TO DO:

• Whatever you have planned over these next stretch of days, please allow yourself some separation from thinking of work.  We’ll be on the home stretch after break and you will have many emotional and time demands – so make sure you take care of yourself next week.

THIS AND THAT:

• Creating staffing plans are both an art and a science.  Brad has mastered both of these to produce the most accurate building plans with the information that he is given at the time (and his historical knowledge of how students numbers trend in the coming months). I want to use most of my blog type today to provide you with some updates around next year’s staffing plans that I have learned since we spoke on Monday afternoon:
  1. All of your FTE allocations are based on a 26.2/1 ratio, just like last year
  2. Unlike the elementary and high school levels, I will not be given any additional “unassigned” FTE to distribute to the middle schools.  Any/all additional FTE based on building student population projected growth has already been assigned to that building. (Both elem & HS levels were given very small amounts of “unassigned” FTE due to the fact that they need to make overall FTE reductions at both of these levels that exceed the number of “unassigned” FTE. Jay and Gary were given this FTE to make some decisions on where to soften the hardest blow.) This is a change from what I shared with you on Monday afternoon.
  3. If, at the middle school level, we grow in student population by at least 50 students (we are now projected at 4132 overall) then I will advocate that we are allocated an additional 1.0 FTE. If additional FTE is provided then we will determine how to allocate this. Likely this will look like a discussion with the schools (and myself) that have contributed to the bulk of that growth.
  4. Therefore, at this time we do not need to come to a consensus on how to allocate “unassigned” FTE – because there currently is not any “unassigned” – and our scheduled meeting on Monday, April 2 is not necessary as that was the sole purpose of meeting.
  5. If you haven’t already, you’ll be wondering soon about when you can post open positions that you’ll have. Here are the processes that need to be in place prior to any postings: a) your 2018-19 staffing plan needs to be approved by me, b) once your posting needs are clarified (via approved staffing plan) I need to then verify with Jon Lindsay and Jay that no HS position reduction needs to be transferred into an open MS position. [Each comprehensive HS will lose FTE as a result of smaller student numbers – due to our two new HS options.  Most of the hired FTE for these two new HS options will come from within our district, but this will trigger some necessary transfers based on licensure needs at our secondary schools.]
  6. This afternoon (Wednesday) you will likely receive an invitation to view your building staffing plan from JoAnne.  This should be sent to both principals and assistant principals.
  7. This year, staffing plans will be found in the “Team Drives” within Google Docs. You will find next year’s (2018-19) at the top, with this current year’s plan directly below it. (Thought you might want to have that one handy for reference.)
  8. Let me know if you have any questions (at all) regarding your staffing plan!

REMINDERS:

• In case you missed it, the two school start time choices that Shay has recommended the school board consider (after collecting input from our community in the form of surveys and meetings at each of our schools later this spring), are: 1) Keep current start times; or “flip” and “slide” to 2) Elem: 8:00 – 2:30, MS: 8:45 – 3:40, HS: 8:45 – 3:45. If a decision is made to change to option #2, then this would be implemented beginning the fall of the 2019-20 school year.
• Job Fair at the fairgrounds in Redmond from 12:0 – 6:00 on Thursday, April 5.  Thank you in advance for your time at this event.  It makes for a long day, but we have recruited and hired many teachers due to first contacts made here in this setting.
• So you probably noticed that you are receiving this week’s update a few days early.  As a reminder, I am sending you this update today because I’ll be driving to the LA-area with Christie starting Wednesday evening in order to watch our daughter at her track meet (which will actually be in San Diego) on Friday. Feel free to give me a call on my cell if you need anything!