Dear LCS community,
We have some highlights to share with you from our Tuesday, October 5, 2021 Lynchburg City School Board Meeting.
Student Representatives Jaiden Scott (E. C. Glass) and Eujine Kim (Heritage) gave updates on school events, athletics, student schedules, school programs, and student clubs.
Director Allison Jordan presented the student achievement results for students who attended the 2021 LCS Power Scholars Summer program. The 2021 Power Scholars Summer program served 727 students in grades PK-5. 607 scholars took both the pre-and post-assessments in the program. Students attended 19 days of programming (with the exception of Bass). The average daily attendance was 80% which met the target goal. The program goal was to meet at least one month of gains in reading and math for every student. On average, LCS students grew 3 months in reading and math, which is exceptional growth for this program! Students received 57 hours of core instruction. Staff members participated in 6 hours of professional development and adapted to different curriculum materials that were chosen to mitigate the spread of COVID. While only 12% of families responded to the family survey, 97% of the families found the program welcoming. While both digital and paper copies of the survey were sent home, the response rate was low. LCS did not meet the 50% survey completion goal for family involvement.
As part of the LCS community update, Deputy Superintendent Amy Pugh and Director LaTonya Brown provided an overview of the Virginia School Screening Testing for Assurance (ViSSTA) program. Through the ViSSTA program, there will be a random screening of students and staff to identify asymptomatic and presymptomatic cases of COVID-19 with the aim of catching cases early and stopping further transmission. This is a new program, and more information about it will be shared. LCS will continue to practice the current COVID-19 mitigation strategy.
Director Ethel Reeves shared that it is vital to hear from the community. Community Conversations are planned for late October and November. Each conversation will focus on a particular topic. Specific dates, locations, and topics will be forthcoming.
Senior Director Steve Gatzke provided transportation updates. Director Hope Custer was introduced, and she looks forward to leading the department. The department has also hired new bus drivers and aides, and will provide commercial driver’s license (CDL) training for LCS staff members interested in driving buses.
The 2022 health insurance premiums plan presented by Chief Financial Officer Kim Lukanich called for an approval of a seven percent (7%) increase that would go into effect at the beginning of the new year. After discussion, the board voted and was not in favor of the seven percent increase. The health insurance premiums will remain the same as the 2021 plan year.
See more about the discussions, actions, and information by viewing the 10-05-2021 School Board Meeting on the LCS YouTube channel, and view the updated documents on the 10-05-2021 Agenda.
The October School Board Work Session is scheduled for Tuesday, October 19th, at 5:00 p.m. The next School Board Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 3rd, at 5:00 p.m. in the Board Room of the School Administration Building.
Thank you for supporting our LCS mission: Every Child, By Name and By Need, to Graduation!