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The School Administrative Center is on a four-day work week June 21-August 20, 7:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m. STRATEGIC PLAN SURVEY Thank you to all who participated in the Strategic Plan 2015 survey. We value your input. Responses to the six questions and all written responses will serve as the guiding focus for the development of the new strategic plan that will be presented to the School Board on Wednesday, August 4, 2010. • News From Andrews & Phenix PreK-8 Schools!
Andrews
Grade Level "Meet and Greets" for parents will be held: PK-2 Monday, August 2 5:30 PM 3-5 Wednesday, August 4 5:30 PM
6-8 Monday, August 9 5:30 PM
"Community Tours" will be held: Wednesday, August 4 9:00 AM Tuesday, August 10 1:00 PM
Wednesday, August 11 5:00 PM
Phenix Community Tours •Hampton School Board member Linwood "Butch" HarperHonored
The George P. Phenix Alumni Association honored Hampton School Board member Linwood "Butch" Harper as the group's Distinguished Alumnus for 2010. Harper was presented with the award at the group's Legacy Dinner held at the Hampton Holiday Inn on Saturday, July 17. Harper, a member of the George P. Phenix Class of 1965, is co-founder of the Aberdeen Athletic Association. His award cited such accomplishments as having served on the Hampton School Board for 14 years, and having "enthusiastically supported the naming of a new school after George P. Phenix." The award also cited Harper for "getting students involved in sports so that they can become better citizens."
• New Teacher / Employee Orientation
• Join Us On A Fantastic School Tour!
If you've been waiting to take a peek inside our two new PreK-8 schools, the wait is over.
• Newsweek Names Hampton High "One Of The Best"
Newsweek Names Hampton High "One Of The Best" Each year Newsweek Magazine selects "the best high schools in the country based on how hard school staffs work to challenge students with advanced placement college-level courses and tests. Just over 1600 schools— only six percent of all the public schools in the U.S.--made the list." We are pleased to announce that for FOUR YEARS IN A ROW, Hampton High School has made the list! This year they ranked 845 out of 1,600! Hampton High is home to the school division's International Baccalaureate program. • Governor Applauds Hampton's Center
On May 20, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell paid a visit to the school division's Performance Learning Center (PLC), an alternative school where students can gain diplomas by taking online courses under teacher supervision. The Governor applauded the school division's efforts and success in greatly reducing the drop-out rate and added that helping students graduate means fewer teens will end up jobless. • Bullying & Internet Safety Workshop
Bullying & Internet Safety Workshop This 4 session Workshop will cover topics and ways to help your child to be safe. Some of the following topics that will be covered are: The Internet as a Part of Life, Viruses & Identity theft, Online Predators, What is Cyberbullying, How to deal with Cyberbullying, What is bullying and its different forms, Social skills for children/young people, is your child being bullied, and what to do if your child is the bully. When: Tuesday & Thursday, August 3,5,10,12 Call for more info or to register 727-1300 ext 0 • 2010-2011 Bell Schedule
 • STEVE PRINCE - TEACHER OF THE YEAR!
The May 6, 2010 School Board meeting was filled with excitement as Hampton High School art teacher Steve A. Prince, was named Hampton’s top educator! Steve holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree in printmaking and sculpture from Michigan State University. Being a practicing artist, Steve’s students are afforded the opportunity to see, as he puts it, “a living experience of what I teach.” Selected High School Teacher of the Year in late April, he is known internationally for his exhibitions and commissions. His latest commission is the awesome 15-foot stainless steel kinetic sculpture that sits in the middle of the median, as you head toward the Coliseum area. He is the co-author of several books. His latest is called, “Cargo Billups Goes Looking For Lips” and is co-authored with his wife. View Steve's speech following the announcement.
• Elementary and Middle School Teachers of Year
• How Our Past Defines Our Future - Buy your copy of the book today!
• 2010-2011 BUDGET INFORMATION - new as of 5/12
Council Passes Budget On May 12, the Hampton City Council passed it's 2010-2011 operating budget, which included the one submitted from Hampton City Schools. BUDGET APPROVED! On Wednesday, March 31st, the School Board unanimously approved the 2010-2011 budget. Additional changes included the School Board taking a 3% salary reduction, as well as the restoration of a modified special education supplement for bus drivers. In addition, one of the Assistant Director of Human Resources positions was eliminated and the Division Leadership Team (DLT) will be taking a 1.6% salary reduction instead of the .8% all other employees will experience. The budget will now go to the City Council for final approval. Throughout this process, your feedback, comments, questions and suggestions have been invaluable to us and we thank you for that! Although we have completed the budget and therefore will disable the budgetinfo email until next year, it is important to this administration that we continue to have open and honest two-way communication. Therefore, should you have any comments, questions or suggestions regarding HCS issues, please feel free to contact any DLT member, and we will be more than happy to address them. Latest Budget Recommendations Presented March 30, 2010 At a School Board Special Work Session held on March 30, the following revisions to the Superintendent's Recommended Budget presented on March 10, were proposed: 1. Included required VPSA Funding for technology 2. Restored 15 Classroom Teachers 3. Allocated funds to partially offset employee insurance premium increase 4. Restored Elementary Assistant Principals 5. Restored Elementary Guidance Counselors 6. Restored 6 iTRTs 7. Restored 3 Testing Specialists (high school) 8. Added a Guidance Secretary at the Spratley Gifted Center 9. Added per pupil funding for Moton Early Childhood Center 10. Added 10 days per diem for Athletic Directors 11. Restored one second floor Receptionist at SAC 12. Changed all 1.6% salary reductions to .8% 13. Restored the schedule changes to 12 month employees and Assistant Principals 14. Reduced salaries for 12 month employees and Assistant Principals by .8% 15. Reduced School Board members salaries by 3% NOTE: This Is proposed and therefore could change. The Board will vote on the proposed budget Wednesday, March 31. 2010-2011 Superintendent's Budget Presentation • BUDGET REDUCTIONS
There has been a great deal of news coverage regarding budget reductions for fiscal year 2011. Yesterday (February 17), Governor McDonnell issued his suggestions for further reductions to K-12 education in order to plug a $2.2B revenue gap in the state budget. The General Assembly is still in session and the House and Senate will each propose a separate version of the fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012 budgets in the next few days. The Governor’s, the House’s and the Senate’s versions of the budget will each impact HCS differently. At this time, we do not know how any of these versions will ultimately affect the current $24.8M shortfall that we are using to develop our proposed HCS FY11 budget. However, please know that we are working very hard to get as much information as possible, and as we receive further updates we will share them with you. • BOARD APPROVES 20% RETIREMENT INCENTIVE!
