Wake County Schools looks to send construction bond to November ballot

CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- Construction of Wake County schools could wind up on the ballot this fall.

On Tuesday, The Wake County School Board passed a resolution asking county commissioners to put a $530.7 million school construction bond referendum on the November ballot.

That decision could come later this summer.

County commissioners are expected to approve their budget on June 6 to determine funding levels for all services including the portion used to help pay for schools.

On Tuesday, the school board also held a public hearing about the proposed superintendent's budget. The district is asking for an additional $56 million over last year. Of that, $35.2 million would be used to raise employee compensation, including raising the minimum wage for support staffers such as bus drivers, child nutrition workers and instructional assistants to $16 an hour.

Another $8.3 million is being requested for legislative requirements such as costs incurred because of charter-school expansion, and increased local costs for employee hospitalization and retirement benefits.

The board is hoping to adopt its budget at the next meeting.

The school board Tuesday also approved a consent agenda item that allows six Millbrook High School teachers to get a grant for professional development from UNC Charlotte.

The grant will be paid for by the Durham nonprofit "We Are," a group that provides anti-racism training for children, families and educators.

As part of the training, there's something called cultural responsive training or CRT. The training attempts to bridge the gap between teachers and students from a cultural standpoint.