Special Meeting December 1st

The Loudoun School Board meets at 6:30pm on Monday December 1st. This is an alternate meeting date for the meeting originally scheduled for Tuesday November 25th.

Key items on the agenda (full agenda details):

• Public input on proposed Capital Improvement Plan and Capital Asset Preservation Program, followed by CIP/CAPP worksession
  
• Budget Priority guidance for the Superintendent
• Spring 2009 Boundary Calendar (see staff recommendation)
  

2008 Convention Session #5: Building Relationship with Chamber of Commerce

Final session of the day. I hope that folks will find these notes helpful. Loudoun County has a very robust School-Business partnership program, I am on its executive committee. It's something we do very well, but it's helpful to see what others are doing to pick up different ideas.

Discusses Arlington County Public schools’ school-business partnership programs.

Networking events. Go with a specific request, not just general welcome to help. Bring a flyer.

Provide silent auction items to Chamber… lunch with decision makers as an example.

Join a Chamber committee.

Bridge to Business Directory… a list of businesses who have expressed an interest in working with students. Sent to all principals and staff for when they need a speaker, a volunteer, an internship, career day presenters. Signing up is not an obligation, just an expression of interest. Arlington had 12% response rate among Chamber members.

3-question survey.
1) Would you be interested in one of these roles?
2) What reservations do you have?
3) Are there other ideas you have for how to participate (items listed on question 1)

Arlington Chamber sponsors an annual scholarship using a checkbox on membership form, a mini-golf tournament & picnic, annual gala.

2008 Convention Session #4: Share the Skies Internet Telescope

Some of the sessions here are about serious issues facing our communities, some are about improving our work as a Board, and some are about resources available to our districts... information I can't use directly but I can pass along to the instructional people who can.

Share the Skies (www.ShareTheSkies.org) is a program set up by the Virginia Department of Education. It is a statewide initiative to trade the use of research-grade telescopes with children in Australia. Virginia students use a telescope in Australia, Aussies use one in New Mexico. This enables study of astronomy during the daytime for each group.

This program is about "Learning Science by Doing Science”, and among its purposes is to Generate interest in STEP careers, addresses issues of equity and access and provide
SOL-based curriculum support.

The program serves 1.2 Million children in Virginia. The level of interest and sophistication of questions from kids in pilot programs has stunned program leaders. Kids as young as elementary school participate in the program by taking images of different objects. All images are collected and are searchable, in the same format that NASA uses.

If you go on the site, check out the World Sunlight Map showing the stage of day around the world visually.

The presenters demonstrated an image of M42 in the Orion Nebula during the demonstration. The browser showed a sky map, not a real-time image of the telescope’s view, so it isn't like looking through a lens. Instead, you program the telescope to take pictures that are presented to you immediately. The images have long exposures, the demonstration took 15-30 second exposures. Smaller objects use 15 minute and even 60 minute exposures.

The program offered to set attendees up with an account so that we can try it out. There is no cost to school divisions. Cost to DOE is just under $40,000 per year.

The focus is not just on science teachers, also using with math, mythology studies, even poetry. Resource area includes many lesson plans.

2008 Convention Session #3: African American Male Academic Achievement

Efforts to Improve the Academic Achievement of African American Males

This presentation, given by Virginia Beach Public Schools. It represents the very best kind of session available at a conference like this. This is a bold program addressing a universal problem. This is program is still in development, but it is being shared early on instead of waiting for years, in the best tradition of sharing information among colleagues. I have been very impressed with VBPS presentations at previous conferences, and this one continues that standard. I'll try to get this powerpoint for you as well. My notes are below:

15 months ago the Virginia Beach school board made one of five major goals for the year raising achievement of African American males, as a way of impacting all student performance. A high-achieving district was missing this key group.

Analyzed grad rates, advanced courses, SAT scores and were shocked at results.

Developed 11 measurable objectives around closing gaps.

Found no silver bullets in the research. See “the Journey” slide. Success seems to come down to understanding, respect, ability to build relationships.

Used a “Candid Conversations about Race” process, something Loudoun has top-down, but VB’s is grass-roots among staff. This is based on a book by this name.

Developed an electronic web-based guide and tool. Not yet released, currently in development. Allows educators to asses their perceptions of and actions toward AAM students, and how those contribute to the achievement gap.

Quotes from AAM students shown, my favorite: “I know I’m smart, but I can’t get that smart to come out.”

Many other school-based initiatives (see slide).

Result in first year is improvement in most of 11 objectives. Increase in attendance rate, grad rates, SOL scores, AP courses, and advanced studies diploma. Decrease in gap for SAT.

2008 Convention Session #2: Response to Intervention

Response to Intervention is a big topic, and something you should google for meatier information if the notes I provide here pique your interest. I will provide a link to the powerpoint slide when I receive it. Tolbert Elementary School is a pilot school for this program.

