City Schools has launched a new District Office initiative: Employee Time On (ETO). This program offers District Office staff the flexibility to dedicate up to four hours per month during traditional working hours supporting our schools directly.
For many offices, interactions with schools are not part of regular routines. ETO bridges that gap, giving staff across all offices the opportunity to gain firsthand insights into the incredible work happening in our schools and the unique challenges they face. Through ETO, we aim to:
Build connections and community between Central Office and school-based staff;
Provide meaningful insight for district office staff into school operations and perspectives in a way that complements their behind-the-scenes work;
Expand the pool of pre-screened support individuals for high-priority events and activities; and
Supply our students with additional support, resources, and adult connections.
Partners in Education (PIE) is City Schools' system for tracking partner and volunteer engagement: school-based staff post opportunities for support in the PIE portal, whether for one-time events or ongoing needs. By leveraging this existing tool for the ETO initiative, we are not reinventing the wheel, but rather driving new traffic to a resource schools already know and use.
How It Works:
1. Schools use the existing PIE portal to post their needs.
2. Staff can use Single Sign On (SSO) to log into PIE using their district credentials—no additional account is needed.
3. With the SSO integration, PIE automates supervisor approval requests and notifies school leaders when staff sign up.
4. Staff must confirm supervisor approval prior to participation. Supervisor authorization is required for each unique sign up, and there are various circumstances – whether due to employee performance or critical blackout dates – that may warrant non-approval.
Staff may volunteer up to four hours per month, choosing from ongoing opportunities (e.g. after-school club support, weekly reading buddies) or case-by-case opportunities (e.g. field trips, career days, science fairs, field days), but all activities must be strictly support-based (e.g. assisting teachers or club leads, not acting as the lead). Employees must balance their ETO commitments with work responsibilities.
ETO is live now! Visit the PIE page to explore opportunities. Be sure to select the "SSO Login" option to log in with your network credentials, review available roles, and get started. We hope you’ll take advantage of this unique chance to engage with our students and schools in meaningful ways.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please email volunteers@bcps.k12.md.us. Detailed guidelines are linked here for your reference.