As Goldsboro Mayor Charles Gaylor and the Goldsboro City Council continue to implement new policies and focus on the betterment of the city, partnering with leaders and organizations tasked with improving education in the area remains a priority. 

Although the City of Goldsboro does not provide funding or make personnel decisions for local schools, Gaylor is eager to find the most effective ways to impact local education. Wayne County Public Schools currently rank 88th out of 100 counties in North Carolina. 

“It’s so hard because (the City of Goldsboro) doesn’t administer schools,” Gaylor said. “We’re not in the funding stream for schools. We do not hire or fire principals, or teachers or anything else. But, if you want to talk about the impact to the city, I would wager that no organization has a stronger weight to play in the outcomes of our community, of our students, of our children, and our families. So, how do we fit in that together? The city’s not exactly flush with cash. So, I don’t know that we’re going to be a funding partner. We do have a wonderful Parks & Recreation Department. Could we offer some additional programming? Could we offer some programming that happens to correlate with (the) end of school and break sessions? Those are things I want to press on, and what partnership can we provide that is an amenity to our citizens that also helps the schools be more successful?”

During the Feb. 5 Wayne County Board of Education meeting, the board approved changes that will affect where students from multiple schools attend school beginning in the 2024-25 school year.

Wayne County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Marc Whichard recommended moving Wayne School of Engineering Students to the building that currently houses Wayne Academy. Whichard also recommended moving Goldsboro High School Students into the portion of the school currently used by Wayne Engineering students.

Under Whichard’s proposed plan, staff from School Street Early Learning Center, school nutrition staff, and exceptional children staff would move to the current Goldsboro High School Building. NC Pre-K would move to Eastern Wayne Elementary School.

Whichard also proposed moving Wayne Middle/High Academy to the former Freshman Academy Modular Suite at Eastern Wayne High School. Edgewood Community Development School would also move to the campus of Eastern Wayne High School.

The plan also includes the campus closures of the Wayne County Public Schools Exceptional Children Department which is currently at Dixie Trail and is a leased facility from AP Exhaust. The school nutrition mobile site, School Street, and Edgewood Community Development School.

Whichard estimated the proposed moves would have a positive annual financial impact of $750,000 on the Wayne County Public Schools budget.

On Monday of this week, Wichard held a district information session for parents of students from Northwest Elementary, Northeast Elementary, and Fremont Elementary to discuss and learn more about the redistricting process for the newly constructed Fremont Elementary. 

On Tuesday evening, a meeting was held with parents of students who currently attend Edgewood School that grew more contentious as the meeting went on. 

Wichard is hosting a special community event at 6 p.m. on Feb. 29 at the Maxwell Center to present the school district’s 2024-2025 local budget.