2016-17 Budget Update

Superintendent Pam MoranDear Colleagues:

At its April 14 meeting, the School Board adopted an operating budget of $172.7 million for the 2016-17 school year.

The School Board reduced $404,000 from our funding request, an action required after the Board of Supervisors set next year’s property tax rate increase at two cents, rather than the advertised rate increase of 2.5 cents. The way in which supervisors allocated the new revenue projected from the tax increase resulted in our school division’s new funding request deficit. Continue reading

Budget Update – Feb. 10, 2016

Superintendent Pam MoranDear Colleagues:

I’d like to begin by thanking so many of you who joined Matt Haas, Lorna Gerome and me last week during our all-day online discussion of the 2016-17 funding request. Every one of our schools was logged on at one point or another, and we were grateful for the opportunity to share information on the funding request in depth and to take and answer your questions. Your engagement with this process is helpful as we work with the School Board to adopt a balanced budget for next year.
Continue reading

Budget Update – Feb. 1, 2016

Superintendent Pam MoranDear Colleagues:

This represents the first in a series of regular updates on the status of our proposed budget.

I presented my funding request to our School Board on January 19, and the Board held budget work sessions on Tuesday and Thursday evenings last week. There will be a third work session tomorrow night, and then on Thursday, our Board will conduct their public hearing on the proposed budget. Please join Matt Haas, Lorna Gerome, and me in one of seven funding request chat room sessions this Wednesday, Feb. 3. Continue reading

Get Connected to the 2016-17 Budget Process on Wednesday, February 3

Let's Connect!Attention all ACPS employees: You’re invited! On Wednesday, February 3, Superintendent
Pam Moran will host multiple online budget sessions, each including a brief budget overview presentation and an opportunity for questions and answers. Co-hosting this special event with Dr. Moran will be Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Matt Haas, and Director of Human Resources,
Ms. Lorna Gerome.

Each budget session is scheduled for 30 minutes, and there are seven opportunities to join: Continue reading

Welcome to 2016 — It’s beginning to feel a lot like winter!

ACPS Supt's BlogWelcome to 2016! I hope everyone experienced a relaxing holiday season with family and friends. We asked our staff and students to take time away from school and homework over the winter break to spend time with their families, read a good book, visit relatives, or simply do those things that families accomplish together — cleaning out a closet or repairing something around the home.

Now it’s time to get back to school and re-engage with our learners as we head toward the end of the first semester.

January also heralds two important processes for our community — inclement weather decisions and budget season engagementRead more of the Superintendent’s January 4 blog post »

Fall 2015 Community Outreach Survey Results

Survey ResultsThank you for your feedback! Nearly 2,000 parents, students, employees, and community members shared their thoughts about school climate, the school calendar, and budget priorities in our recent Community Outreach Survey.

Highlights: Greater than 90% of respondents agree or strongly agree that they feel welcome in our schools. Nearly 70% are pleased or very pleased with our current school year calendar. Respondents identified the following as the top three budget priorities for 2016-17: Provide exceptional class sizes; stay competitive with employee compensation; and fully fund student population growth. See the full survey results »

Community Outreach Survey – Please Respond by Dec. 4

Tell Us What You ThinkIn an endeavor to minimize the number of surveys our stakeholders complete, we have assembled three important surveys into one Community Outreach Survey. This is an opportunity for you to:

– Provide feedback about the quality of our schools;
– Inform calendar design; and
– Have input into the budgetary process.

Please participate by 12 Noon on Friday, December 4. Take the survey »

Current Status of the 2015-16 Budget Process

Superintendent Pam MoranDear Colleagues:

Thank you for your patience with our school closings due to winter weather. I know that the resulting disruption of learning can be frustrating when we lose momentum in our schools due to inclement weather. Fortunately, spring is just around the corner and temperatures this week are forecast to rise dramatically. When daffodils bloom and flowering trees spring back to life in March, we know that we are in one of the loveliest communities to be found anywhere.

I would like to share an update on the current status of the 2015-16 budget process. Each year, our School Board reiterates that their funding request to the Board of Supervisors must affirm our vision for learners and learning. Continue reading