Fluco Superintendent’s Blog

Once again we had a great opening of school on August 10. It was apparent that all involved, students, teachers and support staff, were excited to get started.

I am happy to report that ALL of our schools have once again received full accreditation from the Virginia Department of Education. This determination is based in part on the results of last year’s Standards of Learning tests. I am also happy to report that as a division, the Fluvanna County schools met or exceeded the 29 objectives required by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) based on last year’s accountability data for the second year in a row. When looking at our division wide results, we see that there is a narrowing of the achievement gap in both mathematics and English. Also, it is important to note that Fluvanna Middle School met all of these objectives and Fluvanna County High School achieved this for the third consecutive year. While we saw major improvements in our elementary schools, they missed making AYP by one objective. Specifically, this was in the area of English progress with students receiving special education services. In addition to AYP and accreditation, we saw significant improvement in how our students’ scored on the Advanced Placement Tests and our SAT scores exceeded both the state and national levels. These indicators are evident because of the tremendous dedication and effort shown by our staffs and students. I also want to thank our School Board for continuing to provide the direction and support necessary for this progress to take place.

If you have driven down Route 53, you will notice that construction of the new high school is well under way. The site work is progressing and the frame of the actual building is being put into place. I am told that the project is on schedule. I also want to report that we have finished with the renovations to the Central Elementary School auditorium. I have noted the excitement of the Central staff and it looks wonderful.

Finally, I would like to mention our efforts concerning the H1N1 flu. Since last spring, we have been working very closely with the Thomas Jefferson Health Department to monitor this illness and address its impact on our schools. If you visit our website (www.fluco.org), you will find the latest information that we have on this illness. In September, the School Board also agreed to work with the Health Department in providing the H1N1 flu vaccine to all of our students and staffs. Once we know when this will occur, we will send home notices and permission slips to our families. No child will receive the vaccine without parent permission.   

As we move into this school year, we will continue to address these and other issues. I am confident of our continued success as long as we have your help and support. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or comments regarding these issues. I can be reached at 434-589-8208 or twsmith@mail.fluco.org.

I want to personally welcome all those who are interested in the Fluvanna County Public Schools. We are excited about having you as part of our “Fluco Family.”

During the 2002-2003 school year the Fluvanna County School Board set the following as the mission and vision for our schools:

Mission Statement

The mission of the Fluvanna County Public Schools is to provide quality education whereby all students acquire the skills, knowledge, and values necessary to develop into responsible and productive citizens of the twenty-first century.

Vision Statement

An educational partnership comprised of highly qualified educators, responsive learners, supportive parents, and a community dedicated to lifelong learning through responsibility and respect.

In following these statements of mission and vision, we have concentrated on the issues of Individualization, Diversity, and Expectations. We have discussed the importance of individualizing for each child and the recognition their uniqueness. We have stressed the importance of high expectations we have for all children. To these, we add Achievement and an appreciation for Lifelong learning as evidence of our success toward the tasks set by our School Board.

By concentrating on these issues we have seen test scores, graduation rates and other outcome indicators increase over the past seven years. This is due to the hard work and dedication of our staff, parents and students. However, we realize that learning is an ever-changing process. The skills that have been important in the past may well be replaced by new requirements in the future. We must teach our students how to apply the skills they learn not just memorize facts to be tested. We are dedicated to this task. By continuing to assess and adapt these efforts, we will achieve our objective for children at all levels to have the ability to pursue their goals and dreams for the future.

To those new to Fluvanna County Public Schools, we consist of five schools. The elementary schools include Columbia and Cunningham (both Grades K-2) as well as Central school (Grades K-5). In addition, we have Fluvanna Middle School (Grades 6-8) and Fluvanna County High School (Grades 9-12). For the upcoming school year, the student enrollment is projected to be 3,761.

