Sarah Duncan Hinds, Portsmouth School Board Member

10/08/2020

As early voting continues, please consider me as one of your votes for School Board. As an 18 year educator, I will be able to speak on behalf of students and staff through the eyes of an educator. I have fought since 2014 to expand our CTE courses, have supported raises for staff, and have been a part of a team that has almost doubled our number of fully accredited schools. If re-elected, I will be the only public educator on the School Board. A vote for Sarah is a vote to work towards full accreditation, a more robust career and technical program, and fair compensation for our teachers and staff.

10/04/2020

Sarah Duncan Hinds, Portsmouth School Board Member's cover photo

09/18/2020

Today starts early voting at City Hall. I ask that you choose me as one of your 5 choices for School Board. I appreciate your support.

05/27/2020

Portsmouth schools will give teachers and other employees 2% raises, despite the pandemic

Proud to be a part of a board that keeps staff raises a PRIORITY! Thank you to the administration for keeping this a part of the 2020-21 Budget!

https://www.pilotonline.com/news/education/vp-nw-portsmouth-school-budget-20200522-66dfad77p5ahjezwczhlunetoi-story.html?outputType=amp&fbclid=IwAR1uYOHcMPkezpw1LJvy_0oqbZkbueKiwgM3gJaRPGCG3PhU5oiUlMeahik

The move comes as other cities have put planned raises on hold.

05/21/2020

What are your thoughts about this? This, to me, is overwhelming and almost impossible! However, it’s things like this that have to be taken into account as we move forward with schools, and this is just one recommended guideline. Now I know things change, and hopefully this list is one of them, but please share with me your concerns and issues about opening of schools or keeping schools closed.

05/02/2019

Due to widespread power outages throughout the division, Portsmouth Public Schools will operate on a two hour delay today, May 2.

04/23/2019

Thank you city council for looking for other ways to make funding available to the schools. I look forward to a passing vote on May 14.

02/07/2019

Mark your Calendar!
CTE Signing Day, Wednesday June 5 @ 6pm. Little Theatre Wilson High School.

09/11/2018

Due to Hurricane Florence, Portsmouth Public Schools are closed Tuesday Sept 11 until further notice. Only 12 month employees not in Flood Zone A will report. Teachers and students are not reporting.

08/13/2018

It’s a blessing and a curse! Hope you have been able to enjoy some sun, avoided some rain🌂 and most importantly, had some fun! School board takes July off, and we had retreat last weekend, schools are progressing, all construction work is scheduled and on track, to be completed before school, and anything that runs over should be completed in night shifts as to not disrupt the learning environment.

Accreditation has changed goals again, I’ll make another post on that soon. The 2 big differences in the new accreditation status is social studies does not count in accreditation status and so does attendance! Big change there. This year all schools will be accredited (projected) some fully, some conditionally.

Check your schools website for supply lifts, and plan on most of the back to school open houses being Thursday or Friday before Opening Tuesday.

06/29/2018

Sarah Duncan Hinds, Portsmouth School Board Member

Sarah Duncan Hinds, Portsmouth School Board Member

Sweet Summertime is here! I hope everyone's summer has started wonderfully!

I wanted to take an opportunity say thank you to those staff members who have decided to move on from Portsmouth Public Schools, many of you are my friends, my former colleagues and my mentors. I can not thank you enough for the effort, time, commitment and leadership you have given to PPS over your years of service. I will miss smiling at your name being talked about by other parents, I will think about you always when your school (or schools) come up in discussion, and I will miss seeing your face when I walk into your former buildings. Please note, that your legacy doesn't leave, it stays, and your actions, relationships and smiles have made differences for more than you can imagine.

I was fortunate to have worked with many of you, I know your caliber and I am thankful that I was affected by you. I know you are going to continue to work hard for new students, new divisions and new endeavors in your life.

Thank you for your time, thank you for your talents and thank you for your love, of students and of PPS. Best of luck in the future.

