experience over the past 30 years shows that human behavior is key to achieving great school safety," he said.
Looking ahead, Taylor identified teacher retention and pay as significant challenges.
"The biggest challenge I see in public education in North Carolina is teacher salaries," he said. "Fortunately, in Wake County we are able to pay one of the highest salaries in the state. But, the challenge is that the cost of living in Wake County almost nullifies the work that we do to supplement teacher salaries. So, we've got to continue that work."
Our vacancy rates are the lowest they've been in some time, at 98% filled rates.Dr. Robert Taylor
Taylor also pointed out challenges related to maintaining facilities.
"We're at 199 schools and will soon be over 200, but the structure we have to support that is really something that's designed to support 140 or 150 schools. And, most districts have struggled to maintain central services support," he said.
One ongoing concern is the HVAC system.
"We've got structures in place to replace just so much equipment for the fiscal year," Taylor said. "We're going to do all the things in the interim to address it, but it is about replacing old equipment that most districts have not been able to to give the attention that they would need because of that Great Recession."
Taylor noted improvements in vacancy rates since he took office.
"Our vacancy rates are the lowest they've been in some time, at 98% filled rates," he said. "So, that means that all of the positions that we have from classroom teachers to aides to bus drivers to special education teachers, none of those numbers have fewer positions. The only area where we didn't have an increase is with special education teachers. The number is the exact same as it was last year. On average, we have about 230 teacher vacancies. So, thats very good. We feel good about that."
Looking ahead, Taylor revealed that Wake County's academic performance will be officially released in September 2024. He highlighted some key points: "We've seen gains, so we've reduced the number of low-performing schools. We've increased our graduation rate, but, the gap still persists between children of color and white students. And we know that's something we've got to continue to work on."
