Superintendent’s Message
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.
November 25th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
I find it very surprising that the School Board intends to push forward with the construction of the new high school despite both a decline in overall school population growth (2007 Student Enrollment: 3674 vs 2008 Student Enrollment: 3640 [SOURCE (page 35)]) and an historical economic crisis. I would have thought the decision to move forward on the funding/construction of this project would have been put on hold.
Personally, I considered it a blessing in disguise that this “economic downturn” occurred prior to any commitment of taxpayer dollars on this exceptionally large capital project. Shouldn’t we err on the side of caution and wait to see what kind of economic distress our community residents weather during this tumultuous period before proceeding full speed ahead?
November 25th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
It appears I have misread the enrollment numbers on the cited source above comparing Sep 2008 to Oct 2008. I’m sorry about that.
However when I look at the minutes from a 2007 board meeting and compare the figures from that document and the above source, this is what I find:
Sep 2007: 3693 vs Sep 2008: 3674
Oct 2007: 3682 (+76 in preschool) vs. Oct 2008: 3640 (+65 in preschool).
Clearly from last year to this there has been a drop in total student enrollment. Should not these numbers come into play concerning the “necessity” of expansion to the degree that the Domino Plan details?
I look forward to your response on both the “economic downturn” and the reversal of the schools’ population growth “trend”.
November 25th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
[...] Economic Crisis we are all facing), AND evidence that the projected population growth has reversed (enrollment is DOWN this year), our local government (in little ole Fluvanna County) wants to still SPEND, SPEND, [...]
January 30th, 2009 at 6:21 am
[...] fall to begin a new way to communicate with the Fluvanna Community by starting his own blog. His introductory message gave a status update to the progression of plans on the new High School, among other things. [...]