Governor McAuliffe Announces Technology Award Winners

~ Improvements in service delivery, efficiency by state and local governments, universities cited ~

RICHMOND - The annual Governor’s Technology Awards were presented to honorees in nine categories at a special ceremony at the Commonwealth of Virginia Innovative Technology Symposium (COVITS) in Richmond on Sept. 9. On behalf of Governor Terry McAuliffe, Secretary of Technology Karen Jackson presented the awards to a distinguished group of Virginia government entrants, including state and local government and universities. 

“I want to congratulate the winners of these awards,” said Governor McAuliffe. “Building a new Virginia economy requires the ability to innovate and find ways to increase efficiency in government. The future is bright for the Commonwealth as these talented groups continue to use technology to make government more efficient, less expensive and more responsive to taxpayers.”

Winners were determined by a panel of government information technology (IT) experts. For 18 years, the Governor’s Technology Awards program has recognized public sector IT projects that have improved government service delivery and efficiency.

Multiple awards were presented in several categories because of the extremely close scores between projects. Executive summaries of each winner’s entries are posted on the COVITS website, http://covits.virginia.gov/winners.html, to provide inspiration and best practice examples to peers and partners.

The 2015 Virginia Governor’s Technology Awards winners, by category:

CROSS-BOUNDARY COLLABORATION ON IT INITIATIVES

·         Electronic Death Registration System

Virginia Department of Health

IT AS EFFICIENCY DRIVER – GOVERNMENT TO CITIZEN

·         Real Estate Property Report App 

Roanoke County         

·         Charlottesville Area Transit Mobile App

City of Charlottesville

IT AS EFFICIENCY DRIVER – GOVERNMENT TO BUSINESS

·         The C.A.R.E. Application

Virginia State Corporate Commission

·         Transportation Network Company Registration

Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles

·         GIS-centric Development Management System

Prince William County

·         E-GIFT

Virginia Department of Health

IT AS EFFICIENCY DRIVER – GOVERNMENT TO GOVERNMENT

·         Cloud Technology Partnership for Economic Development 

Chesterfield County

IT AS EFFICIENCY DRIVER – GOVERNMENT TO GOVERNMENT

·         BeneVets Automated Claims Application 

Virginia Department of Veterans Services

INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT

·         Fire Department Tablet Project 

City of Lynchburg

·         CAD to CAD 

York-Poquoson-Williamsburg Regional 9-1-1 Center

James City 9-1-1 Center

INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION

·         The Geospatial Semester

James Madison University

·         Frictionless High Speed Research Network

Virginia Commonwealth University

INNOVATIVE USE OF BIG DATA AND ANALYTICS

·         OneSource Data Warehouse 

Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services

·         Public Safety Operational Data Storage (PODS)

Chesterfield County

INNOVATIVE USE OF OPEN DATA

·         Open Data Portal

City of Richmond

BEST CITIZEN PORTAL

·         Citizen Portal 

City of Newport News

·         Virginia Law Portal

Division of Legislative Automated Systems

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EDA & Woodville School, Gloucester, Virginia

$200,000 Donation Made on Behalf of Gloucester Tax Payers Did you know they did that??

I recently posted an opinion calling for the abolishment of the Economic Development Authority of Gloucester County, Virginia (EDA).  In my opinion I commented about the EDA focusing the majority of its efforts on supporting the interests of a select few individuals and a few nonprofit organizations like the Gloucester Main Street Association, the Gloucester Community Foundation and the Main Street Gloucester Preservation Trust.  Another nonprofit organization that can now be added to the list is the T.C. Walker and Woodville/Rosenwald School Foundation (Woodville Foundation).  During our research we found the following information and more about the Woodville Foundation at: http://woodvillerosenwaldschool.org/foundation/

Foundation

The T.C. Walker and Woodville/Rosenwald School Foundation (the “Corporation”), as a Virginia nonstock corporation with a mission to receive, maintain and administer assets in perpetuity exclusively for charitable and educational purposes relating to the African American experience, including but not limited to the legacy of Woodville School, and Rosenwald Schools generally, and the contributions of T. C. Walker and other notable African Americans in Gloucester County, Virginia, filed Articles of Incorporation with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (the “SCC”), on May 22, 2012.

