School Board Recap

We are back again with another installment of the Powhatan County School Board Recap. As always, the goal of this newsletter is to help people who don't have the time to come to or watch full school board meetings still stay abreast of what is going on in our school division. The message will only be hitting the highlights of the February 20 workshop and meeting, but you are invited to go back and watch the full workshop video and full meeting video. For the complete agendas and all materials, go to the School Board page, click on BoardDocs, and select the meeting you want.

Ahead of this week's meeting, the School Board held budget workshops on February 8, February 9, and February 14 to give them a thorough introduction to the FY2025 Operating Budget. Finance Director Debbie Halloway first presented the proposed budget to the board in January, with the understanding that it was a fluid process that would change multiple times as the board made decisions or new information about funding became available. She has continued to update the board when the budget was fine tuned or more information became available. During the budget workshops, staff members from all of the division's schools and departments walked the School Board members through their line item budgets, presenting their ongoing and new needs, explaining some of the roles and functions the board was unfamiliar with, and talking about why changes or additions are being requested.

During the February 20 workshop:

• The board honed in on the FY2025 Proposed Budget Initiatives that staff have recommended. Members were asked to share which initiatives they would like to see prioritized, depending on available funds. The most talked about initiatives were adding a behavioral specialist each for elementary and secondary levels and eliminating the tuition paid by out-of-county staff for their children to attend PCPS. Other initiatives on the list are PCPS covering the licensure renewal fee, an employee referral program, gifted classroom resources, more funding for adult education teachers, additional substitutes for Teachers Scoring, teacher tuition reimbursement, an hourly rate increase for certain positions (homebound, summer school, and tutoring), a contract extension for an elementary counselor, and adding a girls soccer program at Powhatan Middle School. There are also other new positions proposed on the list: assistant director of facilities, director of special education, and school psychologist interns.
• A new topic that was brought up during this workshop was a discussion about the 3% raise staff has proposed. Superintendent Beth Teigen said that she has been in discussions with County Administrator Bret Schardein, who told her County staff may be requesting a 4% increase for its staff from the Powhatan Board of Supervisors. To keep County and School staff on the same page, the School Board may consider requesting a 4% raise as well. That would be an additional $410,000. However, the division does not yet know what funds for salary increases may be proposed in the state budget, which could involve additional SOQ funding to help offset this cost.

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While not part of the February 20 meeting, the school division created a budget document meant to help people better understand the FY2025 budget and the budget process. You can find a link to the PDF on the PCPS website. Click the "Understanding the Budget" button under the main photos.

The School Board is trying to wrap up the issue that began in 2023 of reviewing secondary school library books on the basis they may contain sexually explicit content. Three Book Review Committees will continue the review process of 10 remaining books. The board is seeking volunteers to represent Districts 1 and 3 on the five-member committees. Each of the five members of the assigned Book Review Committee will have one vote, and a strong majority vote (5-0 or 4-1) is required to remove a book from the library/media center(s). Applications are due by 5 p.m. on March 4, 2024. School Board members will review applications and make the final selections. If you are interested, apply here.

The School Board met on Friday, October 13, 2023, to review and revise the Model Policies on Ensuring Privacy, Dignity, and Respect of All Students and Parents in Virginia's Public Schools. The School Board voted 2-3 on the adoption of the resulting policy on December 12, 2023. At the January 23 meeting, the board decided to hold another Work Session to discuss the areas where some members felt the language needed clarification. That workshop was held on February 13.

The revised policy (JBB/GBAB) with the language the School Board decided on was presented for information at the February 20 meeting. The board did not discuss the policy, but board members Vicki Hurt and Michele Ward spoke during Board Comments on why they supported it.

Nine of the 14 speakers who came forward during Public Comment Period spoke in part or entirely about the policy, with all of them saying they are opposed to it being adopted.

If you would like to provide any feedback on the proposed policy, visit the LINK and complete the feedback form by March 8. The School Board will consider this policy at the March 12 meeting.

The Virginia Literacy Act, passed in 2022, required the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to develop a list of core literacy curricula, supplemental instruction practices and programs, and intervention programs that consist of evidence-based literacy instruction aligned with science-based reading research.

The VDOE released lists in June and December 2023. PCPS considered two products and, after a review, staff recommended adopting Into Reading by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The cost is $458,679.22 for initial materials plus consumables and online resources for seven years. The purchase will be made with the balance of the ARP ESSER III funds plus budgeted textbook money from FY24.

Here is the expected timeline related to these materials:

• February: Purchase K-5 materials from HMH
• March: Delivery of HMH materials; initial review of intervention materials from state approval list
• March - May: Coaches conduct review of HMH materials and the PCPS Literacy Model for alignment and to prepare teacher training
• June: Submit the Division Literacy Plan to the Virginia Department of Education for approval; Offer teacher training on new HMH materials
• August: Offer teacher training on new HMH materials

• The Recognition period of the meeting kicked off with the acknowledgement of February as School Board Appreciation Month, the third week in February as VSBA School Board Clerk Appreciation Week, and recognizing the School Board Liaison. Those recognized during this period were:
  

