Falls Church HS custodians are all smiles after clearing snow and making sure the school grounds are safe. (Photo: Falls Church HS)
Dr. Brabrand presented a $3.0 billion FY 2020 Proposed Budget, with a focus on employee compensation, to the School Board at its business meeting on January 10. The FY 2020 Proposed Budget represents an increase of $117.4 million, or 4.1 percent, over the FY 2019 Approved Budget.
The proposed budget includes a $55.2 million investment in the teacher salary scales which is the final phase of a multi-year plan to bring teacher salaries to the market average and includes a 1.0 percent market scale adjustment. It also includes $46.8 million for a step increase for eligible employees, and $8.2 million for a 1.0 percent market scale adjustment for employees who are not teachers. Read the news release. A public hearing on the proposed budget is scheduled for January 28, at Luther Jackson MS, at 6 p.m. Register to speak at the hearing.
Last Friday, the Department of Human Resources held a hiring event at Gatehouse Administration Center for furloughed federal employees interested in substitute teaching positions. Within 24 hours of announcing the event, registration was at capacity (200 registrants). A second event was held this afternoon. It was at capacity within just a few hours of being announced.
Multiple media outlets covered the substitute hiring events including CNN, NBC4, WUSA9, CBS News, and Fox. Several international outlets were on site, too. The events serve as a wonderful example of FCPS' Caring Culture in action. Watch this video for a recap of last Friday's event.
Photo of the Week
Hey, Bravo TV, forget about the Real Housewives of Atlanta, Beverly Hills, or wherever else! The Real ESOL Teachers of Woodley Hills ES are truly worthy of a national following! Pictured from left to right are Marcia DaSilva-Baranick, Jen Steele, Sheri McGreen, and Melissa Witten. (Photo: )
In FCPS, our diversity is a strength that helps to create resilient, open, and innovative global citizens. The Equity and Cultural Responsiveness Team invites staff to share examples from their schools and communities that foster a responsive, caring, and inclusive culture where everyone feels welcomed, valued, and supported. Please tag photos with "#FCPSWeseeyou" on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Follow Equity and Cultural Responsiveness on Twitter.
#OurFCPS Faces: Priscille Dando
Enjoy this profile of Priscille Dando, courtesy of the Instructional Services Department*:
Meet Priscille Dando! Priscille was born in San German, Puerto Rico, and moved to Virginia in 6th grade. While Priscille's librarian roots are deep (she worked as a library page in high school), she didn’t become a librarian until 1995. When Priscille started in FCPS, she was a middle school teacher for students with learning disabilities. She has been FCPS' library services coordinator for four years and has worked at FCPS for 28 years.
Priscille says, “Being a librarian is exciting, because we support students’ curiosity and help build skills that are critical to their lives today, [such as] how to engage with information to be creative [and] independent problem solvers.” As you can imagine, Priscille is an avid reader (86 books and 145 hours of audio books last year as of early December), but she’s also a film buff. She sees almost every film that comes out!
Priscille's family’s annual vacation is to the SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas every March. In fact, the whole family is hooked on pop culture! Priscille's daughter does data analysis and market research for the entertainment industry. So, Priscille and her husband are a bit jealous that their daughter gets the inside scoop on test screenings, script pitches, and casting options for movies and television from all of the major studios and networks.
And by the way, Priscille was named FCPS' 2017 Outstanding Nonschool-Based Leader. Keep up the great work, Priscille!
*Article edited for publication in Employee News.
FCPS has an ever-growing need for caring adult mentors in our schools. A mentor serves as a role model and guide, and typically meets with his or her mentee once a week for 30 minutes during the school day. (The time commitment is flexible.) Mentors are needed at all levels. Training and guidance are provided. Once you choose a location, the school-based coordinator will pair you with a student who shares your interests.
Mentoring can have a tremendous impact on a young person’s life. Mentoring.org found that young people who were at risk for falling off track but had a mentor were:
- 55% more likely to enroll in college.
- 78% more likely to volunteer regularly.
- 81% more likely to participate in sports or extracurricular activities.
- 130% more likely to hold leadership positions.
If you have the time, please consider being a mentor! Contact Martha Macdonald at mmacdonald@fcps.edu or visit the Be a Mentor website for more information.
The Office of Professional Learning and Family Engagement is offering a unique learning opportunity for support employees. Modeled after Supporting the Mission, Supporting Success provides a career development opportunity for Schedule-A operational/support employees (formerly US-19 and below). Classes will be held on Tuesdays from 1:30-4 p.m. at a variety of locations across the county. Interested individuals should complete an interest form and have their supervisor complete a recommendation form no later than noon on Thursday, January 31. Forms will be shared with Leadership Team members to make final participant nominations for the Spring 2019 cohort. The course begins on February 12. Learn more on the Leadership Development intranet page under Support/Operational Employees.
Pathways to Leadership Conference for Instructional Staff Set for February 28
The 2019 Pathways to Leadership Conference for Instructional Employees will take place on Thursday, February 28, at Willow Oaks, in Rooms 1000A/B from 4:30-6:45 p.m. Booths and breakout sessions will highlight instructional leadership opportunities. Dr. Fransico Durán, FCPS' chief equity officer, will give the welcome address. Superintendent Brabrand will be the keynote speaker. Registration, via MyPLT, will open on February 5, at 5 p.m. Please contact Baek Chong with questions at bochong@fcps.edu.
Calendar Reminder
Schools and offices will be closed on Monday, January 21, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday.
Staff Staples
Note: Intranet access is required to open some of the links in this email. If you're using a mobile device or working remotely, you can connect to the intranet via the Pulse Secure VPN (Virtual Private Network). Email RequestIT@fcps.edu with questions.
Employee News is sent to all FCPS employees every Tuesday. Please email EmployeeNews@fcps.edu with potential submissions or questions. Submissions are due by 4:30 p.m. on Thursdays. Thank you!
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