Coraggio Consulting
Fairfax County School Board Meeting, Thursday, February 8, 2024

Date: Thursday, February 8, 2024
Place: Fairfax County School Board, Virginia
Length: 3h 39m (video)
Official meeting video (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07U0QJ3u7rY
Official School Board page (FCPS): https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/leadership/school-board

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-11-02. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[00:00:06] This February 8th, 2024 regular meeting of the Fairfax County School Board will now come to order. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a moment of silence and a performance of the National Anthem by the Rachel Carson Bella Voce under the direction of Kristen Reddick and a performance of Lift Every Voice and Sing by the Mount Vernon Voices under the direction of Chelsea Huber.

[00:00:29] - I pledge of allegiance.

[00:08:13] - One more time for our amazing student performers. Agenda item 2.02, certification of closed meeting compliance in order to comply with section 2.2-3712d of the code of virginia it is necessary for the board to certify that since the fairfax county board convened a closed meeting on february 8th 2024 to the best of each board member's knowledge only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements and only such public

[00:08:52] business matters as were identified in the motion convening the closed meeting were heard discussed or considered by the board during the closed meeting. Do I have a motion? Mr. Moon and a second. Ms. Dixit. All those in favor? Ms. Seismarheiser, Mr. McDaniel, Mr. McElveen, Ms. Lady, Ms. St. John Cunning, Ms. Marin, Mr. Dunn, Dr. Anderson, Ms. Anderson, Ms. Dixit, Mr. Moon. That's unanimous. All right. Agenda item and myself. That's unanimous. All right.

[00:09:28] agenda item 2.03 confirmation of action taken and closed i call on dr anderson for a motion i move to grant and part the school reassignment appeal of a student who injured a staff member at school and to modify the disciplinary decision of the division superintendent as per the terms discussed in the closed meeting is there a second second miss sizemore hyzer all those in favor please raise your hand miss sizemore hyzer mr mcdaniel mr mckelveen miss lady mr dunn Dr. Anderson Ms. Anderson Ms. Dixit Mr. Moon and myself all those opposed Ms. St. John Cunning and

[00:10:05] Ms. Marin any abstentions the motion passes I call on Dr. Anderson for a motion I move to deny as moot the school reassignment appeal of a student who threatened and intimidated students and staff at school and failed to follow the directions of school staff and to confirm the disciplinary decision of the division superintendent is there a second Ms. Marin all those in favor please raise your hand. Ms. Sizemoreheiser, Mr. McDaniel, Mr. McElveen, Ms. Lady, Ms. St. John Cunning, Ms. Marin, Mr. Dunn, Dr. Anderson, Ms. Anderson, Ms. Dixit, Mr. Moon, and myself. That's unanimous.

[00:10:45] I call on Ms. Anderson for a motion. I move to deny the school reassignment appeal of a student who threatened and intimidated staff members and injured a staff member at school and to confirm the disciplinary decision of the division superintendent. Is there a second? Second. Miss Lady all those in favor please raise your hand. Miss Sizemore Heiser, Mr. McDaniel, Mr. McElveen, Miss Lady, Miss St. John Cunning, Miss Marin, Mr. Dunn, Dr. Anderson, Miss Anderson, Miss Dixit, Mr. Moon, and myself. That is unanimous.

[00:11:15] Agenda item 2.04 announcements. If you would like to review a copy of the agenda and any agenda item that is being discussed tonight that information may be found at the back of the auditorium or on the website at fcps.edu slash school board slash board docs. Tonight's meeting is being broadcast on channel 99 and live streamed on the website at fcps.edu/tv/ch99.

[00:11:38] Agenda item 2.05, Black History Month Proclamation. I call on Dr. Anderson for a proclamation. Whereas the month of February is the time that we as a nation recognize Black History Month, Black History Month has been recognized annually by every U.S. President since 1976.

[00:12:08] and whereas Negro History Week was created by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1926, a renowned scholar and journalist whom the school board renamed Woodson High School after in honor of his contributions and historic achievements. And whereas the Black History Month 2024 theme African Americans and the Arts celebrates the contributions and achievement of African American art and explores how it is infused in African, Caribbean, and Black American lived experiences.

[00:12:45] In the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary, and other forms of cultural expression, the African-American influence has been paramount. And whereas the first Africans arrived on the shores of Virginia 400 years ago bringing skills knowledge and traditions that have created lasting culture impacting our communities today and whereas black americans have resisted historic and ongoing

[00:13:20] oppression in all forms since the nation's earliest days and have contributed to the founding and development of this nation and recognize the importance of teaching this rich impactful history to all students to create an inclusive and equitable county for all country for all and whereas by resisting black people have achieved triumphs successes and progress as seen in the end of chattel slavery dismantling of jim crow segregation in the south increased political representation at all levels of government desegregation of educational institutions

[00:13:58] in the passage of the civil rights act of 1964 in the opening of the smithsonian national museum of african-american history and culture and increase the diverse representation of black experiences and media and whereas those of african descent have lived in and contributed to the development and advancement of fairfax county since its inception as evidenced by the many contributions of private citizens, businesses, and black organizations as well as the establishment of various communities and organizations that have

[00:14:35] enhanced the rich and vibrant culture of Fairfax County including the Tenor Hill Heritage Foundation which was established to preserve the rich cultural heritage of pioneering African Americans who fought racial segregation and established the nation's first rural branch of the NAACP in Northern Virginia, where Africans bought land and worked to build a positive community environment for all its citizens.

[00:15:04] And the Gum Springs community established in 1833 by West Ford, a former slave who obtained land to provide a sanctuary for free and self-emancipated Africans who built their school, homes, and their church.

[00:15:22] Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Fairfax County School Board thereby proclaims February as Black History Month and officially recognizes Black History Month in appreciation for the contributions of great Americans who have worked tirelessly and often without recognition for the advancement of Fairfax County, Virginia, and the United States.

[00:15:44] We encourage the celebration of the collective ingenuity, creativity, cultures, and traditions of Black Americans and encourage participation in educational events honoring the contributions of Black Americans. Is there a second?

[00:16:00] Second. Ms. Seizmoorheiser. Dr. Anderson, would you like to speak to your proclamation? I will. That was a lot. But I do want to share a few things. I've had the pleasure of speaking to this proclamation. This is now for the fifth time. I remember very clearly the first time I spoke to it, I sat where Mr. McDaniel is sitting.

[00:16:18] And at that time, I highlighted the contributions of Caribbean, particularly those of Haitian descent. I talked about their contributions to the culture and the fabric of this nation. Last year, fast forwarding a few, I talked about the importance of teaching accurate history to not whitewash ugly but factual events in this nation's history.

[00:16:42] I raise examples of activism as reflected in the Black Lives Matter movement, the 1619 Project, seeking to illuminate the root causes that perpetuate inequity, injustice, and discrimination. This year, I want to lean into the theme of this year's recognition, which is African American in the Arts.

[00:17:03] Starting with music, R&B, rock and roll, swing, jazz, blues were all created by black musicians. techno, house, funk, country, and disco were both direct and indirect relatives of songs that slaves brought with them over to America.

[00:17:19] Their work songs, dance tunes, and religious music would become the common language of American music, eventually influencing Americans of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. From rappers like the Shiggle Hill Gang, who laid the foundation for rappers like Eminem, and so many others in the genre.

[00:17:39] from Charles Buddy Bolden, considered to be the first person to play what would be known as jazz, who set the groundwork for so many artists that there are too many to name. Black music has and continues to give our favorite songs a depth that can only be dug in by years of seeking solace and solidarity in rhymes, lyrics, beats, and rhythms.

[00:18:01] The music of today simply would not be the same without them. In art, Norman Lewis was truly a great American artist and the only black abstract expressionist of the first generation. Horace Pippen celebrated self-taught American painter whom despite partial paralysis in his right arm from a bullet wound in World War I, started painting in order to train his injured arm, quickly gained recognition for his distinctive style depicting anti-war scenes.

[00:18:35] Faith Ringgold, a name that many of you may have heard before, is undoubtedly one of the greatest African-American artists ever. Her techniques range from traditional painting to performance and mask making. Ringgold is a deeply political artist, frequently addressing systemic racism in the history of slavery in her works.

[00:18:54] The legend of John Michael Basquiat, undoubtedly one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, who found himself at a very young age in the center of New York's Bohemian life. Basquiat's mixed abstract and graffiti and poetry and political commentary turned him into an icon of his generation.

[00:19:14] Lastly, Joshua Johnson, the son of an enslaved woman who was purchased by his father from another slave owner, came to be known as the first African American painter who made a career out of art. In the letters, I want to highlight Phyllis Wheatley who published poems on various subjects, religion and moral.

[00:19:35] Poems is the first book ever written and published by an African-American, and Wheatley was the first to achieve a global reputation as an African-American writer. Jarena Lee was the first African-American woman to write and publish a spiritual autobiography, The Life and Religious Experience.

[00:19:54] William Wells Brown published Clotel and the President's Daughter, which was the first novel written by an African-American. W.E.B. Dubois, whose work continues to this day to take up space and explore the conundrum the double consciousness through his publication of the souls of black folk a collection of essays and a work that will go on to influence numerous african-american writers and novelists his premise introduced in 1903 still serves as a platform for organizations fighting for equality and justice and closing i will return to the words that i have used in all of these four years now five to

[00:20:33] sum up my captions. I'm sorry, my comments. Black History Month is in the only time that we should be talking about the contributions of black folk. It's also not only about their contributions, but it's also about the efforts to overcome the obstacles that impact black folk from realizing the American dream. It's about naming and intentionally dismantling the structures that serve to oppress and deny. It's about practices, actions, and legislation in the hopes of developing a generation more tolerant and inclusive than the current.

[00:21:08] Happy Black History Month. Thank you, Dr. Anderson. Ms. Seitzmarheiser. Thank you. And while I don't have a lot left to say after those wonderful words from Dr. Anderson and truly wonderful words, I wanted to say a few things.

[00:21:27] First, I want to say that it's often been said that black history is American history and there could be not a more true statement than that. The story of our country and that of Fairfax County is intertwined with the stories of of black people the endless accomplishments and contributions but also unfortunately the marginalization and disfranchisement which sadly continues today during black history month and always it is critical that even as we as a school system embrace steps forward such as a recent renaming of a school building once dedicated to the memory of a segregationist instead to honor

[00:22:03] the father of black history carter g woodson that we not only invoke mr woodson's name but we live up to his legacy. Carter G. Woodson dedicated his life to raising up awareness of the history and role of Black Americans, including the most glorious and painful aspects, and encouraging every Black person to be proud of their story. And I would say every person needs to understand and be proud of the stories. We are obligated to bring these principles to life in our public schools, in our daily endeavors, in the classroom, and here in our governance and oversight as

[00:22:39] elected body. Seminal to that, whether it's the classroom, whether it's the dais, whether it's the leadership team room, whether it's your office, is the importance of teaching accurate history, as well as continuing to discuss and talk about the structures and mindsets that lead to the continued marginalization and disenfranchisement. We can only build to a better future if we understand our past and if we're clear about where we are now so we know where we need to go And we know what mistakes we need to avoid so we can build a better and more inclusive society.

[00:23:16] On a side note, I have to say I love the arts and music theme. Having a kiddo who's studying rock and roll, I love the fact that rock and roll really is a product of black music. Coming out of jazz, rhythm and blues, boogie woogie, gospel, and led by legends such as Little Richard Fats Domino and Chuck Berry.

[00:23:37] It's important to recognize where our roots are. And it's important to recognize who contributed to the roots of things that we as a society love and treasure. So I challenge everyone in the FCPS community and the community at large to commit to celebrating diversity, supporting black communities' histories, traditions, and culture, and understanding the ongoing struggle for human rights, and commit to ending racism and discrimination in our community and beyond.

[00:24:05] Black history is not just our past, it's our present, and it's part of a great future we can build together. Thank you, Ms. Sizemoreheiser. We will take the vote. All those in favor please raise your hand. Ms. Sizemore Heiser, Mr. McDaniel, Mr. McElveen, Ms. Lady, Ms. St. John Cunning, Ms. Marin, Mr. Dunn, Dr. Anderson, Ms. Anderson, Ms. Dixit, Mr. Moon, and myself. Will the clerk announce the vote?

[00:24:35] That vote is 12-0. It's unanimous. The motion passes. All right. Agenda Item 2.06, Custodians and Food and Nutrition Services Appreciation Proclamation. I call on Ms. Anderson for the proclamation. Whereas custodians are the first employees to arrive in the morning and the last employees to leave at night, and our custodians rise to the challenge each and every day to ensure schools are safe, clean, and ready to receive students.

[00:25:03] Whereas we honor FCPS's custodians, field custodians, building supervisors who are responsible for the daily care and safe operation of all facilities and buildings on a year-round basis. School facilities represent a significant investment the part of the citizens of Fairfax County and FCPS custodial employees ensure they are kept in clean and good repair.

[00:25:29] And whereas by providing clean and safe school environments, FCPS custodians have a direct impact on the educational success of our students. And whereas FCPS custodians take pride in their work and seek additional training, leading to certification as professional custodians, and whereas we recognize that helping our children fulfill their highest potential begins with access to healthy food and balanced and nutritious meals at school, studies show that these are often the most nutritious and sometimes the only meals in a student's day.

[00:26:05] They improve student health, making it easier for students to learn and erode inequity while also advancing our fight against childhood obesity and whereas Food and Nutrition Services is committed to serving the whole child and offer numerous programs to support student academic achievement within FCPS and over the lifetime and an overall lifetime of healthy eating and whereas we honor FCPS school cafeteria staff and food and nutrition professionals who make these meals possible and operate the Division's food services programs.

[00:26:44] These essential valued employees who prepare and serve school meals help nurture and nourish our children through their daily interactions and support all of our students. And whereas the hard work contributions and unending dedications of our custodians and food nutrition services employees has been an example for us all and for and for the and for that the the FCPS community is extremely grateful therefore be it resolved that the Fairfax County School Board recognizes thanks and extends its highest commendation to custodians cafeteria

[00:27:21] workers and food nutritious service or services employees whose attention to detail compassion and high standards benefit all students employees and members of the FCPS community. Thank you. Is there a second Miss St. John Cunning? Miss Anderson would you like to speak to your proclamation? I would but I'm going to keep mine short because my colleague has the coolest story that I want her to tell you. We have there are a few things so being a school leader I know fully and completely the importance of these essential staff to to the way that our

[00:27:56] schools run. At my time at our elementary school some of my very favorite people in the world were the custodians that helped make all of our events possible so I am eternally grateful for their support. We also have some of the amazing custodial and food service nutrition or food and nutrition services personnel from Luther Jackson Middle School with us tonight. The school board and staff is so grateful for the amazing job they do to ensure that the facilities here are clean and ready for our use and covering all requests that we have for school board meetings and events.

[00:28:29] And we know that they provide the same level of care for our students and staff of the Luther Jackson Middle School as well. So we are so grateful that you're with us tonight. Thank you Miss Anderson. Miss St. John Cunning would you like to speak to your second. Yes thank you so much. I am I was so excited when I was able to second this proclamation. As many of you know and I've worked in the schools for over 26 years. I come in early and I stay late and the people that are always there with me are the custodians. And I have a story that I have to tell but about when my children were at Rose Hill Elementary and there was a custodian that had been there forever

[00:29:08] and was lovingly and affectionately called Grandma Rose because she was everybody's grandma. And the day came when she would retire and everybody was really upset about it but what they did was they made grandma rose queen for the day and they had programs for her the kids saying we were all in the auditorium a mom actually made her a no kidding Queens and dress and we had a crown for her and she really was the queen of that school and it wasn't just because of her dedication to her work it was because of her dedication and love for the students everybody knew they

[00:29:44] could get a hug and a word of encouragement from grandma rose aside Aside from Grandma Rose, there was also Mr. Toon and there was also Sandy at Rose Hill. I'm going to move on to my time at Bucknell when we had an amazing kitchen manager who opened her kitchen every time, Ms. Rita, to all the events that parents wanted to have.

[00:30:05] If you don't know this, you cannot use the kitchen unless it's opened by the kitchen manager. And kitchen managers get there early and for them to stay for a late event, it's a lot and it's volunteer. And Ms. Rita was at every one of those events and she had that kitchen open and she was helping serve the kids because she really loved the kids.

[00:30:26] And finally at Mount Vernon Woods Elementary where we have Ms. Sarah, Ms. Jessica, Mr. Willie, Mr. Jose, and Ms. Annie. These are custodians that do not have to help with our monthly food distribution, but they do.

[00:30:43] They gladly bring all that food in, they give it out to the community. They are the trusted adults in the building where many students and even teachers go to for advice. They are shoulders to cry on. So aside from their commitment to ensuring that our schools are safe and clean where people can take pride in being in the space.

[00:31:04] They also are the heart of our schools and provide so much support to our students and I'm so glad that we're able to honor them. I mentioned a few names of people that I knew but I know this is multiplied throughout the entire county and I know that people have their favorite custodian or their favorite food service person or cafeteria lady and I want to thank them for all their work although a lot of times they may think it's not being noticed we see you we appreciate it and we really value you for everything you do for our students our families in our community.

[00:31:43] Thank you, Dr. Anderson. Yes, I just did not want to miss the opportunity to just lend my voice to honor the individuals that Miss Anderson and Miss St. John Cummings just talked about our custodians, our nutrition services folks, our building professionals sometimes are the unsung heroes of our building.

[00:32:04] We know when they're not there, but when they're doing their job at its most peak, we don't even notice. But they are the heartbeat of the buildings. They are the ones who allow everything to run throughout the day. And I have to say, as you've never heard this before, but as a former building administrator, they become your best friends because you keep the same hours you're there when they arrive and you leave together.