In recognition of the substantial state budget reductions anticipated for the 2011 fiscal year, the Hampton School Board has approved a voluntary retirement program which will allow eligible employees to receive a 20% one-time only retirement incentive. • IMPORTANT DATES
The School Division's Proposed 2010-2011 Budget will be presented to the March 3 - School Board Retreat To Discuss Proposed Budget, 1 pm - 5 pm (Ruppert Sargent Building, Conference Room Side B) • SPRATLEY TO BECOME GIFTED CENTER
On Wednesday, February 18, the Hampton School Board approved a plan to repurpose Spratley Middle School and create a gifted center there for students in grades 3-8. This will be achieved by: Closing The Mary Peake Center and moving its gifted program to Spratley Consolidating these two gifted centers will not only begin to address declining enrollments in the division, but will also focus on the student, protect the classroom, maximize student achievement and achieve efficiencies. While closing the Mary Peake Center will recapture over $600,000, this consolidation will also allow the division to increase the lottery slots at Jones Magnet Middle School.
• HCS BUDGET DEFICIT COULD GROW
Former Governor Tim Kaine, before leaving office, had proposed freezing the Local Composite Index (LCI) at its current level in his proposed budget. However yesterday, Governor Bob McDonnell announced that he will support updating the Local Composite Index (LCI), with an implementation in the upcoming fiscal year. This will mean an additional reduction of some $4.5 million in the 2010-2011 operating budget for Hampton City Schools. While the Governor's announcement is a proposal at this point, this would mean that our budget deficit would grow from $20.3 million to roughly $24.8 million! We plan to continue to keep you informed about these and other crucial budget issues. 2010-2011 Budget Week of MARCH 26, 2010 Q: I hate to keep emailing you but what can the VPSA funds be used for. It is just for hardware? Q: Will HCS be able to continue to support the cost of applying for National Board certification? What about the educational reimbursement and the Shenandoah courses? It is important to the quality of instruction that teachers are able to enhance their skills and remain current with the field. A: National Board is in Title II; yes, we can still offset the application fee. Tuition reimbursement is going to teachers on provisional licenses and to other employees taking coursework to become a teacher. Q: You did not answer the question about why the Community Relations position is a DLT position. And could not all positions “ultimately benefit the division as a whole? A: The Community Relations’ position is one that assists us in making strategic decisions for the division, and is therefore a part of the Division Leadership Team. Q: Why is it that Spratley Gifted Center has a guidance secretary when the part-time secretary position has been cut in ALL elementary schools and the guidance secretary position in ALL middle schools have been cut? A: While you are correct about the proposed elimination of the part-time secretary in elementary schools, we are proposing that guidance secretaries at the middle school level remain. Q: I think the help with insurance is most important. A family plan is over $500 and that is a huge chunk out of a teacher's (or anyone's) salary. Employees who do not use our insurance plan generally have a better deal outside of our system, via a spouse usually. Consider a teacher who is a single Mom who was getting a little extra by being grade chair. Now her insurance is over $500, lost her stipend and had her salary cut by 1.6%. What a blow. She may not be able to take our insurance now. A: Thank you for your comments. We are taking a close look at the health insurance proposal. Q: Just out of curiosity, how many elem. assistant principals will be reinstated, and elementary counselors? A: We are proposing reinstating 10 guidance counselors and five elementary assistant principals. Q: After the proposed budget modifications are made where will it leave the health insurance costs for the employees? Please provide specific details of what the costs will be. $2,000,000 does not seem enough to bring the health premiums back to last year’s levels. A: We made an initial proposal regarding health insurance costs, and the School Board has asked us to go back and take another look. Q: The 15 teachers- are they ITRTs? I keep reading about technology and wonder if they reinstated any of the extended contracts? A: The 15 teachers are not ITRSs; they are classroom teachers. We proposed that 6 ITRTs be restored. Q: In lieu of the recent budget calculation, we would like to make the following recommendation. I would like to suggest the use of some recalculated budget funds to help offset the insurance premiums. Raising the premiums several hundred dollars is a very hard hit for most teachers. Additionally, it only punishes teachers who need to carry insurance for themselves or their families. A: We made an initial proposal regarding health insurance costs, and the School Board has asked us to go back and take another look. Q: Could you please explain how the decision was made to give 11-month teachers and staff a 9% salary cut and ten month teachers a 1.6% cut? I am sure those employees were 11 month for a good reason and they seem to be bearing a disproportionate amount of the budget cut. Might it have been more equitable to have given a 2% cut across the board? A: We are restructuring the duties of the 11-month teachers so that they can function within a 10-month contract. Thank you for your 2% suggestion.
Q: Just wondering if there would be a cost savings in having the ESL Students go to schools closer to their homes. Run the ESL program similar to the Special Education program. There are so many ESL students now, it's doesn't seem effective in having them go to one elementary, one middle and one high school. A: The staffing would be incredible because wherever they go, we would need ESL staffing. Q. Why is the division waiting until April to form a committee to review the stipends? With increases in EVERYTHING and no cost of living increases (average national rates are usually about 2.0 to 2.5 a year) those stipends are make or break for many. The longer you wait, the more it hurts your teachers that might need to alter their plans, find new or additional jobs, etc. Many of these decisions must be made BEFORE, in particular those dealing with child care and schooling, etc. A: In April we will form a committee to review stipends for considerations in the 2011-2012 budget….not this upcoming budget. Q: How do you decide which questions to ignore and which to answer? Please do not ignore people's concerns. A: We have no interest in ignoring anyone’s questions. Sometimes if the same question is asked multiple ways by different employees, we may attempt to capture the essence of the question so that there’s no redundancy. However, if there is a question you feel has not been answered, please submit it again. Q: Why in the name of heaven do we pay cafeteria monitors? We are paying about 80 of them to work 2 hours per day at minimum wage for 180 days per year. This is $208,800 in hourly wages and another $15,600 in payroll taxes. If we rotated teachers through the cafeteria as part of a duty schedule (still allowing for the 30 minute unencumbered lunch) I would get to keep my administrators and secretary. This practice is followed in other districts and the results in terms of cafeteria decorum are superior to the monitor model. It just makes sense that we should look at another solution to the issue of cafeteria supervision both to save money and to better support students. A: We employed cafeteria monitors when “duty free lunch” became mandatory for classroom teachers. Q. My question is regarding the health insurance changes. As someone who has had to pay totally out of pocket for insurance in the past, I have no problem with the increase in the premium. While it is a bit of a hardship, it is a drop in the bucket compared to paying the total premium on your own. I am more concerned with the "modified PPO plan design" referenced in the proposed budget. What type of modification is being discussed? Will we be losing some of the plan coverage we currently have with the PPO? If so, will we have a heads up as to what that will be prior to open enrollment? If we are to lose some of the current coverage it would be beneficial to know specifics as soon as possible so that we will have time prior to the change to address any health issues while we still can.
