July 30 - New Teacher Orientation

These were our remarks at New Teacher Orientation on July 30, 2018.

I'm Ryan Walker from The WCEA - the Wythe County Education Association. First let me congratulate each of you on being hired in Wythe County. We feel like we've got a great thing going here in our schools and we' excited for you to join us. You should have received this ---- folder that has all the information you'll need to learn more and join if wish. Raise your hand if not and we'll bring you one. We are your professional educator organization. A membership with WCEA also makes you a member of the VEA and the NEA. There are other organizations and groups out there that claim to provide the same service, but I'd like to highlight some things that set our organization apart from those others. 

1. Our membership is open to any employee of the school system - teachers, administrators, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, secretaries, custodians, therapists, you name it if they are employed by the school system they are eligible for membership. This diversity in membership creates a strong group of professionals working for one goal - helping to create the best possible public education system in Wythe County. 

2. Our cost is $45 per month to join. It is more expensive, but as with most things - you get what you pay for. Our organization provides top rate coverage, tremendous savings opportunities, and a family of educators to support you and advocate for you and your students. I know it's kinda odd to lead with the price, but we want you to know the cost AND I'd like to explain the benefits that come with the cost. 

3. Liability Insurance It provides coverage that helps protects you should any claims be brought against you by students, students families or even administrators. This is not an area that is pleasant to think about, but does happen. Other groups claim to have you covered, but our coverage is better. It starts with our UniServ Director who is the regional contact for all members in our county. She is available for simple advice over the phone, sit down meetings, assistance in filing a grievance, meeting with you and administrators, or whatever your situation might call for. Should the issue progress further we have an legal team experienced in educational law to represent you that is second none. The best advertisement comes from a member who wasn't a member when they needed it most. This person had been a member for several years, but dropped our membership saying they could save money with other coverage. An incident arose which resulted in investigation, suspension, court case, thousands of dollars of out of pocket expenses and eventually reinstatement to their job. You wanna know the first thing this person did on their first day back at work??? Rejoined the WCEA! They said the coverage had they received paled in comparison to ours. Remember....You get what you pay for. 

4. Financial Benefits Being a member of our organization makes you a part of the largest professional association in the US - just under 3 million nation wide. With this large of a membership brings a lot of buying power. You have a seemingly unlimited number of ways to save money by being a member. You can save money on buying and insuring your car. You have complimentary legal consultations for issues that arise outside of school. You can save money traveling with discounts on hotels, car rentals, and cruises. You can save money on home loans, student loans, and banking. You can save money on cell phone bills, satellite TV, and even on buying flowers online. But of all of these the money saving benefit My wife, who is also a teacher and a member, and I both love is the Savings App ----  You can use it anywhere you go. You can type in a location and it brings up all kinds of discounts in that area. We love to visit Williamsburg and we have used the app there to find local restaurants including our favorite pizza restaurant of all - The Crust. If you use these savings opportunities you can more than make up that monthly dues payment you cringed at earlier. 

5. Politics Its a topic that makes most of us squirm, but in education it's a topic we cannot afford to ignore. Everything we do in our classrooms from SOL tests, to how many students are in our classes, to what's the best way to educate students with disabilities is affected by political decisions made here in Wythe County, in Richmond, or even in Washington DC. Our organization doesn't shy away from having discussions with politicians to help pave the way for these decisions to be made with the best interests of our students, teachers, and schools in mind. Here locally our organization has built a strong relationship with administrators and school board members. We speak monthly at SB meetings on issues that are facing our county. These folks often seek our association's opinions and advice before making decisions. At the state level our organization the Virginia Education Association or VEA has never been in a stronger position. Our VEA president, Vice President, and other VEA members have been named to virtually every education related committee in Richmond and for the first time ever a teacher and VEA member has been named as the Secretary of education in the state! With these types of positions comes tremendous influence to direct the public education system in our state in a direction that is good for our students, our members, and our schools. 

6. My last word is about the family this organization brings to its members. It's my "why" when people ask why I belong. There will be some people that try to pigeon hole our organization and our members with labels, or say we believe in certain things. What I will say to those people is that we do have members who are pro life and we have those that are pro choice, we have members who are for gun rights and members who are not, we have members who are republican and those who are democrat and even some who don't affiliate with either party, we have liberals and we have conservatives. The WCEA is not defined by these issues. What binds us is our love for public schools and our passion for educating students. We hope you will join our family as we fight for the best schools and best educational opportunities. The students of Wythe County deserve nothing less.

American Education Week Celebration

All Wythe County Public School Employees are invited to celebrate American Education Week with us! Our reception will be Tuesday, November 14 from 4-6pm at West Wind Winery. We hope you will come celebrate with us!

Nov 2017 School Board Meeting Comments

Good evening Chairman Sage, School Board Members, Dr. Perry, School Board Office administrators and staff. Thank you for this time to speak with you tonight. I appreciate your willingness to have this night meeting to give WCPS staff, parents, and community members the opportunity to be with you at your meeting. 

Academically we are between Benchmark testing Windows so as the tides of stress go we would be in a low tide period. We have evaluated first quarter results, designed and implemented remediation plans to fill any gaps that were evident in the first benchmarks. (On a side note, We appreciate the time built in the calendar for grading and conferencing.) We had successful conferences with our students' families showing them their students results and discussing their progress so far. All of this while moving forward with the second quarter curriculum. Plans are building towards Decembers Benchmark and SOL testing. 