[00:32:24] And it's just a great opportunity. And I want to say thank you to those of you who are working here to help support this meeting at Luther Jackson and who have worked all day to help support our other 200 buildings. We're very grateful for your service. Thank you, Dr. Anderson. We will go for a vote.

[00:32:39] All those in favor, please raise your hand. Mr. Moon, Ms. Dixit, Ms. Anderson, Dr. Anderson, Mr. Dunn, Ms. Marin, Ms. St. John Cunning, Ms. Lady, Mr. McVean, excuse me, Mr. McDaniel, and Ms. Sizemoreheiser, and myself. Will the clerk announce the vote?

[00:32:58] The vote is 12-0. The motion carries. Thank you very much. I would like to invite students, employees, staff, and community members, yes, good applause, in support of the Black History Month proclamation to please join the board for a photo at the front of the dais.

[00:33:15] After the photo, the guests of staff will depart the dais area.

[00:33:19] I would like to invite custodians, school cafeteria and food and nutrition service employees, staff, and community members in support of the custodians and food and nutrition services appreciation proclamation to please join the board for a photo at the front of the dais.

[00:37:47] Agenda item 3.01, community participation. The next order of business is community participation. We welcome all community members who are here and those who have signed up to speak this evening. Community members can sign up to provide comments at school board regular business meetings and regular and public hearings of the school boards on the school board's website.

[00:38:07] At regular business meetings, speakers may address any school related issue except those that have been scheduled for a public hearing, such as the capital improvement program, budget, and boundaries. Comments targeting, criticizing, or attacking individual students are not permitted during public meetings. Complaints regarding school-based employees should be directed to the appropriate school principal or other school officials.

[00:38:28] Speakers should not use personally identifiable information in connection with an individual student or school-based employee. Additionally, speakers should be respectful and observe proper decorum in their statements, avoiding profanity, inappropriate gestures, shouting, and comments that run counter to the spirit and letter of the school division's non-discrimination policy, which protects students and staff from discrimination based on age, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, marital status, or disability.

[00:38:57] Speakers must limit their remarks to no more than 2 minutes, direct their comments to the school board and should remain at the podium until concluding their remarks. Additionally, only the speaker may stand at the podium. They may not be joined by others. Speaker substitutions are not permitted. A speaker may not yield their time to another individual.

[00:39:14] At the conclusion of the 2 minutes, the microphone or video will be turned off. School board members will be listening but not responding. We ask audience members to be respectful of one another. Shouting and outbursts will not be tolerated. be tolerated audience members should hold their applause until the conclusion of a speaker's remarks and remain at their seats including when video recording or taking photos we are grateful to have those of you here to come speak at us today and thank you for your cooperation madam

[00:39:40] clerk please call the first speaker student speaker one good evening my name is laura and i am i am a high school student in fairfax county public schools and i'm here on the behalf of the pride liberation project i know how lucky i am to be a student in such a county and to be given the opportunity to learn subjects from multivariate calculus to american history with an array of resources at my disposal to help me succeed however there are things that i cannot learn

[00:40:16] in the classroom things like empathy and love and the bits of life that are not found in scientific reports or in argumentative papers these are things i only find in books in the characters brought to life and their stories that mimic my own or drastically differ and it breaks my heart to hear that there are attempts to remove these stories and experiences from Fairfax County public schools. Growing up, I never had the opportunity to learn about different kinds of people and that just simply wasn't a conversation I had in my household. But it was through the people I met in books and literature that I was able to learn about different cultures and heritages that

[00:40:52] weren't my own and about the important and significant history behind other people and their heritages. And when I discovered I was queer, I felt incredibly isolated as the only queer woman Asian woman in my family and in my community and again it was through literature that featured queer people of color that I was able to find my own confidence and the strength and realization that I too had a story and that it deserved to be heard and everyone deserves to have that realization and to see a character that they can finally relate to and that they can

[00:41:27] feel comfortable and find solace in. In the first eight months of 2023 Virginia has attempted to ban 356 book titles a majority of these titles are books focusing on a queer identity or written by queer authors these are not simply just books they are resources and conduits for learning just as much as tutor.com or office hours are instead of teaching chemistry they teach students to be kind and understanding after all it taught me it was okay to be myself that is why i fight for diverse

[00:41:54] books and i hope you all do as well thank you joseph miller melinda van der plug fallon Good evening. Since my topic is student success, I will begin with a tiny yet representative list

[00:42:31] of successes from the FCPS program that employs me. A Korean grandfather improved his ability to communicate with his grandsons in an FCPS high school. A Bolivian mother joined the GED program when her daughter entered an FCPS grade school. Mongolian parents completed paperwork that helped their eight-year-old get into an FCPS level four center. A middle-aged Ethiopian gained US citizenship and became an IA for FCPS. An Afghan college grad now works for FCPS ACE as she pursues

[00:43:07] a degree in computer science. A Uyghur doctor is in Georgetown's medical school getting credentialed in order to work professionally in Fairfax County. These probably weren't the kinds of of student successes you expected to hear about.

[00:43:22] However, they provide compelling evidence of successes that advance both personal goals and FCPS's stated goal of fostering an educated and culturally rich citizenry that contributes to our economy and social systems.

[00:43:38] Among these systems, our K-12 schools clearly benefit from these kinds of successes. These hardworking students could do what they did because their English improved under the instruction of dedicated and highly qualified teachers within the FCPS ACE ESOL program.

[00:43:57] As a lead teacher who sees student results from a nationwide ESOL assessment tool, I know our teachers routinely produce measurable student gains that facilitate similar successes for hundreds of students. Supporting this kind of success is a worthy investment in the FCPS community and Fairfax County as a whole.

[00:44:18] Extending this support to include contracts our teachers would allow us to continue this valuable work on a more stable basis kelly gold good evening i'm here on behalf of the luther jackson middle school community luther jackson

[00:44:55] opened its doors 70 years ago in 1954 as the first and only high school to serve the african-american population of fairfax county after the integration of schools it has now served as a middle school it is in my opinion that the state of disrepair that the building has been allowed to fall under dishonors this history and legacy of what our school stands for.

[00:45:17] Over the last several weeks, I have brought to your attention the health and safety concerns our building and grounds pose for our students and staff. I have tried to find the one thing that will finally cause someone to realize the desperate need for renovation of our building. But the fact is, there isn't just one thing. There is a long list. Is it the mold in the classrooms that causes unsafe breathing conditions the single-paned windows with holes in them the original chemical storage lab that does not pass inspection the two small hallways that cause our students to literally step on each other to get to class the broken HVAC system that causes classroom temperatures to

[00:45:55] fluctuate by 20 degrees in a day or the fact that our school sits open and exposed in a high-traffic urban center where on any given day 50 to 100 people step or drive onto our property to use it however they would like. I could go on and on. Again and again our school gets passed up on being added to the renovation queue and you keep telling us to wait. Yes there have been a few enhancements but by and large the majority of the building has been left untouched for 70 years. We all agree that the facilities management and renovation system for FCPS is broken but we cannot wait any longer for you to

[00:46:34] fix it lest our building be crumbling down around us by the time you get around to renovating it when luther jackson opened in 1954 it was the pride of the community sadly that is no longer true and it has not been for some time i implore you to care for even just the basic needs of this

[00:46:50] building thank you david ziegler samantha phelps good evening new and returning scps school board members um i'm sam phelps i work here in the county and i wanted to draw your attention to a critical policy that has adversely affected many staff members across our division. According to regulation 5610, if an employee is absent but doesn't have

[00:47:30] leave to cover it, the salaried installment for the monthly period is prorated based on the number of working days within that month. This results in a significant discrepancy in the daily rates between months, with December and June seeing double the daily rate compared to October and May. For example, if a step one master's level 195 day teacher has to take leave without pay for five days due to illness in May, they will lose approximately $1,157.25 from their monthly pay. However, if those same five days were to fall in June, the loss would amount to $2,314.50, well over

[00:48:09] half their take home pay. However, if the daily grade was calculated by yearly salary divided by number of contract days, the teacher would lose $1,436.18 regardless of the month the leave occurred in.

[00:48:24] As illustrated above, this policy has a disproportionate impact on those without banked leave, such as new teachers, mid-year hires, employees with disabilities, and employees who have exhausted previous year's rolled leave due to the 21-day elimination period of the short-term disability policy, such as new parents since we have no parental leave policy.

[00:48:46] While the new leave donation policy is allowed for some possible relief, it places employees in the difficult position of relying on the charity of our fellow employees. Addressing this issue by revising the calculation would demonstrate a commitment to the well-being of our staff and their families and would also signify a proactive step in addressing systemic issues affecting staff retention. Thank you for your attention.

[00:49:11] Christopher Babik. David Walrod. Good evening, Chair Frisch, Dr. Reed, members of the board.

[00:49:34] Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak tonight. My name is David Walrod. I am the president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers. I'm also a special education teacher here in Fairfax County. I'm sure that most of you are already aware of this, but there is a crisis within the field of special education right now. It's not Fairfax County specific. It's something it's happening nationwide but we're feeling the effects here in Fairfax County we have a shortage of special education teachers our special education

[00:50:10] teachers provide service to our students with the highest needs they provide an essential service they provide a federally guaranteed service and right now one out of three special education teachers in Fairfax County is either a provisionally licensed teacher a teacher that's still working on a full certificate, a teacher trainee, or a long-term substitute. One out of three. Why is that? It's

[00:50:45] happening because of burnout. Again, that's not a problem just here in Fairfax County. That's a problem around the country, but we are burning our special education teachers out. And so I'm asking you, anytime that you're thinking we need special education teachers to do something else, I want you to think about the burnout that we are causing to our special education teachers and the that is being done to our students.

[00:51:15] If we wanna keep our special education teachers, we have to address teacher burnout. If we don't do that, what's gonna be the state of special education here in Fairfax County? Thank you again for your service and thank you to all of you for running for school board this year.

[00:51:37] - Kathleen Mallard. Mr. Chair, that was our last public speaker. - Thank you, Madam Clark. Agenda item 4.01, student representative matters. I call on Ms. Kareem. - Thank you, Mr. Frisch.

[00:51:53] Recognizing the proclamations tonight, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the critical role that our custodians in food and nutrition services employees play in our school system. Their dedication behind the scenes form the backbone of our schools, providing an atmosphere where students can authentically thrive.

[00:52:09] Their commitment to cleanliness and serving nutritious meals often goes unnoticed, yet it's these genuine efforts that make a significant impact. We wholeheartedly value and sincerely appreciate their dedication to supporting students, staff, and the entire FCPS community.

[00:52:25] Despite our limited daily interactions, we treasure and are profoundly thankful for their indispensable contributions they make. Our school system truly benefits from their sincere commitment. And as many of you are aware, February is Black History Month, and it is heartening to see the widespread enthusiasm among students, teachers, staff, and administrators in FCPS.

[00:52:47] in our recent seals meetings the cultural awareness committee engaged in insightful discussions covering various ways to celebrate this month we explored ideas such as countywide potlucks school showcases and social media outreach witnessing the positive outcomes of collaborative efforts i strongly encourage fcps leadership and school board members to actively participate in these meetings as they provide a valuable platform to gain insights into the perspectives of students another noteworthy proposal that emerged from our seals discussions is the creation of a school board advisory group similar to the superintendent advisory council this group would include student representatives from each high school offering a crucial channel

[00:53:25] for understanding and addressing student concerns additionally the stem committee honed in on critical topics such as cyber security and digital digital footprint awareness recognizing the increasing technological advancements shaping our future the committee is dedicated to expanding STEM education in Title I schools, and it is exciting to share that classes are already in progress at Brookfield Elementary and Glen Forest Elementary.

[00:53:51] Moving on, I recently hosted a town hall alongside Dr. Anderson, Ms. Roman, and Dr. Boyd, engaging with students from Regions 2 and 6. The diversity of voices brought forth essential concerns that demand our attention and proactive measures. One significant issue raised was the limited food options for students with dietary restrictions, such as lactose intolerant, halal, and kosher, and more.

[00:54:14] The imperative need to diversify food choices is evident as leaning on an empty stomach hinders academic performance. Properly labeling these food items is crucial, considering that not all students have resources or time to prepare their own lunches.

[00:54:30] Additionally, addressing lunch debt is paramount, and we must find effective solutions to alleviate this burden on students. According to a 2019 survey, 11.2 million children in the U.S. live in food insecure households with one in six children facing hunger. This translates to over 13 million students who rely on school meals as their primary source of nutrition.

[00:54:52] However, a 2021 School Nutrition Association report found that 75% of districts had unpaid student meal debt, meaning many students cannot afford or access the meals provided. By expanding inclusive food options and financial assistance, we can ensure every student has the nutrition they need to succeed in the classroom.

[00:55:11] Moreover, students express concerns about the prevalence of vaping on school premises. Despite commendable efforts by FCPS to explore various solutions, the issue persists. The lack of strict regulations to the student's rights and responsibilities for dealing with vaping incidents contributes to its continuation.

[00:55:28] Implementing effective vape or heat sensors is a promising option, but we must also delve and to the consequences and penalties associated with such behavior. Beyond technological solutions, investing in employee training is essential. Empowering staff to enforce consequences and support students in overcoming challenges like vaping.

[00:55:48] Recognizing high school as a pivotal phase in students' lives, preparing them for college, the workforce, and skill development is crucial. It is our responsibility as stakeholders to ensure efficient support for students meeting their needs and aspirations during the significant educational and personal growth period.

[00:56:07] Another critical matter I would like to address is school safety, which I have previously brought up emphasizing its continued importance. School safety should be a top priority serving as a foundation for a secure learning environment. Currently, FCPS mandates schools to conduct one fire drill per month and two lockdown drills per year.

[00:56:26] While commendable steps have been taken to prepare students for scenarios within the classroom we must acknowledge potential vulnerabilities during other times school shooters often familiarize themselves with school schedules raising concerns about the safety of students during lunch or while transitioning between classes it becomes essential to strategize and establish protocols for these situations with over 1,000 students in each school we bear the responsibility as stakeholders and leaders to ensure their safety it is crucial to continually reassess and enhance our school safety measures to address potential gaps and ensure the well-being of every student in Fairfax

[00:57:03] County. Thank you. Thank you very much agenda item 5.01 action item proposed financial year 2025 to 2029 Capital Improvement Program. I call on Mr.

[00:57:19] McElveen for a motion. Thank you Mr. Chair. I move that the board approved the proposed FCPS FY 2025 29 Capital Improvement Program. Is there a second? Second. Miss Lady. Mr. McElveen would you like to speak to your motion? Yes Thank you Mr. Chair. So let me begin by reading from a Fairfax County mother's remarks to this board. The physical condition of most of our schools the overcrowding the lack of modern equipment and of such simple necessities as adequate toilet facilities could not be more distressing. My child is happy at school and the other children are too because the principal has a wonderful

[00:57:59] staff of teachers. The situation is not fair to them but by devotion to duty and long hours of work they try to conquer their appalling handicaps. It is a triumph of mind over environment our public school teachers will certainly get the front seats in heaven shortly after this testimony was delivered to this board fairfax voters heeded this mother's call to pass the first school bond in the history of fairfax county with 67 of the vote the date was may 31 1950 and the bond amounted to 10.5 million dollars to support alterations to 40 existing schools as well as the construction of eight 11 additional schools including the school

[00:58:37] in which we sit now the county's first high school for African Americans so even though this testimony was offered before this board almost 70 years ago we are faced with a similar situation today yet today our challenge is far far greater in scale sagging hallways stained carpeting musty locker rooms poorly ventilated science labs restrooms reminiscent of truck stops these are highlights of a tour today through Fairfax County schools which offer a view of the dark dank underbelly of arguably the nation's best performing school district. They are the

[00:59:13] manifestation of years of failed leadership from county and state elected officials who have forced us to economize until we burst at the seams. They are symbols of the biggest crisis facing Fairfax County Public Schools since the post-World War II population boom, and many of us on this board have been sounding the alarm about this crisis for years. In spite of these conditions that our principals and teachers face in their schools and classrooms, they work miracles every day, and yes, they are still more than deserving of the front seats in heaven. But the primary difference between today and 1950 is that at that time, Fairfax County's leaders were able to muster

[00:59:48] the courage and fortitude to stand up and fight for better school facilities. In 1950, the county's population had just doubled in size over the previous three years, increasing from 40,000 to 80,000 residents. Fairfax County was holding elementary schools in boiler rooms, in partitioned auditoriums and reclaimed cafeterias. The post-war growth was only accelerating and they already had 77 temporary classrooms that hosted 2,200 students. Does that sound familiar? The school board along with Superintendent Woodson was willing to admit that they had a problem on their hands. Had

[01:00:25] Superintendent Woodson and the school board not taken that heroic step of issuing the first school bond in Fairfax County history, our school system likely would have collapsed. Over the coming two decades from 1950 to 1970, the student population grew from 17,000 students to a staggering 133,000 students. I'm done. Thank you, Mr. McElveen. Ms. Lady. The only thing I would add, I'm a product of Fairfax County Public Schools and also a veteran teacher, I mean, you know, employee that worked in buildings in disarray. So all I want

[01:01:03] to say is that, you know, the bottom line is this comes down to economics. I have great faith in our staff and the efforts that they are making to evaluate facilities and work within the amount of money that we have at our disposal um you know I could I could go on and on but I do believe that uh you know we we we will continue to do the best that we can do but we need to figure out a way to uh come up with more money and do better thank you very much I call on Dr. Anderson for an amendment

[01:01:44] Thank you. I move to amend the capital and improvement program improvement plan to add Park Lawn Elementary School to table for priority recommended boundary adjustment on page 39 of the proposed CIP with a potential scoping of fall 2024 spring 2025.

