January 12, 2019
Message from the Superintendent 

Dear RPS Family,
 
Happy 2019! I hope you all had the opportunity to rest and recharge with family and friends over the break. We had the chance to spend some time with our extended family, including one set of grandparents. We're grateful that all four of our boys' grandparents are still healthy. Some highlights of the break? My father-in-law teaching our eldest son new soccer moves and my mother-in-law baking pumpkin pie with our youngest :) .
 
Five topics today:
 
1) Inspiration!
 
I simply had a blast in my school visits this week. At Munford I had the chance to participate in the morning VIDEO announcements. The anchors and crew were all students. At TJ , I spoke to two students about their capstone research projects. One was studying the Hollywood Production Code of 1930, which, among other things, banned the depiction of LGBTQ characters and relationships. Another student was exploring the intersection of Hinduism and women's reproductive health. I'd love to read both papers when they're done! At Lucille Brown , I met a young scientist who was rocking her NASA shirt. I'm telling you: the commander of the first Mars landing is sitting in an RPS classroom right now. It's on us - the adults - to make sure she gets that opportunity.





I had two other wonderful experiences this week. At my Parent Advisory Council meeting, our amazing PAC members got to work on the three projects they chose for the year: advocating for more state funding, launching our "Go Far Together" community teams, and improving our website. And during my Leadership Team retreat at The Valentine, we ran into students from Westover Hills on a field trip!



2) Board Chair and Vice-Chair
 
Please join me in congratulating Dawn Page on her re-election as School Board Chair and Liz Doerr on her election as Vice-Chair. I'm looking forward to working closely with both of them over the coming year to implement Dreams4RPS, our new strategic plan. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Sapini for his service as Vice Chair last year. His insights and perspective have been invaluable. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with him and the rest of the Board in 2019!
 
3) State Funding
 
The General Assembly is back in session and things are moving fast. Our advocacy team is working with the Richmond delegation to put forth favorable amendments. We're deeply grateful to our delegation, as they've bent over backwards to help us on some very tight timelines. Big shout-out to Delegates Adams, Bagby, Bourne, Carr, and McQuinn; and Senators Dance, McClellan, and Sturtevant. Thank you!
 
When I talk to people about state advocacy, the first question I usually get is: What exactly should we be advocating for? That's an excellent question. You can find our full legislative agenda here . Take a moment to look through it and decide on 3 items that are most compelling to you and focus on those.
 
The next question I get is: What exactly should I do? I don't really know what it means to advocate. Also an excellent question. To help, we've created an advocacy toolkit. You can download it here .
 
Last question I get: Does this really matter? Absolutely. If we all share our stories - whether we're students, families, RPS staff, or community members - I fundamentally believe we'll move the needle on public education funding in the Commonwealth. But we need everyone to pitch in. Remember, since the recession, Virginia is down 9% in education funding, but we're up 5% in student enrollment. There's one word for that: unjust.
 
To help generate public pressure on the General Assembly, I urge you to mark Monday, January 28 on your calendars for the #RedForEd march, which will begin at 11 am at Monroe Park . A few details:
  • That's a PD day so there's no school for students.
  • All staff - school and central - are welcome to participate in the march without taking a leave day.
  • Staff members who choose to participate do not need to report to their normal work sites in the morning; they can go directly to Monroe Park.
  • For staff members who need help with transportation to Monroe Park, we will have bus service from the following hubs:
    • Armstrong HS
    • Thomas Jefferson HS
    • Huguenot HS
    • George Wythe HS
    • John Marshall HS
    • Arthur Ashe Center
  • Note that the buses will depart from these hubs starting at 10 am.
  • Staff members who do not wish to participate in the march should report to their normal work sites at the normal times. Teachers and other school-based staff can use the day for self-directed professional learning.
  • We will be holding optional PD sessions for teachers from 2-4 pm that afternoon. More details about these sessions will come shortly.
  • You can get more information about the #RedForEd march here.
 
4) Restorative Justice
 
Action 3.2 of our strategic plan, Dreams4RPS, is the following: "Make 'restorative justice' practices a core pillar of the 'RPS Way' by providing long-term, meaningful training for our educators and support staff on the skills necessary to resolve conflicts, increase empathy, and reduce suspensions."
 
I'm delighted to report that we're on our way! Under the amazing leadership of Ram Bhagat, several months ago we launched restorative justice pilots at three schools: Albert Hill MS, Boushall MS, and MLK MS. The leadership teams from these schools all came together last weekend for additional training on how to conduct "restorative circles," through which students (and even staff) work through the challenges confronting them in a positive, supportive, and constructive manner.
 
I had a chance to speak briefly with everyone at the training and I'm thrilled to share that they feel this work is already making a difference in their schools. When I recently visited Albert Hill, Principal Sears shared that "In-School Suspension" is now really "Restorative Justice Circle Time," which has transformed outcomes for her students.
 
We still have a long, long way to go on this work, but I'm very excited about the progress we're making and deeply grateful to the staff at these three schools for leading the way.
 


5) State of the Schools Speech
 
I can't believe it, but February 1 will be my one-year anniversary in RPS! It's been a challenging year, no doubt, but also a very inspiring one. I continue to be deeply grateful to serve the students and families of RPS and I'm incredibly optimistic about our future.
 
To reflect on the past year, share my vision for the coming year, and celebrate our students and staff, I'll be giving a "State of the Schools" speech on Tuesday, February 5, from 6 - 7 pm, at MLK Middle School . Everyone is welcome: students, families, staff, and community members. In addition to my remarks, we'll have number of student performances. In preparing for my speech, I've been looking over my pictures from the past year. By far, this is my favorite :) .


Bonus Topic: Will we have school on Monday?
 
Based on the latest weather reports, I doubt it. I'm particularly concerned about the ice predictions. But we'll see how things develop and make the final call by 5 pm on Sunday afternoon. Thank you for your patience as we assess the impact of the storm.
 
Again, Happy 2019! It's going to be a great year at RPS!
   
With great appreciation,
 
Jason Kamras
RPS Superintendent
301 North 9th St, Richmond, VA 23219
P: 804.780.7710 | www.rvaschools.net
View on Instagram