Below, selected notes:

“Infamous RTI triangle”

75-85% of kids are fine with regular instruction. (Tier 1)
10-15% of kids need targeted group interventions (typical teacher over the shoulder extra explanation). (Tier 2, done in regular ed classroom, small group supplemental)
5-10% of kids need intensive individual interventions (Tier 3, minimum of two 1:1 30 minutes/day using trained interventionist)

Universal screening (done three times annually) identifies weaknesses in curriculum and instruction, which causes over-identification when underachieving students only are tested.

Three legs: Universal screening, student progress monitoring, scientifically based tiered interventions (Tiered being level of intensity)

Breaks down labels and categories.

Instruction & interventions matched to student needs, using learning rate over time and make educational decisions

RTI Program is suited to Pre-K through 12, Virginia Department Of Education is focusing on elementary right now.

Universal screening (done three times annually) identifies weaknesses in curriculum and instruction, which causes over-identification when underachieving students only are tested.

Additional help to kids who don’t meet benchmark is Tier 2. Frequent formative evaluation done by classroom teacher and charted over time versus class performance. If trend doesn’t show progress, changes to intervention is made. Goal is adjusted over time.

“A classroom cannot to RTI, a principal is the single most defining person in the success of the program.”

2008 Convention Session #1: E-Meetings

Today is the primary day for this year's annual statewide conference and I've just completed the first session, which I selected in order to get a better understanding of how to use our new online meeting management system, BoardDocs. You might be interested to know that most of Loudoun's representatives here coordinated prior to today's sessions to minimize overlap, so that most of the sessions offered today will be covered by at least one board member and we can share notes. My notes here on this blog will serve as my notes to colleagues as well as to the public on the sessions I attended.

Anyhow, regarding BoardDocs, I was pleased to see that this system is advancing in its capabilities, and I expect that LCPS will make use of more features as we get further along.

Below are a number of notes, but the biggest thing I learned about that I think members of the public will like to see is the Scoreboard. I'll add the link to my blog site over on the right. The Scoreboard will show you, for the current meeting, where we are in the agenda and what has happened previously including votes. Click this link and as of the time that I'm writing this you'll be taken to the end of our last meeting and see the results of voting on the question of inauguration day as a school holiday.

News Stories can be on RSS Feed, which is nice but our main website already has a new RSS feed.

Fairfax schools uses the News Story sesction to answer budget questions

Public data is available in XML format for inclusion in existing main website, which could be helpful but given budget restrictions I wouldn't expect to see too many advances in that main website over the next few years.

Committee meetings and their documents can also be in BoardDocs.
Draft agendas can be available to board members while still in draft.

Current Item link on toolbar once meeting starts, so everyone can quickly get to the current page
Scoreboard Lite follows agenda and indicates current item
Clerk can post the vote right away, showing in Scoreboard Lite
MP3 file of discussion can be attached to a single agenda item
Podcast interface available as well

A new version is due for release next summer, and will include:

• Video embedded in agenda items
• Drag & Drop agenda item movement & creation
• WSYWIG in-browser item editing
• Agenda item list shows currently selected agenda items
• Searchability within just the current meeting
• Speed increases
• New printing features
• New look comes
• Master Calendar

Budget Briefing from the Governor's Office

Most of your Loudoun County School Board is in Williamsburg for the next 48 hours for the annual convention of the Virginia School Boards Association. At the front of everyone’s mind is the pending budget crisis, and even before the convention officially began we started with a briefing by the Governor’s director of the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget, Dan Timberlake. Some of the more sobering notes FY10 cuts in education spending will be between 5% - 15%. These go below funding levels for previous years. He predicted that the Governor’s proposed cuts are probably going to be the high water mark… the legislature will start there and work down.

School Board members gathered from across the state were advised that they should pull our their Reduction in Force (RIF) RIF policies and review them carefully now, because it layoffs may not be avoidable state wide.

Unsurprisingly, the Governor’s office still is recalculating the impact of the current recession on FY10 and further into the future. They currently forecast Virginia coming out at a relatively modest growth rate of 3-4% instead of a dramatic bounce back.

I tried to copy down his summary, verbatim to the extent that my typing fingers could keep up:

Everybody knows this is not where we wanted to be. But it is what we’ve got to
do. We don’t have any options other than reducing spending. I can’t tell you
what the budget reduction for public education is going to be yet. We’re meeting
with the Governor every day. We’re looking at a variety of options. The Governor
is making education a priority, but at the end of the day you just can’t make a
billion and a half dollars in reductions without hitting every major area. The
rest of the state budget just can’t absorb all of those cuts. The fat, to the
extent there ever was any fat, was gone a long time ago.

RBMS PTA Exchanges Publicity for Storage

River Bend Middle School needs immediate storage space for the set pieces and other items used in the upcoming spring musical. The Fire Marshall recently ruled that the materials cannot be stored at the school and must be removed by tomorrow, Tuesday November 18th.

The RBMS PTA wants to exchange advertising space in the program for the popular musical for storage space because the cost of storage would substantially impact the musical's budget. Two 10x20 units are needed, preferably with a peaked roof to hold taller items.