[01:02:05] This will allow staff to address the number of temporary classrooms and projected capacity deficit at the school. Second. is there a second second mr moon thank you uh dr anderson would you like to speak to your amendment yes please parkland elementary is a k-5 school a k-5 title one school located in the justice pyramid in the mason district parkland services a population of students in which 99.7 receive free or reduced meals 80 speak a primary language other than english and 66 receive esol services

[01:02:43] since the 2021-22 school year park lawn has enrolled almost 200 international students seeking refuge during the 22-23 school year alone park lawn admitted 60 of those students and this year has admitted 70 to date and we are still just in february this is not a trend in birth rates or construction which could have been predicted by facility staff i cannot stress enough the overwhelm that exists at park lawn elementary due to this rapid increase in student enrollment in the span of two and a half years including this current school year. Parkland has added 31 students to kindergarten which equals two additional

[01:03:23] classrooms, 36 students in grade 1, 48 students in grade 2, 36 in grade 3, 34 in grade 4, and 35 in grade 5. These are essentially two to three classrooms per grade level only in the past year and a half. This unpredictable scenario requires staff to closely investigate how this growth can be managed. It cannot continue as is. This is an urgent need compelling further review. Currently, Park Lawn maintains 29 trailers, and it is hard to tell how many more will be needed in the near term. Park Lawn has

[01:03:58] the unique characteristics of a high number of trailers and high utilization rates. As you've read from my communications speaking to my colleagues, Park Lawn has a projected capacity ranging from 103% to 112% in the next five years. Without the modulars, the projections range from 144% to 156% in the same amount of time.

[01:04:21] And it's really important to state that this is not an impact of the Glen Forest adjustment that was done a few years ago. At that time, park lawns enrollment was 669 at roughly 85 to 86% capacity, with the additional students from the Glen Forest Park Lawn was able to remain at 98% of all throughout the 2025 school year that was a projection there was no warning of the huge influx of students that they have seen in the past two and a half years even with the students from Glen Forest that would have put Park Lawn at a total of 865 and they are far beyond that at this point I do want to ask Ms.

[01:04:58] Zemenski, who is back there. Yeah, there you go. Thank you. You are hidden there because I know this was a concern of some, but I would like for you to speak to why is it that you are in support and actually have recommended this action take place and not just for Park Lawn. If you don't mind, Miss Lady, I'm also going to ask you to speak to Coates Elementary because I believe it's the same situation. Why not now and not waiting until a more comprehensive boundary discussion that the board is going to be embarking on soon sure and good evening to the board and i'm happy

[01:05:35] to speak more on the data sets behind coats and park lawn if you'd like me to do both at the same time i'm happy to do that starting with coats the capacity utilization for years 23 24 is sitting at 131 utilization rate that is by far and large the highest utilization rate in fcps the capacity utilization projection for school year 28 29 actually goes all the way up to a hundred and seventy two so as you can see there is a unique circumstance at coats where it by far and large has a higher utilization rates than other

[01:06:12] schools in terms of Parkland I'll just confirm what you said dr. Anderson what makes Parkland unique is the sheer volume of trailers so just kind of going over the data again the capacity is at 96 for school year 23 24 and projected to go up to 112 but that's assuming all of the modulars and trailers out there when you don't consider that it's actually a hundred and thirty four percent for school year 23 24 and goes up to 156 for school year 28 29 when you don't consider modulars because of that you know we do recommend looking at a

[01:06:51] boundary adjustment for park lawn as well I'll point out that you know we had a chance to look at closer at the modulars and trailers of the 20 there's actually 29 spaces out there collectively of that 26 are used for instruction so I just wanted to point that out and if there's other questions please let me know I do have one more I'd like to ask you which is speaking to the process it can can speak to that please sure um we're using policy 8130 or the boundary policy that began in 2018

[01:07:30] so um the superintendent and the school board at the time determined um given the significant interconnectedness of county-wide schools and programs that all boundary changes should receive complete school board input and discussion so at the time that is the process we're using HENCE THE AMENDMENT TO PUT THIS ON TABLE 4 WHICH IS POPULATED BY THE BOARD THAT YOU CAN SEE AND WE DESCRIBED THIS IN GREATER DETAIL IN THE CIP STARTING ON PAGE 37 THANK YOU I JUST ALSO WANT TO BE CLEAR THIS IS NOT AN AMENDMENT FOR A RENOVATION WE'RE NOT ASKING TO BE ADDED TO THE

[01:08:06] RENOVATION CUE AND WE ARE WORKING UNDER THE PROCESS THAT CURRENTLY EXISTS AND I HOPE THAT YOU WILL ALL BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THIS AMENDMENT REGARDING PARK LAWN THANK YOU THANK YOU DR. Anderson Mr. Moon would you like to speak to your second yeah thank you Mr. Chairman good evening everyone a few days ago Dr. Anderson extended an invitation for some of the school board members to visit Parkland and I accepted that invitation and visit the school and prior to pandemic as a school board member sitting school board member I had a number of times visited Parkland but this

[01:08:44] time i wanted to pay closer attention to uh what was described by dr anderson as a sea of trailers and modular classrooms as dr anderson pointed out there are 29 of them out of 29 25 of them are actually being used for instructional purposes parklon as you probably know only has up to fifth grade their entire fourth graders and fifth graders are taught in modulars

[01:09:21] and or trailers this is the community where with a 99% 99.7% of the students coming from a families in poverty and many most of most of parents language minority parents they don't know how to advocate for themselves if the school board too above us do not step up to advocate for themselves uh i don't know whether it will be fair to put them

[01:09:59] through such a difficult horrible condition of learning uh they have six periods for lunch starting from 1040 goes all the way to to 15 and just one more point i want to point out is that even though we say that trailers us for temporary period those trailers at parkland

[01:10:32] are more than 15 years old they don't seem to be temporary no child wants to have to learn in permanently temporary classrooms. We're going to really do something about this.

[01:10:48] Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Moon. Seeing the lights on, I will take a turn. This system is so irreparably broken. No school board member.

[01:11:06] And I appreciate the advocacy of Dr. Anderson and Miss Lady, who will have an amendment. I'm only speaking to this once for both. No school board member should have to bring a boundary consideration before this board, period. EVERY SINGLE MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT IN FAIRFAX COUNTY HAS SCHOOLS THAT ARE OVERCROWDED OR UNDER UTILIZED AND EVERY SHADE IN BETWEEN AND TELLING A GROUP OF POLITICIANS TO DECIDE

[01:11:38] HOW THOSE THINGS ARE DONE IS JUST NOT THE RIGHT WAY TO DO THIS WORK AND YOU KNOW IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING BUT I'LL SAY IT ANYWAYS YES THE KIDS AT THESE SCHOOLS NEED RELIEF THERE ARE KIDS ALL OVER THIS COUNTY THAT NEED RELIEF TOO AND I HOPE THAT THIS IS THE LAST TIME THAT OUR BOARD WILL CONSIDER A ONE-OFF BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT AS A GROUP AND THAT WE WILL FINALLY GET THIS THIS SYSTEM THE WAY THAT WE DO THIS CORRECTED SO THAT OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR FAMILIES KNOW

[01:12:15] THAT WE'RE DOING IT IN AN EQUITABLE WAY WHERE EVERYBODY BENEFITS BECAUSE IT'S BEEN DONE THOUGHTFULLY FOR EVERYONE ALL RIGHT I DID NOT SEE WHOSE LIGHT WENT ON FIRST SO I'M JUST GOING TO CALL IT LEFT TO RIGHT. MS. ANDERSON FOLLOWED BY MS. SEIZEMORE HEISER.

[01:12:35] I WANTED TO SPEAK TO THIS BECAUSE I AM GOING TO BE ABSTAINING FROM BOTH VOTES THIS EVENING AND I WANTED TO EXPLAIN WHY BEFORE WE GOT MUCH FURTHER IN THE PROCESS. WHEN THESE MOTIONS CAME FORWARD, THE FOLLOWING AMENDMENTS CAME FORWARD, I DUG INTO THE CIP AND I'M NOT GOING TO ASK WHY IT WASN'T INCLUDED ON THE LIST ON PAGE 39 TO BEGIN WITH, ALTHOUGH I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THAT EVENTUALLY BUT THERE ARE 47 SCHOOLS THAT ARE GOING TO BE OVER 100%

[01:13:09] CAPACITY BY SCHOOL YEAR 28 29 MANY OF THOSE ARE IN MY DISTRICT AS WELL AND WE AND AS THE CHAIRMAN SAID WE HAVE WE ALL HAVE SCHOOLS THAT ARE GOING TO BE IN THE SAME BOAT OR ALREADY ARE THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED AND WHILE I UNDERSTAND THIS URGENCY AND I'M EAGER TO HEAR I'M EAGER TO HEAR more about the ideas of my colleagues on how to move forward with looking at other solutions for overcrowding that will impact the entire division instead of focusing on just one.

[01:13:42] Part of that reason is that in my other world, I had an awesome conversation today with someone who is a school mobility expert because my life is weird. But she explained that research shows that school transfers are detrimental to student academic progress and performance.

[01:14:01] These impacts become more detrimental with each move, and I believe that if that we need to minimize the number of changes where we can. This is especially true for students who come from marginalized backgrounds who are already or who are already struggling academically.

[01:14:16] Therefore, in order to move forward, doing what I feel is right for the county or what I hope that this board is going to be able to tackle for the county for all of our students THAT ARE IN THESE POSITIONS I DO NOT FEEL IT'S IN THE BEST INTEREST IN THIS CASE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH JUST WORKING WITH TWO TWO INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS FOR THAT REASON THAT IS THE REASON THAT I AM ABSTAINING TONIGHT THANK YOU MS. ANDERSON MISS SIZEMORE HEISER FOLLOWED BY MR. DUNN I AM ALSO ABSTAINING TONIGHT AND SO FOR BOTH VOTES AND I APPRECIATE THE CHANCE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION

[01:14:54] ABOUT THIS AND SO I ALSO WANT TO EXPLAIN WHY FOR MANY DECADES WAY TOO MANY DECADES We've been dealing with capacity issues in a one-off based on the advocacy of individual political elected officials.

[01:15:12] Three of us who can't do it, or us previously as my at-large role, and it is not, I think, the best way and the most effective and efficient way to utilize our schools. At some point, we have to do the right thing for the long term.

[01:15:34] And at some point, we have to have, in my opinion, the ability to stop the short term to then focus on the long term. And I believe this board can have the strength of character to do that and the political will to do that because at the end of the day, what I want to do is what most benefits all of our kids in the long term.

[01:15:58] And at some point we have to say this is the time. And continuing down a path that has not worked and has left islands and other things for 30 years, has been band-aids for 30 years, is not a good way to set us up for any long-term fixes on anything.

[01:16:16] And at some point we have to stop. And so it doesn't take away from the great need of these schools and many other schools. And what I've learned in my four years on the board that the hardest decisions are where both of them are right and both of them are wrong.

[01:16:35] And both of these decisions are right. And I have to look at what I think is right long-term. So I wish we'd had more time for conversations. I know these came this week and it was difficult to kind of get to this place.

[01:16:51] It's not a place I wanna be. It feels a little bit like trying to decide whether what we're gonna do with COVID learning and there are all wrong answers they're all right answers and this feels like that same place but actions speak louder than words and if we as a board are going to commit to the difficult work of building the long-term success we have to show it not just by our words by our actions so this is my action today thank you miss Sizemore heiser mr. Dunn it's heartbreaking to listen to parents from Luther

[01:17:27] Jackson it's heartbreaking that to listen to parents from Parklon or the teacher we've received a bevy of emails this week we live in one of the richest places on the planet earth one of the richest places in all of human history so to have any schools in this condition to have even one student learning in a trailer is a travesty and certainly there's been a history of underfunding at the state and federal level I think the county has been very supportive through the years but we

[01:18:02] must do more to look at how we do construction how we do renovation how we do infrastructure because i sat in the facilities planning advisory committee the other night and i heard just off the tops of several experts heads ways we can save tens of millions of dollars and and shortened by a matter of years the construction queue which has grown just in the last four months from 37 years to 42 years that is just unacceptable and i feel a fierce urgency of now because i know

[01:18:38] the kids the communities who are most affected are those who are least able to advocate because they're too busy working two or three jobs and have kids that may be hungry in the evening on the weekends and in the summer so we need to think of them every minute of every day to make sure that we are performing our job of oversight and working in collaboration with the superintendent and her team to get these facilities fixed once and for all so every child every single

[01:19:10] child learns in a world-class safe welcoming and inclusive environment and has access to facilities that do not reflect the history of inequity in this county and in this country thank you mr done we will go to a vote uh the amendment is on the screen all those in favor please raise your hand mr mcdaniel mr mckelveen miss lady miss st john cunning miss marron mr dunn dr anderson

[01:19:42] and mr moon and myself all those opposed abstentions miss sizemore heiser miss anderson and miss dixit will the clerk read the vote announce the vote nine yeses zero noes three abstention the motion passes thank you or the amendment passes I call on miss lady for an amendment I move to amend the CIP to add coats elementary school to table four priority recommended boundary adjustments on page 39 of the proposed CIP with the potential scoping of fall spring 2024

[01:20:17] this will allow staff to address the current and projected capacity deficit student membership growth at the school and the number of temporary classrooms at the school is there a second second MR. MCDANIEL, MS. LADY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR AMENDMENT?

[01:20:32] YES, I'LL SPEAK BRIEFLY. I JUST WANT TO GIVE CONTEXT. I ALSO WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUES FOR THEIR WELL THOUGHT OUT COMMENTS AND IN PROVIDING US A REALITY CHECK AROUND WHAT WE'RE DOING. GIVEN WHAT MS. SEMANSKI SHARED ABOUT COATS being currently at 131 percent capacity and a projection in 28 29 of being 172 percent capacity and the reality that the silver line elementary school which we thought was going to be with it built within the next five years has been pushed to a 10-year time frame i felt compelled to bring

[01:21:12] this forward on behalf of my the principal the staff and the pta um again i agree as a board that these these one-off things are not the way to solve a systemic problem um because there are issues and i and i and i honor my colleagues who have situations um that aren't quite there now but could be in a year or two uh at the same level capacity as coats um but i like as i said i just feel like uh given what i see as sort of a you know um we don't see uh i'll share this number

[01:21:48] TWO IN 2019 2020 WE HAD 743 STUDENTS THIS YEAR WE HAVE 939 STUDENTS IN THE PROJECTION FOR 2029 1230 STUDENTS SO IT'S JUST MOVING AT A FAST PACE SO THANK YOU THANK YOU MISS LADY MS. JOHN CUNNING SO I WANT TO REITERATE WHAT THE CHAIR SAID AND WHAT MS. ANDERSON SAID AND WHAT MS. SIZEMORE HIZEMORE SAID I THIS IS A BIGGER PROBLEM DID I REVERSE IT I'M SORRY

[01:22:22] it is my fault and i apologize we skipped the seconding speech i was writing down the list of speakers and i'm like oh i did not call in kyle uh mr mcdaniel would you like to speak to your second question to clarify some of the motion language and then brief remarks the script that was read stated scoping of fall spring of 2024 however the language online that's being projected says scoping of fall 2024 dash slash spring of 2025. i just wanted to get to make sure that we didn't need to go back and reread it to correct that i'm getting those so we're good

[01:23:02] as long as you understand what it is you're voting on okay without objection okay the language on the screen thank you all right go ahead mr mcdaniel um so these two came up this week um i in from where i sit as an at-large member um i depend on the district reps to bring this stuff to me and that's what happened in this case and i think that both of these had a unique set of circumstances that led us here I don't want to rehash the numbers so but what I do want to say is this is a temporary patch on these two schools and I want to echo what my at-large colleague mr. moon said some of our communities and Fairfax are very

[01:23:39] good at advocating for themselves some of them are not and again at large I depend on the district members to know their schools I can't know 200 schools backwards and forwards that is not possible but the district members can and I felt like in these two cases they did their homework so I'm fine approving both of these I'm not happy that we're here though and the chairman basically said what I wanted to say and in my mind and I'm saying this for the public and I'm also saying it for everybody on this dais these two are getting inside the door and the door is closing I'm not doing this again don't even call

[01:24:16] me for a vote or a second I'm not going to support it again because we have got to get our boundary policy fix there is a sense of urgency these two situations highlight the dire need for a division-wide policy update followed by a boundary adjustment we all know we have to do it it's time to get it done it feeds into transportation it feeds into facilities academic programming and much more and the problem that I that I see while we're fixing these two tonight if we don't fix the process and fix other schools we're gonna have coats and park lawns popping

[01:24:51] UP LIKE HOT CAKES ACROSS FAIRFACS COUNTY AND I DON'T WANT TO BE IN THAT POSITION SO I'M SUPPORTING BOTH OF THESE AND I'M HAPPY TO SECOND THIS ONE THANK YOU MR. MCDANIEL MISS ST. JOHN CUNNING AND I APOLOGIZE THAT'S FINE ACTUALLY MR.