To those that are still here, thank you for your time, your service, your talents and your leadership!

To those that are being hired as I write this, welcome aboard! Everyone has a role (or two) to play! We are all in this together, we all have valued roles to play and I look forward to benefitting from your experiences, your relationships and your hard work, and I look forward to learning and leading with you!

Happy Summer everyone!

06/29/2018

Sweet Summertime is here! I hope everyone's summer has started wonderfully!

I wanted to take an opportunity say thank you to those staff members who have decided to move on from Portsmouth Public Schools, many of you are my friends, my former colleagues and my mentors. I can not thank you enough for the effort, time, commitment and leadership you have given to PPS over your years of service. I will miss smiling at your name being talked about by other parents, I will think about you always when your school (or schools) come up in discussion, and I will miss seeing your face when I walk into your former buildings. Please note, that your legacy doesn't leave, it stays, and your actions, relationships and smiles have made differences for more than you can imagine.

I was fortunate to have worked with many of you, I know your caliber and I am thankful that I was affected by you. I know you are going to continue to work hard for new students, new divisions and new endeavors in your life.

Thank you for your time, thank you for your talents and thank you for your love, of students and of PPS. Best of luck in the future.

To those that are still here, thank you for your time, your service, your talents and your leadership!

To those that are being hired as I write this, welcome aboard! Everyone has a role (or two) to play! We are all in this together, we all have valued roles to play and I look forward to benefitting from your experiences, your relationships and your hard work, and I look forward to learning and leading with you!

Happy Summer everyone!

06/17/2018

Thank you everyone for another year! To our teachers, administration, bus drivers, food service workers, office staffs, school nurses, crossing guards and anyone else I missed. Today we spent celebrating graduations of those that we have served and who are moving on to change the world. Tonight I want to say thank you to everyone who helped get them across this finish line! Please get some rest, relaxation and rejuvenation this summer.

06/15/2018

Portsmouth Public Schools

Portsmouth Public Schools

On Saturday, watch all Portsmouth graduation ceremonies LIVE here: www.ppsk12.us/graduation

02/14/2018

pps.k12.va.us

After taking some time to review the Superintendent's Statement of Needs, I would love to have some conversation surrounding his requests and hear from the citizens, teachers, students, and other stakeholders regarding this request. I am attaching the Statement of Needs for your review. Highlights of the budget are found on page 4 and 5. I will reserve my comments for the time being, but want to hear from you.

Important dates surrounding the budget this year:
February 22 - School Board hears from public regarding budget
Feb 26 - School Board and City Council Joint meeting
Mid to late March - General Assembly to pass state budget
March 22 - School Board adopts budget
March 26 - City Manager presents her budget to Council
May 8 - City Council adopts City and School Board budgets
May 24 - School Board finalizes budget

As always, I will strive to keep you informed during the process. I appreciate the opportunity to serve you as a representative on your School Board.

01/03/2018

Portsmouth Public Schools

School early release and closing information.

This is an important message from Portsmouth Public Schools. All schools will dismiss two-hours early today, Wednesday, Jan. 3 due to expected snowfall late this afternoon. All pre-kindergarten students who normally ride the bus will be transported home at 1:20 p.m. In addition, all after-school activities and events are canceled. Finally, all schools and administrative offices will be closed on Thursday, Jan. 4. As always, thank you for your support as we work to ensure the safety of your children.

01/02/2018

Portsmouth Public Schools

Portsmouth Public Schools

With the National Weather Service and local meteorologists forecasting the possibility of snow beginning on Wednesday evening (Jan. 3) and/or Thursday morning (Jan. 4), Portsmouth Public Schools personnel are closely monitoring the situation and are committed to communicating any necessary change in school schedules in a timely manner as possible. We will communicate in several ways. We will, of course, issue a call through our rapid telephone messaging system to all parents and employees; send an email; post information on the PPS website, Facebook and Twitter; and advise local media. We ask your patience ahead of time because weather conditions are often subject to last-minute changes which means decisions about closure, early dismissal, or later start times must be adapted to address changing situations. As a result, public announcements may take a little longer than parents and employees would like, but rest assured we are aware of your interest and will work diligently to advise you as soon as possible.

