Powhatan County Public Schools

In just one week we will be welcoming over 4,300 students back to schools throughout Powhatan County.  All students will be returning to a school that will be fully accredited under the state’s new accreditation model.  All five PCPS schools saw overall gains in Math achievement and Powhatan Middle School and Powhatan High School saw increases in English performance.  I am also proud that our students with disabilities, black students, and students from economically disadvantaged homes showed increased achievement and growth.

These standardized test scores are a baseline for student performance.  PCPS’ commitment to personalized learning demands that our teachers and students go deeper in the acquisition of knowledge and development of skills.  Our Profile of A Graduate focuses on the 5 C’s and Innovative practices that will prepare students to be passionate life-long learners.

The community will notice some positive changes for this school year.  First, we are thrilled that the Sheriff’s Department has allocated two more full-time School Resource Officers (SROs) to PCPS.  We will now have full-time SROs at Flat Rock and Pocahontas Elementary.  Thanks to Sheriff Nunnally and his staff for prioritizing student and staff safety among their many important responsibilities.  

Also in the area of school safety, we will be implementing a new curriculum for Social and Emotional Learning that will promote student wellness and positive behaviors.  In addition, we have hired a full-time behavior specialist to work with our students and teachers.  The goal of this position is to reduce negative behaviors that disrupt classroom instruction for all students.

On the facility side, we are finishing up work on an Energy Performance Contract that has allowed us to upgrade lighting and energy efficiency at all schools, install new HVAC equipment at Powhatan and Pocahontas Elementary Schools.  As a result of this partnership with Trane, PCPS was able to eliminate close to $6 million in Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) without obligating the county to any more debt.  The community will also see solar panels being installed on all of our buildings with the exception of PHS which will reduce energy costs resulting in long term savings for our community.

Finally, the Powhatan County School Board is looking for feedback from the community on a potential earlier start date to the 2020-2021 school year.  The General Assembly passed a law that gives all localities the opportunity to start up to two weeks prior to Labor Day.  There are a number of instructional and non-instructional benefits for our students to starting before Labor Day.  Please visit our website http://www.powhatan.k12.va.us  for more detailed information on this topic and to share your feedback.

Best wishes to all of our students on a successful school year.  Please contact me if you have any questions or feedback that will enable us to serve this wonderful community better.