Dear Members,

On Tuesday, Dr. Taylor presented his proposed 2023-24 (FY24) budget to the School Board. His presentation Slides and corresponding documents, including proposed salary scales, may all be viewed via this link. We recommend you watch the video of his presentation (titled Stafford School Board 1/24/23) for better understanding if you were unable to view it last night. The School Board will also conduct Budget Town Halls on February 6th, 8th, 9th, and 13th. Visit the Division calendar for details.

This budget is a proposal, and must be approved by the School Board prior to being sent to the Board of Supervisors, who must then approve funding. Stay tuned for details on when and where you can empower yourself and your fellow union members by advocating with each of the Boards. We will conduct a simple survey within the next week to determine member opinion on this budget proposal. Meanwhile, please educate yourself on the proposed budget and send questions to any member of the Executive Board.

In Solidarity,

SEA Executive Board

Dear Members,

After weeks of working tirelessly, we can now provide updates on the requests made in SEA’s official response to the Convocation. Tonight, the union’s request for an in-depth analysis of the Convocation and plan to prevent recurrent factors was met. At a Special Called School Board meeting, Dr. Taylor presented an overview of the 16-page after-action report, which details the events leading up to the Convocation, what went wrong the day of, and addresses methods to prevent similar issues in the future.

At this time, SEA has the following information in response to our remaining requests:

Regarding our request that leave be forgiven for those who took it: Dr. Taylor has advised that he is working on this possibility. He should know more very soon, and we will update you when we have further information.

The after-action report addresses plans for more comprehensive accommodations for medically fragile staff on page 12, stating a next step as “Earlier identification of medical needs and encouragement of staff to self-report, so that a more robust accommodation plan can be developed.”

Regarding our request for restitution payments due to food, transportation, and medical expenses incurred, lost working ability Friday due to heat-related issues, and the resulting number of staff who self-reported working through the weekend as a result: division funds for this would be unavailable without a request for supplemental appropriation of funding from the Board of Supervisors.

On Thursday, August 25th, Dr. Taylor will hold a second Listening and Hearing session for all staff affected by the Convocation who wish to participate. This event will be in the Stafford High School auditorium at 5 p.m.

We hope this information answers remaining questions you may have had regarding the Convocation event. Our thoughts are with those educators who are still suffering from health issues. Though not achieved through the intended means, the fact remains that Stafford educators were unified by the events of August 5th. As we face inevitable challenges that every new school year brings, let us hold on to that unity. United, we will accomplish great things and create positive change.

In solidarity,

Your Executive Board