Upcoming School Board Meeting

On July 10th at 9:00 am at the School Board office, Wythe County School Board will hold their July meeting. At this time, meeting dates and times for the 2014/15 calendar year will be established. Last year, we spoke in favor of night meetings. Night meetings were favored to allow teachers and parents a better opportunity to attend. For the first time, in as long as I can remember, night meetings were established. Please try to attend to insure night meetings for next year. If you can't make the meeting, please contact your school board member and let them know how important night meetings are! 

Also on the agenda:

* Capital improvement

* School Calendar

Thank you! 

 

EoY FAQ

Here at the end of the school year the WCEA has been fielding lots of questions. Here's a summary of some of the answers. We realize you may not like the answers to some of the questions, but please read them carefully. Understand that we are trying to present facts as we know them at this point and not opinions. We are having on-going conversations with SBO staff to get answers and share concerns. If you have other questions that have not been answered, please let us know. There is a School Board meeting on Thursday, June 12 at 9am. There is also a Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday @ 7pm. You are encouraged to attend.

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1. Are we getting a raise?

No, currently the General Assembly has not approved a state budget. This has made the local budget approval process very difficult. Our approved school board budget is seeking additional money from the amount dedicated to schools by the Board of Supervisors last year. This amount is roughly $600K. About half of this money is to go toward a step increase for all employees. However, at this point, the Board of Supervisors is not supporting this additional funding. Other county employees are not proposed to get a raise either.

2. Will I get credit for the year worked on the salary scale?
The contracts that went out recently do give you credit for your year of teaching. However, you will make the same amount of money in 2014-15 as you did in 2013-14.

3. Should I sign my contract?
Not signing your contract could only put your position in jeopardy. While you may not like the terms of your contract, it will be difficult to work towards better working conditions if you don't have a job.

4. What is the contingency funding policy?
This is the clause that is on the contract that mentions the need for state funding to fulfill the contract. Since there's not currently an approved state budget, technically Wythe County does not have a guarantee to have the money to fulfill the contracts for the 2014-15 school year. According to our VEA contacts this is a fairly standard clause in local contracts around the state since the General Assembly has yet to adopt a budget.

5. What can I do to help the situation?
You can contact your state delegate and senator to urge them to adopt a state budget immediately. You should also request that the adopted budget provide increased funding for education. You can attend local Board of Supervisors meetings to show support for education. You can speak in favor of funding for education at the BoS meetings.

6. What's the deal with the new 20 day contract form?
The 20 days have been converted to 150 hours by multiplying the 20 days by 7.5 hours per day of work time.  This was done to be consistent with the hours that were made up with snow days this past school year. Those 150 hours were then broken into the categories listed on the contract. The top part lists the non-student days that are built into the calendar - 7.5 hours were given for each of those days to make a total of 84 hours. The remaining 66 hours were then broken into three categories - PD, Duties, and Workdays. This is time we must work outside of the calendar days. PD in our instructional areas was targeted as a priority; therefore this category was given the most time. The PD section has changed from 3 days to 33 hours. The Duty section has changed from 3 days to 18 hours. The Workday section changed from 1 day to 15 hours. This section was increased to help get credit for the extended time we already spend at school grading papers, planning, etc.

7. How can I achieve the 33 hours of professional development?
We understand that finding, paying for, and attending 33 hours of professional development outside of your school days will be difficult. We have asked this question and will ask again.

8. Why is the privilege of having refrigerators and microwaves being taken away?
The reason as we understand it is that the SB no longer wants to fund the expense of running the classroom refrigerators and microwaves.  The estimated cost we received was approximately $10,000 per school year (150-200 fridges X $50 per year to run.)  The idea of a fridge fee doesn't appear to work due to manageability issues.

May School Board Meeting Update

Recognitions

1. Spelling Bee Winner was recognized.
2. School nurses were celebrated for National Nurses' Week.
3. National Teacher Week was recognized.
4. The Chamber of Commerce Teacher of the Year was recognized and awarded a plaque.

