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Summer COMMUNICATOR
issues will feature guest columnists.
Dr. Jones will resume his regular column in the July 23 issue. | |
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| | Want to hear more about the proposed FY11 budget?
Listen to Jim Smith (Assistant Superintendent) & Anna Burns (Director of School and Community Services) on local radio this week!
Tuesday, June 15 7:30am
WHIE 1320AM
Thursday, June 17
9:00am
WKEU 1450AM | |
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We now have access to every e-book that ASCD has published in the last ten years.
They created this really cool website for us.
The password is griffin.
Enjoy! | |
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FY11 will be a year of compromise and cooperation
A message from Jim Smith, Assistant Superintendent and CFO
On Tuesday, June 8, our finance department presented the school system's proposed FY11 budget to our board of education. Preparing this budget can be summed up in one word: tough.
At $76 million, the proposed budget is about $4.9 million lower than the current one. The budget process is further challenged because a lot of our revenue is earmarked into particular categories and purposes that we can't change.
Another challenge is declining federal stabilization funds which helped make ends meet during the recession. Those funds came in strong during FY09 and FY10. However, they have drastically declined for FY11, and sadly we won't get any in FY12 - and that concerns me.
That said, because of everyone's effort, the proposed FY11 budget is balanced and does not significantly cut any program.
Noteworthy operational changes proposed include:
- Staggered School Start Times (Savings - $251,000 in the first year)
- Employee work schedule shortened by 6 days for most employees (Savings - $1.9 Million)
- 2 instructional days (creating a 178 day school year)
- 4 non-instructional day
- No pay step increases where legally permitted (Savings - $279,000)
- Substitute teachers provided only for five days maximum per teacher. (Savings - $255,000)
- Schools will have to cover classrooms of teachers who have been out more than 5 days.
- This includes sick and personal leave.
- Excludes Family Medical Leave Act and long-term absences.
- No tax increase; the millage rate will stay the same at 18.80.
- No price increases for school nutrition program meals (for both students and adults)
- School resource officers, school nurses, and athletic trainers are included in this budget.
The bad news:
- 6 lost work days, including 2 instructional days
- $626,530 of the fund balance will be used. Typically these funds are reserved for emergency situations.
- Mileage reimbursements are lowered from $.50 to $.25 per mile
Concerns for the future:
- The county's current stagnant tax digest
- The loss of federal stabilization funds
- Fewer options to cut funds without cutting student programs
We are fortunate at this time that our school system has not had to make the severe choices and changes that so many of our neighboring school systems have had to make.
I thank the members of both last and this year's cost containment committees. You have provided great leadership.
I also thank every employee who submitted an idea (no matter how small) to save money. While we couldn't use all of your ideas - some of which were very creative - the fact that you took the challenge made this a true district-wide effort.
The proposed FY11 budget, while tough to put together, incorporates a lot of compromise and cooperation, and for that I am very appreciative of your efforts. |
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Don't be an unread book A message from our Board of Education Chair, Mrs. Fannie Delaney
When I left the classroom, I was not teaching the same way I had just 5 years before. The computer age was coming into play, and first graders knew more about computers than I did.
I realized that I just couldn't go to the chalk board and write an example. These students were different. I had to catch up.
In order to become a leading organization, we must continue to learn and develop professional skills and then disseminate what we have learned. While we must use new teaching techniques to connect with today's student, we can't just throw away the "old school".
I look at it this way: If a teacher uses a horse and buggy lesson to illustrate a point, today's children simply won't get it. Horse and buggy simply isn't part of their culture.
As educators we must learn, internalize, practice, and
implement new professional skills. If we don't, it's like, "So what? Why even try?"
This week our school system held the Teachers as Learners Conference. What a wonderful experience for our teachers! What an awesome thing for me to witness!
The teachers with whom I spoke during our conference were very enthusiastic. They asked, "So how are we going to do this?" Others replied, "We can do this!" Everyone was getting the "can-do" attitude that morning. I was so excited!
I encourage those teachers to share what they learned with others in their school. Share it. Internalize it. Practice it. Implement it.
I know we become discouraged at times. We must do as the conference keynote speaker said, "When it seems as if I'm incompetent, I must laugh at myself, see my mistakes, learn from them, and move on." Teachers are leaders. We have to care.
Effectively implementing differentiated instruction is, in my opinion, our biggest problem. We can't teach all children the same way. That goes back to our mission statement: we must prepare each student.
Learning and growth is the base tier of the GSCS strategy map designed by Dr. Jones. Everything we do rests upon our professional growth.
In the end, unused professional learning is like an unread book on the shelf - it has done nothing for you. Don't be an unread book! Let's all be a loved well-read book! |
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Thank you, conference sponsors!
Professional Association of Georgia Educators |
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PCI Education &
Certs LLC Master Teacher |
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The Georgia Student
Finance Commission
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and...
- CORWIN PRESS
- Istation
- pd360
- SCHOLASTIC
- Solution-Tree
- The University of Georgia
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