We are proud that the Fluvanna County Public Schools remain at the heart of our community. We understand that our community is growing and diversifying. Our efforts must reflect this. In addition to changes in teaching, we have also begun the process of building a new high school. This building is designed for the future both in terms of education and service to our entire community. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or comments regarding our schools.  I can be reached either at 434-589-8208 or twsmith@mail.fluco.org

Mrs. Wigal,

Thank you for your email. Fluvanna County bus drivers who do not work in one of our schools during the day utilize carpool vehicles between a.m. and p.m. routes to reduce deadhead miles on the buses.  Deadhead miles are defined as those miles driven from the place where the bus is parked after the completion of a route to the first student pick-up point of the next route.  During the day buses are parked at schools or the bus garage.  From these locations drivers who do not hold another staff position in one of our schools travel home or back to where their personal vehicle is parked via carpool.  In the evenings buses are parked close to the first student pick-up location, many at the homes of bus drivers or the Lake Monticello campground.  This is done not only to reduce bus mileage, but also due to the fact that there is not enough space at our garage complex to house all of our buses on a suitable surface.  Drivers are responsible for driving their personal vehicles to their bus in the mornings and afternoons and home from their bus in the evening if the bus is not parked on their property.  Carpool vehicles remain at the bus garage or schools at night.  5 of the 6 School Division Efficiency Studies reviewed (Isle of Wight, Lancaster, Louisa, New Kent, and Surry) identified Deadhead Mileage of buses as an area recommended for reduction.    The New Kent study specifically recognizes the use of cars and vans to transport bus drivers to their homes or places of employment during the day.  In the afternoon the drivers return to the buses in those same vehicles.  The Surry study includes a recommendation that they continue to transport bus drivers to and from home during the day, although Surry utilizes buses to accomplish this.  In the Louisa study Fluvanna is identified as a comparison school division.  Fluvanna had the fewest deadhead miles during the 2002-03 school year at 466 miles, followed by Shenandoah at 44,750 miles, Botetourt at 162,586 miles, Louisa at 200,896 miles, Powhatan at 224,200 miles, and Orange at 317,700 miles.  Calculations based on data from the 2007-08 school year show a savings of $50,574 in fuel cost alone based on the cost of gasoline vs. diesel and miles per gallon for cars compared to buses.  Additional savings are realized due to routine maintenance costs of cars vs. buses.

I hope that this answers your questions.

Dr. Tom Smith

Superintendent

Much has been written in emails, columns, letters to the editor, and blogs over the past few weeks concerning my salary and that of some of my staff members. Concern has been expressed that there are too many staff members and that their pay is both higher than other staffs who work for Fluvanna County government and other school divisions within our region. Given that some of the information is incorrect and that some of the comparisons are misplaced, I feel that it is important to list the actual facts. I will address these issues in three segments. The concerns that school staff are paid at a higher rate than other County employees; the comparison of staffing levels and salaries with other school divisions; and my salary. First, in the comparison with other Fluvanna County employees several school employees were mentioned. These include the human services director/school board clerk/central office manager; the maintenance supervisor, the bus garage supervisor, school librarians, and the assistant superintendents. Let me clarify that the librarians’ salaries are based upon the teachers’ salary scale. These change based on years of experience and degree level. The school system’s director of human services also serves as school board clerk and central office manager. She is responsible for approximately 512 employees, providing all clerk-related functions to the school board and supervising a staff of three clerical workers. This is more than the clerk and clerical duties described in the columns and emails. Her salary is well within the range of similar County employees when you take into consideration these added duties and add the salaries of the similar positions. This person’s salary is also within the comparable range of other director level positions in Albemarle, Charlottesville, Goochland, Louisa, and Orange counties. To my knowledge, Fluvanna is the only school division of these that the director of human services is also required to be school board clerk. The other positions listed above are very close if not within the salary grade of those County employees listed. While the County employees may be paid at the lower end of these ranges, it does not mean that their grade is necessarily different. We have to remember that the study referenced in one of the columns was conducted by the Board of Supervisors because they were having trouble attracting staff and were losing personnel to other agencies due to low pay. We have worked very hard to reverse this trend with both teachers and administrators. The latest administrative salary comparison conducted by the Virginia Education Association shows that our administrator salaries rank from 36^th in the state for elementary school principals down to 79^th in the state for assistant superintendents. The same ranking lists our beginning teacher’s salary as ranking 10^th among school divisions in Virginia. We have worked very hard to attract and retain both quality teachers and administrators. Thus, I cannot recommend that we return to the difficulties of the past by arbitrarily lowering salaries.