Foundation Members: 

Warren Deal, Ann Burruss, Charles Records, David Peebles, Wes Wilson, Fred Carter, John Spencer, Kay James, Dorothy Cooke, Leola Travis, Charlie Banks

Officers: 

Mr. Warren Deal, President, Ms. Ann Burruss, Vice-President, Mr. Charles Records, Secretary and Mr. David Peebles, Treasurer

Steering Committees: 

Property Steering Committee

[Dr. Wes Wilson, Mr. David Peebles]

Purpose: develop a plan, schedule, and cost to present to the foundation to 1) secure and stabilize the Woodville School and maintain it against further degradation; 2) maintain the property and grounds until it is preserved.  Implement the plan as approved.

Preservation Steering Committee

[Mr. Fred Carter, Mr. John Spencer, Mr. Charles Records]

Purpose: develop a plan, schedule, and cost to present to the foundation to 1) preserve the school and property in its 1923 form; 2) adapt/modify/improve the property so that it is accessible by the public and be made available for the purposes discussed at the retreat. Implement the plan as approved.

Education and Outreach Steering Committee

[Ms. Kay James, Dr. Leola Travis, Ms. Ann Burruss, Dr. Dorothy Cooke]

Purpose: 1) gather, compile, and preserve all history pertinent to the Woodville School specifically and the Rosenwald Schools in general; 2) create educational and interpretive material to interpret the Woodville School both pre and post preservation status; 3) create publicity, including a speaker’s list, to actively raise public awareness of the foundation and its mission; 4) identify and explore tangible uses of the building in all its stages that meet the purposes discussed at the retreat.  Implement the plan as approved.

Financial Steering Committee

[Mr. Charlie Banks, Mr. Warren Deal]

Purpose: 1) develop an operating budget; 2) develop a preservation budget; 3) develop a capital improvement budget; 4) develop a funding plan of solicitation, grants, etc to fund the respective budgets; 5) assist the board in identifying and engaging partners in all aspects of the foundation’s work.

   

Now doesn’t all of that seem so impressive?  Maybe it does, but the question the citizens of GloucesterCounty should be asking the local governing body is; what will the property and the schoolhouse do forGloucester’s economic stability and development?  Normally one would not ask such a question about a private organization that “appears” to be funded only by private donations and grants, but in this instance the question certainly needs to be asked because the tax payers of Gloucester County have already donated more than they know.

As it turns out, the property and schoolhouse the Woodville Foundation focus their attention on were purchased by the EDA in 2012.  According toGloucester County real estate assessment data;Gloucester County purchased the property and schoolhouse from David Peebles for $200,000.  The data further reveals the property and schoolhouse being assessed at only $85,000 at the time of sale. 

As a comparison we looked at the dynamics of Dr. Walter Reed’s birthplace, a historically preserved dwelling and property located on Hickory Fork Rd. in the Belroi section of Gloucester.  The private foundation that takes care of Dr. Reed’s birthplace owns the dwelling and property.  We also offer the Main Street Texaco service station as an example of a "so called" historic location that is also owned by a private foundation.  In these two instances citizens with a desire to donate too such a cause do so of their own free will.  In the instance of the Woodville Foundation $200,000 was donated for a purpose that does not promote the health, welfare and viability of the citizen funded EDA and was done so without the citizens’ knowledge and consent.  Can the tax payers in Gloucester claim their share of this donation when filing their taxes?  Probably not.  I agree with Gloucester Supervisor Phillip Bazanni; "Gloucester County needs to stay out of the real estate business."

Believe it or not, there is more to share about the EDA of Gloucester County, Virginia.  We will soon share what we have discovered about a house purchased on Greate Road at Gloucester Point and how it relates to the planning commission’s attempts to obtain the entire Waterview Subdivision and other property at Gloucester Point.

Kenneth E. Hogge, Sr.

Gloucester Point, Va.

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Governor McAuliffe Virginia’s Rise to Third in Nation on Advanced Placement Tests

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

African-American and Latino Students Narrow AP ‘Equity Gaps’

Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today that Virginia again boasts the nation’s third-highest percentage of public high school seniors qualifying for college credit on Advanced Placement (AP) examinations, according to the College Board’s 2014 AP Report to the Nation. Virginia students ranked fifth in last year’s report — despite an increase in AP achievement — after holding the number-three spot for five consecutive years.

According to the College Board, 28.3 percent of Virginia’s 2013 graduating seniors earned a grade of three or higher on at least one AP examination, compared with 27.2 percent in 2012 and 16.5 percent in 2003. Only two states — Maryland at 29.6 percent and Connecticut at 28.8 percent — had higher percentages of seniors earning qualifying scores.