A: Changes have been made to co-pay and co-insurance levels to reduce increases in the total plan. Information regarding open enrollment will be available in May. Q: What is the revised eligibility to receive an educational supplement? Specifically what degrees would qualify for Secretary I, II, and II positions? A: In general, non-exempt employees are not eligible for education supplements above an associates degree. Examples of job-related degrees for secretaries include Office Systems Technology, Computer Applications and Secretarial Science. Q: Is the 4-day workweek idea still on the table? What kind of savings could we see from shifting to a 4-day workweek? I have heard that other districts are considering it as an option and want to know if it is feasible for us. A: It is for the summer, but we will look at your suggestion for the regular school year in the future. Q: What determines whether or not students are eligible for buses to and from school? Could we cut costs by requiring students to walk to school if they live less than 1/4 mile from the school? Or by requiring parents to transport their own kids to school? A: The current policy is a half-mile for elementary students and a mile for secondary students. Q: I am an IA for the school system. I received a letter that I was riffed. I was just wondering why I cannot apply for any of the IA positions at the new schools? You have four positions and I was told I couldn’t apply. I don’t understand that. A: The number of IA positions for the 2010-2011 year has been reduced. Within that number being retained, they include those vacancies at the new schools, and staff may be bumped into those positions.
Q: Can you explain how some employees took a true cut-in-pay (money that has to be "re-earned) versus furlough (which days will be reinstated when the economy turns around)? In other words our teachers actually lost salary where as Administrators only lost days. Will 11-Month employees and teachers be re-instated there days and salary loss when the budget "gets better" as I am sure the Administrators will have the days added back to their schedules? A: There are no furlough days. All employees have been impacted by a schedule change, resulting in loss of income or a salary reduction. There are currently no plans to modify the proposed contact adjustments. Q: Will an itemized version of the recommended budget be made publicly available, like last year? A: It is posted on this site. Q: I read in the paper that the state budget has been finalized and may not be as severe as we originally thought. Will this change any of the RIFs that were in the budget that has already been presented? A: On March 25th I sent an email to everyone explaining that process and the proposals. If you can’t locate it, just email this site and we’ll be happy to resend it to you. Q: Today's Daily Press newspaper features a front-page article detailing HCS’s improved SOL success and the push to learn strategies to pull up SOL pass rates. High School Testing Specialists are a major part of HCS’s formula of testing success. To eliminate the position of Testing Specialist will result in the tasks being delegated to multiple departments and staff in the building who do not currently have the expertise that Testing Specialists have established and perfected over the past four years. It would be regrettable to take backward steps when it is apparent that Testing Specialists make such remarkable contributions to HCS. A: Please refer to above response. Q: Is there any consideration in looking at different insurance companies to make insurance more affordable? The proposed increase in insurance cost for employees will more than double for me. I am sure there are many others, like myself, that have their household budget figured to the dollar and that increase is going to have to be absorbed somewhere else. I don't know where. A: We are constantly checking the marketplace. Q: At present we are paying a fair amount for Bridgeport Academy. Would it be possible to move it to one of the schools that is being closed such as Mallory? A: Regarding Bridgeport…we are currently in the third year of a 5-year lease. Q: As I was looking over the budget for HCS for 2010-2011 I would like to know if the 1.6% pay reduction will include the “downtown" administration? What is the reduction from the "downtown "? A: All employees “downtown” received a 1.6% reduction as well.
