February 3, 2012
Vol. 3 • Issue 132
What will funding gap mean
for RPS students and staff?
The school district may face a budget shortfall of 23.8M for the 2012-2013
school year. If so, the shortage could result in the loss of more than 350
positions and the elimination of the district’s highly-touted elementary
school foreign language program. Other possible results would be an
increase in the average student/teacher ratio - as high as 24:1 in K-3 levels and the elimination of enrichment programs in music, art and athletics.
If the 40 percent Virginia Retirement System (VRS) rate increase takes
place immediately instead of being phased in over several years, that
alone would cost the district an additional $8.2M. An unanticipated 326%
increase in the the VRS Group Life Insurance plan would cost an additional $1.2M. And the proposed changes in Sales Tax appropriations
would reduce state funding by another $1M.
Brown eight-grader wins
RPS Spelling Bee, again!
Ian Fraser, an eighth-grader at Brown Middle
School, won his second straight Richmond
Public Schools Spelling Bee last month. The
win actually marked Fraser’s third title. He
also won in 2009. Fraser correctly spelled the
word “exquisite” to win this year’s title.
Richmond Public Schools
Public Information Office
301 North 9th Street, 14th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
P: (804) 780-7100 F: (804) 780-6988
SPOTLIGHT
District honored by global technology
company for going green with computers
NComputing, a global technology
company, recently presented the
school district with its Green Impact
Award for reducing energy consumption while increasing access to
desktop computing. In 2011, the
district began replacing old UPS
units with more efficient units, purchasing Energy Star rated computers and printers and replacing CRT
monitors with more energy-efficient
and envronmentally-friendly LCD
monitors. By using the thin client
desktop virtualization devices, the
district is reducing its energy use more than 90 percent with each replaced computer, according to Cassandra Harris, the district’s Technical Manager of Services and Data Operations.
Congratulations to
Franklin Military
eighth-grader
Stephanie Martin
on her recent selection as Vice President of the city’s
NAACP Youth
Council.
Richmond Public Schools
Public Information Office
301 North 9th Street, 14th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
P: (804) 780-7100 F: (804) 780-6988
RPS Notebook
Want to become a National Board
Certified Teacher? Attend Feb. 8 meeting
An informational meeting detailing the steps to becoming a
National Board Certified Teacher will be held February 8 at 4:30 p.m.
at the Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Teacher Leadership located at 3600 West Broad Street. The certification is the highest
symbol of professional teaching excellence and meets most states’
definition of “highly qualified teacher” under the federal
government’s No Child Left Behind Act.
Teachers and administrators are also invited to attend the 12-week
course, Awaken the Spanish Within®. Class begins Feb. 6 and will be
held each Monday from 4 to 6 p.m. at Elkhardt Middle School, 6300
Hull Street Road. Participants may use $400 of their 2011-2012 tuition
reimbursement funds and also earn 45 re-certification points.
For details on both offerings, call 780-7705.
Rezoning Committee to hold community
meeting Feb. 15 at Thompson Middle
The Rezoning Committee for Richmond Public Schools will hold a
community meeting February 15 at Thompson Middle School, 7825
Forest Hill Avenue, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. During the meeting, committee members will give a progress report on their work and also present
rezoning options for public comment.
The meeting provides another opportunity for public input regarding
changes to school attendance zones. For details, contact P. Andy
Hawkins, Chief Operating Officer, at 780-7707.
JUST A REMINDER!
The Project ALL application deadline is
February 15. Details: 780-7775.
Information for In Focus should be emailed to: [email protected].
Richmond Public Schools
Public Information Office
301 North 9th Street, 14th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
P: (804) 780-7100 F: (804) 780-6988