Speaking about the report, Governor McAuliffe stated, “Growing and diversifying Virginia’s economy is my top priority, and that begins with a world-class education system. This report shows that Virginia is a national leader in preparing our students for college or to join the workforce in a high demand field. I am proud of the progress Virginia schools, students and teachers have made expanding advanced placement and improving scores, but we’ve still got work to do to ensure that every child has access to a world class education in a Virginia public school.”

Secretary of Education Anne Holton continued, “Every year, more of our high school students accept the challenge of these college-level courses and assessments and gain critical knowledge that will prepare them for higher education and the workforce. What this study says is that Virginia students have built a strong foundation for advanced learning and that they have teachers and principals who encourage them to reach higher.”

The 2014 AP Report to the Nation also cited Virginia’s progress in narrowing "equity gaps" for African-American and Latino students. An equity gap describes the difference between a subgroup’s participation or achievement in AP testing and the percentage of overall enrollment represented by the subgroup.

The number of African-American seniors graduating from high school having taken at least one AP examination has more than doubled in ten years. In 2013, 4,753 African-American students participated in AP testing, compared with 1,682 in 2003. During the same period, the percentage of African-American graduates earning at least one qualifying AP score rose 2.5 points, to 7.7 percent in 2013, compared with 5.2 percent in 2003.

The number of Latino Virginia graduates who took at least one AP examination has more than tripled since 2003. In 2013, 2,867 of Virginia’s Latino graduates took at least one AP test, compared with 920 of Latino graduates in 2003. During the same period, the percentage of Latino graduates earning at least one score of three or higher rose 2.6 points, to 7.8 percent, in 2013, compared with 5.2 percent in 2003.

Overall, 34,901 of Virginia’s 2013 graduates took at least one AP examination during their high school careers. Of these students, 22,426 earned at least one score of three or higher.

Virginia students may substitute AP examinations for end-of-course SOL tests in corresponding subject areas. Enrollment in AP courses is among the criteria for recognition under the Virginia Index of Performance awards program created by the Board of Education to encourage advanced learning and achievement. Virginia also promotes AP participation through the Early College Scholars initiative and the Virtual Virginia online-learning program, and uses federal grant money to subsidize test fees for low-income students.

Six Virginia school divisions were recognized by the College Board as honor roll districts for raising achievement on AP examinations while increasing access to the courses. The divisions making the College Board's 2014 AP Honor Roll are as follows:

·         Falls Church
·         Henrico County
·         King George County
·         Manassas Park
·         Montgomery County
·         Virginia Beach

The College Board also recognized the Catholic Diocese of Richmond as an honor roll district.

The most popular AP course among Virginia’s 2013 graduating seniors was US History, followed by English Language and Composition, US Government and Politics, English Literature and Composition, Psychology, World History, Calculus AB, Biology, Statistics and Environmental Science.

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WHY THE KNOCKOUT GAME WAS INEVITABLE..... AN AFRICAN AMERICAN

Knockout dies. Art by Nicola Scott. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you have preconceived thoughts of what this video may contain, let us tell you that you are probably dead wrong.  We had preconceived notions and decided to see what this guy had to say.  Were we ever in for one major surprise.  You will be too once you play this video.  Alfonzo Rachel kicks up some very serious questions and turns some information that should be well thought out.  One has to wonder when listening to this guy in this video if the knockout game may just move to Wall Street.  If it ever did, how long does anyone think the game would last?

We caught this next clip from his website and thought this too was well worth sharing.

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Black History Month, Frederick Douglass, Free Ebook

English: Portrait of Frederick Douglass as a younger man (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Frederick Douglass from Chuck Thompson

February is Black History Month and in doing our part we have an entire series of free ebooks that we will be posting on the site this month.  We are starting with Frederick Douglass.  We have several books covering Frederick Douglass' life and this is the first of two that we have.

  Now reading the ebook in the size above can be a little challenging to say the least.  Not to worry.  Hit the little icon at the far bottom right hand side of the above container and it will open to full size on your screen making for a much easier read.  To exit full screen mode, just hit the escape key on your keyboard.

  You are also free to download a copy of this book from our Slideshare site.  Some restriction apply such as you will need to log in to Slideshare with either a Facebook account or LinkedIn account or you will have to set up a free Slideshare account to get the free download.  Enjoy.

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