We have had several non-curricular moments to celebrate with our students from success with sports and organizations to Character Days to Veterans Day programs. These can at times be interruptions to our instructional program but they can provide meaningful learning opportunities for things not laid out in the SOL curriculum. We had our Veterans Day program today at Sheffey and it was amazing to see the time and effort students and staff put into rehearsing parts, creating posters, and learning about Veterans. To see the interactions of the students with the veterans and the smiles on the faces of the kids when they realize that this day was bigger than them was priceless. 

Committee work has been a valuable part of the past month. Behavior Support Team established this year at each school have been meeting at schools and county wide with Mary Henslee. This has been a great time to brainstorm ideas and make plans for students who need help to be able to focus on learning. Ms. Henslee is a valuable resource for our county and I am glad we are taking advantage of her knowledge and experience. The Salary Committee has also been meeting. We have developed a plan for what we hope will happen with the Salary Schedule with back up ideas in place in case funding is short. Two main goals of the committee are to simplify the salary schedule and communicate more in person about salary, insurance and other budget matters. 

Community involvement has also been a part of the goings-on lately. Fall Festivals, PTOs, PTAs, and boosters have been doing a tremendous job at our schools incorporating families and community members. One business - Utility Trailer Manufacturing in Atkins - has continued to shine with the generosity of their employees. They recognized their employees hard work with a weekly meal, but the employees have decided to donate the money of one of the weekly meals to charitable causes in the community. A substantial amount of that money has been donated to our schools. A big thank you to Utility. 

Finally I would like to personally invite all WCPS School Board members and  Employees in attendance to the WCEA's American Education Week Celebration. It will be held at West Wind Fame and Winery in Fort Chiswell. We have live banjo music from Wythe County's own Thom Moore. We will have prizes and finger foods. The WCEA would like to publicly thank the many local businesses that have contributed money and prizes to make this went special. I hope you will be able to join us!

Thank you for this time to speak on behalf of employees and for including the WCEA on the agenda. 

PD Science

Please pass this PD opportunity to your Science teachers. They can participate in all or portions of the VAST "Celebrating Science" conference. November 16-18. Click on the links below to access additional information. 

VDOE Supts memo #260-17

VAST 2017-18 Professional Development Institute

PD with Alpha Sigma

The following information describes programs for the Alpha Sigma Chapter of Virginia Alpha Delta Kappa.
 *November 13, 2017 6:00 PM Wytheville Presbyterian Church
Rapping the SOLs                Finding innovative ways to engage students to improve learning is so important. GWHS graduate and current teacher at Roanoke’s James Madison Middle School, Cole Wilder has developed multiple raps to motivate his students to understand SOL content through active participation. Movement and learning the words to the rap combine to spark students’ interest and enhance retention of material. Mr. Wilder has been recognized by his school for his innovative methods. He will explain and demonstrate techniques he uses while showing how teachers may use these techniques in their own classrooms. He will discuss the results he has observed in classes where these methods are used.
            Mr. Wilder has presented in-service workshops for his school system, led his students to perform the raps on local television station WDBJ, and has been interviewed by local radio. *January 8, 2018 6:00 PM Wytheville Presbyterian Church
Saluting Canada            Our neighbor to the north, Canada, is celebrating the sesquicentennial anniversary in 2017. This program, presented by Carolyn Armentrout following her September trip, will highlight some of the important history of our neighbor on the North American continent. Much of Canadian history impacted American history. The pictures and other mementos acquired on her trip will help to demonstrate elements of world geography and United States history. The shared friendship, culture, and economic interdependence of the two countries will be explored with facts and anecdotes helpful to teachers in the classroom. *March 12, 2018 6:00 PM Wytheville Presbyterian Church
How Cursive Writing Can Be Used In All Classrooms            This program will be presented by Joyce Covey, retired educator from Pulaski County Public Schools. Ms. Covey presented this program as a workshop at the 2017 Chautauqua Festival in Wytheville. Cursive writing is not taught as it once was, however, it is essential in order to meet certain standards, including reading and interpreting historical documents. Most historical documents are written in cursive script. Students with no instruction in the fundamentals of cursive may experience difficulty reading America’s documents of democracy. Ms. Covey will instruct teachers how to quickly and effectively teach students the various strokes and movements involved in cursive script. All teachers will find this a great classroom instructional tool. The skills teachers learn may be used as a project for student formative assessment.  *April 9, 2018 6:00 PM Wytheville Presbyterian Church
NOTE: This program was approved last year but was not presented due to inclement weather
WCC Library Materials and Services Available to Wythe County Public School Teachers and Students
                WCC Library Staff will discuss various resources and services available to aid WCPS teachers with research to enhance classroom instruction. Teachers will learn how students themselves may utilize resources and share that knowledge with students. Dual enrollment students especially will benefit by teacher knowledge of the services offered by our local college. The staff will explain how students in the middle grades are able to use materials and resources for special projects. Teachers taking courses for recertification will find valuable assets at the WCC Library. Attendees will learn how WCC strives to be a positive and proactive presence in our communities beginning with sharing library resources.

