PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2005
PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2005JULY 7, 2005
If you have been waiting for the perfect moment to call your legislator and discuss the effects of the state budget on your schools and classrooms, now is the time. Last week, the General Assembly approved a continuing resolution to allow the state to keep spending funds at the same levels as 2004-05 until July 20 in anticipation of the final approval of the 2005-06 fiscal year budget. As legislators deliberate the details of the final budget, they need to hear from you. Remind your legislators that state funding for public schools last year provided, on average, $4,762 per pupil. That is compared to $3,982, on average, for community college students and $10,301 for students in the university system. Public schools are critical to preparing students to do well at the community college or university level, and we need the resources to be there to support our work.
On a related note, the deadline has been extended to June 30, 2007, for retired teachers employed under the waiver exempting their earnings from the retirement earnings cap. We appreciate this extension as we work to meet teacher shortages in many areas.
Regards,
June Atkinson
The State Board of Education received an extensive report from the E-Learning Commission on next steps for North Carolina to take toward establishing a comprehensive system of online learning for students and educators. Board members will continue to discuss this report, which calls for a 2005-06 pilot year, in future meetings. In other business, the Board approved the Disadvantaged Student Supplemental Funding Program for 2005-06, its first formal Parent/Family Involvement Policy and the Middle/Junior High School Athletics Manual Revisions. Complete highlights of the meeting are available online at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/sbehighlights.
Gov. Easley Announces New Health and Life-Sciences Themed High Schools
Gov. Mike Easley recently announced that seven school districts in North Carolina have received implementation grants to open eight health and life sciences-themed high schools this fall aimed at better preparing students for the workforce and college. The implementation grants, which are part of Easley's statewide high school reform initiative, were awarded to Asheville City Schools, Cumberland County Schools, Granville County Schools, Newton-Conover City Schools, Scotland County Schools, Wake County Schools and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. Coursework and other learning experiences will focus on the health and life science industries and will prepare students for both higher education and for entrance into skilled fields such as health care and biotechnology. All students will participate in a college preparatory curriculum and have access to work-based experiences and community college and university-level courses. Each school will have no more than 100 students per grade for a maximum of 400 students per school.
Principals are asked to please encourage NBCTs in their districts to attend the Aug. 17 NBCT Policy Summit in Greensboro and to forward any communications regarding this event to teachers at their home addresses. NC NBCTs are meeting at the Koury Convention Center to discuss ways to support and staff high-needs/hard-to-staff schools. The summit has been endorsed by the NCASA as well as the State Board of Education and the School Boards Association. The registration form with additional conference information can be downloaded at www.nbpts.org/pdf/email41.doc. Questions may also be directed to Karen Garr via email at kgarr@nbpts.org.
Finance Officers Newsletter Posted Online
The June 23 Newsletter for Finance Officers is now available online and includes the following items: Matching Retirement Rate, Reminder to Monitor Administration Expenditures, Datafile Transmission Reminder, Monthly Reports for June, Impact of Proposed Budgetson LEAs, 2005-06 Low Wealth and Small County Planning Allotments or Low Wealth Formula Calculations, Verify Bud Transactions, AS/400 Operations Reminders, and New Local PRCs Reminder. To read more, please go to DPI's Financial and Business Services Web site at www.ncpublicschools.org/fbs and click on the Memos&Newsletters link.
InfoSource Inc., the developer and distributor of the "How to Master" line of technology-related education products, is accepting applications for its new "Integrating Technology in the Classroom" grant program. The InfoSource grant program will award up to $2.5 million in online tools and training to qualified K-12 school districts. The tools and training support both the National Education Technology Plan and the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Applicants must apply online and include a short one-to-two page summary detailing how the district plans to integrate technology in the classroom utilizing InfoSource's online tools and technology training. School districts are encouraged to apply early, since applications will be reviewed and awarded monthly until the grant pool has been exhausted. Submissions will be accepted through Dec. 31. All grants will be awarded by the end of January 2006. For more information, please go online to http://www.howtomaster.com and click on "Grant Program.
Nominate a Teacher to be an "American Star in Teaching"
The U.S. Department of Education will honor classroom teachers by recognizing the 2005 American Stars of Teaching. The Department's Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative is seeking nominations and information about teachers who are improving student achievement, using innovative strategies, and making a difference in the lives of their students. Teachers across all grade levels and disciplines will be honored this fall. One teacher or team of teachers from each state will be recognized. To learn more or nominate a teacher to become an American Star of Teaching, please go online to http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/tools/initiative/index.htm