Advertising space in the programs (whether you can provide storage space or just purchase an ad) provides an excellent opportunity to reach the local community. River Bend's musicals are an annual tradition and very popular within the community. Hundreds of kids from the school are involved every year, and every show is typically sold out in advance requiring a print run of nearly 1,500 programs. This is an excellent opportunity to help the community and gain exposure to an enthusiastic population of parents.

Please contact:

Cindy Vangorder
Email: vangorders@gmail.com
Cell: 703-861-2174

Home: 703-444-9781

Michele Dillistin
Email: Dillis6@yahoo.com
Cell: 703-402-5623
Home: 703-421-3363

Veterans Day Holiday for the record

Board members and the Superintendent got a number of emails and phone calls regarding LCPS and Veterans Day, and because I'm sure it will come up again each year I thought I'd get this out there for the record. According to Dr. Hatrick, who in addition to being the Superintendent doubles as resident historian, spoke at last night's meeting about the reason LCPS holds classes on Veterans Day. According to his remarks, during the 70s Veterans groups came to LCPS and asked that LCPS not take the day off but instead hold programs for the students about the meaning and importance of the men and women who have served in America's armed forces. They calculated that this was the best way to truly involve the most children, and in exchange they promised to provide speakers and presenters for the schools. Sanders Corner Elementary provided an example of such a program this week. I think the lesson is that we don't have to take a vacation day to honor something special.

Veteran's Day 08 Board Meeting

Yesterday, the day before Veterans Day, I attended a dear friend's funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. With prayers, song, memories, tears, a 21-gun salute, an F-15 flyover and a bugler playing taps we honored a single man and his dedication to his country. Today we honor the service and dedication of all veterans, among them my father and many of my friends.

The School Board meets tonight, we start our meeting at 4:00pm but will be in closed session and then dinner until 6:30pm, when the public meeting begins. You can find the full agenda online, but here is the scoop on the substantive items:

Item 11.05 (RFP #09C, Architectural/Engineering Services for HS-7) is currently listed under the consent agenda (meaning those items passed with unanimous vote and no discussion) but based on the background chatter I believe it will be discussed and you may see a dissenting vote. Some have misunderstood this to be a continuation of the Lenah property project, but as I have discussed with members of the Board of Supervisors, it is not. LCPS issued an RFP for HS-7 (a new high school to be built south of Route 50) earlier this fall to be prepared in case the Lenah site was approved. The site was not approved but a winning bid for these services was identified. Approval of this RFP puts the winning firm under contract and ready to go once a site for HS-7 (not the Lenah site) is approved so that the school can be built and opened as quickly as possible.

Action Items (to be voted on)
Item 12.01 (2009 School Board Legislative Program) is a vote on the previously discussed positions that the School Board will take on various issues before the state legislature. It it the guidebook for the LCPS liaison (read: lobbyist) to the legislature. Topping the list is a request to allow school districts to start school before labor day. Additional funding requests are de-emphasized but still present. The link includes a downloadable PDF so that you can review the full packet. The package will be presented to Loudoun's representatives in the state legislature at a December 8th breakfast held at the LCPS Admin building.

Item 12.02 (School Board Budget Process) is a planned motion put forward by Chairman DuPree and myself that directs the Superintendent to prepare FY10 impact budgets at 0% and -15% in addition to his proposed budget. It also states that that Superintendent "endeavor in all such budget submissions to reflect any consensus priorities agreed to in advance by the School Board," which implicitly calls on the School Board to attempt to reach consensus priorities in advance of the Superintendent's budget preparation.

Information Items (will not be voted on)
Item 14.01 (Proposed Capital Improvement Program for FY 2010-14) is the plan for buying land and building schools over the next five years. This will be especially interesting given the current state of School Board/Board of Supervisors relations over land acquisition and school construction, and the uncertainty in the international credit & bond markets that enable these investments.

Item 14.02 (Proposed Capital Asset Preservation Program for FY 2010-14) is the plan for maintaining our existing buildings. I hope to see a bold CAPP budget proposal for two reasons. First, the lack of new schools means that our existing schools are under increased strain and maintaining them well is especially important. Second, the Board of Supervisors cut the last CAPP budget by 70% in the spring, putting off until tomorrow what could have been done today. Tomorrow is now just around the corner.

Church donates to Unsung Educators Scholarship

I am very happy that today and each Sunday this month the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sterling is taking up a collection to benefit the Unsung Educators Scholarship that I established earlier this year. The scholarship benefits the children of LCPS employees who work in the custodial, food service, facilities, transportation and warehouse divisions.

On Sunday November 23rd I will participate in the church's 10AM service by reading an all-ages-appropriate story and then speaking directly to the congregation, in particular the children, about the scholarship. I'm looking for the right story to read, one that speaks to the purpose of the scholarship... to see that there are people all around us who it is sometimes easy to overlook, and it is important to reach out to them. If you have suggestions please pass them along.

To make your own contribution to the scholarship fund, click here.