11/18/2017

Happy Saturday everyone! As we, the school board and city council move into the budget cycle (seems like we were just having these talks), please let your elected officials know what your priorities are. Having listened to the city council work session from Monday November 13, it's not going to be a great year in the budget department. While the school board to advocate for more money for teacher salaries, a Vo-Tec center, new buildings (we have 10 buildings at 50 years old or more), this can not happen without city approval and funding. The school board can not carry debt, create debt or raise our own funds for these items. Our budget is determined by the federal, state and local governing bodies, and it requires all bodies to be advocated for education. Please remember to talk about public education when you are talking with your legislators, at all times! Please feel free to let me know what your priorities are in this upcoming school year, as I am always pushing initiatives and new programs!

09/03/2017

So Thursday night's board meeting will include a discussion on the moving of graduation. I have the results from my survey (68% in favor of moving the graduation) and the results of the student/parent survey (65% in favor of moving the survey). I know several of us had lengthy discussions about this topic, and I will carry them with me to make sure they are answered and/or addressed. If there are any other comments you wish to share with me, or the rest of the board, you can contact me here, or email [email protected] or email the board clerk who will share with all members of the board @ [email protected]. I'll keep you posted as to a final decision when it's made, or when we are voting on it. Thank you to everyone who participated! Thank you for your support for our students and schools.

09/02/2017

It's the un-official end to summer, Labor Day Weekend. That means on Tuesday September 5, yellow buses will be running, crossing guards will be out, students will be on the best behavior for the first day, bus drivers will be up early to make sure the buses are fit for students, cafeteria workers will be excited and nervous to try out their recipes on a new bunch of students, administrators will be nervously awaiting the first bus to arrive, couple that with the last bus to depart.

However, educators are not the only ones that play a part in a child's life. Many people have many roles that impact children, and for those people who do, I want to say thank you. How you help and empower children usually makes our jobs easier as educators. Every one impacts a child, so this saying is for all of us, Every Child, Every Day. We must be mindful of our actions (or inactions) and their impact on their lives.

As a board member, I am constantly amazed at how people want to help, be a part of the greater good. It's easy to watch the news and get disheartened these days. However, all I need to do is to look around our community to see friends helping friends, encouraging one another and to give a helping hand when needed. You are setting an example for children when you do that.

I encourage you to step into a school, to volunteer to read to a child, a class, on a weekly basis, even if you don't have a child there. Use your talents and passions to empower someone else. Adopt a class and take special treats in once a month, not for any other reason other than to show you care about the kids.

For those sending your students to Portsmouth Schools, thank you for sending us your best and brightest, your love and your life. We strive every day to challenge them, to grow them and to fill them with hope, wonder, imagination and innovation, so that they can be all they can be when their time comes!

I wish everyone a safe and restful Labor Day Weekend! Get an extra wink of sleep! Have one to many hot dogs at the cookout, and have confidence in the school division to do our best with your best!

Best Wishes for a successful school year! ~Sarah~

05/15/2017

School Board Student Representative - Portsmouth Public Schools

The School Board is accepting applications for the student representative position.

http://pps.k12.va.us/cms/One.aspx?portalId=794578&pageId=8944266

The Board values the ideas and concerns of students. The student representative serves in an advisory capacity and receives materials in advance of each open meeting. 

