Longtime education advocate and business leader Phil Kirk will serve as co-chair of a work team that will draft a new strategic plan for the Wake County Public School System.
Kirk has served as the State Board of Education chair, the president of the North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry (now the North Carolina Chamber) and chief of staff for two North Carolina governors in addition to other high-ranking positions inside and outside of government. He is currently director at Brady Energy Services, which works with companies on commercial energy needs.
Kirk has been an unwavering advocate for quality public schools throughout his tenure, often highlighting the link between strong public schools and a healthy local economy.
He will help lead a strategic work plan team of 39 people made up of leaders from the school system, community organizations, students, parents and Wake County businesses. The goal of the work team is to help draft a strategic plan by using information gathered during the past several months from the community and school system data.
The school system launched the strategic planning process May 30 with a gathering of more than 300 citizens at Memorial Auditorium in Raleigh. That was followed by focus group interviews of more than 100 and an online survey that attracted more than 11,000 respondents. A town hall forum was held Aug. 6 to discuss the issues that survey respondents said the school system should focus on in the future. The work team will use information to draft a strategic plan for the school system.
The Board of Education is scheduled to approve a final strategic plan in December.
“This approach to creating a strategic plan is an excellent way for people to focus on our larger goals for students,” said school board Chair Christine Kushner. “Phil Kirk is an excellent choice to help us create this plan based on his background and involvement in public education.”