PD Chances through WCPS This Year

Here's a list of PD Opportunities from WCPS this year....

• Math teachers will participate in many hours of PD with the implementation of the new Math SOLs and curriculum adoption materials. (We feel really bad for math teachers and all the extra time needed to prepare for the new SOLs this year.)   
• The high schools and middle schools will be doing a lot to get ready for their new career focus curriculums and new Profile of a Graduate required for next year. This will kick into high gear 2nd semester. 
• PE teachers are getting on board with using their fitness data to drive instruction and participating in discussion boards especially designed for WCPS. 
• CTE has required training they have to do to keep up with the latest trends in industry. 
• Elementary and Middle are continuing their 6+1 writing meetings.
• Elementary is initiating new Behavior Support Teams within each building.
• Gifted/Talented teachers are revising the WCPS Gifted plan. 
• ITRTs are working with teachers on the new grade book procedures. 
• ITRTs are holding Discovery Education workshops within each of their buildings.
• ITRTs offered Tech Luau
• Principals are continuing work with data teams in their buildings
• Principals are hosting their own PDs to meet unique needs of their school (book talks, guest speakers, reading initiatives, remediation initiatives, drop-out prevention teams, etc.)
• Mr. Younger hosts Microsoft IT Academy each year for teachers to learn and become proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. 
• Social Studies teachers in the areas of VA History, Civics, and World History will be participating in PD to develop Performance Based Assessments required in 2018-19.
• Each high school has certified CPR instructors in their PE dept. All principals in WCPS can call on these folks to lead a CPR training after school for recertification/PD. 
• Mary Henslee is available by appointment to work with teachers and admin. on classroom management and behavior modification techniques. 
• Foreign Lang has opportunity to go to FLAVA conference. 
• Elementary "make-and-take" PD previously scheduled for Election Day will be rescheduled. 
• The 4th grade "Sheep Book" PD previously scheduled for Election DAy will need to be rescheduled. 

Sept 2017 School Board Meeting

Attendance

All SB members, 3 teachers, 8 SB admin, 3 school admin, 1 teacher, lots of community members, 1 media member

Recognitions

1. Schools that won VDOE Excellence Awards principals were given a banner

2. Jackson Memorial students presented projects and learning songs

WCEA Comments - Ryan Walker presented teacher perspective 

Administrator Comments - Mrs. Watson presented school events

Public Comment

Removal of prayer plaque at Spiller (7 people)

FYI - Open Meeting regarding plaque removal on Thursday, 9/21 @ SBO

Salary Schedule Review Committee

1. Committe has been established with wide variety of experience levels

2. October 11, Nov 8, Dec 6, Jan 11

Student Enrollment

1. 4011 total enrollment now ( our budget was planned on 4020 )

2. This is an okay position for this point in the school year. 

Governor's School

Lost dual enrollment teacher at GW for Anatomy class so students were enrolled in online Linwood Holton Governors School (23 students)

Audit of School Activity Funds

Division and school audits were done; no major issues; were minor control issues that are fairly typical, but difficult to overcome 

Evaluation Projects

1. TalentEd costs $8000 per year, the adaptability of the forms and usability of forms is not optimal

2. exploring option of creating own possibly using Google Docs (reduces cost and increases control of forms)

3. Would keep online application for new hires through TalentEd

4. Nothing about the 7 evaluation standards would change. The goal would be creating a more user friendly document at a cheaper cost. 

Capital Improvement Project

1. OWPR selected as A/E firm for GWHS project

2. They are investigating needs of school to produce cost estimate. 

Foundation of Excellence

Would like to add Rusty Jones (Adam Martin resigned), to be voted upon in Oct

School Crisis Plans

Plans were approved (evaluated beforehand)

Hybrid Plan Benefits

Approved - Provides staff members on hybrid plan more options thru Horace Mann

GWHS Band Trip

1. Out of State trips must be approved by SB (haven't done in past, will do going forward per policy)

2. Requirements: Minimum number of days missed, financial support for students, adequate chaperones, organized plan

3. Approved 

Transportation

1. Recognized Mr. Skeens and Ms. Umbarger for their work on transportation

2. We are now a 3rd party qualifier to ease getting new drivers qualified 

Traffic Patterns at Spiller

1. Concern had been brought up about quantity of traffic. 

2. Observations made and discussions had and they think they are doing the best they can in the space they have. 

Listening Tours

1. Happening at each individual school this year to increase participation

2. Ones that have happened so far have been positive and productive 

Positive Recognitions

1. Duty Free Lunches - Funny story about a K kid standing on a table with bananas blazing, teachers have been very appreciative

2. Staff Getting into Athletic Events - staff have been very appreciative

Closed Session at 7pm

Sept 2017 School Board Meeting Comments

Good evening Chairman Sage, SB members, Dr Perry, and SB administrators, 

I appreciate the time to speak with you especially at an evening meeting that I can attend without missing time with my students. I apologize that no one was at the last meeting to speak on behalf of the WCEA. Being the second day of school we were not comfortable missing that class time with our students to be here. 

