Parent Action Committee

The joint ODC & KLMS Parent Action Committee has formed to represent the interests of the parent communities of ODC & KLMS as the School Board continues to consider options for replacing the ODC & KLMS buildings. Originally formed at ODC last year, when ODC was under consideration for closure and redistribution of the program. The Parent Action Committee is capitalizing on the momentum established last year in having positive dialog with the school board.

Here is the latest information regarding ODC and Kemps Landing building and the programs.

January 2010

The ODC and KLMS PAC received positive responses to the letter sent by e-mail individually to the members of our School Board. This letter, sent in December, was published in our January Newsletter and also sent by Room Parent e-mail to ODC parents in January. We are pleased to report that the PAC received an e-mail of support in our current dedicated programs from School Board Member Em Davis (former principal of ODC). We also received interest from four School Board Members for onsite tours and discussions.

The PAC co-chairs have hosted the following meetings in conjunction with Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Bianchi as well as KLMS Principcal Mr. Foster:

	Bill Brunke, now Vice Chairman of the School Board, on February 11th.
	School Board Chairman Dan Edwards on Monday, Feb. 15th
	School Board Member Brent Mckenzie, Tuesday Feb. 24th
	School Board Member Pat Edmonson, meeting to be held on Tuesday, March 9th

The meetings have consisted of facility tours of both ODC and KLMS as well as time for a casual conversation. Our goal has been to convey to the School Board Members that our parent community is in complete support of continuing the programs at ODC and KLMS as dedicated, full-time programs. Further, we have indicated support of the proposed replacement facility for ODC and KLMS as a joint campus. We ask that ODC and KLMS parents please take note of the feedback we received:

1. The School Board is committed to replacing ODC and KLMS as dedicated programs. At this time, there are no discussions about closure and redistribution of these programs to other existing schools. 2. However, the construction of a new facility is projected to be several years away and, given recent economic conditions and cuts to our school district's funding, the construction could be pushed further out. The last dates quoted were the 2016 time frame.

The proposal by the VB Schools' facilities department for a joint campus is viewed as the solution of choice given the cost savings of such a plan. Note - neither the location of the campus nor the total number of students in the ODC program and the KLMS program has been determined. These decision points will be discussed much closer to the projected dates for replacement.
We received guidance in the importance of the support of our parent community to this joint campus. Resistance to the current joint campus proposal will jeopardize the progress made in the replacement of either building. Note - that despite a joint campus, all ODC students will need to reapply to KLMS just as our students apply today. This will not change.

It has been a tremendous reassurance to hear directly from School Board members that they view ODC and KLMS as an important part of the continuation of gifted services in Virginia Beach. As a parent community, we want to continue to voice support for the proposed plans for ODC and KLMS. The benefits of a joint campus greatly outweigh any concerns our parent community may have. Our ongoing support of these plans ensures a positive outcome for ODC and KLMS.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any of the PAC Co-Chairs - Jill Campbell, Jen Smith, Mary Rumble or Amy Howard. If you would like to be more involved in the PAC, let us know.

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009,

The Old Donation Center and Kemps Landing Magnet Schools were again represented at last night's school board meeting. Mary Rumble delivered a message that thanked the School Board for moving forward in the process to replace ODC and Kemps. She stated that the PAC is in support of the joint campus as this is a fiscally sound proposal for the future of our programs. Hugh Green from the Gifted Advisory Committee presented a similar message. The plan for the combined schools was presented during the Information section of the agenda. This was one more step in the process to have the new building included in the Capital Improvement Plan. The Parent Action Committee will continue to represent our position to the School Board and we will keep you informed of future School Board action.

Tuesday, November 4th, 2009,

A Virginia Beach School Board meeting was held. Several members of the Parent Action Committees from both schools attended this meeting. Jennifer Smith, PTA President at ODC, and Amy Howard, PTA President at Kemps Landing, spoke before the board. They thanked the board for the wonderful gifted program as it is currently presented and asked the board to maintain the dedicated gifted schools. During the workshop session, Tony Arnold presented a plan to replace the Kemps Landing and ODC buildings with a joint campus. This plan calls for the enrollment numbers and the application process at each school to remain the same. A combined campus is recommended as it would reduce building, maintenance, and transportation costs. Mr. Arnold asked that this plan be included in the 2010-2016 Capital Improvement Plan. The board agreed to move this item to the next stage in the approval process. It will be presented as an Information item at the next school board meeting. This does not mean that the plan is approved. It just means that it has moved forward in the approval process. We are pleased with this positive progress. The Parent Action Committee will again be represented at the next school board meeting. Meetings will be held to plan our future actions. Please watch for an additional e-mail.