PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2004
PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2004JUNE 17, 2004
Budget deliberations are moving quickly, and the Senate is well into its work, but a few budget items that have not made big headlines could cause some hardships for local educators. The House budget proposal reduces funds for the most vulnerable students. It also includes a provision affecting ABCs incentive awards. This provision would provide the 2003-04 bonuses at current levels ($1,500/$500 for exceeding expectations and $750/$375 for meeting expectations). However, bonuses earned in 2004-05 and paid in the fall of 2005 would not include incentive awards for meeting expectations, only for exceeding expectations. In addition, the proposed budget includes LEA discretionary reductions totaling nearly $72 million. This is a new $27.66 million discretionary reduction on top of the $44.3 million discretionary reduction in the continuation budget. Both of these proposals are misguided, and I hope you will let your legislators know your opinions regarding them as well.
Regards,
Mike Ward
In this Biweekly Principals' Message:
- High School Exit Standards to be Discussed at July Board Meeting
- AYP and ABCs Release Dates
- Bridges Receives Jay Robinson Leadership Award
- Prepare Now for the Hurricane Season
- Orange County High School Takes Top Honors
- Fire Safety Education Program for Pre-K and Kindergarten Teachers
- LEARN NC's June Update Online
- Grant Announcement
- Article of Interest
High School Exit Standards to be Discussed at July Board Meeting
The State Board of Education's July Issues Session will focus on High School Exit Standards. Potential session topics include using a composite of end-of-course (EOC) test results, senior projects and/or service learning components. Issues related to the High School Comprehensive Test also will be discussed in light of discussions with the U.S. Department of Education regarding use of the Algebra I and Biology EOC tests. The State Superintendent's Advisory Committee members also will be asked for their input.
The release dates for 2003-04 local school Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) results and ABCs results have been set for July 19 and Aug. 5 respectively. The AYP results will be released locally, as required under federal law, and DPI will assist by providing a format for the release and a single Web site that provides links to each district's release Web site. The ABCs results for individual schools and the state overall will be released in conjunction with the State Board of Education's August 5 meeting where Board members are expected to officially act on the ABCs and AYP results. More complete information about these release dates is being emailed to you separately, and additional materials to assist in communicating this important news will be available soon.
Bridges Receives Jay Robinson Leadership Award
Congratulations to former Wake County Schools' Superintendent Dr. Robert Bridges who was recently awarded the 2004 Jay Robinson Leadership Award. The award was created to honor Dr. Jay Robinson, a distinguished educator and former chairman of the State Board of Education. Bridges, who also was the first chairman of the Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps Commission, is the fourth recipient of this award, which is given jointly by the Public School Forum and Wachovia Corporation. Wake County Schools' Superintendent Dr. Bill McNeal, Pitt County Schools' Superintendent Dr. Michael Priddy, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' Superintendent Dr. James Pughsley also were in the running for this year's award.
Prepare Now for the Hurricane Season
Although we are still early into the hurricane season, local school systems are encouraged to prepare for what has been predicted to be an active season. DPI's Insurance Section recommends that school systems take the following steps:
- BROWSE the following FEMA and FM Global Web sites for guidance and facts sheets: http://www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/index.shtm and http://www.fmglobal.com/about/news_events/news_resources.asp
- PLAN with your local Emergency Management Office to coordinate disaster plans and share resources. Develop a formal loss control policy identifying specific objectives, procedures, responsibilities and accountabilities.
- STOCK disaster supplies: portable phones, batteries, radio, flashlight, first aid kit, essential medicines, food, water, cash, camera, film, generator, fuel, chainsaw, sand bags, and tarps.
- TEACH children how and when to call 911, the police, or fire department and which radio station to tune for emergency information. Teach responsible parties how and when to turn off gas, electricity, and water.
- PROTECT property: precut and drill plywood for windows; trim dead and weak branches from trees; bring in trash cans, lawn furniture, etc.; clean gutters and drains; check roof flashing to ensure the entire roof perimeter is securely fastened; and review your insurance policy to verify all buildings are listed.
- ESTABLISH agreements with contractors (outside potential hurricane areas) for supplies and repairs.
- CHECK into flood insurance.
- PHOTOGRAPH both building and content damage for insurance claims.
Orange County High School Takes Top Honors
Congratulations to Cedar Ridge High School (Orange County Schools) for taking first place in the Laguna Tools 20th Anniversary Competition, which was held to promote the woodworking craft and celebrate the company's 20th anniversary. Cedar Ridge students received a LT 16HD Bandsaw, 25" Sander, School Workbench, and a 16" Jointer/planer. To read more, please go to the Laguna Tools' Web site at http://www.lagunatools.com
Fire Safety Education Program for Pre-K and Kindergarten Teachers
The Department of Insurance, Office of State Fire Marshal and NC Safe Kids are sponsoring a free Fire Safety Education workshop for pre-K and Kindergarten teachers on Aug. 11 in Mebane (near Burlington). Attendees will receive a multi-media resource kit and teacher's manual. Workshop details and registration information are available online at http://www.ncdoi.com/OSFM/ by clicking on the appropriate link. The deadline to register is June 20. For more information, please contact Allison Cummings at 800.661.5880 ext. 314, or by email, acumming@ncdoi.net
LEARN NC's June update offers teachers an explanation of computer viruses and how you can protect yourself; interesting Web resources, and how to introduce "the competitive art of performance poetry" in your classroom. Check these articles out and more by going online to http://www.learnnc.org and clicking on the appropriate link.
Title: Dollar General's Back-to-School Grants Purpose: To assist schools in meeting some of the financial challenges they face in implementing new programs or purchasing new equipment, materials, or software for their school library or literacy program. Eligible Applicants: Local education agencies. Estimated Number of Awards: Seven awards of $5,000. Deadline: The application deadline is Aug. 12. Additional Information: To apply, print the Back-to-School application form located on the company's Web site at http://www.dollargeneral.com/community/communityinvestments.aspx and submit it along with a letter stating why your school deserves a $5,000 Back-to-School grant from Dollar General.
The following article from the PEN Weekly NewsBlast may be of interest to principals. In "Shifting Student Elections Away from Popularity Contests, " writer C.W. Nevius discusses how many schools are going to a system of "commissioners" where relatively small numbers of students are elected to office and then hold interviews for the job - just like in the real world. The resulting leadership board represents a cross section of the student body. To read more, please go online to http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/05/28/EBG9T6R9B41.DTL