The CCPS School Board will vote to adopt its FY2014 Financial Plan, which includes both the Operational and Capital Budgets.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013, at 6:30 PM
in the Public Meeting Room,
10001 Iron Bridge Road, Chesterfield, VA 23831.
Once approved, the budget will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for consideration.
The Superintendent will present the school budget to the Supervisors the following afternoon,
Wednesday, February 27, 2013, at 3:00 PM
also in the Public Meeting Room,
10001 Iron Bridge Road, Chesterfield, VA 23831.
At that meeting the Supervisors will vote to advertise the maximum real estate tax rate that can be used to fund County services, including the school budget. Once advertised, the rate can still be lowered by the BoS at their official budget adoption and rate setting meeting on April 10, 2013, but after this Wednesday the rate cannot be raised, no matter how many people call, email, or attend the public hearing on March 20.
Please contact your Supervisor and ask him/her to support a higher ADVERTISED RATE so that the public can discuss the levels of service they wish to have in Chesterfield County.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
CEA President Participates in Proffer Panel
Say it ten times fast. Trust me, it's easier than understanding school funding in Virginia!
I am thankful for the opportunity and responsibility to learn new things that comes along with this job.
This morning I served on a panel discussion regarding the use of Cash Proffers--a de facto tax on housing developers that is passed through to the home buyer--to fund infrastructure improvements in Chesterfield County. The forum was jointly sponsored by the Business Council and the Chamber of Commerce, and there were maybe a half dozen people in the room (of the over 100 who attended) who were not in some way connected to the housing industry (developers, builders, financiers, etc.). Though there were a number of representatives from County Government present, I believe I was the only member of the school system there (at least I did not see any others I recognized).
With me on the panel were George Emerson (one of the biggest developers in the county), former Bermuda Supervisor Jack McHale (one of the early architects and long-time supporter of the proffer system in Chesterfield), Craig Toalson (Home Builders Association), and Ted Balsamo (Village Bank). I had a hard time keeping the old Sesame Street skit, "One of these things is not like the others," out of my head. While I felt like the swing vote on the panel, neither adamantly in favor of nor opposed to the proffer system, I saw my role as redirecting the focus toward the currently inconsistent, unfair funding model for public education, and how that model results in a lack of long-term planning and vision for many aspects of the school system.
The discussion was good, but I was disappointed that the closing did not include action steps for expanding the conversation into the community. We were just starting to talk about reform rather than elimination of the proffer system, as well as dedicated tax rate changes to offset revenue losses, and shared responsibility for public infrastructure, but time ran out. To the plus, I had an important conversation with current Matoaca Supervisor Steve Elswick regarding advertising a real estate tax rate that allows for meaningful public comment. Now he needs to hear from the rest of his CEA constituents.
I am thankful for the opportunity and responsibility to learn new things that comes along with this job.
This morning I served on a panel discussion regarding the use of Cash Proffers--a de facto tax on housing developers that is passed through to the home buyer--to fund infrastructure improvements in Chesterfield County. The forum was jointly sponsored by the Business Council and the Chamber of Commerce, and there were maybe a half dozen people in the room (of the over 100 who attended) who were not in some way connected to the housing industry (developers, builders, financiers, etc.). Though there were a number of representatives from County Government present, I believe I was the only member of the school system there (at least I did not see any others I recognized).
With me on the panel were George Emerson (one of the biggest developers in the county), former Bermuda Supervisor Jack McHale (one of the early architects and long-time supporter of the proffer system in Chesterfield), Craig Toalson (Home Builders Association), and Ted Balsamo (Village Bank). I had a hard time keeping the old Sesame Street skit, "One of these things is not like the others," out of my head. While I felt like the swing vote on the panel, neither adamantly in favor of nor opposed to the proffer system, I saw my role as redirecting the focus toward the currently inconsistent, unfair funding model for public education, and how that model results in a lack of long-term planning and vision for many aspects of the school system.