With regard to the comparisons with the Louisa County schools staffing and salaries, the information presented in these communications does not look at all of the staff listed. It is stated that I have 20 positions in the central office to assist with the schools. In actuality, three of these positions are part-time and thus the total is actually 18.5. One of these positions was also eliminated due to the budget cuts this spring. In addition, it is stated that the Louisa schools only have 13 similar positions. However, if one would go to both central office pages on their website, one would see that they have approximately 25 similar positions. It is recommended by the writers of these communications that the School Board conduct a study of salaries with comparable school divisions in the region. We actually compile this information on a regular basis and the latest findings are on our website under the school budget link. As mentioned above, the salaries of those listed are very comparable to the salaries of similar categories in other school divisions.

The last area to be discussed is my salary. The current salary of the superintendent is $165,804 for the 2008-2009 school year. There will not be an increase next year as others in our schools will not receive an increase for the coming school year. The annuity is $7,200. This is not the $12,000 listed by one writer or the $10,000 listed by another writer. This was increased at the last contract renewal when it was found by the School Board that the previous amount was significantly lower than other superintendents in the region. I am paid more than the Louisa superintendent because I have three times her experience. When I began as a superintendent, I was paid less than the then Louisa superintendent for the same reason. My salary ranks in the top third of superintendents in Virginia as does my years of experience. However, it is not the top salary nor even in the top 20 as listed in one of these communications. My salary is also not the highest in our region. What the children and citizens of our county receive for this money is someone who manages the equivalent of a $39 million dollar company with 512 employees. The latest ratings that I have seen from the School Matters service of Standards and Poor ranks Fluvanna higher than any of our neighboring school divisions and the state as a whole in return for the educational dollars spent. I am also someone who has received Superintendent of the Year honors by both the Curry School of Education Foundation at the University of Virginia and my fellow area superintendents through the Virginia Association for School Superintendents. I am asked to regularly consult with such school divisions as Williamsburg/James City County, Roanoke County, Stafford County, Suffolk City Schools, and Alexandria City Schools on school-related issues. I was one of three superintendents from across the nation who were asked to go to Washington, D.C. to meet with the new U.S. Secretary of Education to comment on President Obama’s educational initiatives. During my time as superintendent, we have seen test scores, graduation rates, teacher and staff salaries all increase. Finally, we have seen the beginning of a new high school and anticipate what it will mean for our children and community.

We have seen great progress in our schools over the past seven years. I am very proud to have led a team of committed professionals to achieve these results. I stress the word “team” for we all have a role to play in this effort. We still have great challenges ahead of us if our children are to gain the skills necessary to compete in what is becoming a global economy. I am confident that we can meet these challenges and prepare our children for the future.

I have no problem answering the questions posed by the writers of these emails, columns, and blogs or any citizen within our county about my experience and salary. I have been in education more than thirty years with twenty of these years spent in Fluvanna. I understand the concern and uncertainty that some face and the questions that this may bring. I also understand that some will have different views on what is important. I welcome a discussion of these views. However, I hope that in the discussion of staff salaries the information is accurate and the worth that these individuals bring to the education of our children is not forgotten.

Dear Mrs. Stuart,

Thank you for your comment. When I refer to following past practices, I do so with the implication that they are worthwhile and serve a purpose. An example is the use of car pooling to transport bus drivers during the day. This is a practice that is recommended by the Commonwealth of Virginia to save money. We have shown the School Board that we save a minimum of $50,000 per year using this process. However, we also are continuing to review our practices to make sure that they are up to date and productive. This is part of planning for the future. Whether there will be a finance director or not is still up to the School Board. I am not against funding this position, I just think that there are other priorities this year. In terms of the school census, we will continue to follow the state guidelines and make efforts to count every head possible. Finally, I feel that we are progressing. Data released from the Virginia Department of Education indicates that Fluvanna has the highest graduation rate and lowest dropout rate in our area. We accomplish this while having the lowest per pupil funding when compared to the same school divisions. While we are not satisfied until all children graduate on time, I feel that this data is a statement of the dedication and commitment of our staffs from kindergarten through grade 12.