[01:25:06] MCDANIEL YOU TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH I DO AGREE WITH MR. MOON BECAUSE I DO SERVE I HAVE SERVED WITH UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES AND I KNOW THAT THEIR VOICES ARE NOT HEARD AND THESE TWO

[01:25:17] schools represent that every kid deserves to be in a building where they feel safe secure and can learn at their best our teachers deserve that too and when you're at beyond capacity it's really difficult I don't like that we're here and I will support these two because of what the urgency is I don't want these popping up in my district which some are very close to doing so I think we need to have the moral fortitude on this board and I think we have it to fix

[01:25:50] THE BIGGER PROBLEM THANK YOU MISS ST. JOHN CUNNING WE WILL GO TO A VOTE THE AMENDMENT LANGUAGE IS ON THE SCREEN ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND MR MCDANIEL MR MCCLEVEEN MS LADY MS ST. JOHN CUNNING MS MARIN MR DUNN DR. ANDERSON MR MOON AND MYSELF ALL THOSE OPPOSED ABSTENTIONS MS SEISMAR HEISER MS ANDERSON MS DIXET WILL THE CLERK READ THE VOTE IT'S 9-0-3

[01:26:25] THE MOTION CARRIES THANK YOU WE ARE BACK TO THE PRIMARY MOTION AS AMENDED THESE TWO AMENDMENTS THERE ARE NO MORE SPEAKERS MR MCCABEAN WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTINUE WHERE YOU LEFT OFF I WOULD APPRECIATE THAT THANK YOU SO WE'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT TRAILERS TONIGHT SO MY QUESTION ULTIMATELY TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO OUR COMMUNITY LEADERS IS THIS IF 77 TRAILERS HOUSING 2200

[01:27:02] students was unacceptable to Fairfax County citizens in 1950 why would a number more than ten times that amount be acceptable now today we have more than 800 trailers housing 20,000 students let that think sink in we now have more than ten times the number of trailers when we but then we did when we embarked embarked on our greatest building spree in history so if our students who go to class each day in a trailer we're a school district unto themselves they would be the 14th largest school district in the state around the size of Arlington County or the City of Richmond let me say that

[01:27:38] again the number of Fairfax County students in classes and trailers is on par with the entire school age population of Arlington County or Richmond City that is a travesty it is an embarrassment and it is unacceptable it has long been the case that our facility staff had had to sit before this board and say with a straight face and only a hint of irony that the law we are the largest trailer dealers on the East Coast our trailer situation is yet another visible and shameful manifestation of our facilities crisis the leadership and yes the outrage must start with us so while I have moved and I will be supporting the CIP tonight

[01:28:15] I humbly call on my colleagues tonight to join me in helping send a direct and unambiguous message to the residents of Fairfax County and to our funding authorities at all levels that our system is at a crossroads and on behalf of our citizens our students and our teachers we must no longer tolerate and tolerate this intolerable facilities crisis and it is up to us at this dais to find the courage and the funding to address it thanks thank you mr mckelveen seeing no other speakers we will go ahead and vote on the motion as amended all those in favor of voting for the motion on the

[01:28:52] screen please raise your hand mr mcdaniel mr mckelveen miss lady miss st john cunning miss MARIN MR. DUNN DR. ANDERSON MR. MOON AND MYSELF ALL THOSE OPPOSED ABSTENTIONS MS SEIZEMARHEISER MS. ANDERSON MS. DIXETT WILL THE CLERK ANNOUNCE THE VOTE THE VOTE FOR THE MAIN MOTION IS 903 THE MAIN MOTION CARRIES THANK YOU WE WILL MOVE ON TO

[01:29:22] SOME FOLLOW-ON MOTIONS I CALL ON MS. MARIN FOR A FOLLOW-ON MOTION I MOVE TO DIRECT THE SUPERINTENDENT TO PRESENT TO THE SCHOOL BOARD BY APRIL 25TH 2024 OPTIONS TO FUND CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT MAXIMIZE CURRENT FUNDS IDENTIFY NEW FUND SOURCES AND OBTAIN COST EFFICIENCIES RECOMMENDATIONS SHOULD INCLUDE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AND ANALYSIS ON THE USE OF SWING SPACES DURING SCHOOL RENOVATIONS TO DECREASE PROJECT TIME AND LOCAL REVENUE GENERATING OPTIONS AVAILABLE UNDER VIRGINIA LAW THOUGH NOT

[01:30:01] CURRENTLY USED IN FAIRFAX IS THERE A SECOND SECOND DR. ANDERSON MISS MARIN WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR FOLLOW ON MOTION THANK YOU THE INTENT OF THIS FOLLOW ON IS TO direct the superintendent to come back to the board with information I've been learning over the last few weeks and months especially with the addition of our fantastic new facilities director that there are things happening in the field that could be happening here perhaps but aren't but I don't know what they are and the board hasn't had a chance to learn about them so this is an opportunity to learn more for instance swing spaces are when students and staff

[01:30:40] OR MOVED OUT OF A BUILDING DURING RENOVATION AND THE BENEFIT OF THAT IS THAT RENOVATIONS COULD GO QUICKER WHICH MEANS THEY COULD ALSO COST LESS MONEY I'VE NEVER HEARD THAT BROUGHT TO THE SCHOOL BOARD AS A CONSIDERATION OF HOW WE WANT TO DO THE BUSINESS OF RENOVATING OUR SCHOOLS SO THIS IS REALLY AN ASK FOR WHAT ARE SOME BEST PRACTICES THAT THIS BOARD COULD CONSIDER AND THEN USE TO MAKE OUR DECISIONS THANK YOU THANK YOU MS. MARIN DR. ANDERSON WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR SECOND JUST VERY BRIEFLY

[01:31:08] BECAUSE I THINK MISS MARIN DID A VERY GOOD JOB OF THAT I JUST WANT TO ADD TO THIS BEFORE COMING TO FAIRFACS COUNTY I'VE NEVER BEEN A PLACE WHERE RENOVATIONS HAPPEN WITH SCHOOLS WITH KIDS IN THE BUILDING I REMEMBER WHEN MY HIGH SCHOOL WAS RENOVATED IN NEW YORK WE MOVED OUT FOR NINE MONTHS AND THEN WE CAME BACK IN AND SO I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN TERMS OF HOW THAT COULD BE A POSSIBILITY FOR US AND AGAIN WE DON'T KNOW WHAT EXISTS UNTIL WE HAVE THE CONVERSATION ABOUT OPTIONS WHICH IS WHY I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE INFORMATION THAT WE COULD PERHAPS RECEIVE FROM THIS FOLLOW ON THANK YOU VERY MUCH SEEING NO OTHER SPEAKERS, WE WILL GO FOR A VOTE ON THE FOLLOW-ON MOTION ON THE SCREEN.

[01:31:45] ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND, MS SIZEMORE HEISER, MR. MCDANIEL, MR. MCELVEEN, MS. LADY, MS. JEAN CUNNING, MS. MARIN, MR. DUNN, DR. ANDERSON, MS. ANDERSON, MS. DIXET, MR. MOON, AND MYSELF. WILL THE CLERK ANNOUNCE THE VOTE?

[01:32:00] THE VOTE IS UNIONIMOUS. THE FOLLOW-ON CARRIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I CALL ON MS. MARIN FOR A FOLLOW-ON MOTION. SUPERINTENDENT TO TRANSMIT TO THE SCHOOL BOARD BY APRIL 25TH 2024 A PLAN TO CREATE A FACILITY INFRASTRUCTURE POLICY FOR FCPS THE PLAN WILL INCLUDE SUMMARY FINDINGS FROM A REVIEW OF RELEVANT FCPS POLICIES AND CORRESPONDING REGULATIONS BEGINNING WITH THE LIST DISPLAYED ON THE SCREEN AND AS DETAILED IN THE AGENDA ITEM ON BOARD DOCS WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WHAT IS TO BE UPDATED

[01:32:35] INTEGRATED CREATED AND OR RETIRED AND A SUGGESTED DATE BY WHEN THE SUPERINTENDENT CAN PROVIDE DRAFT FACILITY INFRASTRUCTURE POLICY LANGUAGE TO THE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE TO BEGIN BOARD REVIEW. THANK YOU. MS. MARIN, IS THERE A SECOND?

[01:32:51] I SECOND IT. MS. SEISMARHEISER. MS. MARIN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? AS PART OF THE CIP, THERE IS A REFERENCE TO THE POLICIES THAT GOVERN AND DIRECT THE CIP WORK. HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL POLICIES THAT COULD BE INCLUDED AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THESE POLICIES HAVE NOT BEEN REVIEWED IN AN INTEGRATED AND TIMELY WAY.

[01:33:11] since some of these policies were last reviewed our board has taken tremendous strides to do things like incorporate our jet goals increase our get to green education programming and investments looking at solar on the schools we're talking about alternative energy sources yet our policies remain dated and don't reflect these goals that we want to achieve so a comprehensive policy review WILL OFFER THE BOARD THE OPPORTUNITY TO THEN ULTIMATELY DO THAT WORK TO UPDATE AND PUBLISH THOSE NEW POLICIES THAT WILL GUIDE THE WORK. THANK YOU. MISS SEIZEMORE HEISER WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK

[01:33:46] TO YOUR SECOND. YES. JUST BRIEFLY. I THINK MISS MARIN SUMMED IT UP WELL IN TERMS OF THE NEED FOR THE POLICY REVIEW AND I SEE AN EAGERNESS ON THIS BOARD WHICH I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT TO REALLY LOOK HOLISTICALLY AND COMPREHENSIVELY AT OUR INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS, OUR FUNDING, OUR AND REALLY GET SORT OF OUR HANDS WRAPPED AROUND THE POLICIES THAT RELATE TO INFRASTRUCTURE BUT ALSO AN overarching policy that guides our decisions regarding infrastructure our infrastructure lifeline lifespans are less than our buildings in many ways in some ways we have as mr. Dunn calls it untracked infrastructure that we need to figure out what our policies and procedures are around and I think this goes really hand-in-hand with something that mr. Dunn is bringing a little bit

[01:34:24] later so I think it's really time for us to look holistically at how are we making infrastructure decisions and how are we ensuring all of our policies that touch upon infrastructure are consistent with an overarching policy. So that's the work that this will kick off.

[01:34:41] - Thank you, Ms. Sizemore-Heiser, Mr. Dunn. - I'll be supporting this motion, but I think it's important that as we move forward, we look not just to staff, but we also look to our advisory committees in particular, the facilities planning advisory committee.

[01:35:04] They met the other night and what I heard was that they have been working diligently for years and their reports have covered every topic that we could conceivably address, but their reports tend to get flushed down the toilet without even a cursory read.

[01:35:25] So we have, I have talked on numerous occasions about the urgency of now, about the need for FCPS to break from business as usual and engage with industry because industry is waiting to engage with us.

[01:35:41] And industry is not out there in the ether, it's on FPAC. And so if we just read the reports, if we take advantage of the advisory committees that already exist, then we'll actually be able to save tens of millions of dollars and reduce our renovation queues. So I ask that, you know, as this is implemented, that it not only go to the governance committee, but it go to CPDC, it go to FPAC.

[01:36:04] And we actually involve the people who already are serving us and who are doing so year after year without compensation but aren't being listened to because if we actually do if we actually take advantage of their expertise their dedication their time we will end up with a better stronger school system and we won't have situations like we've heard about tonight at Luther Jackson.

[01:36:29] Thank you Mr. Dunn. Seeing no other speakers we will go to a vote for the following motion that is on the screen. All those in favor please raise your hand. Ms. Sizemore-Hyzer, Mr. McDaniel, Mr. McElveen, Ms. Lady, Ms. St. John Cunning, Ms. Marin, Mr. Dunn, Dr. Anderson, Ms. Anderson, Ms. Dixit, Mr. Moon and myself. Will the clerk announce the vote?

[01:36:48] That vote is unanimous. The follow-on motion is approved. Thank you very much. I call on Mr. Dunn for a motion. Thank you. I move to direct the superintendent to present to the school board more information about the following related to infrastructure requirements by May 7, 2024.

[01:37:14] First, an inventory of tracked infrastructure requirements for each school and region. And when I'm referring to tracked infrastructure, I'm referring to the CIP presentation to the board. Mr. Dunn, please just read the text as presented in the script and you can editorialize in your comments.

[01:37:34] Will do. Second, a conceptual plan to repair or replace tracked infrastructure in a cost-effective, fair, equitable, and expeditious manner. And third, a conceptual plan to establish an inventory of untracked infrastructure.

[01:37:49] Thank you. Is there a second? I second. Ms. Anderson, Mr. Dunn, would you like to speak to your motion? Yes. Thank you. So we have a great leadership team. Ms. Szymanski and her colleagues, many of whom are new, are dedicated to putting us on the right track, engaging with industry, reducing the renovation queue, or looking at it through new eyes.

[01:38:15] we have reports from outside to establish new criteria but we can't just speak about school buildings we have to think about all the components that go into it from plumbing and hvac which we all know was a serious problem during the pandemic to playground equipment to uh to water uh fountains these are all things and even whether it's painted the athletic fields whether our dugouts flood right there is a huge inequity I can speak of between the eastern and the western parts of the county and we've seen this over decades where the eastern part of the county is underfunded under

[01:38:54] resourced whereas the western part of the county tends to not always but tends to have world-class infrastructure so there's an inequity across the county but there's also an inequity among schools right and so we need to make sure that we're looking at this infrastructure and figuring out how to address it because it has a shorter lifespan much shorter lifespan than 42 years that is the current renovation queue and so this motion is intended to establish an inventory both of the tracked infrastructure reference on slides 15 to 16 of the cip uh presentation presented by miss samansky on or about uh january 8th to the school board in a public session you can find it

[01:39:34] on youtube um and also for untracked infrastructure which you know how are we going to go out and make sure that we have the data so that as we build in this renovation queue we're making informed decisions and making sure that every child has a world-class and safe learning environment we should not live in a place where children don't have uh where children have mold in their classrooms or bathrooms that are closed or destroyed right every child should be safe and welcome and included and infrastructure is usually the part that you see the most that you engage with the most

[01:40:08] AND WILL LEAD PEOPLE TO MAKE JUDGMENTS ON THE QUALITY OF A SCHOOL AND THEN WHETHER THEY SEND THEIR STUDENTS THERE. SO THIS IS A PASSION FOR ME AND I'M COMMITTED TO WORKING TIRELESSLY TO IMPROVE NOT JUST OUR BUILDINGS BUT OUR INFRASTRUCTURE AS WELL. THANK YOU MR. DUNN. MS. ANDERSON?

[01:40:25] SO THE REASON THAT I WANTED TO GO AHEAD AND SECOND THIS IS BECAUSE THAT 400 ALMOST 400 MILLION DOLLAR NUMBER IN THE CIP RELATED TO CURRENT INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS THAT ARE PAST THEIR USEFUL LIFESPAN RENOVATION IS A SCARY NUMBER, PARTICULARLY SINCE IT WOULD TAKE US A VERY LONG TIME TO FUND THAT.

[01:40:46] AND I WOULD LIKE US TO DO UNDERSTANDING THAT WE HAVE A 42-YEAR RENOVATION CYCLE RIGHT THIS SECOND. HAVING KIDDOS WAIT FOR A HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEM TO BE REPLACED UNTIL THEIR RENOVATION ISN'T GOING TO WORK.

[01:41:02] SO WE NEED TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW WE'RE TRACKING AND LEADING WITH THE INTENTION OF FIGURING OUT HOW TO FUND THOSE ITEMS AS THEY MOVE THROUGH SO THAT WAY WE CAN ENSURE THAT WE WE HAVE THOSE KIDDOS THAT ARE IN THOSE HEATED AND COLD SCHOOLS BECAUSE I I EXPERIENCED VERY MUCH LIMPING ALONG A SYSTEM UNTIL THE RENOVATION WAS SCHEDULED AT AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHERE MY KIDS WENT TO THAT END THAT'S THE REASON THAT I MOVED FORWARD WITH THIS AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE ABOUT HOW WE'RE DOING THIS NOW AND HOW WE COULD BE DOING

[01:41:38] IT IN THE FUTURE THANK YOU THANK YOU MS. ANDERSON MISS SIZEMORE HEISER THANK YOU AND I'LL BE SUPPORTING THIS AS WELL AND I JUST WANTED TO LIFT UP A COUPLE THINGS THAT ONE THING I REALLY LIKE ABOUT ALL OF THE DIFFERENT FOLLOW ONS THAT WE'RE DOING HERE AND IN THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR IS IT'S AS MR. DUNN SAID THERE'S THERE'S DIFFERENCES SIGNIFICANTLY FROM SCHOOL TO SCHOOL AND AND THE BRATIC DISTRICT SEVERAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ARE GETTING TOWARDS THAT 30 40 YEAR TIME FRAME AND I'VE YOU KNOW TOWARD A COUPLE THAT WERE THEY SHOWED ME I WENT TO LIBRARY AND IT WAS 60 DEGREES AND ANOTHER PART OF THE BUILDING WAS 80 and and I think we all have those schools right and so I think this will

[01:42:14] really put a light on those and maybe we can help build understanding the community around the real needs and why there's why that exists in terms of funding but I also think it's going to help bring light to the unique nature of many different schools the layouts the lighting the efficiency of what the infrastructure is at the time it was put in at the time it was bought but also like something I lift up a lot for Braddock district since we have two out of the three secondary schools, right?

[01:42:40] Like we need to think about the fact that we have two schools in one building in our secondary schools, right? Like we have a beautiful theater here for a middle school, but at Lake Braddock, there's one theater for middle and high school. So I think when we look at infrastructure, we gotta see how is it being used for that building and those students and those needs.

[01:42:56] And I think that'll help bring light to some of the uniqueness of the county as well. So I wanted to lift up as we're doing this work, let's really think about not just what the infrastructure is, but where it is and who's in the building using it and the needs of those students. So I look forward, thank you for bringing this forward, Mr. Dunn, thank you for the phone call and really thoughtful explanation and answering my questions.

