GCS News Briefs

July 31, 2009

Additional $2.2 Million in Budget Cuts Approved for GCS

The Guilford County Board of Education approved additional cuts to the 2009-10 budget totaling about $2.2 million at its meeting last week. GCS continues to assess its budget while awaiting the approval of a state budget by the General Assembly.

Last week, the board approved the budget cuts by amending five programs and services. Changes will be made to Home Field Advantage, the employee dental insurance benefit, supplies and materials for athletics, bus stops for some middle and high school students and standby bus driver positions.

These programs and services will be impacted in the following ways:

• Home Field Advantage – This program allows highly mobile students to remain at the same school even if they move to a different attendance zone. Previously, bus transportation was provided to these students. Now, transportation will only be provided during the school year in which the move occurs. Students can continue to attend the school in subsequent years if parents or guardians provide transportation.

• Employee dental insurance benefit – Previously, GCS paid $10.75 per month toward employee dental insurance under one of two plans. The change will require employees to pay the full cost for participation in either plan. For example, employees using the direct reimbursement plan did not pay anything previously but will now pay $10.75 per month. Employees who use the cafeteria (flexible) benefits dental previously paid $20.80 but will now pay $31.55 per month.

• Supplies and materials for athletics – Funding for athletic supplies and materials will be decreased by 15 percent at middle and high schools. Supplements will be reduced to a base of 80 percent instead of 85 percent.

• Consolidation of bus stops – The Transportation Department will consolidate some bus stops to reduce circling in neighborhoods. The primary impact is on high school routes and a few middle school routes.

• Standby bus driver positions – Ten standby bus driver positions will be eliminated. The drivers in these positions will be placed in other vacant bus driver positions.

Since some of these programs have implications for the start of school on Aug. 25, GCS is currently working to put the changes into place. The district will be communicating with the parents and guardians of impacted students, employees and schools within the next two weeks.

The board also voted to remove two items from consideration for cuts. A further consolidation of bus stops affecting elementary students and the Smith High International Baccalaureate program will not be considered for budget cuts in the 2009-10 school year. A vote was not taken on the terms of employment for lead bus drivers, the extended year programs at Brooks Global Studies and Johnson Street Global Studies, or the implementation of a three-tier bus schedule. For more information, contact Haley Miller, media relations manager, at 370-3200.

Area School Supply Drives Underway

With the start of school less than a month away, several local businesses are partnering with GCS to collect school supplies for students. Here is a list of just a few:

• New Bridge Bank “Stock our Schools”
  This is the fourth year NewBridge Bank has collected school supplies for students. This year, they invited Panera Bread to join them. You can drop off school supplies at any New Bridge Bank or Panera Bread area location. The drive goes through August 10.
• WFMY News 2 “Tools for School”
  WFMY News 2 and area Walmart stores kicked off the 14th annual “Tools for School” supply drive this morning. Donations are accepted throughout the month of August at any area Walmart.
• Fidelity Bank Donation Drive
  Fidelity Bank is celebrating 100 years of serving the Piedmont by collecting school supplies. You can help by bringing much needed supplies to Fidelity’s Greensboro or Stokesdale locations.

Supplies collected from these district-wide drives will help stock the Teacher Supply Warehouse (TSW), which provides teachers with free supplies for their students. The only payment teachers make is a thank-you letter to one of the donors. The TSW is a partnership of GCS, Guilford Education Alliance and Welfare Reform Liaison Project. In addition, next weekend is the North Carolina Tax Free weekend, which is a great time to save money while donating supplies.
Click here for a list of commonly needed school supplies. Check with your child’s school for a more detailed list.

For more information on supply drives, the Teacher Supply Warehouse or other ways you can partner with a local school, contact Cecilia Adams, manager of community partnerships, at 370-8355 or adamsc4@gcsnc.com .

Schools Set Date for Open House

GCS will hold open houses for its 120 elementary, middle, high and alternative schools before the start of the school year. Parents and guardians are invited to join their students at these open houses to meet teachers, visit classrooms and learn more about special programs.

The dates and times selected by schools for the open houses are listed on the GCS Web site. Click here for the complete list. The dates and times are subject to change by the school. Updates to this list will be provided at the above link. For more information about open houses, please contact the individual school.