I would like to report that the year has gotten off to a great start. We have successfully completed our back to school meetings and professional developments. There was lots of positive feedback from instructional staff about the variety and quality of PD offerings. Staff also appreciated the abbreviated opening session which allowed for more time in the classroom to prepare for the beginning of school. I would like to send our compliments  to Dr. James and the Instructional administrators would planned and led these sessions. I would also like to thank the ITRTs who put on another successful Technology luau. There was great discussion I these sessions and many ideas shared which I'm sure have already made there way into classrooms around the county. 

Instructional staff is hard at work building on the successes of last year while adjusting to new schedules and new students. It's a fun time of year learning names, developing routines, and encouraging positive habits. We have welcomed quite a good crew of new teachers as well. Their energy and fresh ideas bring good vibes to the table. 

We enjoyed our Solar Eclipse day and am glad to report that no eyesight was lost despite the many concerns. The joy on students faces that day as they watched the eclipse was magically. Watching a kids face light up when something they've never seen before happens is a feeling I wish I could bottle and save. Moments like those we experienced that day is the reason most of us got into teaching. I hope you were able to see the joy on a child's face that day. 

Our curriculum is in full swing as we have already sent home the first midterm reports. We've already begun to identify those students who need support and are building ways in our schedules to provide that help. We are beginning to build toward our first formal assessments with benchmarks happening in just a few weeks. 

Finally I would like to thank you for seeking ways to recognize and reward staff for all that they are doing. We appreciate the duty free lunch times and the staff meals and free admission to sporting events. I've spoke with Dr Perry about other idea for recognition. That our meeting next week the WCEA will be working on a survey to send out to staff to get feedback on ore things that could be done. If you have anything to include please let me know. 

Thank you again for including us on the agenda and giving us time to slpeak

June SB Meeting Comments

Many of our WCEA members had contacted us about the proposed School Board budget, salary scales, and health insurance. We did our best to summarize your concerns and include them in our remarks to the School Board. Here's what we said...

Good morning Chairman Sage, school board members, Dr. Perry. Thank you for this time to speak before you. Since last we spoke a lot has happened. We are happy to report our students and teachers have had lots off success with SOL testing, various sports teams, field trips and field days, awards and graduation ceremonies and the list of events goes on and on. It was great to see you all at our various events. I'm sure the principals slide show will highlight many of these for you. The WCEA would like to Thank school board members, school board office administrators, building principals, and staff for your support to make these successes possible for our students. 

We also received contracts and health insurance information at the end of the school year. We know this has been a difficult budget year given the lack of support from the state. We would like to thank you for maintaining last year's 2% raise given the take-backsies that the state played with that money. As you recall When we presented the Employee survey results  the focus of the employees was maintaining or hopefully increasing take home pay when all is said and done for next year. My goal is not to push a personal agenda or an agenda of the WCEA. My goal is to present some data from the employee perspective as it relates to the goal of maintaining or improving take home pay. 

In looking at the information provided on health insurance we are pleased that the budget holds the single employee health plan harmless. The $888 yearly increase in employer contribution goes a long way toward helping those employees maintain or increase their take home pay. Thank you for that. With the $888 employer increase the other plans holders will see a yearly increase of $756 for the dual plan and $1512 for the family plan. 

The proposed paraprofessional scale calls for a $2000 increase at all steps which would go along way toward improving their take home pay and just as importantly making that salary scale more competitive for our paraprofessionals when compared to other school systems in our region in our region. 

The proposed teacher salary scale provides for a $300 increase at step 0 and $400 increase at all other steps. With that increase it appears that those on the employee only health plan will achieve the goal of improving take home pay. Those employees on the dual plan and family plans will pay out more in health care premiums than the $400 salary increase will cover making it difficult to maintain their take home pay. 

As mentioned the proposed teacher salary scale provides a $300 increase for step 0 and $400 at all other steps. While we understand that the scale is a year contract and not a guarantee from year to year, there are some interesting facts to consider when comparing the 2106-17 scale to the proposed 2107-2018 scale. In last years scale steps 0-9 increased $300 from step to step so the proposed $400 increase would actually improve the scale in those areas. In last years scale steps 10-17 saw a $400 increase so those would remain the same in the proposed scale. Steps 18-19 had a $500 increase in last years scale so those steps will decrease by $100. Steps 20-21 will decrease by $300 from $700 in last years scale. Steps 22-24 will decrease by $900 from the $1300 increase in last years scale. Step 25 will decrease $1100 from last years $1500 increase. 

If you remember from the salary survey presentation our scale was very competitive at the beginning and at the end, but was not as competitive in the middle. This proposed scale would increase the strength in the first ten years, decrease the strength at the end, while the middle would still not be as competitive. 

As WCEA president I have had several discussions in recent days members especially those with 15+ years of experience. To summarize those discussions I would say this. While our employees know that the scale will change from year to year, it is important to consider that when an employee sees health costs rising as those on the dual and family plans will and their salary scale doesn't increase at a similar rate, their bottom line is taking home less money. It's not a sense of entitlement that employees have that makes them think their take home pay should increase, but a sense of value to the students they work with everyday. The work our employees do is valuable to the community and they want to see that value reflected when they look at their pay check. 

Lastly I would like to thank Dr Perry for including employees in the exploration of the self insurance concept. I was able to attend yesterday's meeting in Abingdon on self insurance and was intrigued by the ideas discussed. I was especially interested in the concept of helping employees take ownership of their health care. I think that will be an important factor that the WCEA would look forward to collaborating on whether we decide to remain fully insured, go with a state plan or move toward self insurance. 