[01:43:15] I really appreciated that interaction and I look forward to supporting this motion. Thank you, Ms. Sizemore-Heiser. Seeing no other speakers, we will go to a vote. The follow-on motion on the screen, all those in favor, please raise your hand. Ms. Sizemore-Heiser, Mr. McDaniel, Mr. McElveen, Ms. Lady, Ms. St. John Cunning, Ms. Marin, Mr. Dunn, Dr. Anderson, Ms. Anderson, Ms. Dixon, Mr. Moon, and myself.

[01:43:38] Will the clerk announce the vote? - The vote is 12-0, the follow-on motion carries. - All right, agenda item 5.02, action item executive expectations process. I call on Ms. Sizemore-Heiser for the motion.

[01:43:57] - Thank you, I move that the school board amend the executive expectation process found on page 14 of the strategic governance manual as detailed in the red line attachment and resume its use. - Is there a second? - I second. - Ms. Anderson, Ms. Sizemore-Heiser, would you like to speak to your motion?

[01:44:15] yes thank you i would and this is something that um that we've been working with quite a bit since we passed the strategic plan and setting up a good governance structure around the strategic plan um as and as governance chair the previous board had sent this to the governance committee to vote on by today in terms of whether we resume the process in the governance manual or not and so the um this came to governance and i appreciate my colleagues and the thoughtful conversations we had around whether we resumed the process and what that means is that we have executive expectations for our superintendent on our operational expectations essentially and how

[01:44:52] she's going to operationalize implementing the strategic plan we have a strategic plan that our community spent a whole year with hundreds of thousands of touch points community forums planning groups so that's the strategic plan is the north star it is the communities our leadership our board's collective goals for where we want our system to go The expectations are the means to those ends.

[01:45:16] We believe the previous board of this board in accountability, transparency and oversight in ensuring our executive meets those expectations. And this process leads to that. Once a year, Dr. Reed will report on each executive expectation to the board at a regular meeting in the public sphere.

[01:45:35] The board will then vote as a body because we give direction to our superintendent as a body on whether she has met our expectations or not. If she has not met our expectations, then Dr. Reed will have to come back with a corrective action plan. So there is accountability. It is not just presenting a report and we're saying, yeah, this is good or not, but she has to come back if it's not meeting our expectations.

[01:45:56] That is the most accountability I've seen since in my four years on the board, direct, clear, yearly, consistent, and I think that's really an incredible process to put in. In addition, each board member will have the option to fill out a form to give individual feedback as well that Dr. Reed can take back to her team to use in improving her work as she sees fit that form will be made available to the public so the public will be able to see what our individual feedback is as well in addition to that so these are living breathing expectations each year after we vote on the executive expectation report we will have a chance as a board to decide is the expectation as written still

[01:46:34] meeting our needs do we need to tweak it do we not so there's a yearly review built in to ensure that this is continuing to meet the needs these are still our expectations for our superintendent as we go year to year so what I love about this process is it's clear it's consistent it's public and transparent it has a clear process for accountability and fixing things if something isn't meeting standards and it gives clear board direction to the superintendent so she and her staff are clear as to what the board is looking for and so I think this process is a really great step forward in ensuring the operations are meeting the needs of implementing the ends of our

[01:47:13] COMMUNITY WHICH IS 3D PLAN SO I THANK MY GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS MS. ANDERSON MR. MOON AND MR. MCDANIEL FOR YOUR HARD WORK WE DID TAKE IT FROM GOVERNANCE TO A SCHOOL BOARD WORK SESSION I APPRECIATE THE COMMENTS OF OUR COLLEAGUES TO GET US TO THIS POINT TODAY SO I'LL STOP THERE THANK YOU THANK YOU MISS SIZEMORE HEISER MS. ANDERSON WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR SECOND JUST BRIEFLY I REALLY APPRECIATED THIS OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THIS PROCESS MORE CAREFULLY SO THAT AS WE ARE ALL LEARNING HOW EVERYTHING WORKS WITHIN THIS THE THE PROCESS THAT WE HAVE SET UP IN THIS WHOLE THING. SO I WOULD -- AND I BELIEVE STRONGLY

[01:47:50] THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT HAS BEEN CLEARLY IN SUPPORT OF ENSURING THAT SHE AND HER STAFF HAVE OUR FEEDBACK. SO I AM FULLY -- ANYTIME ANYONE ASKS ME FOR FEEDBACK AND CLEAR BOARD DIRECTION, I THINK THAT THAT IS AN EXCELLENT WAY FOR US TO GO. SO I AM FULLY IN SUPPORT OF THIS. THANK YOU, Thank you, Ms. Anderson. Mr. Moon?

[01:48:12] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm going to support this motion. When this was first brought to our Governance Committee for discussion, I did not support it as written. But at the full board work session, since then, language has improved quite a lot.

[01:48:28] It really clarified the purpose of the voting and also provided much more transparency about board members providing feedback to our superintendent. With those points in mind, I could support this. Thank you, Mr. Moon.

[01:48:46] All right, I will take my turn. And I'm going to use this as an opportunity to speak about this and the next vote that we're taking because I don't want to take two times. It takes a special kind of leader to ask for accountability.

[01:49:04] And, you know, when you've got 12 bosses, to be clear that you are asking for clear direction on a regular basis on all of the different areas that you are expected to perform well at on behalf of our kids and our families. It speaks volumes. You know, there are a lot of people who would gladly operate in an opaque accountability system where expectations are not clear and accountability is not achieved. But as Ms. Sizemoreheiser said, this provides us with an opportunity throughout the year. And you're going to see this in our meetings. We have the performance

[01:49:44] review section of our meetings we've been doing but the work is divided over 13 different expectations and soon to be limitations hopefully and we will be having detailed conversations about that work and whether we think that it is meeting the goals of our strategic plan and so i support this accountability i support clear direction from a board majority and i support having the superintendent come to us on a regular cyclical basis to discuss the progress or lack of progress that we're making as a school division on behalf of our students and I also support the next vote

[01:50:23] which is to change expectations to limitations which I see as the guardrails with which we want the superintendent to operate inside of while allowing her the freedom to go beyond that as long as she meets those limitations so that she can be creative in addressing the problems that we face as a school division um and the um opportunities we have as well i will leave it there all right seeing no other speakers we will go to a vote motion on the screen all those in favor of the motion please raise your hand miss Sizemore heiser mr mcdaniel mr mckelveen

[01:51:00] miss satan john cunning miss marron mr dunn dr anderson miss anderson miss dixit mr moon miss lady and myself will the clerk announce the vote the vote is 12-0 and the motion carries thank you very much I call on Miss Sizemore Heiser for a motion I move that the school board amend the executive expectation sorry sorry process and details found on page 1 3 5 and 14 to 31 of this treaty governance manual as detailed in the red line attachment to align it instead with executive

[01:51:34] limitations is there a second I second miss Sizemore Heiser would you like to speak to your motion yes I would thank you um this is a little more of a complicated thing and again I appreciate the conversation for my governance committee colleagues and the conversation in the work session and I just wanted to kind of explain for the public the difference we had had long conversations after we finished the strategic plan about executive expectations versus limitations and the previous governance manual when I started on the board actually had I believe 12 operational expectations written in those and these are expectations of what we expect the superintendent to do

[01:52:13] However, the strategic plan, which as they said earlier, we spent a year working with the community to build, are what we expect the superintendent and her team to do. Those are the ends. Those are the goals. There are five goals in the strategic plan.

[01:52:29] There are measures that go with each goal of the things we expect her to accomplish, so that we know the goal is accomplished. And there's pillars of things we must do well to do this work. Those are the ends of the system. Those aren't just the 12 of our ends. It's not Dr. Reed's ends. It is the community's ends.

[01:52:45] the leadership team's ends. Having said that, if we then have executive expectations in the governance manual, we then have two sets of expectations. The goals of the strategy plan and the expectations of what we expect Dr. Reed to do. Those things can be in misalignment and those things can lead to one or the other basically be put on a shelf. Instead, and this is in alignment with what many school systems do and some of the research that we read, we are changing to limitations. Executive limitations are the means to get to the ends of the strategic goal. Means and ends work in alignment together. What that means is the limitations are the things

[01:53:25] that Dr. Reed cannot fail to do, must, cannot fail to do these things. It's the swim lanes that she has to swim in to get to the end, which is strategic plan. Within those limitations, she will come each year 13 times and report on each topic, financial planning, instruction, learning environment. We are giving her swim lanes we're giving her guardrails and we're saying within those guardrails we hired you and we pay you a lot of money as our educational leader to use your knowledge experience and creativity to get to the joint ends if

[01:53:59] you have two sets of ends what are the means to get there we don't know and which ends does dr. Reed actually work towards and I say this happened before when my understanding when we had the operational expectations and I think this was said by one of my colleagues they did not have a strategic plan at time they had goals and things but they didn't have the strategic plan when the previous strategic plan was put in place in I think 2015 2016 the reporting on the operational expectations that had been in the governance manual stopped so the accountability structure for those expectations went away because we had a strategic plan that's not what we want to do here instead we will have

[01:54:38] an alignment structure that we have clear reporting on how our superintendent is getting our system to our goals our ends in the strategic plan and clear reporting to make sure she's staying within our guardrails doing it in an effective and efficient way along the way.

[01:54:57] That is a house of accountability. It's a house of accountability and when you have a strong house we have a strong school system and that is why we're changing it to limitations. Thank you Miss Sizemore Heiser. Miss Anderson would you like to speak to your second. Just briefly.

[01:55:13] I agree with everything that my colleagues has has explained in the way that it made the most sense to me is that I taught in the college classroom for 14 years and I often did the best when I was told roughly what papers I had to teach but not exactly how to get there because it gave me the opportunity to be creative about how I was going to interface with my students and that is very much I believe the same thing that we're doing here overlaid with a ton of moments of accountability. And I appreciate all of that structure that has been built into things and I

[01:55:50] trust that Dr. Reed will take all of that and create something amazing for us so. Thank you Ms. Anderson. Mr. Dunn? I'll be supporting this motion but I do have serious reservations about the potential consequences of adopting a framework of policy governance set out by John Carver which I read the book and it's frankly bupkis. I don't think there's data in support of that.

[01:56:20] I wouldn't be supporting this motion but for the incredible trust I have in Dr. Reed as a change agent and an incredible leader with the experience that our school system is direly in need of. That being said the executive expectations presentations I don't think have been what we need as a school board to be able to judge the performance either the superintendent or FCPS.

[01:56:46] I think it's essential that these reports that are used to judge both individual performance and system performance provide a before and after snapshot so we can say this is the change that's been enacted as a result of Dr. Reed and her team.

[01:57:03] This is the direction we're going. These are the trend lines. You know, in the private sector, they'll often identify, you know, threats, opportunities, opportunities for growth, opportunities for change, and have different frameworks. And in addition, they'll identify both their successes and their problems and their losses, right?

[01:57:23] Not financial, but just where they can do better, where they've missed, where they've succeeded, and why. And they'll present data as to that. And so that is my expectation for the executive expectation reports going forward. Otherwise, we'll be back here in a year trying to figure out what went wrong.

[01:57:44] Dr. Anderson? Thank you. unfortunately I will not be supporting this motion this evening for several of the reasons that mr. Dunn has shared but I really fully just first of all I do want to share the things that I agree with I agree with the with the reports as you all know this is a piece that I dig into every time we have them because I think it's the bread and butter of our work I am fully in support of having that regular accountability I don't think we need to change it to limitations to to achieve that because the cover model the limitations they do mean something else

[01:58:23] and there are other things that come with it whether or not we're going to be adopting it it's a conversation I don't think we've had as a board I would like to have the full picture before I commit to any parts of it and I don't think I have that and I I do reject the idea that we are limiting the creativity of our superintendent by having the expectation the expectations because we have seen how creative she has been with many of the things that she's provided since her tenure here and I won't list them here again because I think we did that at the work session but I think this is premature and

[01:58:56] unfortunately I won't be on board. Thank you Dr. Anderson. Mr. Moon. Thank you Mr. Chairman I am not gonna oppose this motion but I cannot support it either so I'm gonna be abstaining which was my position at the governance committee work session as well I just don't see the difference between shared do versus shall not fail to do I just don't see the distinction and and this was something

[01:59:33] that the prior board prior board had debated and settled on only just six months ago I do not know why we are revisiting this one at this point in time I would have much preferred a super intend to go through entire cycle of going through all 13 a executive expectation before we need to visit if necessary however this is the motion on the table right now but I'm not gonna vote no because superintendent

[02:00:08] stated that she would somehow become more creative under limitations and expectations I always want our superintendent to be very creative, bring the most creative thoughts to our work.

[02:00:32] You know, if limitations give or death, I'm not going to oppose that, but I cannot support this either. Thank you, Mr. Moon. We will go to a vote. Oh, Dr. Anderson, your light is on. Sorry.

[02:00:49] We will go to a vote for the motion that is on the screen. All those in favor, please raise your hand. Ms. Sizemore-Hyser, Mr. McDaniel, Ms. Lady, Ms. St. John Cunning, Ms. Marin, Mr. Dunn, Ms. Anderson, Ms. Dixit, and myself.

[02:01:05] All those opposed? Mr. McAveen, Dr. Anderson, abstentions? Mr. Moon, will the clerk announce the vote, please? That's nine yeses, two noes, one abstention. The motion carries. Thank you very much. We will move on to Agenda Item 6.01, Financial Year 2025, Proposed Budget.

[02:01:26] I call on Dr. Reed. the moment we've all been waiting for so thank you chairman Frisch and I was just waiting for

[02:02:00] Alice to get back I have to say I want to you know I'm just thrilled to have the opportunity to present the budget this evening and before I begin I just want to thank the staff who have just worked countless hours to put this together our chief financial officer Lee Burden Alice Wynton and Matthew Norton are here, Marty Smith, just all of the folks you see on the senior leadership, everyone's contributed to this, and I just, I couldn't be more grateful.

[02:02:34] And I'm going to really rely also on Alice and Matthew who are here, and, oh, bless you. And Ms. Burton, was that Ms. Burton sneezing, or, no, it was, okay, all right.

[02:02:51] Ms. Burden, I think, is online and is not feeling well this evening either. But anyhow, I am thrilled to be here this evening. The budget, of course, is something that we all look forward to because the budget is the engine from which all of the work is really derived.

[02:03:07] So this is a reminder. I know Chairman Frisch, it's a high-level summary of the budget this evening. So we'll be presenting a number of more detailed slides on Tuesday at the work session. So tonight's really an opportunity for me just to kind of present high-level budget information.

[02:03:29] So I want to remind our board that it's really the Virginia Code that requires the superintendent to provide what by statute is what we call a needs-based budget. So it's a budget that I believe we need to accomplish the goals that we have for each and every one of our students, in particular, aligned with our strategic plan around equity, excellence, and opportunity.

[02:03:57] And we believe the budget we're bringing you this evening does just that. I want to remind our board and our community about our Fairfax County public school facts. So we've listed here our school's demographics, and again, we're a division that's growing.

[02:04:17] Our current enrollment is over 182,000, which again is above budget. Even though we're at 182,000 today, we are projecting for budget purposes an enrollment of 181,701 next year, with continued increasing numbers of students who also require increased level of supports to reach the high expectations that we maintain for them.

[02:04:43] So these demographics, I think, in many ways describe our context and our strengths. So given our facts within the division, we have a strategic plan that we've recently spent quite a little bit of time working on and want to make sure that our budget that I'll be sharing this evening is representative of the five goals our community believe are critical for us to reach for each and every student and it essentially funds the work of the four pillars enabling us to get there when we think about the priorities really

[02:05:21] succinctly that I want to share one of the things I want to say is that we must think about high expectations and we can't in any way I think deviate from those Fairfax County Public Schools our reputation rests on just resolutely maintaining high expectations for each and every student and we must couple those with high support it's the support that's often variable not the expectation that we hold for our students so this particular budget I'm presenting this evening i want to be really clear that we did not go out to departments or schools

[02:06:01] for new resource requests because we were very clear about the focus for the budget this year we want to prioritize competitive compensation for all of our staff members regardless of their role in the division we also needed to address enrollment growth and the investments and students that require additional support for a variety of reasons so we've made sure that we've included budget dollars that are directly and strategically focused on making sure our students who require the most support receive it because we know if we provide the right level of support all students

[02:06:39] can meet the expectations we have and then finally this budget continues our multi-year initiatives and those initiatives we've had in the planning queue for the last several years We are not launching new work. We're very clear this year that we want to fund the work we've planned and set out to do over the last several years and maintain the phases of the plans we've already begun.

[02:07:05] We believe that's important for our staff to really be able to double down and center in the work that we've said we're going to do and not take off in another direction at this time. The strategic plan alignment, our budget office worked very intentionally with our strategic planning office, made sure that there's an intersectionality of budget dollars to the pillars that support our five goals.

[02:07:36] And we're very clear that each of the initiatives that we're continuing to fund are connected directly to our strategic plan. Again, all of these being initiatives that our community has affirmed are important for our students. I want to look at the budget summary and be clear about, again, this code-mandated needs-based budget.

[02:08:00] It is going to require an increase in the county transfer year over year. The budget I'm presenting this evening and proposing is a budget that totals approximately $3.8 billion, which is a net increase of $301.8 million, or 8.6% over FY24.

[02:08:22] This results in our county transfer request, which is going to be $254 million, or an increase of about 10.5% over the prior county transfer. I want to share that part of the reason for the notable request size for our county, and also want to preface this with a grateful thanks to the continued support of our board of supervisors and our county executive, who've really been steadfast partners for us here in the division and recognize the importance of education here in Fairfax County.