National Think Tank Cites Mission Possible for Incentive Pay

Mission Possible, a GCS program that attracts and retains highly effective teachers, is cited in an article by the Center for American Progress. The think tank has used the district’s program as an example in some of its issue articles promoting incentive pay programs for teachers.

Mission Possible provides incentives to teachers who participate in the program at 28 of the district’s schools. Since its launch in 2006, research has shown reductions in teacher turnover, increases in the percentage of students passing state End-of-Grade and End-of-Course testing and improvements in schools meeting Adequate Yearly Progress goals.

Teachers who participate in the program receive ongoing professional development, collaborative support and teach smaller classes. They are offered recruitment or retention bonuses to work in Mission Possible schools, which have critical needs and are harder to staff.  They also can earn performance bonuses based on their students’ success on end-of-year testing.

The Center for American Progress highlighted the success of Mission Possible in its argument for the federal government’s increased support for incentive pay through the Teacher Incentive Fund. The article is available at http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/06/teacher_incentive_fund.html.

For more information, please contact Amy Holcombe, executive director of talent development, at 335-3294.

GCS Alternative Certification Track Graduates Inaugural Class

From a chemist to a film lab technician to several recent college graduates, 15 students are the first graduates to earn a North Carolina Standard Professional I licensure to teach in the state through GCS’ Alternative Certification Track (ACT) program. GCS held a graduation program Thursday to celebrate their accomplishments. The event featured several guest speakers including Greensboro Mayor Yvonne Johnson and GCS Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green.

GCS ACT is the only program in the state to offer lateral entry candidates an in-house teacher preparation program that leads to licensure. Developed and operated in conjunction with
Guilford Technical Community College (GTCC), the 18 month-long program is offered at a low cost with on-site classes.

The first-year program retained 100 percent of its participants, and four of the 15 graduates were named Rookie Teacher of the Year at their respective schools. At Thursday’s graduation, GCS staff named Jessica Bower the ACT teacher of the year. Bower will be reimbursed the cost of five summer Building Block courses totaling $315.  The graduates are:

The graduating class features teachers of different ages and backgrounds including Viva Williams, a science teacher at Dudley High and Christian Hill, a history teacher at The Middle College at N.C. A&T and The Middle College at Bennett.  

Williams earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and worked as a chemist for 14 years. The flexible schedule of a teacher and love of children appealed to her as her own children grew older. “This program has made it really exciting to teach, and its fast pace and low cost was great,” said Williams. “It has motivated me to continue school and get a master’s degree in education.”

Hill, a recent North Carolina A&T State University graduate, was surrounded by education his whole life thanks to his mother, who dedicated her time to the classroom. “I’ve always known that teaching was what I was meant to do,” said Hill. “I knew I wanted to be an advocate for these students and a positive role model, especially for male students.”

For more information, please contact Amy Holcombe, executive director of talent development, at 335-3294.

Meeting with Retirees

Earlier today, Human Resources held a meeting with retirees concerning employment as classroom teachers for the 2009-10 school year. Depending on the actions of the General Assembly, retirees working full-time as classroom teachers may be subject to an earnings cap.  The meeting provided information on monitoring earnings and the impact of working with earnings restrictions. For more information regarding this meeting, please contact Stephen Foster, executive director of human resources, at 378-8820 or fosters@gcsnc.com or Patty Kinkade, director of benefits, at 370-8092 or kinkadp@gcsnc.com.

New Traffic Pattern at Summerfield Elementary

Because of construction from the 2008 School Bond program, traffic patterns at Summerfield Elementary have changed. Parents will use the Pleasant Ridge Road entrance to drop their students off at school. School buses will use the Centerfield Road entrance. Please click here to view a map of the new pattern.

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GCSTV 2 Programming Guide

Find out what else is showing on GCSTV 2 here: GCSTV 2 Programming Guide

Showcase Your Talent on GCSTV 2

GCSTV 2 is now accepting student, faculty, staff or parent produced programming.  See the Details for submissions here or Watch the video.

GCSTV 2 & ABC-45

GCS continues its partnership with ABC-45 television to share current news and feature stories about our district. These Newsbreak segments are broadcast on ABC-45 (Cable Channel 7) during Good Morning America each Wednesday and Friday at 7:25 a.m. and 8:25 a.m.

For more information, please contact Leonard Simpson, GCSTV 2 production manager, at 370-8167