The discussion was good, but I was disappointed that the closing did not include action steps for expanding the conversation into the community. We were just starting to talk about reform rather than elimination of the proffer system, as well as dedicated tax rate changes to offset revenue losses, and shared responsibility for public infrastructure, but time ran out. To the plus, I had an important conversation with current Matoaca Supervisor Steve Elswick regarding advertising a real estate tax rate that allows for meaningful public comment. Now he needs to hear from the rest of his CEA constituents.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
CEA Office Open House
Just a reminder that today is the big day!
The CEA Board of Directors welcomes you to our Office Open House.
Don’t forget to drop by between 3:00pm and 7:00pm to experience
the feel of your Professional Organization in its NEW location:
Winchester Building, Suite 100
10800 Midlothian Turnpike
North Chesterfield, VA 23235
804-897-1756
Monday, October 1, 2012
CEA-CCPS Discuss Collaboration at TURN
Chesterfield sent a team of CEA and CCPS representatives to the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast Teacher Union Reform Network (MASE TURN) meeting in Raleigh, NC, this past weekend. The majority of the trip was funded through a Gates Foundation grant designed to help unions and school divisions better understand each other's perspectives, and communicate those concerns in ways that will lead to greater collaboration to improve student learning. The theme of the meeting, which included teams from Fairfax and Spotsylvania Counties in Virginia, as well as teams from Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida, was Building
Collaborative Partnerships to Improve Teacher Effectiveness. Presenters from the Center for Teaching Quality, the U.S. Department of Education, and Jefferson County School District and its union partner Jefferson County Education Association led us through conversations focused on joint union-district responsibility for teacher evaluation, and differentiated compensation.
Monday, September 24, 2012
CEA Rep Council Rescheduled
The CEA Representative Council meeting that had to be postponed due to weather concerns on Tuesday, September 18, has been rescheduled for WEDNESDAY, September 26.
The meeting will still be held at Monacan HS from 4:30-6:00pm. Please enter through door #1, and follow the hallway to your left to the Library Media Center. See you there!
The meeting will still be held at Monacan HS from 4:30-6:00pm. Please enter through door #1, and follow the hallway to your left to the Library Media Center. See you there!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Breaking Update: Rep Council Postponed
This is an important update:
The CEA Rep Council meeting scheduled for TODAY at Monacan HS has been POSTPONED as a result of CCPS issuing a school closure announcement due to sever weather concerns. All after-school activities are cancelled today, and all school facilities will close immediately after the student instructional day is over.
Information about a rescheduled date for Rep Council will be announced as soon as it is available. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but appreciate CCPS caring for the safety or our Members and the students they educate.Monday, September 17, 2012
More Movement: Rep Council now at Monacan HS
Many of you have already stopped by the new CEA Office on Midlothian Turnpike, but we're not the only thing that's moving this year. Not to be left out, Rep Council has a new venue as well. Last year we left our old familiar meeting place (Manchester MS) in search of a room without a dividing wall that separated our Reps, making it difficult for everyone to see one another while discussing issues. We tried the Fulghum Center, which allowed everyone to see each other, but that cavernous room made it difficult to hear everyone without amplification. So where will we be this year? Monacan HS has agreed to host our first meeting of the new school year, and possibly beyond. We will kick the tires on their library tomorrow afternoon.
Monacan HS is located in the Smoketree subdivision, at
11501 Smoketree Drive, North Chesterfield, VA 23236
(right off of Courthouse Road between Hull Street and Midlothian Turnpike). As always, Rep Council begins at 4:30pm, with a half hour of light refreshments and social time preceding the meeting. The scheduled ending time is 6:00pm.
Important changes to our governing documents (Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation) will be discussed, as well as local and state-level issues that will affect our Members. I hope to see all of the Reps tomorrow at Monacan; they will be bringing back important documents to share with all the Members in their buildings.
~Frank
Monacan HS is located in the Smoketree subdivision, at
11501 Smoketree Drive, North Chesterfield, VA 23236
(right off of Courthouse Road between Hull Street and Midlothian Turnpike). As always, Rep Council begins at 4:30pm, with a half hour of light refreshments and social time preceding the meeting. The scheduled ending time is 6:00pm.
Important changes to our governing documents (Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation) will be discussed, as well as local and state-level issues that will affect our Members. I hope to see all of the Reps tomorrow at Monacan; they will be bringing back important documents to share with all the Members in their buildings.
~Frank
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