01/17/2017

In split vote, Portsmouth School Board reelects chairman

I was honored at Thursday night's meeting to be nominated for Chairman(woman) of the school board. It thinking about this honor, I am grateful for those that shared their support in a split vote 5-4. In the 2 years that I have been on board, I have worked hard to ask the questions that I feel are important to ask, to bring light to some issues, and to work with everyone on board to push issues forward. I don't see the no vote as a NO, I just see it as a Not Yet :-)

At Thursday night's meeting, we were also given a "fully" funded budget, to the ask price of about an additional $9 million, that would be above what we currently get. While this is an administrative wish list, this is in no way that, we, as a board are asking city council for.

There are 2 meetings to be aware of this week (Jan 16). First is the City Council Community meeting at Churchland Library, you can go and ask questions, there's no agenda, and it really is a great time to interact and learn about what is going on in the city. Second, is a Special Called Meeting Thursday Jan 19 to continue our discussion on the additional ask for by the board. Both of these are open to the public, however, at this time, there is no speaking time allotted at the School Board Meeting.

Please share your thoughts, concerns and wishes with all your school board members, as part of the budget comes from the city, so it is your tax dollars.

http://pilotonline.com/news/local/education/public-schools/in-split-vote-portsmouth-school-board-reelects-chairman/article_29ecaba7-49c9-51c8-b701-39a85d21f64d.html

The School Board picked Claude Parent 5-4 over Sarah Duncan Hinds.

12/30/2016

Tomorrow night is the swearing in ceremony for returning CouncilWoman Psimas, Council Elect Members, Lisa Lucas-Burke and Nathan Clark, along with the ceremony for Mayor Elect, John Rowe. Please join us as we celebrate the next chapter in Portsmouth's story. 6pm, Council Chambers, 801 Crawford Street. I look forward to seeing you there!

12/03/2016

Sarah Duncan Hinds, Portsmouth School Board Member

12/03/2016

The easy part is done, running for the seat. Now the work continues. I look forward to working to move Portsmouth forwards, and doing great things for our students, staff and city!

12/03/2016

December 2, 2016

December 2, 2016

11/13/2016

I would like to thank each and every one of you for your continued support and in re-electing me to sit on the Portsmouth School Board. Without your support this would not have been possible. I'd like to thank the People for Portsmouth, PEA PAC, and the HRBC for their endorsement of my campaign, but most importantly, I'd like to thank each of you. How humbling it is that over 21,000 people voted for me to return to the School Board. Again, thank you!!

11/12/2016

Portsmouth Public Schools, 2017-2018 Budget Survey

Good Morning,
I would like to thank each and every one of you for your continued support and in re-electing me to sit on the Portsmouth School Board. Without your support this would not have been possible. I'd like to thank the People for Portsmouth, PEA PAC, and the HRBC for their endorsement of my campaign, but most importantly, I'd like to thank each of you. How humbling it is that over 21,000 people voted for me to return to the School Board. Again, thank you!!

Congratulations to the others that won: John Rowe, Elizabeth Psimas, Nathan Clark, Lisa Lucas-Burke, Ted Lamb, Costella Williams, Angelia Allen, and Klu Atkinson.

The real work is just beginning. Starting in January, we have two new Board members (Allen and Atkinson) and coupled with the incumbents (both elected this term and the previous term), we have some serious work to do to move our school division forward. Not only do we need to work together, we also need your help, input, and engagement to move towards a better school division.

We will need support in order to expand Vocational Education in our city. We need any contacts that you may have with business leaders to forge partnerships for internships for our students and will need valuable input from business leaders to help develop a VOTECH plan that not only improves our student's skills, but also meets the needs of the business community.

We will need the support of the City Council in order to work to become more efficient as a city. We will need their desire to help make a work training area for our students and to provide resources: time, energy and other resources to make this a reality.

As we move towards the budget formation process, I ask that you take a few minutes and fill out the budget survey found at the bottom of this post. Please attend the budget meetings when they are planned. Please remain engaged with us as we move towards a better future.

We must continue to move towards full accreditation. Fully accredited schools will help be the driver that helps move Portsmouth forward. I am committed to helping meet this goal!!

Again, thank you for your support, now the real work begins!!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PPSBudget2018

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