January 2009

This is my favorite time of year. The schools are all settled in, students are getting down to business and we are nearing a new year. With the state of our economy some would say it is the worst and the best of times. We are beginning to see how schools across the country are using the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to close local budget gaps. However, the real impact of the stimulus funds is somewhere in the future. For many of us, despite the paperwork, these funds have provided a needed safety net for our districts as they struggle to provide needed resources to keep our schools thriving when faced with shrinking local budgets. For some ARRA funds have saved jobs that were cut and for others it has provided needed resources to create jobs and fund needed education projects.

As educators, we know that our goal must be on helping to develop the minds of our young people. We have done this for centuries and we will continue to do this regardless of the state of the economy. Title programs has provided that something extra for students who are struggling to learn to read, to do their math or to experience success in the classroom. I applaud all that our teachers and administrators are doing everyday to reach every child in every classroom.

I know how busy you are but please take a moment to check out two professional learning opportunities that are coming up soon. The NAFEPA conference 2010 will be here before you know it! The conference will be at the Omni Shoreham hotel in Washington, D.C. March 28-31 2010. Check out the NAFEPA website for more information and the registration deadline. The other opportunity is the National Title I conference in Washington D.C. January 21-24, 2010. Reauthorization and stimulus spending will be in the forefront in the months ahead. We will try to direct you to the most helpful websites and assist you with information as it relates to Virginia as much as possible. Email us your questions. Keep doing the best that you can for our children!

Dr. Ernestine Scott
President

Previous messages:
January 2009
November 2007
October 2007