Wayne County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Marc Whichard delivered an emphatic message during a roughly 40-minute district budget and vision presentation on Thursday evening at the Maxwell Center.
In front of a crowd full of city and county elected officials, teachers, principals, parents, and community members, Dr. Whichard addressed the challenges facing Wayne County Public Schools, unveiled his vision for incremental improvement, and presented his budget request for the 2024-25 school year.
Dr. Whichard began his presentation by acknowledging the economic difficulties of living in Eastern North Carolina. He then encouraged the audience to envision what could be possible if everyone committed to working together.
“Think about the possibilities of what we could do to perhaps leap forward in what we do together,” Dr. Whichard said. “All of us working hand in hand for one and each other and our communities. Many of us here have gone on through public schools and we’ve aged out of our traditional K-12 institutions, but it’s about what we can do together for our future generation.”
Whichard discussed his creation of a Strategic Initiatives Commission and how the individuals that comprise that commission come from across Wayne County. He presented a mission and vision for Wayne County Public Schools while adding that he is working with the Strategic Initiatives Commission to establish a five-year plan consisting of realistic goals to create academic achievement within the school district.
Whichard also addressed the childhood poverty rate in Wayne County which currently sits at 29% or one in three children live in poverty. Wayne County as a whole is at a 20% poverty rate compared to 14% for North Carolina.
Whichard’s presentation also highlighted the lack of funding Wayne County Public Schools has received locally in comparison with other schools in the Southeast Region.
According to the NC Public School Forum in 2023, Wayne County invested $1,215 in per-pupil funding into students attending Wayne County Public Schools. In comparison, New Hanover County Schools received $3,431 in per-pupil funding.
Whichard drew a correlation between funding and academic performance while pointing out Wayne County’s grade level and subject EOG and EOC combined grade level proficiency scores from the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years.
In 2021-22, Wayne County finished with a 40.4 score, and a 41.6 in 2022-23. In comparison, Carteret County Schools led the Southeast Region in both school years with 65.6 and 66.7 scores respectively.
“There’s a very strong correlation between what’s invested and what the results are,” Whichard said. “We’re going to get results and I can tell you our data that we’re seeing so far this year is positive, and it’s because of the work our teachers are doing every single day with your children in classrooms. I’m proud to serve with our educators here in this district, but we’ve got to get better, and we’ve got to get better faster.”
In Whichard’s proposed budget he presented projected capital needs that include roofing projects at C.B. Aycock, Southern Wayne, and Norwayne, asphalt paving and seal coat projects, a waste management vehicle, facility utilization movement costs, modular movement and set up, and athletic facility needs.
Whichard’s capital request outlay is $5,150,000.
“All I’m asking for is can we begin to move the needle,” Whichard said. “I know this is a leap year, but I’m not asking for a leap. All I’m asking for is can we begin to move the needle.”
One of Whichard’s proposed ideas that drew the biggest response from the audience is a bus to and from all high schools in the county providing students without a vehicle an opportunity to take classes at Wayne Community College.
“I don’t believe it should matter as to whether or not a student can participate from a high school in career and college courses as to whether they have car keys in their pocket or not,” Whichard said. “We should be able to offer a bus for transportation to allow those kids to get to and from the same equal opportunities at the community college that they deserve.”
Whichard also proposed raising the supplements for certified staff, principals, assistant principals, and classified staff.
Whichard’s 2024-25 total budget request is $24,219,880 with a $5,150,000 capital outlay.
Toward the end of his presentation, Whichard addressed the recent public negativity directed toward Wayne County Public Schools and members of the Wayne County School Board.
“The challenges we are seeing in our communities are real challenges,” Whichard said. “What occurs in our communities oftentimes comes into our school buildings. We have to work to not only improve our schools, we have to improve our communities. It starts with each of us in this room. As I talk about moving the needle, I also want to talk about moving another needle, dialing back sensationalism, dialing back the rhetoric that further serves to divide and tear us all apart.
