ResourcesEnd of Year Message from the APS Superintendent
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APS Teammates:
It was amazing to be at the Ritchie Center last week watching more than 2,300 APS graduates accept their diplomas. These celebrations were possible thanks to the dedication of every APS staff member.
With more than $7 million in scholarships, many of our graduates are living the APS vision. I am confident that our graduates will continue to contribute to our community and exemplify the APS mission.
It has been a great year, and I want to thank you for your commitment to students. I am continually impressed by the caring and highly qualified staff throughout our district.
Although we continue to budget conservatively because additional state cuts are coming, we have been able to weather the financial crisis facing our country to a fair degree. A key factor was our wise management of the budget last year (0% general salary increase and the $10 million cut) and the more than 1,000 new students who came to APS this year due to your hard work promoting our schools and educational choices. It is also due to the tremendous effort by staff, our Board of Education, parents, ACES and community members who supported our bond and mill levy measures last November.
I am extremely grateful to our voters because their support allowed us to reward staff with a general salary increase in January. Because of the collaboration between the Aurora Education Association and the APS bargaining team, we are recommending to the BOE for approval tomorrow night an additional 2.5 percent general salary increase in July. This is in addition to fully funding steps on the salary schedule for teachers and classified employees that average 1.85 percent. Increased benefit costs have also been fully funded including 0.65 percent increases in health insurance and 0.9 percent increases in PERA contributions. All these increases add up to 5.9% and it is well deserved. I still argue that the educational transformation we have going in APS rivals anything being done in the Country and we are clearly seeing the evidence to prove it.
We have much to be proud of in APS. So, after the summer break, on Aug. 3 at 8 a.m., I invite all staff to join me in a Webinar on the State of the District. Sites will have the information needed to connect like we did last August. It will be a time of celebration.
My wife Ellen and I wish all of you a safe and happy summer–as always, please take care of yourselves and your loved ones. Thank you for all you do for our students
JB
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