• District I - Vicki Hurt - School Board member serving since January 2023

  District II - Susan Smith - School Board member serving since January 2020

  District III - Jeanne Wade - School Board member serving since January 2024

  District IV - James Taylor - School Board member serving since September 2021

  District V- Michele Ward - School Board member serving since January 2024
  
• Shelia D. Eggleston - School Board Clerk serving since July 2022
  
• Eli Monson - Student Liaison

• Earlier this month, two staff members were recognized as Helping Hands Winners based on nominations from the community. Kristin Oliver-Adkins, Special Education Teacher at PHS, was nominated for Inspiration. A parent wrote about her being a direct advocate for her son and going "above and beyond to make sure that he has been taken care of." Heather Douglas, Instructional Assistant at Powhatan Elementary School, was nominated for Empowering. A parent nominated her for the confidence the educator has helped develop in her second grader, saying, "Mrs. Douglas, she’s more than empowering…she’s everything my daughter needs to succeed."

VASCD's Impact Award is presented to multiple Virginia educators each year to recognize their positive impact on colleagues and/or students. Recipients are individuals who are examples of great teaching or who offer exemplary support to teachers. In addition, they are individuals who continue to grow, to learn, and to mentor others. This year, VASCD awarded five Impact Awards across the state. Two of the recipients are from Powhatan County Public Schools. Dr. Donia Spott is the STEM and Innovation Coach at Powhatan Middle School. Dr. Tracie Omohundro is an Assistant Superintendent with PCPS. Dr. Spott's nomination praised how she "creates an environment in the STEM/Innovation Lab for students where they can create, solve, and implement solutions in a collaborative setting." Dr. Omohundro's nomination noted how her "passion is in the nuance of translating the 'must dos' into the very best practices for our educators and students." Shown is Dr. Omohundro with the School Board.

• Common Sense, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids and families thrive in a world of media and technology, has recognized Powhatan Elementary, Flat Rock Elementary, and Pocahontas Elementary as Common Sense Certified Schools. Computer resource teachers Katy Osborne (Flat Rock Elementary), Amanda Henley (Powhatan Elementary), and Stephen Oliver (Pocahontas Elementary) led the certification process. To earn certification, the teachers went through an application process that included completing professional development, mapping out a curriculum program, providing lessons to students, engaging families, and reflecting. All of the computer resource teachers also become individually certified as common sense educators. Shown are Katy Osborne and Amanda Henley with the School Board.

• Zanna Ferdous, lead counselor at Pocahontas Elementary School, was recognized for receiving the Region 1 Difference Maker award from the Virginia Department of Education.

• PHS has been named a W!se Blue Star School (2022-2023) for outstanding student performance on the W!se Financial Literacy Certification Test. This national standardized Test is administered to students after a course or unit on personal finance. Students who pass the Test become Certified Financially Literate™ and earn a W!se CFL™, demonstrating that they have developed sound financial knowledge and skills. Teachers who taught Economics & Personal Finance in 2022-2023: Alisa Detrick, Michael Bell, Scott Bailey, Mike Mangiaracina, Darren Bird, and Brooks Ann Smith.

• The Powhatan High School Choral Department traveled to Cosby High School for the District III Choral Assessments. This assessment is a part of our SOL and gives PHS the Blue Ribbon Award distinction (one that they have had for nine years in a row!) Students who brought home this award are: Alexis Adkins, Bryson Adkins, Art Alexander, Michaela Amburn, Avery Andersen, Brogan Andersen, Michaela Anderson, Rowan Blashfield, Emma Bolton, Harmony Branch, Chloe Burchett, Karley Burd, Caoilainn Conner, Sara Conrad, Annie Crane, Virginia Dewey, MaKaela Doyle, James Elam, Gisele Engen, Sophie Farmer, Garrett Foltyn, Madison Fromherz, Haydon Hall, Katherine Harrison, Delanie Healy, Rachael Hinson, Aaron Hixon, Leah Holland, Sydni Goodall, Olivia Goodrich, Madeline Gordon, Olivia Grasty, Shannon Johnson, Kaylee Jones Swainey, Reghan Kerns, Sophie Larkins, Jocelyn Marais, Adrianne Martin, April Milburn, Aaron Miller, Piper Morton, Camdyn Pitts, Zoe Pollard, Marley Rasmussen, Karsen Riley, Amber Stewart, Taylor Sutphin, Kate Travis, Abigail Williams, and Nia Sanders. Four choral students attended the School Board meeting and were recognized.

• Four Powhatan High School Football team members who made All-Metro or All-State were recognized by the School Board.
• Matt Henderson - 1st Team - All-Metro, 2nd Team - All-State
• Conner Bates - 1st Team - All-Metro
• Jameson Britt - Second Team - All-Metro
• Omaree Morris - Second Team - All-State

• The School Board also congratulated two talented Powhatan High School Field Hockey team members who made All-Metro or All-State.
• Mary Hazel Davis - 1st Team All-Metro and All-State
• Chloe James - 2nd Team All-Metro and All-State

Powhatan County Public Schools highly recommends that staff and families with smartphones download the free PCPS app and enable notifications. When alerts such as notice of school delays or closings are sent out, the notifications through the app appear to be one of the fastest means of receiving the information. You can sign up for notifications sent to the entire school division as well as only your school; see the news feed that mirrors much of what goes on our social media accounts if you don't use Instagram or Facebook; and find division and school calendar listings.