[02:08:56] And I really, I think we're grateful to have such partners in this work. What we have seen, however, is a very limited allocation from our state based on the governor's introduced budget. And that's caused some great concern and is also in part responsible for the county ask.

[02:09:15] We believe and we're hopeful that our General Assembly, several of whom were former board members, will be able to recognize how important these dollars are and be able to remediate the governor's proposed budget, which then would likely decrease the ask of our county.

[02:09:34] So what I'm presenting this evening is what I believe we need to resource and sustain the excellent work that our staff are doing today and compensate our staff into the future to keep us competitive with the hope that as our General Assembly deliberates about these budget topics that they'll see the necessity of actually allocating a greater amount of state funding, which will, you know, help us out in terms of our county transfer.

[02:10:03] The compensation adjustments that are going to be sitting in the proposed budget at this point is we want to be very clear that we want to provide a 6% compensation adjustment for all employees in the division, regardless of their role.

[02:10:20] We also note that there are benefit retirement and health rate changes, which will cost a certain amount of money as we buy down points to help make sure that our health care and retirement rates are affordable for staff. We're also wanting to launch an ERFC legacy deferred retirement option.

[02:10:41] This is often called at the county level the DROP program, which is DROP, standing for Deferred Retirement Option Program. But our county has this program for their employees.

[02:10:57] And for us here in the school division, it would only apply to our legacy employees, who are perhaps our most experienced employees. We have over 2,000 of them. And it enables us to have the opportunity to have our employees also be part of succession planning.

[02:11:15] So our more experienced employees will be able to work and be able to bank their ERFC. So essentially, it's also an incentive for our folks who are considering retiring perhaps to put that off for a few years by utilizing this program.

[02:11:31] The other piece that we're looking at here is a market cyclical review cycle, and we think it's important also from an equitable standpoint to make sure that we review all salary scale cycles on a five-year cycle.

[02:11:48] And that way we don't have some groups that ask for a salary review, which is reviewed, and then other groups maybe not realizing that's an option. So we're going to be front loading those reviews and Dr. Agnew Scott and our HR department along with Ms. Lee Burden as our CFO will be coordinating those reviews.

[02:12:12] And as we review them, we also want to make sure that we address those salary moves as necessary. So this will include the first step in that. And in this case, it's going to be affecting school-based office positions, which we've had a lot of discussion over the last several years about the increased responsibilities.

[02:12:32] So for a number of our school based office positions this is an option as a result of the cyclical review so we'll be taking a look at that. I also want to make sure that we really I think Mr. Walrod spoke very passionately this evening about the importance of our special education educators for just a moment.

[02:12:56] If folks in the audience are having conversations, if they could go outside, that would be great. I just want to make sure that the board is able to hear everything that Dr. Reed wants to say. So I think that we heard Mr. Walrod this evening talk about the importance of making sure our special educators, our special education teachers feel supported in their work.

[02:13:18] And to that end, the last several years, we've been providing an extra 30 minutes for our special education teachers, which is essentially an eight-hour contract. And that will continue to be, it's been funded through ESSER, and we will be prioritizing that as part of year-end.

[02:13:37] So that is a recognition of that important work. The required adjustments, excuse me, would be those that we have moved forward. and one of the things we want to remind staff about is we did do a two percent supplemental salary increase effective January 1 which will continue we know that enrollment is continuing to grow and so excuse me within the details of that this is where you're going to see a significant financial support for our

[02:14:13] increased number of students that require extra supports in the classroom TO MEET THE HIGH EXPECTATIONS WE HAVE IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, SORRY ABOUT THAT. THEN WE HAVE OUR RECURRING BASELINE ADJUSTMENTS, AGAIN THIS IS A CONTINUITY, WE HAD A SEVERAL YEAR PHASE IN PLAN FOR OUR FINE ARTS, STIPENDS, WINTER CHEER, OUR ATHLETIC TRAINERS, OUR SCHEDULE C RETENTION AND RECOUITMENT ADJUSTMENTS, OUR HIGH SCHOOL 12 MONTH ADSA POSITIONS, AND ALL OF THOSE PIECES THAT WE HAD AS CONTINUING

[02:14:50] baseline adjustments are included within the 14.4 million under the recurring baseline adjustments we're looking at contractual increases which are essentially cost escalations in major prod projects facilities fuel and electricity so these required adjustments total 130.6 million on this page then we move to our multi-year investments and this is again these are commitments we've had over the last several years that we want to make sure we maintain beginning with our inclusive

[02:15:29] preschool expansion our jet goals we're now in year three our fine and performing arts stipends as we move into competitive space with regions divisions in our region we are looking also we've We've made a commitment to expanding athletics and activities as a serious attempt to make sure our students are connected to activities.

[02:15:53] We know we recognize the impact on mental health is a positive one when our students are active. And our HR technology infrastructure plan is so important as we think about being able to conduct our human resources and business processes in a more efficient and effective manner.

[02:16:12] side money for two years and this is year three of that project again our athletic trainer second year implementation and then our family liaison position conversion year two so these multi-year investments total 7.1 million in thinking about our fy 2025 revenue overview this again is a nod to the state revenue that we're expecting federal and the county transfer request the total fy projected revenue increase is 301.8 million and as i mentioned earlier if the state and we really

[02:16:52] believe the state will come through with more than 42.2 million then the other numbers slide it's the 301 at the bottom that we need so as we advocate with our county colleagues based on the jlark study and other data points we're really hopeful that we'll be able to take a look at that those dollars but essentially that's our revenue overview next i just i think a budget presentation

[02:17:24] in february of 2024 would not be complete without some comment about the jlark study this is historic for the virginia commonwealth and it really i think while we're going to continue to maintain high expectations as a Commonwealth we're actually receiving less funding per student than the 50 state average which I think you know I think that's something we really need to think about at the general assembly level and as well as the regional average I would say that many of us are

[02:18:01] states that border Virginia including West Virginia Kentucky and Maryland are actually spending more per pupil than Virginia is and we here in Fairfax County we don't need we don't need to accept that and we really believe that here if we're going to maintain and build on the world-class education we provide we also need to provide world-class resources for that I want to share that if we think about actually receiving the average if we just got the regional

[02:18:34] average that would be 19 about $1900 more per student for us which would actually be equates to three hundred and forty five million dollars so just funding us at the average would be more than what we're actually asking for in additional funds so I just think that's a that's quite a number quite honestly all right I want to take a quick glance at priorities that are being planned for funding at year-end again I want to begin by mentioning the special education

[02:19:09] 30 minute extended day contracts for the last several years they have been ESSER funded but we're going to this year they're a priority for year-end we've got some safety and security screening programs that we want to stand up also the one-time funding to support the in this case the one-time only funds which would be equipment uniforms those types of things for the expansion of boys volleyball and girls wrestling we're looking at differentiated signing bonuses for hard to fill positions also our middle school activities athletics and tutoring require late buses

[02:19:49] so we want to make sure we're funding those late buses to continue because when we have extra supports again for our students to meet high expectations we have to be able to get the kids there and get them home and often transportation is a huge inequity builder and lastly we're really looking at professional development supports as you know we're going to be embarking on a new literacy basal a whole series of materials this fall for k through sixth grade and that's a huge lift we haven't had a new basal in almost 30 years so this is going to be just

[02:20:26] wanting to make sure that we look at some of our year-end funds for these priorities in thinking about the budget this evening it was very important that our staff look at the school board resolution that was presented on january 25th and we wanted to make sure that um that everything that we included in the budget really was attentive to and responsive to the school board resolution we know that you were very clear about that and we want to make sure that we're hitting the mark with that so the criterion rationale we began to we put

[02:21:05] together a chart and looked at the school board resolution language on the left side and our budget investments on the right much of which I've spoken about I did want to call out because there's been some question in the student academic success which would be the second block there the second row we We are utilizing our recent one-time funding, our All in Virginia grant, which is actually two years of dollars, two-year budget, to provide high-dosage academic tutoring and

[02:21:40] accelerate the expansion of the Literacy Act, as well as combating chronic absenteeism. This is allowing us to pay for some of our positions, our SEL positions that we feel are important as we look at making sure students are attending.

[02:21:56] Our literacy work, we've hired several folks, Orton-Gillingham trainers, literacy, I don't know Dr. Presidio exactly what those positions were called, but there are literacy positions and some of our tutoring oversight.

[02:22:12] Those, we're going to be able to utilize those all in for Virginia funds, so I want to make SURE THAT AS WE PRESENT THE BUDGET, FOLKS SEE THE VALUE OF THOSE AND THAT WE'RE PLACING THAT VALUE AS WELL IN TERMS OF THAT GRANT USAGE.

[02:22:27] SO NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. IT'S REALLY GOING TO BE IMPORTANT, I THINK, FOR THE COMMUNITY TO STAY INVOLVED. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT BUDGET. I'M SURE IN THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS AND MONTHS IN PARTICULAR, TUESDAY WILL BE OUR WORK session where we'll have a lot more conversation a lot more questions and a lot more data to present as what sits under this again today's this evening is a very high-level summary I want to review the budget calendar and this

[02:23:02] again this presentation is posted on our website and the calendar as I mentioned earlier we're going to be having a work session this Tuesday there'll be a public hearing there'll be another work session and then a vote on the advertised budget on February 22nd and as you see there's going to be a lot of a lot of opportunity to collaborate again with our Board of Supervisors and county-elected as we approach May 23rd where we have a vote on the final approved budget so it's

[02:23:38] EARLY DAYS. THIS EVENING. NEXT STEPS. THIS IS REALLY A RECAP OF WHAT I JUST SAID AND JUST REALLY A LOT OF EXCITEMENT AS WE MOVE TOWARDS THE FINAL BUDGET ADOPTION. SO CHAIRMAN FRISH, THAT IS THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR THE 2025 FISCAL YEAR. THANK YOU, DR. REED. WE'LL GET THINGS STARTED WITH OUR BUDGET CHAIR. DR. ANDERSON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THIS REPORT. I KNOW THAT THIS IS WHAT EVERYBODY'S WAITING FOR.

[02:24:09] for and are chomping at the bit to get into it but I'm going to ask you to hold yourselves back and reserve your deep and thoughtful questions for next Tuesday because we'll have several hours in which we can dig into this budget so please be sure to do that I also want to offer a reminder to the community and I'm glad that you raised it that on the 13th which is also next Tuesday we will have a public hearing on the budget so this is the public's opportunity to ensure that they provide their thoughts and feedback on what the superintendent is proposing there is a second

[02:24:47] public hearing currently scheduled for the 20th if that is needed so please sign up to do that mr mcdaniel who is the budget vice chair and i will be providing some additional information to the board in the coming days regarding how we are going to be working with amendments and really checking in on current budget questions and ensuring that now that you may have some questions that are more in depth you might want to consider putting those in as budget questions they may not be appropriate depending on the depth of information required for next tuesday so thank you so very much for this information and i'm looking forward to the conversation on

[02:25:27] tuesday thank you dr anderson miss lady thank you dr anderson for reminding everyone we have a work session coming up but i just did i did want to uh acknowledge that the drop program is in the budget um i can tell you as someone who just left the system less than two years ago um that when you hit your your your your end in erfc that too many of our veteran talented folks are looking at other systems who are going to who are going to give them all their years and they're also going to collect that so i just want to point that out and i'm very very grateful that that's in there thank Thank you.

[02:26:05] Thank you, Ms. Lady. Mr. Moon? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just briefly, I know that we have a work session coming up on Tuesday. I don't remember ever receiving a year-end priority at the time of budget presentations.

[02:26:22] It's good to know what you have on your mind to bring to us at the year-end. Having said that, the very top bullet item, which has to do with special education teachers, 30 minute extra day stipend or pay uh using eon's one-time funding and i have a lot of questions about that so i'm going to bring that to you on tuesday yes sir thank you mr moon i will take a quick turn i appreciate the presentation tonight i'll have questions at the work session but i

[02:27:00] think for the community watching at home this sends a pretty clear message that we're focused on maintaining our competitiveness with other school divisions in the region when it comes to retention and recruitment which is the you know the foundation of our school system is our our talented world-class staff so I appreciate that and you know several of us and the fact that we're not pursuing new programming in this budget just paints a picture of how focused we are several of us are heading to Richmond next week and I have a feeling we'll be having many

[02:27:36] conversations about the jlark uh you know study findings that you uh articulated in your presentation can you refresh my memory i know the number but i'd like to hear it from you again because i'd like to keep repeating the number over and over and over again how much money in additional funding if we only reached the average you know the the average per pupil spending would fairfax county public schools be getting be about nineteen hundred dollars per student which in a A rough multiplier would be $345 million.

[02:28:08] And does that include any fixes to the SOQ formulas? Alice, Matthew, no, it does not. And so the SOQ formula, the state school systems are underfunded by a little over $6.5 billion with a B.

[02:28:26] So if they followed all of the JLARC recommendations, we'd be looking at significantly more than $345 million. Yes, sir. All right, good to know. Good thinking, talking points for our trip to Richmond next week. Thank you very much. All right. Mr. Dunn.

[02:28:44] I'd like to build on my colleague, Mr. Frisch's question, because my understanding is that $345 million would be the bare minimum of what we are due from the state. Is that correct, Dr. Reed? That would be correct if we met the JLARC recommendations.

[02:29:00] Yes, sir. So not only for the staffing formula, but we've been short-changed for years or even perhaps, and of course we always talk about the Virginia Lottery being used to supplant funding rather than supplement funding.

[02:29:18] So there's a lot of issues, although we have great local representatives and hopefully they'll make necessary progress in both the Senate and the House. But I think one of the things that I've seen in 10 years of education advocacy is that Every year we ask for more, and if you look historically at Fairfax County, whenever our student enrollment starts to plateau or even decline, Fairfax County taxpayers start to

[02:29:54] ask, "Why do you need more money if the number of students is staying the same?" And so I think it's necessary to have a conversation with the public to address the changing nature of our student population, 40% of students economically disadvantaged, if I recall, you know, 20% in special education.

[02:30:19] It's a vastly different population than it was even 20 years ago. But I think it's also important that, you know, when we ask for more money, we also make sure that we're having a conversation and we're transparent with them and we're accountable to ourselves, that we are doing everything we can to achieve maximum return on investment for every taxpayer dollar, because I can't say that to my constituents today.

[02:30:46] I can't say that FCPS is as efficient as humanly possible. Just in that FPAC meeting I mentioned earlier, doing business a little bit differently, different procurement methods, different ways of contracting, could save tens of millions of dollars.

[02:31:01] so that's an example where we need you know Fairfax County is different and it used to be the best in the world and it can be again but we have to be honest about that journey and be willing to change and ask tough questions and and and and so if if we're stretched too thin if we're understaffed then we need to think about how can we get that staff right how can we prioritize and we also need to look at how are we spending dollars is it you know this pot of money so every teacher gets 50 more cents or do we concentrate on the special education teachers and the title one teachers who are most underpaid and hardest to staff so i i ask that we think

[02:31:41] outside the box we don't just do business and raises and everything else how we always have i also ask that we look at benefits not just pay but affordable housing there's there's opportunities out there to use fcps county properties to provide affordable housing for our workforce and that's something we should be doing thank you mr dunn Mr. McDaniel.

[02:32:06] Briefly, because I was not going to make comments, but I changed my mind. If you go to slide 11, I think, in FY21, we asked the county for $7.3 million. FY22, it was $29.3 million.

[02:32:22] FY23, it was $102.6 million. FY24, $144.1 million. And now, $254 million. Now, in the business world, I'd call that a hockey stick. And I am sensitive to that hockey stick. it's not sustainable. However, what that slide doesn't show, and we're going to get into this through the budget process, are the needs of our student population that are also hockey sticking.

[02:32:50] And our job as elected officials is to balance both of these things in a fiscally disciplined manner, to Mr. Dunn's point, to make sure we are squeezing every penny that we have from a taxpayer's perspective, but at the same time recognizing the changing needs of our school system and i think now we've had these conversations before but this shows this shows right here we're at an inflection point right this cannot continue and whether that is us doing internal reflections on our budget process and we passed a motion to do a deep dive and to look at things further or that's going to richmond or that's going to the board of supervisors we at some point really

[02:33:29] have to get this message out there and that's what i'm going to be doing over the next couple of MONTHS AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE OTHER MEMBERS OF THIS BOARD TO DO THE SAME. THANK YOU MR. MCDANIEL MISS SIZEMORE HEISER JUST BRIEFLY ONE THING I WANTED TO LIFT UP IS THAT WHILE I THINK IT'S OBVIOUSLY IMPORTANT TO DO A CONTINUAL LOOK RIGHT AT HOW WE'RE DOING THINGS AND I THINK THIS IS WHERE MY CONVERSATION EARLIER ABOUT SHORT-TERM VERSUS LONG-TERM AND THE AMOUNT OF STAFF TIME WE'RE GOING TO BE USING WHICH IS INEFFICIENT ON SOME SHORT-TERM THINGS WE ARE TRYING TO DO LONG-TERM RIGHT SO I THINK WE NEED TO WHEN WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT BEING EFFICIENT ONE THING WE

[02:34:07] have to do is look at it from a short-term versus long-term lens on the action that we're directing staff to take the other thing I'm gonna talk about efficiency is you know I've lifted up for many many times that in some of our programming some of our programs and structures were developed 20 30 40 years ago from an instructional lens and perhaps if we really had the space and I know it's hard to fly a plane while the same staff have to build a new plane not take away Mr. McDaniel's pilot metaphors right but perhaps it's time to look at some sort of

[02:34:42] think tank type work because what where we are in special education and in education in general I think it's time to build some new planes that probably could at the end of the day long term be more efficient and effective however saying that we are also appointed for effects county schools where I think we really have done a lot of work to be as efficient as possible when I go Going to school, I often hear principals saying we're operating bare bones, we're operating bare bones.