Thank you again for this time to speak with you. If the WCEA can help in anyway as you consider the proposed salary scale and health insurance plans please let me know.

Presented to the WCPS School Board on June 8, 2017 by Ryan Walker, WCEA Co-President

Barnes & Noble

FOR OUR VEA MEMBERS!

Did you know that Barnes and Noble offers a FREE Educator Card that saves teachers on all purchases you make for the classroom?! 

After I learned this I made a connection with the Barnes and Noble in Johnson City and they want to

honor Educators in our District on October 8-16!

See the attached flyer for details about the event onSaturday October 8  that includes a Vendor Fair and demonstrations beginning at 2:00

Also:

Enjoy light refreshments 

Selection of Free Publisher Materials

Enter to Win Door Prizes

 

 

RSVP to Vickie at crm2129@bn.com

 

Enjoy EXTRA savings during the ENTIRE Week and 25% discount on ALMOST everything! 

 

 

 

Doris  

 

Doris Boitnott, Director

Cumberland Mountain UniServ

VEA Mini-Grant

Attention Members: Need money for your classroom? The VEA's mini-grant deadline is approaching. Here's a link for more information and the simple form to apply. Let us know if you need any help applying...VEA Mini Grant

VEA Delegate Assembly

We have eight delegates here in Richmond for the VEA Convention. Check back here for updates on the goings-on...

Who's Here...

-Kim Aker, Spiller

-Jen Ryan, Jackson

-Vic Gravley, Max Meadows

-Rebecca McGhee, RRMS/HS

-Kay White, Max Meadows

-Annie Zorn, Spiller

-Erika Hooper, Max Meadows

-Ryan Walker, Sheffey

Where are we...

-The Delegate Assembly is being held at the Richmond Convention Center.

-Our delegation is staying at the Crowne Plaza in downtown. 

Thursday Highlights...

-We heard a tremendous a speech from our NEA President, Lily Ekelsen. Ask us about her blood drive!

-We learned that Richmond has a lot of one-way streets :)

-The candidates for VEA offices gave speeches for the elections we're having here. 

-We enjoyed a dance and social time after our session. 

Friday Morning Highlights...

-We voted for statewide VEA Offices. 

-We began discussion and action votes on New Business Items. 

Our own Annie Zorn speaking on one of the New Business Items. 

-We heard our VEA President, Meg Gruber's last speech as President.

-The election for VEA President went to a run off since none of the three candidates received a majority of the the original votes. The two candidates in the run-off are Livingston and Patton. 

- The VEA VP election was decided with James Fedderman (Accomack) the winner. 

-We recognized 5 state Republicans and 4 Democrats as Legislative Champions for their work in the General Assembly this year. 

-SWVA's very own Ben Chafin (R) was recognized as the Legislator of the Year for his work on the salary amendment to the state budget, his decisive vote to kill the Charter School Bill, and his bill to create a pathway for a statewide insurance option. 

Friday Afternoon Session...

-We dealt with several more New Business Items. 

-We heard several reports from VEA offices and committees 

-The run-off for the VEA President went final with Jim Livingston (Prince William) winning!

Did you know that...

-One out of every 100 people who live in the US belongs to the NEA. We are 3 million members strong. -Lily Ekelsen

-The budget passed by the GA this year passed with $73 million more for public education than the Governor originally proposed. -Meg Gruber

-If you're in your first year of teaching and you belonged to SVEA in college, you can earn a rebate on your dues. 

-The VEA is the only teacher advocacy group to serve on several key state committees on public education issues. 

Recap: WCEA @ Kids' Day at the Wytheville Farmers' Market

We had a great time with all the kids, families, and community members that joined us at the Wytheville Farmers' Market. 

W.G. Steele Leadership Conference

The WCEA sent five members to Damascus, VA for the W.G. Steele Leadership Conference on July 19. We had a lovely setting at the brand new Damascus Public Library. We discussed different ways of organizing - New Teacher Orientation, 10-Minute Meetings, One-on-One Conversations, and Bulletin Boards. Jen Ryan highlighted several of the Community Engagement activities that the WCEA has organized and participated in over the past year. 

Retirees Honored

On Thursday, May 14, 2015, WCEA celebrated 2014-15 with an end of the year picnic. Several retirees were honored. Perfect weather provided an opportunity for relaxed fellowship! The afternoon ended with a monthly meeting. Officers were elected for next year. Jen Ryan and Kim Aker are Co-Presidents;  Stephanie James is Secretary, Vic Gravely is Treasurer.

Kirstie Smith, Betty Billingsley, Nancy Humphrey, Linda Jessee

April school board meeting highlights

Thursday, April 9, 2015. In attendance: 7 school board members,  12 central office staff,  6 administrators,  1 teacher, 1 teacher/coach, several parents and students, 1 Uniserv director

1. Awards and Observances 

• State swim and indoor track medalists,  forensics winners, spelling bee winner
• School librarians

2. Informational Agenda 

• Principal Updates from the eastern end of the county highlighted student achievements, typical days of students at school, and the work teachers do to ensure their students' success.
• Expedited retakes of Elementary and Middle School SOL tests will allow students to retake any non-writing SOL tests under 2 conditions: passing the course AND failing by a narrow margin. 2 days, or 5 hours, of remediation must occur before any retake.
• Capital Improvement,  Phase II was discussed briefly. The committee will be interviewing A & E firms for consideration. 