Q: Does the school board pay rent for the offices in downtown Hampton? If so they can move to Spratley and have plenty of parking as opposed to downtown Hampton. They were in Jones for many years! A: Yes, we do pay rent for this building. Spratley is going to be needed for the educational needs of our students, as it moves to becoming our Gifted Center next year. Q: I would also like to inquire if anyone has proposed making parents pay a transportation fee for their child. When I was in school we had to purchase bus tickets. A: No, we have not had that discussion. But thanks for the suggestion, which we will consider. Q: Will you please explain how this big a jump in insurance premiums translates to the previously published information that states that the premiums will increase by 5%. Please explain how that figure was calculated. My insurance premium appears to be going up by twofold. A: Our insurance premiums are currently being reviewed. Q: Do these figures for the published 5% increase in health insurance also foreshadow the increase for the following budget year which is said to be around 7%? A: It is too early to project insurance rates, as they are determined on annual basis. Keep in mind, our rates are determined by the amount of insurance claims we present. Q: Does the increase in health insurance include dental insurance? A: Dental insurance is separate, but there will be no increase in that. Q: In these tough budgetary times, a gifted center should not be in the budget. Close Mary Peake and Jones gifted center! The gifted students can receive their gifted services in their home school. This would reduce transportation costs, building expenses and moving expenses to name just a few. I am not aware of any policies that gifted services have to be given in a gifted center. A: The Virginia regulations for the education of gifted students state that we must provide these students with appropriately differentiated curriculum and instruction, including accelerated and advanced content with high levels of complexity, at a pace and sequence commensurate with their learning needs. When these students are working two to five or more years above grade level, it is extremely difficult for regular classroom teachers to provide the appropriate content and pacing for these students in addition to meeting the needs of the rest of their students. The regulations further state that gifted students must have the opportunity to work with their intellectual and academic peers on a daily basis. When only a few students are working at a highly gifted level in any one school, this becomes problematic. The best way to meet the intellectual and academic needs of these students is to allow them to work together in a full-time center-based program. The state regulations also say that this instruction must be provided by professional instructional personnel trained to work with gifted students. Rather than requiring teachers at each grade level in every school to obtain gifted endorsements to meet this training requirement, Hampton City Schools has chosen to ensure that all teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators in the center-based programs have gifted endorsements. Not only does this ensure that the academic needs of the gifted students are being met, it also ensures that their unique social and emotional needs are being considered. One of the strategic goals for Hampton City Schools is to “Maximize every child’s learning.” Full-time placement in a center-based program, with their academic peers and with specifically trained teachers, is the most effective way to maximize the learning of our most academically gifted students. Week of March 15, 2010 Q. As you wrestle with budget issues, I would like to give you something to think about. Yesterday my daughter brought home a school survey. What did that specially printed manila envelope cost? Would a plain white legal size envelope have been cheaper? Would it have been cheaper to send this survey through an email system rather than copying 3 pages for each student…especially given the fact that the students were told this was an optional survey? A: HCS Printing Services printed the survey in-house. They also provided the envelopes for that survey. The cost of the envelopes for the entire student population was $1,170.96. The cost of the survey printing was $318.80. In order for the scanner to read the survey, it must be a flat sheet that is not folded or damaged so it is necessary to use the 9x12 envelope to protect the survey. Mail is not a good option since we would still need to use the 9x12 envelope and risk damage to the survey. In addition, there would be a postage cost which could run as high as $0.80 each for that size envelope. Then we would have to add in the additional time to stuff and seal the envelope, and deliver it to the post office. Q. What is the justification for cutting pay and doubling health care cost to employees? That is another huge pay cut! A. With the district facing a $24M deficit, we had to make some very difficult decisions in order to preserve as many positions as we could. These are unprecedented tough, economic times, and we’ve worked very hard to minimize the impact to our employees while not compromising the instruction of our students. But again...these are preliminary numbers. Q. Why are we still paying stipends for National Board certified teachers? A: All supplements will be reviewed beginning in April, for the 2011-2012 budget. Q: Removing all of the ITRTs and expecting to replace their knowledge with the Instructional Leaders is a little "out there". In -depth technology is not their strong point, even with training. Never mind the fact that you just did away with their stipend! I hope that you might reconsider and see if each school could find a couple of "someones" who are more adept at technology and pay the a small stipend to replace the ITRTs. OR at least reinstate one ITRT for every 2 or 3 schools especially at the high school and middle school levels where technology is used much more frequently in the classroom. A: Facing such a difficult budget year has resulted in us doing some “out of the box” thinking. We feel confident that with some ITRTs returning to the classroom, coupled with some creative strategies being developed by our building principals, the amount of training needed due to the reassignment of the ITRTs, will be approached in a positive manner with successful results. Q: Now that Hampton has cut the entire ITRT program, are these 18 teachers going to be able to apply to the new PK-8 schools or is it too late? A: Yes, they can still apply. Q: Could you please explain how the decision was made to give 11-month teachers and staff a 9% salary cut and ten month teachers a 1.6% cut? I am sure those employees were 11 month for a good reason and they seem to be bearing a disproportionate amount of the budget cut. Might it have been more equitable to have given a 2% cut across the board? A: 11-month employees are impacted by the schedule change, which was reduced by 20 days, resulting in a reduction in pay. This has been a consideration for several years, however the budget shortfall for 2010-2011 made it a reality. Q: What cuts have been made to the Division Leadership Team and their administrative assistants?
A: The position of Deputy Superintendent for Instructional Support will not be filled, with those responsibilities to be absorbed by other DLT members without additional compensation. Also, two Deputy Superintendents will now share one secretary, the Superintendent will share a secretary with CTE, and all members of the DLT will receive the same 1.6% salary reduction. Q: How definite are the pay cuts the teachers received in their letters? A: We do not anticipate this changing. If it does, we will be sure to inform you. Q: My question is in regard to those individuals who received offers to work at the new Prek-8 schools last year. We have not heard any information about whether those offers are still good or if we have been bumped out of those positions. Is the offer I received to work at Andrews last year still valid or does the letter I received on 3/2 saying I will be reassigned mean I will be reassigned somewhere else in the division and not to Andrews? A: Please contact Susanne Marcella in Human Resources at 727-2316 and she will be happy to assist you. Q: May I get information on the "Grow Your Own Teacher Cohort" program? A: We are no longer accepting new participants. However contact Joan Davis in Professional Development (727-2323) for additional information. Q: Why don’t we move the SAC gifted director to the gifted center? She and the principal could share the building secretary. A: That director is in fact moving to the Spratley Gifted Center and will share a secretary with the guidance office there. In addition, the Parent Resource Center will be moving to Spratley as well. Q: Can we move the Community Relations position to at least a lower level? Why is that a DLT position? What value “to students” does it provide? How did we get the news from Richmond prior to 2006? A: Before 2006, we paid a person in a part-time position to provide us with information from Richmond. However, the Community Relations position is not tied solely to legislative duties. That position is also responsible for forging strong links and relationships with the community that ultimately benefit the division as a whole. Q: How much per pupil do we spend on the IB program? Is that amount, no matter how small, truly serving the greater need? A: We spend $301,693 on the International Baccalaureate program. With 1,972 students enrolled in the program that averages to about $153 per student. We are proud of the work being done in our IB program, however we continually evaluate all programs within HCS. Q: Are secretaries to the DLT in a separate category? How come some secretaries lose their jobs and others don't? A: Secretaries who support members of the Division Leadership Team (DLT) are in grade H-12. Some secretary positions were eliminated due to school closings; some were eliminated as part of the budget reductions. The RIF Guidelines were followed to determine who was impacted by the changes. The Administrative Secretary job families are based on the grade level of the position (e.g., the Secretary II position is in a different job family than the Secretary III position.) Q: Why do we need a single position to work with new teachers/mentors as we are not hiring new teachers and the state cut mentoring funding? A: We hired approximately 130 new teachers for the 2009/2010 school year. In addition, we will continue to mentor new teachers with or without state funding. This position is also responsible for classroom management training and a number of other professional development activities. Q: Why are there two directors of CTE or is one a teacher specialist? A: There are two and one is being eliminated.