Again thank you for your comments and please feel free to contact me in the future.

Dr. Tom Smith

Carrie,

Again, thank you for your comments. I will try to address your three points.

First, the School Board did truly consider the recommendations of the Joint Committee. They looked at all the information and spent approximately three months considering the recommended plan. However, they felt that the Domino Plan would best meet our needs for the following reasons:

1) The Plan will increase capacity with the least disruption of ongoing educational services.

2) It provides the best use of the educational dollar.

3) It accommodates the greatest number of students for the least cost.

4) It does not require the splitting of school populations until a number of years in the future.

5) It will accommodate projected enrollment growth through the year 2020.

Second, I have agreed that our enrollments are down this year. We have seen in the past that this happens during a downturn in the economy. However, we have also seen that when the economy recovers there is an escalation of enrollment growth for a significant number of years. I feel that we will see this pattern again and we need to be ready for it.

Third, I am truly aware of the problems with our economy. I deal with this on a daily basis both in terms of our current operational budget and in planning for the future. However, I do feel that we need to plan for the future and we can do this in the most cost effect manner by proceeding with our capital plans as they have been proposed.

Response to Carrie – 2

Dear Carrie,

The way that I read your comments, you are asking from a response to item 2 and a reference to the documented reasons for the Domino plan.

First, I feel that the actual number for both years is closer to the October figures. In addition, I would point out that we typically use the March figures when comparing year to year. We have typically grown through the first months of the year and then leveled off the later months of the school year. Using the comparison, I show the figures of 3,667 for 2006-07 and 3,730 for 2007-08. These do include the preschool numbers.

Second, I would refer you to the construction link on our website. The Capital Improvements report dated September 14, 2005 will give you the reasoning. It actually shows that the other plan considered at that time cost more than the Domino Plan when you take into consideration the need to request a second high school as part of this other plan. Please take a look at this report and let me know if you have any further questions.

I hope this has answered you questions.

There have been a number of questions raised regarding how the triennial school census is conducted and the accuracy of the numbers reported for Fluvanna County. The Weldon- Cooper Center at the University of Virginia conducted a study comparing the existing methodology for conducting this census with possible results if the census number was developed using population estimates developed by the Weldon-Cooper Center. In reporting this study, an article that was published in the Daily Progress seems to have given the impression that the census was not competed appropriately in 2005 and as a result was approximately 700 students short of the actual population. This shortfall then cost Fluvanna County approximately $400,000 in sales tax revenues.

The actual facts are that the school divisions in Virginia cannot use the method that is the basis for these shortfall numbers and recommended by the Weldon-Cooper Center. In a letter to me dated December 4, 2008, Dr. Qian Cai, the study’s author, has confirmed that “the Code of Virginia does not allow the school division to do a survey(as opposed to a full census), or to use the Copper Center’s population estimates in place of a census.” She goes on to state that “Our study was not designed to evaluate the effort by individual school divisions. In fact, we did little to look at the specific strategies and techniques employed by the divisions.”

At present, we use an actual head count to determine the number to be included in the census. We comply with both the training and the means of collecting the data that are authorized by the Virginia Department of Education. This is a difficult job and has been headed-up for approximately 25 years by Mrs. Elva Key. Mrs. Key begins the process in the spring with a pre-census count using our existing databases. She then trains enumerators and divides the county into sections for canvassing.  These enumerators go door-to-door to determine the number of children ages 5 to 19 that reside in Fluvanna County. There are times when the occupants either are not home or refuse to provide this information. Occupants are not required by law to answer any questions. If no one is home, the enumerator will return at a later time to try to gain the information. I feel that Mrs. Key and those individuals working with her have done a good job over the years in conducting this census. We have looked at the results over time and find that past censuses have shown that approximately 95% of those responding are enrolled in our schools.

I hope that this has helped to answer both citizen concerns and questions. I would be happy to address any further issues that one might have about our census efforts.