2015 VEA Convention

Wythe County's delegation is in Hampton, VA for VEA's Delegate Assembly today thru Saturday. Here are news, notes, and important information. 

What a pleasant surprise to see in the Convention Hall! Wythe County's own Kerry and Glenda Eans are being recognized by the VEA. 

Let your Senator know you want ESEA (aka No Child Left Behind) reauthorized with positive changes. Call 866-331-7233 or go to edvotes.org. 

Sign up to attend the April 18th Put Kids First Rally. 

Free charter bus transportation is provided from WCC at 8am. 

There will be a Food Court available at the Convention Center. 

There will be music, bouncy houses, and lots of fun. 

There will be 2,000 Put Kids First (royal blue) shirts available on a first-come-first-serve. 

Bring your family, neighbors, and anyone you know who wants to put kids first. 

Upcoming Dates:

June 9 Primary for November elections (all GA seats are up for election) 

June 22-24 Southwest Organizing Institute

July 19-21 Local Presidents Retreat

July 22-24 Reggie Smith Organizing School

Nov 4 Election Day (all General Assembly seats are up for election!)

Keynote speaker Rodney Ellis, president North Carolina Association of Educators, warns us to not allow what has happened in NC happen in VA. Anti-Public Education in NC legislators have...

Lifted a cap on the number of vouchers 

added $10 million dollars to voucher schools. 

Eliminated teacher tenure/continuing contract (contracts can be nonrenewed for any reason with very little notice)

Eliminated salary supplements for masters degrees and other advanced degrees. 

Implemented an A-F school rating scale based on test scores. 

Eliminated due process for teachers (ALL teachers have no right to appeal or panel hearing)

It's District Bee Day at Convention. 

Our own Vic Gravley is the King Bee for his VEA Fund raising!

WCEA has earned Super Star status as a district for raising an average $8 per local member.  Approximately $1600 has been  raised by WCEA.  

VEA recognized Senators Chafin (R), Norment (R), and Howell (D) and Delegates Plum (D) and Miller (R) were recognized for seeking positive legislation for students, schools, and educators - 6% scale raise (got 1.5%) repealing the A-F school grading scale (passed), statewide health insurance plan for educators (passed Senate, but wasn't heard in House). 

Highlights of the Floor Debate:

FAILED - VEA Charter Amendment 

#1 which would have allow associate membership to anyone outside of professional educators. 

PASSED - ByLaw Amendment #3 which only allows those delegates ATTENDING  VEA's Delegate Assembly to vote in VEA elections. (This effectively eliminates Cyber-Delegates from voting during convention.)

PASSED - New Business Items that moved VEA support:

continued efforts to fight disclosure of student growth percentiles, 

the Put Kids First rally and campaign,

securing optional participation in the state health insurance plan

PASSED - New Business Items that moved VEA seek legislation for:

reducing SpEd and ESL caseloads,

Changing Take Your legislator to Work Day to Legislators Enriching Academics Day (L.E.A.D.)

Reinstating alternative assessment for SpEd students

The Crockett-Eans family was recognized at the VEA Awards Dinner. 

Executive Director Phillip Forgit gives his keynote address. 

Virginia Education Association and Supporters Sponsoring March 24 Press Conference to Inform Public About “Put Kids First” campaign

ABINGDON, VA – Members of the Virginia Education Association and supporters are sponsoring a 5 p.m. press conference Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at the William N. Neff Center, 255 Stanley St, Abingdon, VA 24210 to inform the public about their “Put Kids First” statewide campaign. The VEA and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) are co-sponsoring the campaign and the first major event will be an April 18 family friendly rally on the grounds of the state capitol in Richmond. There will be transportation from Southwest VA to the rally and back.

 “The Virginia Education Association and the Virginia Parent Teacher Association believe that the Commonwealth has no more precious resource than its children. We further believe that the Commonwealth has the capacity and knowledge to truly transform the lives of Virginia's children by ensuring that every single child has access to a high-quality public education, from preschool to graduation,” said Tracey Mercier, a Special Education teacher in the Bristol, Virginia public school district and VEA member.

 The “Put Kids First” campaign is centered on four major goals: Increasing funding for public education; Quality Early Childhood Education; Reducing high stakes and burdensome testing; and Reducing class sizes. 

 Thus far, the Chilhowie Town Council and Smyth County Board of Supervisors, the Lee County School Board, the Wythe County School Board and Board of Supervisors, the Scott County School Board have passed resolutions supporting the “Put Kids First” campaign and the April 18 rally.  

“We can change the conversation in Virginia about what it really means to support students and public schools. The time is ripe to show Virginia that, as our state's economic prospects grow, the needs of our students must come first,” states the PTA (vapta.org).

 Those wanting to travel from Southwest Virginia or for more information, call: 1-877-628-7213 (276-628-7213) or 1-800-242-0645 (276-889-0157). Free bus transportation for VEA members, family and community supporters will be provided by the VEA. Travelers should expect to leave their location by 7 a.m. April 18 and return about midnight that day. Light snacks and water will be provided.