February 16, 2010 Q. It appears that some other school districts are looking to reduce the music and arts programs in order to balance the budgets. Is this being considered in Hampton and if so what would be cut? A: We are currently looking at all options as we attempt to balance our budget. Q: Doesn't Spratley already have students enrolled in its school? If so, how are you going to accommodate the additional students from Mary Peake? A. Spratley students will be reassigned to other middle schools in the division. Q. On the VA Lottery's website, there is a statement that says " More than 4 Billion contributed to Public Education". Can these funds be used at all to help with the Hampton Schools 2010 -2011 budget? A: The lottery funds are already part of our budget. Q: Has anyone looked into the savings if the Instructional Leader stipends were no longer given? Most schools have at least 5 individuals receiving this stipend, so I would think that would be a big savings across the division. A: Thanks for your suggestion….everything is on the table at this point. Q: Am I correct that RIF'd employees will be notified by February 17th? A: The budget presentation has been rescheduled for March 10th and the RIF notification will be made prior to the March 10th board meeting. Q: Will teachers who are currently on or have been on a needs improvement plan first for riffing? How does this status affect a teacher's job for next year? A: These and many other questions are addressed in the RIF Guidelines located on this page. Q. Are there any incentives for those who are considering retirement next year? If so, what is under consideration? A: A retirement incentive was proposed to the School Board on February 3rd. As proposed, there would be a one-time retirement incentive equal to 10% of an individual’s base salary. The Board will be taking action on this item on February 17th. Information regarding the outcome will be communicated following the Board meeting. Q: While this would not save a huge amount of money, I feel it would be a good idea to stop providing free breakfast to all students until funding improves. The lower income students would still be provided for because free lunch also means free breakfast. A: The federal government reimburses us for the free lunch program. This does not come out of our operating budget. Q: Recently, my co-workers and I cleaned out the fifth grade closet and found several new textbooks and teachers’ additions. This could have prevented the re-ordering of supplies we already had. I think schools should do an in-depth inventory of all of their supplies and share them throughout the district. A: Every school is required to submit an accurate account of all inventory to their respective curriculum leader. Curriculum leaders have a 48-hour window to supply schools with additional textbooks before we purchase new books. Q: Include Parent Involvement Facilitators in the budget cuts. Save a teacher and cut PIFs. Standards are higher now and we need to keep all the teachers we can. A: PIFs (Parent Involvement Facilitators) are federally funded. The Week of January 25, 2010 Q: I was wondering what the division thought about having middle and high school students come to school with laptops as part of their materials requirement? This would make parents more responsible for their child’s supplies, etc. A: While we agree that this would be a good idea, our challenge is to make sure that all HCS students have access to all instructional resources at school and at home. Q: I heard a rumor over the weekend that money was found in the budget to save positions at the Magnet and Fundamentals schools. Is that true? A: Our budget gap remains at $20.3 M. Q: Will Spratley be just for the gifted programs? Will the name of the school be changed? A: Spratley will be for the gifted programs only. It is being proposed as the Spratley Gifted Center. Q: In the paper an article was written regarding possible program cuts for the 2010-2011 school year. Preschool was one of the programs mentioned in the article. Does Early Childhood Special Education fall under this umbrella? A: No, ECSE does not fall under this umbrella. Q: Where would the current Spratley students attend school? A: We are currently working on this, and will keep you informed. Q: What is the timeframe for the move from Jones to Spratley? Would that take place next school year or in fall 2011? A: This move takes place on July 1, 2010. Q: Could HCS move Bridgeport Academy to The Mary Peake Center? A: This is a good idea, however we have two more years remaining on the Bridgeport Academy lease. A: Both schools are properties of Hampton City Schools. We have made no determination at this point as to whether they will be repurposed, sold or rented. Q: My concern about the Reduction In Force speaks to the 3 “needs improvements” for an observation. Shouldn't it be a summative or at least two observations? Everyone has a bad day...teachers, administrators...etc. A: Multiple criteria will be used to determine the reduction in force. Q: According to the RIF guidelines, personnel will be grouped into job families. My question is why? A: Multiple criteria will be used to determine the reduction in force, to include current job family as well as previous experience in Hampton City Schools. Q: Each year, we have large, division-wide professional development meetings at some public forum. This year, we will have had two. Please consider cutting the large, citywide professional development meetings. They can always be reinstated when our budget recovers. A: Thanks for your feedback. This money was earmarked for training last year. All the consultant fees and part of the Convention Center rental was paid for with last year’s money for all the 2009-2010 Division-Wide training, including the training for February 1, 2010. Q: What is HCS' current assessment of the feasibility of moving to a 4-day school week beginning in 2010-2011? Will we be more likely to entertain this plan only if other surrounding districts do the same? A: Should other divisions move forward with this plan we would more than likely strongly consider this as well. Q: Will teachers who are currently on or have been on a needs improvement plan, be considered first for riffing? How does this status affect a teacher's job for next year? A: This is addressed in the recently revised RIF guidelines and is one of multiple criteria that will be used. Q: Just wanted to say thank you for the e-mail updates. I appreciate being kept informed of changes as they arise- it helps all of us adjust to the difficult changes Hampton faces.
The Week Of January 11, 2010 Q. Did the Governor present his proposed budget? A. Yes. Please review the informative video above by Suzy Scott, explaining what the Governor's proposed budget means for Hampton City Schools. Q. Do we have established RIF Guidelines. A. Yes we do. You may find them by clicking here. Q. Many of the other school divisions around us make parents responsible for this expense of paying for AP exams. I also understand that many of our students are not in a financial position to pay for these exams, in which case -- we could make exceptions to the rule. I would hope that by making parents responsible for this expense, we could possibly save some jobs. A. The division currently only pays for a student's first Advanced Placement exam. Parents are responsible for any additional exams during the year. Q. Why would we hire a Human Resources Director when we are experiencing a budget deficit? A. Human Resources is a key process in Hampton City Schools, ensuring that we attract, train and retain the very best people. Q. How would you all determine who will lose their jobs? Will education and training among the support staff be taken into consideration this time around? Will the "last hired, first fired" play a significant role this time around also? A. Please refer to the RIF Guidelines posted on this page, as the guidelines clearly explain this.