Dear Carrie,

First of all, I want to thank you for the comments. This is a new manner of communication and I am happy that someone logged-on as part of the conversation. We have been tracking enrollment figures for the past twenty years and have seen continued growth. Typically, we grow during the months from August through March. At that point it may trail off a bit. Even with the down turn in housing that began in 2006, we have continued to increase our enrollments by approximately 60 students each year. The September 2008 figure of 3,674 that you quoted included some home school students. The Department of Education requires that we follow these students and some of them were mistakenly included during the months of August and September. In addition, the 2007 figure included students that had transferred but were still on our class lists. As I mentioned above, the best estimate is to look at the enrollment figures in January, February and March. While we recognize that during this economic downturn, we may very well see this growth slow. I do not think that it will be a long term trend. During the last such recession in the early 1980’s, Fluvanna saw a similar pattern of limited growth for a couple of years. Once the recession was over, the growth in enrollments restarted and continued for almost twenty years. Fluvanna’s location, low taxes, great schools and community life, makes it certain that families will continue to migrate here to raise their children. I do feel that there is a danger in waiting to begin the building program. Not only will it increase the likelihood that our schools will remain over crowded, but you can expect the costs to be significantly higher. We are at an excellent time to bid out this project and receive the best “bang for the buck.” Actually, this lull in growth works to our advantage. It gives us the time to make the infrastructure changes necessary to meet the increase in demand that is coming. Again, thank you for your comments and feel free to let me know any further thoughts that you might have.

Sincerely,

Dr. Tom Smith

Superintendent

A Message from the Superintendent

With this message, we begin a new way to better communicate with the Fluvanna community. I invite all those interested to log on and be part of the discussion. I will attempt to respond to comments and answer questions as they are received. It is important for us to keep in touch with all those interested in our schools. Our purpose is to teach and help our children achieve their dreams.

I am happy to report that ALL of our schools have once again received full accreditation from the Virginia Department of Education. This determination is based in part on the results of last year’s Standards of Learning tests. I am also happy to report that as a division, the Fluvanna County Schools met or exceeded the 29 objectives required by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) based on last year’s accountability data. When looking at our division wide results, we see that there is a narrowing of the achievement gap in both mathematics and English. Also, it is important to note that Fluvanna County High School met all of these objectives for the second year in a row. However, I must note that this same level of progress was not seen at the elementary and middle school levels. Specific subgroups identified remain students receiving special education, minority students, and students coming from economically disadvantaged homes. For the second year in a row, the elementary schools did not achieve AYP status. Thus, these schools are entering year one of the NCLB’s school improvement category. The result of this will be to offer supplemental educational services to children determined economically in need and those who have not passed the SOL tests. These schools will stay at this level at least for two years. There have been a number of initiatives put into place to address these problems. However as the No Child Left Behind targets move closer to a 100% pass rate, our efforts to meet this goal become more difficult. Our staffs are well aware of this challenge and are working hard to keep pace. We ask for your support and assistance meeting this difficult goal.

I also want to bring you up to date on the progress with the planning for the new high school. The School Board has approved design specifications submitted by the architects and hope to consider and approve the final construction drawings at the December, 2008 School Board meeting. Once approved, we will then advertise for construction bids. It is still hoped that we can break ground sometime around the first part of 2009. In addition, the School Board has received the results and recommendations of the Joint Value Engineering Review Committee. These recommendations have been approved and should result is significant savings on the project. There is a school construction link on our website (www.fluco.org) providing further information on these plans.

Finally this year’s opening discussion with the school staff centered on preparing our children for an ever changing world. As educators we face the challenge of preparing students for a world that is in constant change and for jobs that may have not been invented yet. We go about this by continuing to expect the best from our students, providing them with skills that can address a variety of situations and helping them understand the importance of how to adapt to change itself. While such programs as the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program; increased course offerings through distance learning; Project Lead the Way; and improved use of instructional technology are all tools in this process, it is our adult behavior that is also critical. Whether we are parents, teachers or community helpers, we must provide a positive model in our attempts to understand and adapt to our ever changing world. We are committed and dedicated to this charge and we ask for your help.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or comments regarding these issues. I can be reached at 434-589-8208 or twsmith@mail.fluco.org.