[02:35:07] We have greater needs of our students, and if you look at our numbers in terms of students that do have greater needs, those numbers are going up percentage-wise, right? So the same number of people are servicing students with higher needs, which means we really need more people than we did before.

[02:35:22] So when we're looking at are we effectively and efficiently spending our money, it's not a static concept, right? Because the needs are constantly changing, and therefore the amount of money we need to service those needs are constantly changing our understand our and on top of that we are putting more and more on what we expect public schools to do it's educating its mental health supports is supporting families well that also causes more time and effort and more staff so I think it's really I think it's very important to do deep dives I'm totally supportive of that however I do want to lift up that sometimes that can't be an excuse to say it's going to be an and not an or right and I just want to put that out in the air that's

[02:35:59] got to be an and and i just want to point one last thing out if you look at the way b guide which is the um washington area and i forget what b stands for education that we're thank you that um kind of compares a lot of our demographics and statistics to our surrounding jurisdictions when you look at staffing ratios which is translate for class size between alexandria arlington fairfax county falls church loudoun county manassas city manassas park city and prince william the only school system that has a higher student-to-teacher ratio than Fairfax County is Manassas City.

[02:36:35] So that's huge, right? And so when we look at the current funding we have, the current funding is the fact that we have a higher student-to-teacher ratio than almost every surrounding jurisdiction. That needs to be talked about, right? Like there's only so much we can find within our own budget, and we should look. But the reality is the expectations of school systems, the greater needs of students means we've got in the underfunding historically in the old structures are causing this inflection point and breaking point.

[02:37:04] Thank you, Ms. Eisemarheiser. Ms. St. John Cunning. I want to thank you and the staff for doing all this work, and I appreciate all of this work, and coming from being down in the trenches to sitting on this board is a huge transition.

[02:37:27] And I just want to point out that we all have this challenge of how we're going to try to do is everything that we have to do with less and from the people being down in the trenches we owe them our best efforts because every day they do more with less and I'm not saying that's a bad thing I'm saying that we have amazing teachers we have amazing staff and it's our responsibility to

[02:38:03] be creative and find the funding and if it is you know knocking on all those doors in Richmond and with our Board of Supervisors because there's only so much you can get out of efficiency and there's only so much you can get out so so many dollars you can get out from under the couch I mean that's just the reality and things just cost more you know so I really want to thank you for all the work that you've done and it's our responsibility to try to figure it out because I know the work

[02:38:37] that's being down in the trenches and i know a lot of teachers are purchasing you know those crayons for their kids or supplies for their rooms or those snacks for the kids because we have staff that have heart and i just don't want to lose that in this whole conversation because we talk about dollars and cents which are critical and that's why it's such a hard transition for me to be here because I want to give those people what they really deserve.

[02:39:11] Thank you Miss St. John Cunning. Mr. McElveen. Thank you I couldn't help myself. Mr. Moon raised an interesting point and he's correct that we generally don't see year end projections at this point. So and I realize we're going to get into this on Tuesday but in order to prepare for that can you explain or give your reasoning behind INCLUDING THE SPECIAL ED EXTENDED DAY FUNDING THERE AS OPPOSED TO HERE.

[02:39:44] I THINK I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CALL OUT THAT THAT'S WHERE THAT IT IS GOING TO -- IT IS A PRIORITY AND IT WILL BE FUNDED AND I'LL BE GOING INTO MORE DETAIL TUESDAY IN THE WORK SESSION ABOUT HOW ALL THE TABLES AND THE DIVISION OF WHERE WE CHOSE TO PLACE DIFFERENT TOPICS WHETHER THE BUDGET ITEM FOCUSED WHETHER IT SAT WITHIN

[02:40:05] the all in for Virginia grant or a year end or the budget or other grant funding I think it's better to look at that holistically in that full picture but what I want to make sure tonight is that sometimes we only talk about the budget at the budget presentation but I felt like it was important to make sure that we named other priorities that are priorities for year end to make sure that our staff understands that that's a commitment we're making so SO I THINK I'D RATHER PRESENT THAT IN CONTEXT ON TUESDAY.

[02:40:43] THANK YOU, MR. MACKELVEEN. MS. LADY. YEAH, SORRY, I WAS NOT GOING TO SPEAK AGAIN, BUT I JUST WANT TO SAY, I WANT TO ECHO MY COLLEAGUE, MS. ST. JOHN CUNNING, AND JUST COMMEND OUR -- THE MAJORITY OF OUR FUNDING GOES TO STAFF, AND MOST OF THE STAFF ARE WORKING WITH STUDENTS EVERY DAY.

[02:41:02] I ALSO WANT TO THANK, YOU KNOW, MR. DUNN AND OTHER FOLKS ON THIS BOARD WHO BRING PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERIENCES THAT ARE NOT MINE. know I'm a lifetime educator you know I came into this wanting to exercise my finished year responsibility I think it's essential that when we look at things like procurement and we look at these follow-on motions that we do make sure that we are maximizing public-private ventures etc etc but I also want to say that you know we should not be the second highest in terms of class student-teacher ratio impacts learning you know we can't stay there I also want

[02:41:42] say that if you're a first-year teacher in fairfax county or if you if you're a first-year teacher now and you work 10 years unless you're fortunate enough to probably live at home for some of those years if your parents are in this in this county with you you you can't buy property in this county you can't live where you work and you know that we have to so that i'm very pleased with the six percent but i also understand that's going to come under scrutiny but the reality is that what people are making with different skill sets coming out of college I have a nephew that's like two years out in construction management making you know

[02:42:21] over a hundred a hundred thousand you know we want to keep people wanting to do this teaching we can't have programs closing down so we compensation has to be a priority but I also want to make sure that constituents understand that we do believe in our fiduciary responsibility even talking about the boundary reality we might find we're gonna save in bus drivers we're gonna save on buses we're gonna save on gas we're gonna save on lots of other things perhaps but I think we just we're gonna try to leave no stone on term to find money but also know that we have to look at what we're doing in terms of

[02:42:56] teaching and learning thanks thank you miss lady miss Dixit thank you mr. chair dr. Reed I just wanted to say that my colleague when mentioned about the number of students are plateaued and we should not be asking for money, something like that.

[02:43:17] In this context, I would say that the cost of living just over the last few years has gone so much higher. It's like an average inflation has gone up. So we cannot just say that because it cost us $100 million last year, it should cost us $100 million this year because you have to pay more for everything right now.

[02:43:40] So and the majority of our teachers, like everybody said, are commuting from far away, paying more for gases. They're paying more for rents or their mortgage or everything costs money. And I think we just cannot compromise on our teachers.

[02:43:58] And that's the the basically the message was given to from the board to the superintendent was to make sure that our teachers are well compensated so that's not a question for us but i guess we have to find other ways to save money elsewhere thank you thank you miss dixit miss marron thank you i always love receiving the budget proposal it's very exciting thank you to staff and to our colleagues on the budget committee dr anderson and mr mcdaniel so i think as a board we have a duty and an opportunity to

[02:44:36] to reintroduce the community of our schools to Fairfax County. So let's remember that two thirds of our residents do not have children in FCPS at any given time. However, they certainly benefit from our schools in many ways. I mean, we're the third largest employer in the state.

[02:44:52] We are an economic driver that draws businesses to locate here, not to mention all the outstanding graduates we turn out and the facilities that are available seemingly seven days a week, whether it's for elections or sporting activities or community functions.

[02:45:09] But our membership I think is what we need to share more and reintroduce to our community. As Dr. Reed, you say, we're educating our students for careers that don't yet exist. Just with artificial intelligence alone, we're having who knows what kind of things we'll have to purchase and opportunities and curriculum and training that's gonna be needed.

[02:45:27] But we also have a rate of poverty that I think people who have been in Fairfax a long time and have not had students in the system would find quite shocking. We partner with George Mason University, and if you've ever been to Eagle Bank Arena for an event, and we're fortunate enough to have our graduations there, you might know that the seating capacity in Eagle Bank Arena is 10,000 seats.

[02:45:51] You could fill Eagle Bank Arena almost seven times with the number of students we have living in poverty in our K-12 system here, in our pre-K-12 system. Our special education needs, been fortunate that in this era our children can get identified for needs early and I just would like to mention let's just one example one quick example dyslexia affects one in 10 people well now dyslexia is so advantageous on LinkedIn it is seen as an attribute but you know what it takes time to educate a child with dyslexia and we have to invest in that so I think as a board we can really continue to educate our community about the potential that our students have but it's going

[02:46:31] GOING TO BE AN INVESTMENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MS. MARIN. THANK YOU DR. REED. WE WILL NOW GO ON TO AGENDA ITEM 6.02 ACADEMIC MATTERS. I CALL ON DR. REED. THANK YOU CHAIRMAN FRESH AND I DO I DO WANT TO SAY THAT I THINK AS WE THINK ABOUT PREPARING OUR CHILDREN HERE IN FAIRFAX COUNTY AND ACROSS THIS COUNTRY FOR LIFE IN THE 21ST AND would argue 22nd century we really the work we're doing is going to be profoundly different over the

[02:47:05] next several decades so i appreciate the board's acknowledgement of that and support of our work that we're moving ahead i believe the country is watching so we've got this anyhow academic matters what an exciting night it is national school counselor week so dr presidio and his team in recognition of that have put together a fabulous presentation to share and to all our counselors out there who are watching happy national counselor week and thank you for all

[02:47:43] that you do so let's take a look at our school counseling professionals in fairfax county We actually I think are doing a fabulous job of making sure our elementary, middle and high schools are staffed. We have school counselors that are a part of school communities at all grade levels.

[02:48:03] And we're really excited about the partnerships that our school counselors are a part of, which they work closely with our administrators, principals, teachers, psychologists, social workers, families, above all students in a variety of roles and they are key to our students success here in Fairfax County want to briefly talk about what the school counselor role is and again they have many responsibilities and roles but really are vital to our students success and in July of 2023 our Virginia code

[02:48:42] stated that school counselors should be spending 80% of their time in direct counseling with and for students and 20% of their time with program planning and school support following this code and in alignment with the American School Counselor Association national model our program really is designed to facilitate planning promote student personal social and emotional well-being and implement appropriate data-driven interventions as well as college and career exploration bless you I believe it's Michael axler's team under the

[02:49:16] direction of dr. Edmunds heard also that does a significant amount of work in this area in thinking about the academic domain our school counselors have a key role here in goal-setting and reflection developing positive learning attributes and we've shared a couple quotes from students and staff in FCPS about the role of the school counselor in the career domain which is the second

[02:49:49] domain now I'm gonna sneeze too it must be catching we okay we included again a quote from our students and our school counselors again are collaborative in this career domain work our middle and high school counselors are hosting curriculum nights, elective fairs, and offering students and families the opportunity to explore course pathways. A lot of that work actually is happening right now as we think about our elementary students getting ready for middle school transitions and middle school to high

[02:50:25] school. So our counselors are key in those transition moments. Our third domain is the social-emotional domain. Again, obviously, to support our social and emotional wellness and developing executive functioning skills as well as healthy relationships tiered support for students based on individual needs and providing both short-term and in some cases long-term support and collaboration with families teachers and administrators and communities for student success and the

[02:51:00] strategic plan school counselors are key to the achievement of our five goals and we really could not be successful to achieve these goals if our counselors weren't a key piece of that work and finally again just grateful for each of our counselors and want to give them a big thank you they're key to our work and chairman Frisch that is academic matters for this evening thank you very much we're not done with you yet besides more Heiser I feel really bad but I a a couple things first i just wanted to lift up and say thank you to our counselors i didn't want

[02:51:38] to speak earlier when we um but um i'll just say as a parent it is my daughter's middle school counselor who really was seminal and getting her the support that she needed and i will say was one of the people who changed the trajectory of her life so i just needed to say that so mr brody if you're out there thank you very much um but i did have some other thoughts i wanted to lift up that in that i've been hearing from um various parents and community members as i've spoken to them um the first thing i want to lift up is the support that our councils give on social emotional executive functioning needs this is so important right and as i've heard

[02:52:16] especially coming out of the pandemic some of these needs are even greater right but we don't have the counselor ratio i think that really sets our counselors up for success in doing this and they work hard and i'll tell you like again mr brody amazing right and many other mr brody's out there. So we've talked about embedding some of these lessons especially executive functioning and advisory morning meetings. The first question I asked is what are we doing to help support our counselors in this work because it's so important for our students overall success in school and

[02:52:50] outcomes and we can't expect our counselors to do it all. So I think interestingly this came up in my regular meeting with SEPTA leadership this week and talked about particularly executive functioning skills and how important those are I think for many students the AVID program provides support for executive functioning I also sent an email actually today off to Children's National Hospital that has a curriculum which is actually a no-cost curriculum and well-researched it's called unstuck

[02:53:27] And on target, I knew I couldn't remember. It's been around for about 15 years. Right. So I know it's being used at some of our schools, but I want to send a note to Dr. Kenworthy, I believe it was, to get a copy of that, and we want to take a look at that.

[02:53:45] So I think that that would be supporting executive functioning skills. So I just think that there is more work we can do on that topic, obviously, and a little more to come on that. So 10 years ago, I begged to get unstuck and on target in all of our schools.

[02:54:03] So I'm so glad we're getting there. I'm just going to put that out there. I had to say it when you said unstuck and on target, just had to say it. I think that's great. I think AVID is only available to certain students, and it's a wonderful program. And I do think that-- I mean, when I've talked to leadership classes and I talk about executive function, they're like, oh, we could use that.

[02:54:23] And they talk about-- so I really would encourage you for both sort the social emotional health and the executive functioning if figure out how every student can get access to this in some way because I really think as our kids are going on to college it's one of the biggest areas where I think kids struggle in college or career so I just leave that there and I'm so glad we're finally getting unstuck and on target yes ma'am two other things I wanted to put out for our counselors I think there may be still some support to help our counselors make sure our students are really being exposed to various options right and enter counsel on various options as they're going through upper elementary middle and high school I still hear from some parents a lot of

[02:55:01] sort of this is the one path pressure right and I think again our counselors that we don't have enough of them so they're doing the best but how do we find supports to make sure our students are getting exposed like I think what Miss Lady was mentioning right there's lots of great career paths and there are different ones that are right for different students and their interests and their strengths and the last thing I'll just say this came up from a parent recently, is that I think there might be a space to really help some of our staff better help guide our parents towards resources at colleges that are more supportive, twice exceptional students. There are resources out there, Facebook groups, books, and sometimes I think maybe

[02:55:40] if we can provide our counselors those to pass on, that would be helpful. Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Ms. Sizemore-Hizer. Dr. Anderson. Thank you, and happy Counselors Week to all. One of the things that I would love for you to talk to us and actually to share with the public a little bit more is what is our current counselor staffing formula? How do we determine? So I believe that's determined by SOQs, although Fairfax County public schools has a richer, richer ratio. I don't know if that's a Dr. Presidio or Dr. Agnew Scott

[02:56:17] question. Actually, if you could, if you could take a little bit more time and kind of give me all three because that's one of the things that i i'm going to ask what's the soq and what is it that we do and what is the industry standard i don't know if you have that third piece at your fingertips well i don't know that we can answer all of that um precisely this evening but i can certainly get started and then follow up as necessary so the soqs and the state standards would say on average the school division needs to staff at a 350 to 1 student to counselor ratio overall in fairfax

[02:56:55] we're around 310 to 1 but it does vary by level and then when you talk about our staffing formulas we probably almost need matthew norton to help us answer that question because it is a complex formula that's a little bit different at each level but at the basic level it takes into consideration how many students are in the building with a weighted factor for how many students with special additional needs free and reduced lunch that we have in a particular building so that's the that's the high-level formula and every every level is a little bit nuanced in terms of how that formula is

[02:57:33] particularly applied so elementary middle and high school starts with that basic formula but it there there's a little bit of difference in terms of how it's calculated at each level what was that last part I missed it there was a little bit of so the the basic the basic formula is number of students and number of students with risk factors for free and reduced lunch and then at the middle school the high school in the elementary level there's a little bit of a difference in terms of how that's applied and I'd have to have financial services provide the exact staffing formula for that if that could be provided that would be very appreciated I'm sorry oh I thought you were saying

[02:58:11] something one of the other things that I want to ask only because in one part of the slides you talked about counselors providing lessons can you speak to and I'm thinking this is primarily at the elementary level do we have counselors at the elementary level consistently on the master schedule to provide lessons to students or is that a school dependent so I would have to again probably defer to Dr. Presidio I do think there's some there's some career exploration even that occurs in the younger schools but dr.

[02:58:50] Presidio perhaps you have a clear answer to that yeah so it again varies a little bit differently across different levels of the second elementary yeah so so elementary specifically per our regulation specialists including counselors librarians school-based technology specialists advanced academic resource teachers can be used in the master schedule for 10 hours up to 10 hours per week so at each school the the school-based leadership team makes decisions about how that is going to actually be determined in terms of the

[02:59:30] master schedule but in the vast majority of our elementary schools yes counselors are deployed in the master schedule delivering lessons okay thank you just the other thing that I wanted to add is particularly now at the Secondary level, you know, we've heard this so much from many students. We've even heard it when we met with the dream project From students who said that their counselors do not have time to engage them to get ready for college They do not have that time because they're so busy putting out fires handling with the crises And I I know you'll talk about that

[03:00:04] So I'm going to leave that I'm gonna just leave it there and let Robin pick it up because I know she'll have some additional information she'll want to share I just want us to be able to be responsive to the fact that we are there's a lot on the plate and I know we have a lot that we're dealing with how can we be more intentional to provide the students the support that they need by providing counselors with workable workloads so well I mean I think it's staying within the ratios obviously I think our social workers we've also talked about their role and their level of support in terms of

[03:00:39] working with families. But I think it's an ongoing challenge for whether it's a classroom teacher or a counselor or a principal, I think they're in almost every role right now, you know, our custodians who've added square footage they're cleaning, right? Like, I mean, every role, I think we could take a look at and say, what would a desk audit look like for that role? And how could we best support employees engaged in that?