Week of December 14, 2009 Q: Will the number of years an employee has been with Hampton City Schools determine who will be cut (as was the case last year), or will there be a different set of criteria used this year? A: We are currently working on our Reduction In Force (RIF) guidelines, which will be taken to the School Board for approval. We will update this response as more information becomes available.
Q: With a possible 24 million shortfall, are jobs going to be cut? If so, when are people going to be notified? Should staff cuts be expected? If so, when will those affected be notified? A: With approximately 85% of our budget in personnel costs, a reduction of $24M will impact staffing. It is anticipated that personnel will be notified prior to the presentation of the budget to the School Board.
Q: If there is a pay reduction and an employee rejects the plan, is this person eligible for unemployment benefits? What would be the outcome? A: Employees would be eligible to apply for unemployment, and the Virginia Employment Commission will determine whether or not they are eligible.
Q: I have read the Management Efficiency Report online. How far are we with the suggested changes recommended over the 5 years? A: The Management Efficiency Report contained 102 recommendations. 18 have been completed, 38 are in process, 8 have been implemented by alternative solutions, 16 are pending, 6 have been considered and abandoned, and 16 remain to be addressed. Savings realized thus far equals $1,758,450.
Q: Would furloughs and/or a 4-day week address the shortfalls? A: While this suggestion would not address the entire shortfall, it is something we will certainly consider.
Q: What will be the format for letting teachers know whether or not they have employment with Hampton City Schools for 2010-2011? A: The Human Resources Department will generate notification letters, and principals and department heads will distribute them.
Q: Will we know the Governor’s budget on December 18? A: The Governor will present his budget on the 18th. The Virginia Department of Education will release division specific information shortly thereafter. At that point we will know specifics about how that will impact HCS. We will keep you informed as we receive information.
Q: Will K-12 education be protected? A: In a Daily Press article published December 11, Virginia State Senator William Wampler remarked “K-12 education is the only category that has not experienced big reductions but it may not escape this.”
Week of December 7th, 2009 Q. What is the budget process? A: Each Division Leadership Team member will meet with their department and school leaders during December to review their current budgets and assess needs for next year. This information will then be used to help develop the 2010-2011 budget. We will continue to provide you with updates on this process, as we plan to present a proposed budget to the School Board on March 10th. Q: How does the budget look for 2010-2011 as opposed to this year? A: While last year’s budget was very challenging with a $7 million dollar shortfall, this year’s budget appears to be even more so, with an anticipated $24 million reduction. Q: Is this budget shortfall only happening in Hampton City Schools? A: No. These challenges facing Hampton City Schools are by no means unique to our division. With the impact of state budget cuts and the loss of local revenue, coupled with the state of the national economy, public school divisions across Virginia and the nation are facing major budget shortfalls. Q. Will stimulus funds save us again this year? A. No. The stimulus funds we received last year were to be spread out over a two-year period. We expect the funds we were to receive for the second year to be cut by approximately $3 million. In addition, there are no expectations for additional stimulus funds. Q. Do we still plan to open the two new schools? If so, how can we afford to do this? A. We look forward to opening our two new PreK-8 schools. The construction of these schools was funded in prior budget years. Any costs associated for the 2010-2011 year will be offset with the closing of Wythe Elementary School and the possible consolidation of other schools. Q: How will we be kept informed about the budget? A. With the multi-million dollar shortfall we are facing, our goal is to be open, honest and direct with you. We will establish communication venues on our website that speak to facts not myths. In addition, you will receive updates via email, and we will continuously add new questions and answers to this document. A Message About The Budget From HCS Superintendent of Schools
A Message About The Governor's Proposed Budget, Suzanna Scott, Director of Finance
• 97% Accreditation Highlights Many Success Stories
Some Accreditation Highlights
• H1N1 Clinics/Pandemic Information
Visit the HCS Health Services web page and click on the "Pandemic Influenza Response Plan" tab for information regarding Swine Flu. •2009-2010 Budget
July 2010 Hampton School Board member Linwood "Butch" Harper Honored Newsweek Names Hampton High "One Of The Best" Each year Newsweek Magazine selects "the best high schools in the country based on how hard school staffs work to challenge students with advanced placement college-level courses and tests. Just over 1600 schools— only six percent of all the public schools in the U.S.--made the list." We are pleased to announce that for FOUR YEARS IN A ROW, Hampton High School has made the list! This year they ranked 845 out of 1,600! Hampton High is home to the school division's International Baccalaureate program. History Book Wins National Award May 2010 HHS AFJROTC Tops In The State The Air Force Junior ROTC (JROTC) unit at Hampton High has just been selected to receive the 2009-2010 Air Force Junior ROTC Distinguished Unit Award with Merit. This award places Hampton’s AFJROTC as the only Air Force unit in Virginia to receive this recognition, and places them in the top 25% of the Air Force. According to info from Maxwell Air Force Base, this recognition is for Air Force Junior ROTC units that have performed above and beyond normal expectations, and that have distinguished themselves through outstanding service to their school and community while meeting the Air Force Junior ROTC mission of producing better citizens for America. Sarah Clarke of Hampton High School won the Peninsula District Championship in the category of Storytelling. Taylor Littleton of Hampton High School won First Place in the Latin Day Competition held at Christopher Newport University. Elizabeth Towell of Hampton High School received a Perfect Score on the Latin II Exam, receiving the Gold Medal. April 2010 Social Studies Teachers Win International Award Phoebus High Senior Named Gates Scholar Bowers Receives Sports Honor Leech Recognized Davis Educators Honored March 2010 PRESIDENT OBAMA HONORS KHS SENIOR STUDENTS RECEIVE LEADERSHIP AWARDS…and $10,000! Hampton Bands Make Beautiful Music! *The Hampton High School Band earned an Excellent Rating. February 2010 Hampton Schools Advance To State OM Competition Cooper Students Win Award Jones’ Student Heads To State Competition HCS FINANCE GETS INTERNATIONAL AWARD The Finance Department of Hampton City Schools has won a Meritorious Budget Award from the Association of School Business Officials International, for the development of the school division's 2009-2010 annual budget. According to the award letter, this accomplishment "reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest standards of school budgeting." Deputy Superintendent Dr. Victor Hellman along with members of the Finance staff were honored at the February 3 Hampton School Board meeting, where board member Dr. Henry Godfrey officially congratulated the team on "this prestigious award." October 2009 Tucker-Capps teacher, Deandra Wood, received the Job Turner Award from the Virginia Association of the Deaf. Kecoughtan High School senior, Trent Johnson, has been selected by the Virginia Historical Society to participate in the 2009 Wyndham B. Blanton Scholars Forum in Richmond on 22-23 October. Trent is the first Kecoughtan student to be so honored and recognized. The theme of this year's forum was the "Gentleman Athlete" and Trent wrote an essay about Jackie Robinson as a part of his application for September 2009 Hampton City Schools Title I Program won a 2009 Partnership District Award from the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) at Johns Hopkins University. This is the second time that Hampton has been honored for making excellent progress in “developing its leadership on partnerships and for guiding schools to develop comprehensive programs of school, family, and community partnerships” in Title I schools. Hampton Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Linda M. Shifflette, has been named a 2009 Darden College of Education Fellow by Old Dominion University. Nominated by the faculty of the University’s Department of Educational Foundations and Leadership, Dr. Shifflette was cited as having “made significant contributions to the educational leadership profession [as well as having] distinguished yourself in your career field.” Her selection was a unanimous decision of the Selection Committee. The Darden College of Education will honor Dr. Shifflette on November 19, during the observance of American Education Week. Phoebus High School nurse, Gail Byrd, was rewarded with a WTKR People Taking Action Award, for saving the life of a Phoebus High teacher who had collapsed and stopped breathing at school. Gail said saving the life of a co-worker came naturally. “After all, I had the training and I knew exactly what to do. It was a team effort.” 2007-2008 School Year...