Recap: School Board Meeting 3/12/15

Attendance: 6 SB members, 7 Central Office Admin, 6 Building Admin, 4 teachers/para, several students and family members

Student Recognitions 

• RRHS & GWHS Wrestling team members won several state championships and runner ups

Public Comment 

• Renee Arnold spoke against the possibility of closing Speedwell, had signed petitions with 1090 signatures to redraw bus lines and stays in the Phase II renovation cycle.
• Beth McNamee spoke against the possibility of closing Speedwell. 

Informational Agenda

1. Principals' Updates
• Mrs. Ingo - gave a presentation on their theme of Give One Degree More at Spiller using a video that featured many students, teachers, and support staff
• Mr. Haga - showed a video of being Happy at SMMS, spoke positively about STEAM program and Pi Day
• Mr. Hensley - spoke about many of the positives going on at GWHS
• Mr. Sykes - spoke about teachers helping students earn over 500 credentials last year as well as many other accomplishments of the staff and students.
2. SOL Testing Update - Ms. Beth Cochran
• Writing Test - coming up in March
• Non-Writing Window - 4 weeks in May
3. School Board Public Comment Procedure - Dr. Brannon
• Following items were approved to include on the top of the public comment sign-in sheet
• Swearing at public meetings is a misdemeanor
• Specific concerns with students and staff should be brought to administrative staff prior to speaking
• Time limits could be implemented by SB Chair if needed
4. FY16 Budget Update - Dr. Brannon 
• The budget is for teachers and students, not the school board.
• Dates: May 12 public hearing on SB budget, May 26 BOS approves SB budget
• Enrollment is projected to go down about 100 students from 2010 
• Revenue Overview
• federal monies have gone down ($174K), 
• state monies have gone up ($254K), 
• sales tax up ($94K), 
• Bland County doesn't send their students to WCTC anymore (down $133K) 
• BOTTOM LINE: need $1.154 million additional money, need $1,657,178 (including Phase II, accounting program)
• Benefits - VRS Employer share went down (0.44%), but not significantly; employee share remained the same 5%.
• Salary Increase for Employees
• Projected costs: 1.5% increase for all employees costs $450K, 3% costs $900K (This is what is in the budget.)
• Supplements will remain the same
• Proposals for 1.5% and 1.5+% (would keep round figures) were also presented
• Adjustments of other Budget Categories
• reduction to fuel costs
• school bus lease program
• savings retirees?, 
• SACS visit costs
• additional guidance counselor is in budget, additional IT/ITRT is possible
• Point of Note: 47 positions have been cut over the last 5 years
• Health Insurance Increases
• Projected 9.6% increase will cost school system $288K 
• Point of Note: 5.5-6% average increase over the past five years (much lower than other counties)
• Projected 5% for employer and 4.6% increase for employees (picture of costs)
• Discussion of different plans offered - currently 500/Expanded, change to 1000/500 which would be cheaper, but benefits wouldn't be as good 
• Plans could be changed with no cost differential to the proposed budget
• Point of Note: Live Health can be used for simple diagnosis (use app to visit doctor via internet, get diagnosis, and prescription without going to the doctor)
• Update of Accounting Software - Sunguard 
• adopted by schools and county 
• $150K needed to cover costs
• Capital Improvement Phase II ($393K needed, see action agenda for more detail)
5. Central Office Staff Discussions - None

Action Agenda

1. Revised 2014-15 Calendar APPROVED
• State Code says counties have to make up every other day after 5 days, 
• Last day would be May 29th, 
• Teachers would make-up 4 days
2. Graduation Dates APPROVED
• WCTC 5/21 7pm
• RRHS 5/22 6pm
• GWHS 5/22 8pm
• FCHS 5/23 10am
3. 2015-2016 Calendar APPROVED
• August 11-Dec 18, Jan 6-May13
• August 4 is starting day with opening session
• Thursday meet the teacher night
• Starting on a Tuesday because of the need to get 90 days in before Winter Break
• Early dismissals would be a 12pm to provide more time for grading/recording
• No school on Election Day (teacher PD day)
• Kept workday to begin 2nd semester; will be on Jan 5th
• Kept Spring Break Th-Tu
4. Meal Prices for 2015-16 APPROVED
• going up $0.10 adult lunch up $0.25 ($3.25)
• Adult T'giving meal $4.50 to comply with federal regulations
• Have investigated outsourcing cafeteria/custodians/buses but it's not cost effective with our student numbers
5. Capital Improvements for Phase II APPROVED
• Spiller & Scott are the schools in Phase II
• Add FCMS if money is available
• One NO vote from Mr. Frye
6. Sheffey Activity Room APPROVED
• Grant will cover $179K to build the room for community use
• Low bid is $193K through Fairview Construction (local and has history with WCPS)
7. Adopt FY 2016 Budget Proposal APPROVED
• Negotiations remain with Board of Supervisors
• Mr. Frye voted no citing the A&E Fees for Phase II construction

Put Kids First Rally - April 18th

Some Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Put Kids First April 18^th rally----

Do you have Nutsy?  YES, we’ve got Nutsy the Flying Squirrel, mascot for the San Francisco Giants Double A baseball affiliate in Richmond booked to appear at the staging area, the Richmond Convention Center, available for autographs and pictures!!!

