June 18th DSO Message to School Administrators
Support Operations Message – Week of June 18, 2012Good Day Principals and Assistant Principals,
| SUMMER AIR CONDITIONING SCHEDULE REMINDER |
Unfortunately a few schools may have overlooked the Support Operations Message for the week of April 16 (see below) about summer air conditioning schedules because several schools contacted Environmental & Conservation Services last week when they realized that we were serious about cutting back air conditioning this summer unless we heard from them.
“The summer period (June 11 – August 10) offers the District a great opportunity to decrease utility costs through reduced air conditioning and lighting schedules in unoccupied areas. The following schedules will apply:
- All occupied buildings will be shut off at 5:30 p.m.
- Unoccupied areas will be off by 12:00 noon.
- In order to take advantage of FPL’s special summer rate structure (District saved over $1,000,000 last year), usage will be minimized between 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
- All outdoor night lighting will be scheduled off.
- Fridays will be scheduled off.
- Schools will be scheduled off Memorial Day (May 28) and Independence Day (July 4)”
| FIRE DRILLS NEED TO BE REPORTED IN PEOPLESOFT |
| SCHOOL HOURS AND TRANSPORTATION STANDARDS |
Next week please be on the look out for the draft of the School Year 2012/2013 school hours and Transportation Standards. Don’t expect any surprises because we are not proposing any changes which have not been discussed with the principals, however, please let us know if you need us to send the information to an alternative email address if you will not have access to your District email next week. We will need a quick turnaround in order to include the information on the July 18, 2012 School Board Meeting Agenda.
| LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS GOING TO THE BOARD |
On Wednesday, June 20, 2012 the Board will consider several preliminary legislative proposals which have been recommended by the Division of Support Operations. Here is just a quick highlight of these proposals:
- Proposal I.C. Restore the local capital outlay millage authority to 1.75 mills and allow the levy of additional critical needs .25 mill without referendum.
- Proposal I.J. Restore funding for Transportation to 2007 levels.
- Proposal V.A. Allow school districts to contract for their own trash hauling rather than paying higher rates through municipal contracts.
- Proposal V.B. Apply cost of construction index similar to the District Cost Differential.
- Proposal V.C. Authorize school district to deploy school bus traffic infraction cameras to document vehicles who pass buses when the stop arms are deployed.
- Proposal V.D. Prohibit texting and non-hands-free cell phone use in school schools and on school property.
- Proposal V.E. Allow school districts to put signs on rear of buses stating: “This Bus Stops at All Railroad Crossings”.
- Proposal V.F. Require dexterity tests for school bus attendants as they may need to assist with bus evacuations.
- Proposal V.G. Provide traffic violation for unauthorized vehicles in school bus loops.
- Proposal V.H. Create a statewide “School Bus Driver Appreciation Week”.
- Proposal V.I. Create a statewide “School Facility Maintenance Worker Appreciation Week”.
- Proposal V.J. Clarify F.S. 1006.21 to allow districts to charge for non-required transportation.
| YOUR OPINIONS SOUGHT ON USE OF BIOMETRICS |
Technology can offer great advantages and certain areas, however technology can also frighten people because of the ability of some people to manipulate and misuse the data. The District has used biometrics for the past several years with Time Collection Devices (TCDs). While the technology is not perfect, and no system is, it does provide great advantages for quickly identifying people. There has been some consideration for using biometics in lieu of identification cards for students, however there is a lot of fear and misinformation circulated in the community.
| SAFETY CITATIONS INCREASE FOR 1ST TIME SINCE 2000 |
| DATES TO REMEMBER |
| When | Where | What |
| Ongoing | Click here | Ongoing – Register for the Green Classroom Professional Certificate Program – (Note: The special discount code for the SDPBC is: 2012GreenFL) |
| Thursday, June 28th | Click her for survey | Deadline for submitting responses to the Biometrics in Schools Survey |
| Saturday, June 30th | Click here for the Call for Presenters | Deadline for presenters qualify for free registration to Learn Green: Florida’s Green School Conference |
| Friday, July 13th | Click here | School and school district nominations due for 2011-2012 Florida Green School Awards |
| Tuesday, August 14th | County-wide | Primary Elections |
| Friday, October 19th | Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts Click here to register |
Learn Green: Florida’s Green School Conference |
| Tuesday, November 6th | County-wide | General Elections |
| July 10th, September 11th, September 18th, October 9th and November 13th | Click here for bulletin | Mandatory Asbestos Awareness Training for custodians. |
| Friday, February 22-24, 2013 | Palm Beach County Convention Center | 3rd Annual Green Schools National Conference |
|
HERE’S ANOTHER DSO DID YOU KNOW? On June 11th 18 summer interns started working in various DSO departments as well as Human Resources and Information Technology |
