WakeEd Partnership

A heartfelt thank you to the Cary Newcomers Club for their generous support of Tools4Schools! Through a $5,000 contribution and donations of much-needed school supplies, their members are helping stock our free teacher supply store and ensuring Wake County Public School System educators have the resources they need for their students and classrooms.

Partnerships like this make a real difference, helping teachers spend less out of their own pockets and focus more on what matters most—teaching and learning. Thank you, Cary Newcomers Club, for investing in our schools and community!

A big thank you to Cherry Bekaert!!

More than 250 interns and company leaders gathered in Raleigh this week for Cherry Bekaert's annual Intern Academy, and they chose to give back to our community while they were here.

Together, participants packed hundreds of backpacks and hygiene kits that will be distributed through our Tools4Schools free teacher store to support Wake County Public School System educators and students.

We are grateful for Cherry Bekaert's continued partnership and commitment to public education. Thank you for helping make a difference in our schools!

⭐ Our 2026 Stars of Education Honorees! ⭐

WakeEd Partnership is proud to announce the individuals who will be recognized at our 13th Annual Stars of Education Gala, presented by Martin Marietta, on November 9 at the Raleigh Convention Center.

🏆 Vernon Malone Friend of Education Award
• Gary Greene, Founder of Greene Resources

🌟 Wake County Public School System Hall of Fame – Class of 2026
🎨 Arts – Ragen Carlile
🏀 Athletics – Lawrence Dunn
💼 Business – Ralph Ashworth
🤝 Community Service – Ethan Clark
📚 Education – Drew Cook

These outstanding leaders have strengthened public education and enriched our community through decades of service, leadership, and impact.

Learn more about each honoree, sponsorship opportunities, and the upcoming gala at:
👉 www.WakeEd.org/Stars

📚 Become a Public School Champion this summer!

Hosting a Tools4Schools Supply Drive is one of the easiest ways your company, civic group, church, neighborhood, or family can support Wake County Public School System educators and students.

It's as easy as:

✅ Register your drive
✅ Collect donations
✅ Drop them off at Tools4Schools

We'll provide the toolkit, wish lists, flyers, and resources you need to make your drive a success.

Every notebook, pencil, marker, tissue box, and pack of crayons helps teachers spend less out of their own pockets and gives students the tools they need to learn.

Ready to get started? Click through graphics below>

👉 Register your drive today: https://wakeed.org/supply-drive/

Please join us in welcoming seven new members to the WakeEd Partnership Board of Directors!

✅ Patricia Bartis | Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP
✅ Ashley Lewis Ingram | JLL
✅ Keir Jenkins | John Deere
✅ Jodi Lewis | Cherry Bekaert
✅ Pierre Marcella | WingSwept
✅ Terry Parker | Bank of America
✅ Daniel Talley | TowneBank

We're also pleased to announce the re-election of Braxton Anthony, Rich Commercial Realty as Board Chair and the election of Shannon McSwiney Delta Dental of North Carolina as Chair-Elect.

A special thank you to our outgoing Board members for their years of service, leadership, and commitment to WakeEd's mission. We are grateful for all they have done to support educators, students, and schools across Wake County.

Strong Public Schools. Stronger Wake County.

Full news release: https://wakeed.org/2026/06/04/wakeed-partnership-elects-seven-new-board-members-re-elects-braxton-anthony-as-board-chair/

🎉 Congratulations to our 2026 Coach Bob Pittard Scholars!

WakeEd Partnership has awarded $350,000 in scholarships this year to 28 outstanding student-athletes from Apex High School and Green Hope High School n the Wake County Public School System.

This year's awards are especially meaningful as we launch our new four-year scholarship commitment, providing eligible recipients with support throughout their college careers.

We are proud to welcome four new Pittard Scholars:
🎓 Sarah George
🎓 Brianna Stewart
🎓 Malak Makhlof
🎓 Stuart Piqueras

Since 2018, the Pittard Scholarship Fund has awarded $1.67 million to help students pursue their dreams through higher education.

Congratulations to all of our scholars and their families!

Full press release here: https://wakeed.org/2026/06/03/wake-ed-partnership-awards-350000-in-scholarships-in-first-year-of-expanded-pittard-four-year-commitment/

We're cheering on the Carolina Hurricanes just like they cheer on Wake County Public School System students all year long. As the Canes compete in the Stanley Cup Finals, the entire WakeEd Partnership team is proud to root for our hometown team and celebrate the positive impact they make throughout our community.

Good luck, Canes! Wake County is behind you. ❤️🖤🏒

One of the nation’s largest school systems was born nearly 50 years ago in an act that continues to shape the future of Raleigh and the Triangle. On July 1, 1976, Raleigh City Schools and the former Wake County school system faded into the history books. What replaced them is the unified Wake County Public School System that 50 years later is the biggest school system in North Carolina and the 14th largest nationally.

"To be able to integrate the school system — and to do so without tearing the community apart — took a lot of leadership, took a lot of vision,” said Keith Poston, president of the WakeEd Partnership, a business-backed school advocacy group, in an interview. “Wake County has grown and Wake County Schools have grown, and I don’t think those are separate.”

Read more at:

Wake and Raleigh schools merged 50 years ago. How the region still feels the impact The 1976 merger created what is now North Carolina’s largest school system and one of the biggest districts in the nation.

In 1982, Wake began the program — which still exists today — of a network of magnet schools with unique academic offerings to attract families to campuses that might otherwise be empty or almost exclusively minority. There are now over 50 magnet schools offering more than 30 different themes, such as world language, technology, arts and engineering.

“The merger created the system, the magnets made it work,” said Keith Poston, president of the WakeEd Partnership, in an interview with The News & Observer. “It created a unified county — not a unified school system but a county — that was committed to strong public schools.”

The WakeEd Partnership was formed by the business community in 1983 to help support the school district, including the newly formed magnet schools.

Read more at:

Wake has magnet schools not seen in smaller systems. But is the district too big? Wake says its size allows it to pool resources to offer a network of more than 50 magnet schools across the county.