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February 28, 2025
- Mar 4, 2025
- 5 min read
Happy Friday, and happy last day of February. I hope the above graphic rings true...I'm ready for spring flowers and warmer weather.
I hope you were able to attend last night's School Board meeting or at least tune in to see some of the speeches. There was a huge turnout in support of Integration Station and the TCS. We also heard from Librarians and Library Assistants in addition to ITCs. ITCs have banded together to express their concerns. Although not exactly where they want to be yet, they are making progress! We hope APS will hear the voices of our Library staff and IS/TCS colleagues as well. Please continue to support each other during this budget cycle.
The School Board also adopted the School Safe Zone resolution outlined by NEA. This is another step towards keeping our students and staff safe!
Prior to the School Board meeting, Equality Arlington hosted a rally to keep APS Inclusive--there was great energy and a great turnout. It was nice to see so many students and colleagues in attendance.
Congratulations our APS February All-Stars: Aja Cambell of Tuckahoe ES, Dr. Michelle Marrero of Syphax.
The "Contact Us" feature on our website isn't forwarding emails...I've taken over webmaster duties for now and am trying to resolve the issue
Union Power!
Congratulations to AEA Vice President, Dani Jones. Dani submitted a New Business Item last year at our state convention--this is now a bill!
Summary As Introduced
Board of Education; support services personnel; annual collection of certain staffing data required; report. Requires (i) each school board to, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, annually collect and submit to the Department of Education a report on data on the average salaries of support services personnel, as that term is defined in the bill, employed by the school board and (ii) the Department to, beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, annually compile, include in the Annual School Report, and publicly post such data on the Department's website. The bill requires each school board and the Department to disaggregate the data by career categories of support services personnel and specialized student support personnel as set forth in applicable law.
Check out more details here: LIS
TAKE ACTION
The following policy is open to public comment:
Upcoming Event to attend:
NEWS FROM VEA
Budget Wins for Public Schools in the WorksThe House and Senate have hammered out a conference version of our state budget, and they’ve done some great work! Now, if the governor will sign it, it will be a big step in the right direction for public education in Virginia. The support cap we’ve been trying to get lifted for years will be gone, there will be raises and a bonus for SOQ positions, there will be increased funding for students with disabilities, and more. |
Help Ensure Bonus $$ is Distributed Fairly and that Credit is Given Where It's DueThe lump sum, one-time bonus included in that budget is equal to $1,000 for each state-supported SOQ instructional and support position, but school divisions have some flexibility on how they distribute the money. VEA has created a one-page fact and advocacy sheet that can help you determine how to engage around distribution of that funding: Check it out here! |
I’m also very happy to let you know that Virginia Beach Education Association President Heather Sipe used the information available in the one-pager when she addressed her school board, detailing the additional $16.3 million the city’s schools would be getting because of VEA members’ efforts. You can see her excellent speech here. |
Fairfax Leader among National ESP of the Year Finalists! |
Alyce Pope, a Fairfax Education Association member and a family services specialist, has been named as one of five national finalists for the 2025 National Education Association Education Support Professional (ESP) of the Year. She’s been working for four decades with programs including Head Start and in community development, providing counseling and support to children, adults, and families, many of whom are new to the United States. Congratulations, Alyce! |
Moss Appointed to Civil Rights PositionCongratulations to former VEA President Princess Moss, now NEA’s Vice President, on her appointment to the Virginia Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights! These bipartisan committees conduct studies on civil rights issues in their states; in the past year, those studies have focused on topics ranging from K-12 education to fair housing practices. We know you’ll do a great job, Princess! |
Celebrate Read Across America with Your Students!Read Across America is a win for students, a win for educators, a win for communities—it’s a win for everyone! So be sure to join the nationwide celebration of literacy and grab a book to share with a young reader. Every child deserves to explore diverse perspectives and ideas through books to help them understand the world around them. Let's make reading a lifelong adventure! To learn more about this annual event created by NEA and how you and your students can celebrate it, visit nea.org/readacross. Got a Helping Hand for Your Colleagues in Southwest Virginia?On the heels of a hurricane, recent storms have created massive, damaging flooding in the southwestern part of our state resulting in, among lots of other things, the indefinite closing of schools in Buchanan County. Here’s a brief piece of footage that shows some of what’s happened.Our neighbors and colleagues need our help. You can give to relief efforts through the United Way of SWVA and Mission Mules. Please help if you can! A Survey for Early Career TeachersThe Center for American Progress wants to know why so many early career teachers leave the profession, and to identify practice and policy recommendations that could help retain them. During the 2022-2023 school year, 30 percent of new teachers (< 3 years) left their school and 26 percent of those within their first 3 - 7 years of teaching also vacated the classroom altogether. So the Center is conducting a survey, asking teachers who have 5 or fewer years of experience for their thoughts. It should take no more than 15 minutes to complete, and you can find it here. NEA Holding National LGBTQ+ Social Justice ConferenceNEA’s LGBTQ+ Caucus will be holding the 2025 LGBTQ+ Social Justice & Leadership Conference April 11-13 in Las Vegas, and registration is now open. Participants will expand the dialogue, pursue further learning, and strengthen leadership skills, all aiming to grow local and state advocacy. New from VEA Teaching & LearningThe latest issue of Teaching & Learning Today, a monthly newsletter from VEA’s Department of Teaching and Learning, is ready for reading on VEA’s website! It will help you keep up with all that T&L has in the works: opportunities available for our members, areas we’re focusing on, and future ventures. Please know that you are also welcome to speak with us about any opportunities that you might be interested in. VEA RA Pre-Convention Dates and TimesConvention delegates, take note of remaining dates for virtual pre-convention caucuses and open hearings: Pre-Convention Caucus Dates
Open Hearing Dates
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