November 2008 HCS Earns Bronze Quality Team Award, a team comprised of Instructional Accountability’s Paula Brown, Bryan Elementary School principal Dr. Vatara Slade, Superintendent Dr. Patrick Russo and Dr. Sally I’Anson, made a presentation on November 17th at the 16th National Quality Education Conference held in Reno, Nevada. The presentation highlighted the division’s Student Achievement Focus Team (SAFT) initiative. Going up against international competition, the Hampton school division took the Bronze Quality Team Award! Emma Freakley, a third grade student at Armstrong Elementary, won the "My Dream House" 2008 Governor's Housing Conference poster contest. Emma, her family, and her art teacher (Debbie Taylor) were all invited to attend a special luncheon where the Governor was to personally recognize Emma and present her with her award. Skyland Barbee of Jones Magnet Middle School, won Kecoughtan High School’s Katheryn Bodie or Kecoughtan High School, and Joseph Luke of Phoebus High School both received Perfect Scores of 800 on the Verbal Critical Reading section of the SAT Exam (2008). Armando Aguilera, Joshua Garber and Grace Miller...all of Kecoughtan High School...have been named Commended Students in the National Merit Scholarship Program. October 2008 HCS Social Studies Teacher Specialist, Charles “Chuck” Baumgardner, was named Outstanding Economic Educator of the Year by Christopher Newport University’s Center for Economic Education! His enthusiasm and dedication to teaching were cited as major reasons the Center for Economic Education was certain he was their top choice. September 2008 Two HCS Teachers Honored By OfficeMax. Two HCS teachers recently had surprise in-class ceremonies after being selected as honorees for the Office Max “A Day Made Better 2008” program. Debra Costa of Tyler Elementary and Kitya Chandler of Tarrant Elementary were the two teachers selected by their principals as educators who have shown both dedication and innovative approaches to education. Both were presented with over $1,000 worth of teacher resources and supplies. August 2008 On August 7, representatives from the Farmers Insurance Group visited Hampton Superintendent Dr. Patrick Russo to provide a financial donation to the school division. The $500 donation was viewed “not as a donation but as support” said Russo. The check was presented by Farmers Insurance and Financial Services Agent, Michael Lewis. The funds will go toward implementing Division Leadership Team strategies for continuous improvement, as well as improvement of the division’s accreditation process. At a School Board meeting held on August 6th, the HCS Technology Department received $15,000 from the Batelle Foundation to continue the internship program between Hampton City Schools, Thomas Nelson Community College and Batelle. For the last four years, the Batelle Foundation has provided HCS with funds to hire an IT student from Thomas Nelson to work for HCS. June 2008 Cheryl McLaughlin’s 8th grade students at Syms Middle School earned first place state level honors in the annual Project Citizen competition. The Project Citizen service learning initiative is designed to increase students’ awareness of important community issues and how they can influence public policy to help solve these issues. The award winning entry was entitled “Wiping Out Homelessness in Hampton.” The students investigated the local homelessness issue and created their own action plan proposing policy changes to help homeless families in Hampton. Their first-place project will represent Virginia as they advance to the national level! Anthony Winslow, a second grade student at Mallory Elementary School took First Place in the region in WHRO’s 14th Annual Reading Rainbow Young Writer’s and Illustrator’s Competition (Second Grade Category) for his book entitled “Herman the Bear”. There were 600 entries for this year’s competition. Anthony’s book will continue competition on the national level. He has been featured reading his book on WHRO and received $100 and a book bag filled with books/tapes from the Reading Rainbow Program. WHCS-TV Channel 46 has been awarded 3 Videographer Awards plus an honorable mention! The goal of the Videographer Awards is to identify & recognize the artisans who excel in the scope of their own environment. The station received an Award of Excellence for Sports Coverage, an Award of Distinction for the Warrior Classic and an Award of Distinction for the HCS Teacher Recruitment Video. They also received an “Honorable Mention” for the Math Zone. MAY 2008 The Keep Hampton Schools Beautiful Program won the 2007 Keep America Beautiful National Award for Beautification & Community Improvement. The program is a collaborative effort of Hampton City Schools, Hampton Parks & Recreation, Hampton Neighborhood Commission, the Volunteer Center of the Virginia Peninsula, United Way Day of Caring, the Virginia Cooperative Extension Hampton Master Gardeners, the Hampton Clean City Commission, and many individual and group volunteers. The award was presented at the Keep America Beautiful Annual Conference in Washington, DC on December 7. SEPTEMBER 2007 AUGUST 2007
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PRINCE SELECTED TEACHER OF THE YEAR!