Informational Updates

1. Concussion Committee Update - Mr. Brett Booher
• Number of concussions up from 8 last year to 20 this year (possibly because more monitoring took place)
• All MS/HS student-athletes have had baseline testing for concussions
2. Capital Improvements - Dr. Wes Poole
• Sheffey - water line issues; classrooms are 2/3 done; windows have had some snags; cafeteria renovation will happen over summer
• RRMS - plumbing issues in administrative b/r have been corrected; classrooms are progressing;  gym renovations will be main summer project
• GWHS Water Heater - Gas water heater is being fixed; boiler has been used for back-up which has caused excessive heat
3. EOY Activities - Dr. Brannon  provided a list of activities for SB members to attend as they wish.
4. Budget Update - Dr. Brannon
• No change with the state budget
• Dr. Brannon and other superintendents had a informative conversation with Senator Carrico
• Setting up a budget workshop to plan for contingencies should the budget standoff head into summertime.
5. SBO Staff Discussion - New reoccurring agenda item that will allow SB members to ask questions of SBO staff about policies, progress, etc.
• Writing scores were discussed. Preliminary data shows a dip in scores. More info to come. Typing of the writing tests seems to be going smoothly.
• New Calculators were discussed. Training is being offered for the use of the new style calculators.
• Philosophical discussions on basic skills were had. Dr. James and Dr. Brannon assured the SB that these skills are being taught. 
• E-Backpack Program was discussed. The grant from the Wythe/Bland Foundation was awarded. Purchases will move forward for FCHS freshmen and sophmores. 

 Action Agenda

1. Speedwell Shelter Proposal (approved) - PTO will install a multi-use shelter on the grounds at Speedwell. 
2. Brown vs. Board of Education Resolution (approved) - recognizing the historical nature of this decision and its ramifications.

Updates

1. Dr. Brannon Recognized the stressful time of year for teachers and school staff. 
2. Mr. Kidd discussed possible expansions in the Gov. School program. Possibly a full-day program and possibly involving sophomores.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day/Week!

 Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! We hope your school administrators, students and school PTA/PTO will make you feel appreciated this week. Look for a special treat from your WCEA.

Know that you are appreciated for all you do to make a difference in the lives of your students, to create a positive working environment in your schools, and for all the sacrifices you make to do your job so well. 

For all that you do, we say - THANK YOU!

 

May WCEA News

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Our year is winding down! Come celebrate with us at our All-Member EoY Picnic. It will be next Tuesday (5/13) @ 5pm under the Spiller Picnic Shelter.  Grilled hamburgers and hotdogs will be provided. If you're planning to come, bring a side dish or dessert. RSVP to your association rep by Friday so we can plan for the meal. Kids are welcome on the Spiller playground. In addition to good fellowship, good food, and a brief meeting, we will honor our WCEA retirees.

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We are seeking nominations for WCEA Co-President and Secretary. If you are interested or would like to nominate someone, please let us know. Both positions are for two year terms. As co-pres, you would work with the other co-pres (me) to attend SB meetings, run WCEA meetings, communicate with members, etc. As secretary you would take and publish minutes for the monthly WCEA meetings and assist with WCEA events. None of us have the time, I know, but without member participation our organization will suffer. If each member would serve as an officer for one two year term, we'd only have to serve once every 100 years :)

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The May School Board meeting is this Thursday. Join the WCEA Board for a pre-meeting meal at Ruby Tuesday at 4:45 then head to the meeting at 6pm. The agenda can be found here. If you can't make the meal, please join us at meeting in the meeting room at the School Board Office.

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The State budget is still in limbo. The VA General Assembly is again in recess without a budget. There are some positive proposals for education funding in the Senate and Governor's budgets. Our local budget hinges on the state budget so nothing can be passed locally without a state budget. Stay tuned for more info.

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If you are a retiring WCEA member, please e-mail Ryan Walker at rwalker@wythek12.org. The WCEA would like you recognize your retirement.

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Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! We hope your school administrators, students and school PTA/PTO will make you feel appreciated this week. Look for a special treat from your WCEA. Know that you are appreciated for all you do to make a difference in the lives of your students, to create a positive working environment in your schools, and for all the sacrifices you make to do your job so well. For all that you do, we say - THANK YOU!

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Wythe County Education Association 
Co-Presidents: Stephanie James (Spiller) & Ryan Walker (Scott)

Treasurer: Vic Gravley (Max Meadows)

Secretary: Kelly Russell (George Wythe)
UniServ Director: Bryan Pfeifer

All Member Picnic

Please plan to join us for our end-of-the-year celebration!

May 13, 2014 @ 5pm

Spiller Elementary Picnic Shelter

 Grilled hamburgers and hotdogs will be provided. If you're planning to come, bring a side dish or dessert. RSVP to your association rep by Friday so we can plan for the meal. Kids are welcome on the Spiller playground. In addition to good fellowship, good food, and a brief meeting, we will honor our WCEA retirees.

April 15 Meeting To-Do List

All members: 1. We need to vote for officers for District B; please see your building rep to take care of this 2. The WCEA offices of Co-President and Secretary are open; see your building rep or contact Ryan or Stephanie to run 3. Please plan to attend the WCEA End of Year Picnic at Spiller at 5:00 p.m. on May 13th....ALL members are invited! WCEA will grill dogs and burgers; bring a covered dish if you plan to attend.