Is this a family friendly event? YES! Some of you have been wondering if the April 18^th Put Kids First rally in Richmond will be kid and family friendly. Well at the pre-event and staging area at the Richmond Convention Center (doors open at noon) we will have a bouncy house, an 18 FOOT TALL SLIDE and a bouncy house Obstacle Course for starters. This will be a fun, festive, family event, a coalition of the two greatest and most respected advocates for public education-the Virginia Education Association and the Virginia Parent Teacher Association!! We’re not babysitting but there will be entertainments in the staging area to keep kids occupied and enjoying the day with you as they stand up for the schools they attend.

                                               

What’s the latest on buses? Thank you to every one of you who got back to us with best guesstimates. Many of you, despite the weather, have been hard at work with turnout plans and sending commitment cards to the VEA which now number in the hundreds. The Facebook event page for VEA has a couple of hundred definite attendees and almost that many saying “maybe”. Patsy Coppins, who you might remember worked with the VEA Board for many years and was the Executive Administrative Assistant to Executive Directors from Dave Johnson to myself has come out of retirement to coordinate buses. She has completed an initial order of 44 buses booked from Alexandria to Dublin, from Galax to Hopewell, from St. Paul to Stafford, from Danville to Fairfax, from Fredericksburg to Norfolk…. well you get the point; every corner of the state is covered.  These orders are based on both actual numbers, commitment cards, revised guesstimates and best thinking and should put a bus near enough to most all of our members.  What is most encouraging are the conversations Patsy Coppins has been having with staff-- both your local administrative UniServ Support staff and the UniServ Directors in all areas of the state. The turnout efforts, the commitment cards, the real numbers that are beginning to percolate are all positive.  So we have buses and now we have to fill them. One difficulty going forward is that the VEA has contracted most of the available and reasonably priced buses throughout the state of the Virginia and as we get improved numbers we may have difficulty contracting for additional buses at less than cost prohibitive rates. We will consider the use of gas cards for locals willing to coordinate car pools if we are unable to secure additional buses at reasonable rates to meet growing demand. We really are hoping that is going to be a problem we face J!! By the way , the NEA has kicked in $50,000 to pay for buses to get us to Richmond!

What about those commitment cards? Attached to this email is  a copy of the commitment card (PKF CToolkit ComCard.docx). Print these out. Distribute them to your reps in bundles. Carry them on you to every place you go and get people to sign and commit to come to April 18^th. Then make certain to send them back to us either through your UniServ office or directly to Sonny Ogbuehi at sogbuehi@veanea.org , Assistant Director of Field Support, Organizing and Minority Engagement. He’s coordinating and cataloguing all the cards and the calls and emails that will go back to these individuals to confirm their attendance and their needs for transportation. The cards are an important way of ensuring turnout for April 18^th so please ask everyone you know and turn ‘em in. People can also register at thegoodforvirginia.org/PutKidsFirst web page.

What are we going to say at the rally? Well, there are four major issues-underfunding, class size, early childhood education, and over-testing, but the key is for us to tell our story. Pre-packaged message points are helpful but what is most effective are real and powerful stories of how these issues manifest in our local community. To that end we need your stories and you can tell them by going to goodforvirginia.org/PutKidsFirst.

Where can I get materials to promote the rally? goodforvirginia.org/PutKidsFirst This is your one stop shop to tell your story, commit to the event but also to get materials. On here you can get your campaign toolkit, find editable speeches, resolutions, letters to the editor and commitment cards.

Is there a new rally flier? Yes there is and you can find it attached above. It is two sided with a map of the area between the convention center and capitol as well as parking areas marked. Though there are events in and around the convention center, there are multiple public parking garages and areas next to and within blocks of the convention center staging area. We do not anticipate parking problems but give yourself time to get into Richmond and the convention center otherwise you will have a parking problem. The doors of the convention center staging area will be open at noon to receive you. There are food court and snack areas located within the convention center and we will have water and nutrition bars available for you on your way to the rally.

What about weather? The good thing about the Richmond Convention Center is we can use it as a backup should a reasonable weather event-snow, heavy rain, etc (not a hurricane or tornado) cause us problems at the Capitol. If it is a hot day, again there will be waters staged outside the convention center to keep people cool. Get to Richmond early and stay out of the weather, hot or cold,  at the convention center as you wait for the march to the Capitol to begin.

Why are we doing this? On April 18, 2015, a historic gathering for public education will be held on the Capitol grounds in Richmond, Virginia made up of a coalition of the VEA and the Virginia PTA. The coalition is born from a pent up frustration with the empty rhetoric of support that officials utter while the policies they promote and the investments they make in our schools, our teachers, our ESPs, and our kids fall short. If we are to “Put Kids First”, if we are to see the kind of investment in the Commonwealth’s schools that we want, we cannot continue to do things as we have done. We must make the public and the officials they elect take notice. We must do something to “change the conversation”. 

So if you have had enough the stage is set. Now we have to play our part and get those around us to get on the bus and into their cars and get to Richmond. Be safe in the weather we have been having and have a great weekend. More updates to follow as we move through these next 57 days to April 18^th.