During the past several weeks, the Chesterfield County School Board has received inquiries related to a professional development course in which fifth-grade teachers learned more about Middle Eastern culture.

This opportunity was one of more than 100 courses (including Dealing with Challenging Behaviors, Understanding Poverty, More Fun with Foldables, etc.) offered to school division staff during the first three months of the school year.  The reasons for offering the opportunity involving Middle Eastern culture are outlined below:

The fifth grade social studies curriculum, titled “World Studies” is based on Virginia’s Standards of Learning. This class prepares students for world history courses at the secondary level.  World Studies introduces students to regions of the world such as Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.  Emphasis is on the geography, history, culture, the arts, architecture, sociology, economics, political systems and current world issues from selected countries.

The Middle East is at the center of much of the world's turmoil at this point in history - and over the last centuries.  At the same time it is the least understood of the major regions of the world in many respects.  Much of this is driven by the lack of available curriculum to help teachers learn about this region of the world and then pass that information along to students.  The goal of the in-service training was to inform fifth-grade teachers about Middle Eastern culture in a fact-based way, rather than through an opinion-based, manner.

Like most businesses, the school system invests in its employees through individual training and more corporate sessions like this one. With a teacher workforce more than 4,000 strong, we hold training sessions for teachers on curricular issues on an ongoing basis in all subjects; so this type of training is not unusual.

It is not our intent to promote or encourage any particular religion or cultural philosophy.  We are mindful that the law requires schools to remain neutral in regard to teaching religious beliefs. The purpose of the training is to prepare our teachers to accurately teach the Board approved curriculum.  Parents expect our teachers to be knowledgeable about the subject matter they teach.  As with professional development opportunities in other subject areas, this training affords us that opportunity.

• The school division’s Technology Master Plan is NOT funding by the operating budget. It is funded by the Capital Improvements Plan, which CANNOT be used for the operating budget.
• The $10-plus million is not being spent in one year; it is being paid out over a five-year period.
• The school division is legally required to have a technology plan.
• The current CCPS plan incorporates (1) the integration of technology in a manner that allows for appropriate use to ensure that meaningful learning takes place for each student; (2) professional development as a critical element for student success as it directly affects what teachers know and are able to do; (3) connectivity of infrastructure, hardware, and software that serve as the backbone of the system that allows integration to occur; (4) evaluation of the technology system for effectiveness.
• The proposed technology plan serves as a vehicle to empower all learners to execute the instructional objectives of the school division as defined by the curriculum and the Design for Excellence strategic plan. It is not one department’s plan but a collective initiative to be incorporated into every school’s actions for school improvement. The technology plan sets levels of expectation not only for equipment and infrastructure but also for student learning, instructional delivery and school leadership.
  
  

At this time, there is no proposal to reduce salaries for any school division employee. This question is in reference to recent media reports that discussed a 2-percent decrease in pay. This reference came from a slide in a county presentation that reflected potential solutions for closing a $60 million county-schools budget gap projected for 2011. The presentation being referenced is available online at http://chesterfield.k12.va.us/CCPS/operations/budget/FY2011BudgetPrimer.pdf. You will see on slide 23 that this is “an illustration of equivalent funding, not a staff recommendation.”

The Superintendent and School Board understand and strongly value the vital role our teachers play. The school division’s SOL pass rates would not be at all-time highs were it not for the knowledgeable and competent workforce we have (i.e. teachers, administrators, curriculum specialists). The School Board’s commitment to teachers is evident in its recently completed compensation-improvement plan that has allowed our teachers to lead the market average (among surrounding school divisions) in the vast majority of cases.