Superintendent
Superintendent Dr. Patrick Russo will host meetings with Henrico families and citizens in each of the five magisterial districts to discuss the future of Henrico County Public Schools. All meetings will be held from 6:30-8pm.
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Welcome to the home stretch of the 2012-2013 school year! As the days get longer (and warmer), it’s tempting to look ahead toward the summer. But first, there are some exciting things happening at HCPS this spring.
By the time you read this, we will have made great strides toward finalizing the 2013-2014 budget proposal. HCPS had a $9.5 million budget gap to close, and we accomplished that daunting task without resorting to layoffs or increasing our pupil-teacher ratio. Reductions over the last four years have totaled nearly $70 million and we’ve experienced an almost 17 percent reduction to our total operating budget. Even with these significant reductions, every staff member has maintained his/her job, there has been minimal impact to instructional programs and our staff received a 2.4 percent salary increase in 2011-12. Quite an accomplishment despite the most difficult budget crisis in the history of HCPS!
The budget would not have been possible without the support of our stakeholders, starting with the excellent leadership of our school board. Thoughtful input and feedback have also been provided by teachers, parents and staff throughout the past year in the areas of budget development, the Excellence with Equity initiative (Closing the Achievement Gap), laptop adoption and many more.
Three years ago, HCPS embarked on a mission to upgrade our safety and security systems in all of our schools. Security cameras were added to schools, keypad entry systems were installed in most of our schools and School Resource Officers maintained a constant presence on our high and middle school campuses over the last few years. The collaboration and partnership with Henrico County’s police, judges, and sheriff’s office has made HCPS a model for other school divisions throughout the Commonwealth and the United States. In addition, we compiled an exhaustive list of potential improvements during our Safety and Security Community Forum in January in which more than 300 stakeholders provided feedback.
We look forward to a smooth and successful conclusion to the 2012-13 school year. Thanks to all of you, our special stakeholders, for giving us the opportunity and support to serve you and your children every day!
Dr. Pat Russo, Superintendent
prusso@henrico.k12.va.us
Henrico students and teachers who raised the most money for Pennies for Patients got the opportunity to "pie" Superintendent Dr. Patrick Russo
and Principal Ted Durniak at Baker Elementary. The funds benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
This year was the most successful fundraiser ever and collected more than $14,000.
