Dear VASSP Member:
I know this is a very busy time for all of us, but I wanted to check in with you and wish you a smooth school opening and a great year ahead! It is an honor and a pleasure for me to serve as the VASSP president for 2017-2018. Together we can advance our principal profession, promote quality education, and strive to improve student achievement.
VASSP is a key public education organization and very active in public policy issues affecting middle and high schools (please see our
2017 General Assembly Wrap-up
)
. We continue to cover numerous legislative and administrative meetings throughout the year, as well as hearings and meetings associated with the State Board of Education.
As we close in on the end of 2017, the major issues that stand out are:
- STUDENT DISCIPLINE: Student discipline issues continue to make headlines and generate legislation, guidelines and lots of discussion. VASSP is working closely with other major education associations to construct proactive and thoughtful responses to potential legislation and other action expected in 2018. Our continuing goal is to preserve administrative discretion as we work to maintain a safe and educationally healthy environment in our schools.
- STATE BUDGET: Although the commonwealth appears to have rebounded somewhat from the deficit of 2017, there are more “bills” expected than there is funding available, and many politicians vying for the same pot of money. Public education can no longer count on the General Assembly to automatically rebenchmark expenses, support Standards of Quality revisions requested by the State Board of Education or provide funding for state supplements for teacher and administrator salaries – those are issues that VASSP and you must continue to fight for.
- STANDARDS OF ACCREDITATION: The State Board of Education is closing in on finalizing revisions of the Standards of Accreditation, and VASSP has been weighing in since the beginning of that process. Our board members have testified around the state in public sessions and represented you in meetings in Richmond throughout this important process. View the VASSP written response to the Board’s request for SOA revision input.
As always, please send us your comments and suggestions to
[email protected]
. Member input is essential for the success of our association. We welcome your remarks at any time!