- HCS Leads Region in NBC Teachers
- SAT Scores on the Rise
- Internet Safety Tips For Parents
- Parent Survey Results
- SAT/ACT Test Preparation
- S.E.S./P.S.C.
- The Teen Center
- MGT Efficiency Report
Hampton's New National Board Certified Teachers Bring Total to 94!19 new teachers have been added to the growing list of National Board Certified Teachers in the Hampton School Division. This brings us to a total of 94 National Board Certified teachers currently teaching in the system. National Board Certification is authorized through NBPTS (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards), which requires applicants to complete an extensive portfolio and take a very detailed assessment in the area of the certification they are seeking. The portfolio process itself takes 150-300 hours to complete, and teachers must demonstrate how they stimulate student learning.
For the 2008-2009 school year, the Hampton school division saw a 4-point gain in the average SAT reading score, resulting in a combined average SAT score for the division of 1,400. Hampton superintendent Dr. Linda Shifflette noted that “we will continue to focus on creative teaching strategies, so as to further improve the division-wide scores in the future.”
To Our Hampton Parents:
Cyber Bullying and Online Predators can be a big problem for the safety of students and schools. While chat rooms and a variety of sites are blocked from the district’s network, tech-savvy students may venture to these web pages from home. Online predators work to gain the trust of children and teenagers, usually for the purpose of exploitation. Some sites also foster cyber bullying – name-calling, telling of rumors, harassment and intimidation – which can often create conflicts at school. Because the welfare of your child is of the highest importance to us, the Hampton School Board and administration wish to provide some tips for keeping your child safe. Check out our Online Safety Tips and Cyber Bullies Brochure (pdf)
http://kids.getnetwise.org/ GetNetWise: Online Safety Guide by Internet Education Foundation
http://www.wiredsafty.org/ Internet Safety: Information for Parents by WiredKids
http://www.wiredwithwisdom.org/ Web Wise Kids: Tips for Parents by Wired With Wisdom on how to keep their children safe on the Internet.
http://www.safeteens.com Safe Teens - Connect Safely and Smart Socializing
http://pbskids.org Safe learning activities for elementary students
http://ikeepsafe.org The Internet Keep Safe Coalition is a partnership of government agencies, public health and educational professionals, law enforcement, and industry leaders working together for the health and safety of youth online.
http://www.I-Safe.org i-SAFE is a non-profit foundation dedicated to protecting the online experiences of youth everywhere.
http://www.netsmartzkids.org - NetSmartzKids – Cartoon characters, games, music videos, and e-cards related to Internet safety
http://www.chatdanger.com Social Networking - ChatDanger: How to keep Safe While Chatting Online by Childnet International
http://www.whoswatchingcharlottesville.org/home.html A community effort in the Charlottesville - Albemarle area of Virginia to educate residents in how to protect themselves online.
ONCE AGAIN…PARENTS GIVE HAMPTON SCHOOLS HIGH MARKS
Our 2010 Parent Survey has yielded great results from our Hampton parents regarding their perceptions about Hampton City Schools.
The survey results showed that 81% of our parents gave the Hampton school division an overall grade of “A” or “B!”
This is highly significant in that a national survey conducted in 2009 by the Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll, recorded only 74% of parents awarding their local public schools an “A” or B” rating. In addition, 96% of the Hampton parents gave the school division an overall grade of “A”, “B” or “C.”
The 2010 Parent Survey consisted of statements in six categories, which were School Environment, Student Achievement, Teacher/Staff Expectations, Support and Service, Bell Schedule and Transportation. The Response choices ranged from “Strongly Agree” to “No Opinion.” The Overall Grade category included “A”, “B”, “C”, ”D” and “F”, and the survey also included a section for written comments.
As a special service, Hampton City Schools provides FREE access to Triumph Learning System. This web-based program is designed to assist students with the necessary skills for success on the SAT and ACT. The student’s identification number is the username and password. Hampton students have access to the SAT/ACT online program from any computer that is Internet linked, whether at home, at school, or even at the library or an Internet café.
You can log into Triumph via the link below for your school.
Username: first 2 letters of your first name, middle initial if you have one, and your entire last name. If your last name has a hyphen, make sure you include the hyphen.
EXAMPLE #1: John Q. Smith would be joqsmith
EXAMPLE #2: John Smith-Jones would be josmith-jones
Password: Your student ID number
• Bethel
• Hampton
• Kecoughtan
• Phoebus
Another exciting opportunity for all Hampton high school students is a SAT preparatory course. It is available as a half-credit course and is offered each semester. Students interested in taking the course should see their guidance counselors for more information on requirements and registration.
We are very pleased to be able to offer these services to students. Taking an online prep course or signing up for the SAT half-credit course offers students the opportunity to practice SAT/ACT test-taking skills prior to sitting for the actual exam.
Public School Choice / Supplemental Educational Services
Public School Choice - Under the No Child Left Behind Act 2001 (NCLB), schools receiving Title I funds must show that students are making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) by improving their test scores on the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments. Schools that do not make AYP for two consecutive years must offer parents the option (Public School Choice) to transfer their child to a receiving school that is not in school improvement.
Supplemental Educational Services - Schools that do not make AYP for three consecutive years must provide Supplemental Educational Services (SES) - free tutoring offered to eligible students to outside the regular school day. Students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch are eligible for supplemental educational services.
Schools Offering Public School Choice and Supplemental Educational Services
Mallory Elementary School
Receiving Schools: Aberdeen - Bassette - Burbank
Schools Offering Supplemental Educational Services
Smith Elementary School*
Wythe Elementary School*
* Participate in the U.S. Department of Education SES Pilot Program that allows the schools to offer SES in lieu of public school choice.
The Center is a year-round hub for high school students to enjoy fun, creativity, self-expression and fitness during out-of-school hours. The Teen Center addresses the unique needs of a diverse teenage population. It is a safe, enriching place to explore an endless variety of activities from socializing to developing real skills for leadership and life. The center operates as a multi-agency, youth/adult partnership; a teen advisory board works with experienced youth development professionals to shape programs, policies and codes of conduct. For a schedule of programs and events check out the website at www.hamptonteencenter.com. Tours and additional information are available by calling 766-1510.