[03:01:11] So I think with counselors, often that job description is just very expansive, right? And depending on the context within which you're working, the age of the children you're working with, perhaps the families and challenges and so forth, I do think trying to figure out how we collaborate more with community services as well, because I think that often we hear THAT THE COUNSELING SUPPORTS IN THE COMMUNITY ARE DIFFICULT FOR FAMILIES TO ACCESS.

[03:01:44] THERE ARE LONG WAITING TIMES AND I THINK THAT CREATES PRESSURE ON OUR COUNSELORS BECAUSE THEY MAY ENGAGE IN MORE LONG-TERM COUNSELING THAT OTHERWISE MIGHT BE ABLE TO BE REFERRED TO A COMMUNITY-BASED SUPPORT. I THINK WE ALSO HAVE SITUATIONS, YOU KNOW, WHERE IT'S SECONDARY, I THINK THE TELEMENTAL HEALTH IS HELPING BECAUSE OUR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO ACCESS the telemental health in home languages so that maybe it frees up our counselors a bit to do a little more of the you know career and college advising because students are able to access the

[03:02:21] telemental health for more emergent issues perhaps you know i think we're looking at a variety of ways to help support the work of a counselor and i think this raises the question that i've shared with you a number of times is how do we capture that need which is why i want to make sure that I get a fuller understanding of um the staffing formula how do we capture need because for example you may have a school that routinely has crises on a regular basis which take away not just the counselor but the administrators and various teachers various support roles and you have another school that may not have that happening how do we provide the service and the additional

[03:03:00] support where we have those you know assess those um critical crises going on do we capture it do we count it how are we quantifying that kind of level of need i don't know if we are collecting that data probably not as effectively as we could maybe we could start looking into that you know as miss st john cummings said earlier it is up to us to do the hard work yes ma'am and that is hard BECAUSE IT IS DIFFICULT TO TRACK AND THEN GIVE SOME SORT OF WEIGHT TO ALL OF THAT ACTIVITY.

[03:03:34] BUT WE REALLY NEED TO. I THINK THAT SHOULD HAVE REALLY SERIOUS IMPACT ON OUR STAFFING. NOT JUST AT THE COUNCILLE LEVEL BUT ACROSS A LOT OF OTHER LEVELS AS WELL. AGREED. AND I THINK WE'RE SEEING SOME OF THAT WITHIN OUR ATTENDANCE WORK. OUR COUNTERING ABSENTEE ISM. AND I THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE EXCITED TO BRING YOU SOME GREAT DATA HERE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF SCHOOLS AND COUNCILORS ARE A KEY principals our family liaisons but we're making huge progress in the attendance world and I think it's again a testament to looking at data and making sure we're doing things

[03:04:11] very intentionally but so we're collecting that data I think emergency data or emotional well-being data I think we certainly can take that back to the team and come back to you with a way that we we can better represent that I would love to have that information. Thank you. Yes ma'am. Thank you Dr.

[03:04:32] Anderson. Miss lady. So I'm going to say whenever we ask for data we're putting that on staff and someone is a former school counselor. I can tell you that in the midst of triaging my day if I had to fill out a spreadsheet of sorts that would be a challenge. I understand the ask. I will say that I have had the epiphany since I've joined the school board that I really think that where our ratios are at fault are with our social workers the my understanding of the industry standard is one to 250 Chantilly we had 2,900 students and we had two social workers now if you take out our CSS yes

[03:05:08] there were additional down there but that's only about 40 kids yet we have counselors not and what I'm saying is they find themselves doing social work which impacts their ability to do college advising etc I also want to celebrate tonight right as a former counselor you know I want to celebrate and thank our 575 school counselors in our system and our 52 directors of student services for everything they do every day and i also on their behalf want to provide a little brief history regarding the work so in 1957 when the russians launched sputnik the united states got a little concerned about somebody about the of us falling behind in math and science so they went

[03:05:46] to great teachers who had great rapport with their students and said we need you to take some time sit in an office and guide our kids into science and math so that we don't fall behind. So the word guidance counselor, the genesis of that was not when you had to have a master's degree that usually is a two-year full-time program. And over time the role has been redefined and the word guidance was replaced with the word school as the work entails much more than providing guidance or as we call it academic advising. I appreciate your presentation. I think it does outline the three domains um and the where we try to live as school counselors i always say to people in short school

[03:06:22] counselors are in the building to address issues that impact students ability to access learning be those basic needs learning differences um social emotional we are there to triage and hopefully get our students back in class um so that's the main thing i wanted to talk about and also say that you know our school counselors and directors of student services are key fixtures in all of our schools. While school counselors start their day with a plan, too often the plan is thwarted by interruptions that require immediate attention. They manage to attend their 504 and IEP

[03:07:00] meetings, conduct parent-teacher conferences, prepare for and teach classroom guidance lessons, check in with their students and address issues that arise unexpectedly every day. Their juggling skills are supernatural. So tonight I just want to say thank you to all of THOSE WHO DO THIS WORK PLEASE KNOW THAT WE SEE YOU AND WE CELEBRATE YOUR WORK AND I ALSO WILL ADD IF YOU ONLY REMEMBER ONE THING THAT I SAID TONIGHT PLEASE REFER TO OUR AMAZING COUNSELORS AS SCHOOL COUNSELORS AND NOT GUIDANCE COUNSELORS MOVING FORWARD THANK YOU THANK YOU MS. LADY MR. DUNN UM I WANTED TO ASK FOR A CLARIFICATION UH YOU MENTIONED DR. REED THAT UH

[03:07:37] AND I MAY HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD HENCE I'M ASKING ARE ARE WE LIMITED IN THE NUMBER OF SCHOOL COUNSELORS and social workers and psychologists that we can hire and employ at our schools because of the state support staff limitation we're not limited but the state doesn't fund a higher ratio so that's one of the things as a county we've chosen in fairfax county to fund counseling at a higher rate which is why our caseload is lower than the state's SOQ just anecdotally

[03:08:17] in conversations with school counselors and others they do heroic work but you know my colleagues miss lady and dr. Anderson others have have already said a lot of important things but I just like to lift up that we also need to look at the nationally recommended ratios for the number of social workers and psychologists per student because if you know just in the schools in my district it would often require doubling at least doubling in some cases the number of social workers and psychologists actually reach the nationally

[03:08:56] recommended ratios and if if any school system is going to meet those ratios it probably should be Fairfax County being one of the wealthiest places on earth earth understanding the funding limitations but the uh the the burnout and and the mental and behavioral health problems in our schools um especially among students but also among educators and staff are are real the pandemic um its legacy is uh engraved upon our souls in some way and we need to provide the mental behavioral health support because um you know it's just it's uh

[03:09:32] it's a very different world out there as you know and so you know as we move forward you know we can talk about academic goals uh laid out in our strategic plan like eighth grade algebra but if we don't um provide those wraparound services family liaisons included um uh then then i think ultimately we'll not be successful right because we can't just talk about school anymore in an age when of such anxiety such trauma um and so we really need to look at school in a holistic way way, and I know you do, but I just urge that FCPS consider establishing goals of trying to reach those nationally recommended ratios.

[03:10:10] That was something I campaigned on and found a lot of support for. So I think if we state a goal and be transparent with the public, we can actually build support both my elected officials and our constituents to convey what the problem is, what it will require, and then we can get the funding or other resources to actually make that happen.

[03:10:28] Yes, sir. I will also mention we do have a grant that the team, Dr. Presidio, Mike Axler, Dr. Axler and the team wrote to support recruitment bonuses and retention bonuses for social workers, psychologists, counselors I believe are also not counselors, social workers and psychologists.

[03:10:52] What I will say is it is very, even when we have the positions available it is very difficult to attract candidates and one of the reasons that we are working to have a competitive wage is to make that easier as well. So all of those pieces work together. And so I appreciate what you said.

[03:11:08] Thank you, Mr. Dunn. Miss Dixit. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Dr. Reed, I put two kids in high school in the last four years and have a son right now in Fairfax County Public School in high school. And I've seen the counselor doing tremendous work and they have to have a lot of workload.

[03:11:28] They tend to a lot of students. So even though I agree that they provide a lot of support in as in social, emotional, academic domain, like student advising and academic advising. And but the career domain, that's what I find that they are either overburdened with just too many things going on.

[03:11:48] And I feel there is a need a need of us. There is one career college and career specialist throughout the school. One. And it has got so many kids. It's not catered to each student's need.

[03:12:03] and where they want to go to college, what their speciality is. So this is where I find the big loophole that we are we need to address that counselor have to work with somebody else in the school system.

[03:12:19] I don't know if we have to find more resource for the students because those are the critical years for them to to finalize where they want to go next. Some people some student might want to go to college, some want to go to trade school, but then everybody doesn't get the same advice and same counseling at that level that's that's what my um personal experience has been that um it's the parents who kind of really have to lot of do a lot of that college selection and work with the students thank you yeah thank you thank you miss dixit all right moving right along we'll let the superintendent return to the dais

[03:12:58] because it is now agenda item 6.03 Superintendent matters. I slowly call on Dr. Reed. Thank you Chairman Frisch. So Superintendent Matters since last we met I had the exciting pleasure with to celebrate our Grammy-winning teacher Annie Ray and she

[03:13:36] i know i was going to say i could i actually a year ago joined her parent orchestra for an evening and played the violin and was not invited back so i think that uh but i'm sure that i don't want to read anything into that um so i also just want to give a big shout out to the custodians and food service workers as well as our transportation workers it's our bus transportation hero week as well and encourage all staff to wear yellow tomorrow to support our drivers

[03:14:13] so we're very excited about that and definitely want to join in the recognition and celebration for the proclamation for black history month as well i wanted to share that last saturday we had our first job fair uh for teachers and it was at lewis high school so thank you alfonso uh for alfonso smith for hosting us we had approximately 400 candidates and extended offers to 160 at this time last year we were in the 30s that we extended offers so we're really working hard to

[03:14:48] hire teachers early this year also had a chance to visit with our accelerated certification cohort which are our staff who are teachers and central office leaders pursuing a license and administration Brendan Menui one of our executive principals was working with that group and it was fun to visit with them last night actually we held our third of four we have four quadrants of what we're calling our family vision group and the third of four was last evening at Lane Elementary School we had a large number

[03:15:23] of families and this is the group we've convened that have two family members from each school so we have our fourth next week and just a lot of very interesting feedback safety update on Blake Lane the Wincomatics have been installed on Blake Lane near Oakton High School that is a huge achievement so I want to thank all staff who have participated as well as our partnership with the Fairfax County Police Department we've had two graduations since we've met Mountain View and Bryant High School and very exciting to launch

[03:16:00] young graduates and want to thank the principals and staff and families and as we celebrated those students and then as far as school visits I've had a chance to be at Stone Middle School as well as speaking to the student leadership group at Woodson High School and heard a lot about early career planning to Miss Dixit's point our students think we need to talk about that sooner early and often I think is how they put it I joined several of our board members also at crybaby the musical at fairfax high school last friday and earlier in the week the sixth grade

[03:16:36] strings chorus and band winter concert for rocky run or at rocky run middle school for greenbriar west elementary they had 90 string students in fourth grade it was quite a presentation just amazing work and that would be what superintendent matters at this point this evening thank you Thank you, Chairman Frisch.

[03:16:56] Thank you, Dr. Reed. Agenda item seven, consent agenda. Our adopted rules of parliamentary procedure, Roberts Rules, provide for a consent agenda listing several items for approval of the board by a single motion. Many items listed have gone through board review and documentation has been provided to all board members in the public in advance.

[03:17:16] Items may be removed from the consent agenda at the request of any board member prior to the meeting. The consent agenda items are on the screen. Is there any objection to approving the consent agenda? and seeing no objection, the consent agenda is approved. Agenda item number eight, new business.

[03:17:34] The following are new business agenda items. There will not be a vote on these items this evening, but action is scheduled at a future meeting. The new business items are on the screen. Agenda item nine, board matters. Next on the agenda is board matters.

[03:17:50] I will call on each school board member to speak. Ms. Sandy Anderson. I'm passing this evening. Thank you. Dr. Anderson. I want to give a quick report regarding skipped. so please give me a second you guys were faster than I was um I've had the opportunity to serve on skip this year first starting with Miss uh McLaughlin and now with Miss St. John Cumming who came to her first meeting this week and again it's a very exciting committee to be on as they work on um a lot of very important initiatives at this fall at this meeting just this week there was

[03:18:28] a presentation from county staff regarding the Fairfax County opioid response which included quite informative information about not only how to educate our community but also resources that are available to help combat the um crisis that is going on right now um while the work of the committee the committee is very hard at work in developing policy but i also think that there's more opportunity to realize its goals so at the next executive committee it's going to be my recommendation that we consider um aligning the skip work similarly to the jet committee that met a few years ago so that there could be recommendations to be brought forward to

[03:19:06] each of the bodies for adoption because that's the way I think we can move that work a little bit forward rather than have it just sit and embed it in multiple documents. I want to say congratulations so that's it for skipped. I want to say congratulations quickly to the Justice High School girls indoor track team they are the National District Champions. I want to say congratulations to George Lynch a wrestler from Falls Church High School who was crowned the National district champion in his weight class and another shout out to annie ray the 2024 grammy music teacher educate music educator of the year annandale high school and i will have the

[03:19:43] opportunity to go to her parent class but i will be playing nothing i am that does not happen i'm just going to be an observer i want to also say i was very excited to be invited to edison high school last week to attend their global stem challenge program and their presentations focused on generating clean electric power for the regions around the world with low access to electricity their content knowledge was impressive I learned so much from the 11th graders who were part of this

[03:20:21] presentation and they were top-notch so very much appreciated for being invited can't wait to go back and then I kept that day with going to Justice High School to judge the science fair so I started with science and ended with science it was a very very very good day and also I was very excited to be part of the Bryant High School commencement ceremony yesterday was it just yesterday yesterday those students worked so hard and their diplomas mean so much to them and their parents. And we had one of the students who earned eight of the 14 awards that were

[03:20:58] provided, the scholarships that were provided yesterday. So they're doing some fantastic work and really overcoming some significant challenges. So very, very, very proud of you, Bryan High School graduates. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Anderson. Mr. Dunn? Oh, Mike.

[03:21:19] Still learning. So I was, I was excited to hold my first town hall on January 22nd. We had a great discussion with a number of issues ranging from advanced academics and inclusive preschool to special education and student enrollment forecasts. Last Friday, February 2nd, I had the honor to attend a historic performance called Tales of Nancy, the first theater production written, choreographed, and directed by African-Americans at Mount Vernon High School. I had the pleasure to meet the playwright, Matthew Prentice III, Director

[03:21:53] Renee Sharlow, and choreographer Ebony Jones. I want to lift up a fantastic student at Mount Vernon High School, Sophie Cutter, who recently secured a spot on the U.S. Junior Taekwondo National Team. I think that's fantastic. We've had lots of other awards and excitement happening, but I'd also like to lift up former Holland Hills Elementary School teacher, Miss Billy Myler, who was recently visited by Dr. Reed. There's a nice little photo of her. And Miss Billy Myler, now 90 years old, was an educator for decades, including at Holland Hills Elementary

[03:22:33] School, which was converted into the Paul Springs Community Center, where she now resides. I also wanted to lift up the first ever Edison Pyramid Band Concert, which was a fantastic event with over 130 students participating so there's a lot more coming in in the near future so please do pay attention and sign up for my newsletter to learn more about events in our community i hope to encourage greater participation by the community in school events so we can build stronger linkages because strong schools make strong communities thank you mr dunn miss

[03:23:07] st john cunning thank you i also wanted to lift up the edison um pyramid concert because it was amazing and I had also attended the Fairfax high school performance as we see here on the stage the talent from these kids is incredible. Also I wanted to mention that the civics class from Twain was able to go to the capital they were greeted by Senator Kane Senator Mark Warner and Don Beyer and that's nice to know that we're going to have future leaders from our schools

[03:23:47] already in the making finally I was really excited to attend the career day sponsored by Hispanic educators educators Association and Hispanic Leadership Alliance yesterday at Lewis High School this organization has provided scholarships to students that are first time students in Fairfax County that go to college the students and I were inspired by a panel of Hispanic professionals, including Natalia Fabo, a community engagement and volunteer coordinator of the National Museum of the American Latino, Gustavo Sagastumi, a stamping engineer for

[03:24:24] Toyota Engineering North America, Mirela Saldana Torres, a justice graduate and current resource teacher at the Lewis Leadership Program, and Dr. Giovanni Ponce, chief of schools for Fairfax County. It was inspiring for these students to see these professionals.

[03:24:42] Thank you, Ms. St. John Cunningham. Ms. Lady? Thank you. I did several visits over the past two weeks. I visited Hutchinson Elementary School and was incredibly impressed with Principal Ayo's vision and leadership and enjoyed visiting classrooms and experiencing the teaching and learning that is taking place.

[03:24:58] Last night, I was at Marshall High School for the One Act Play Regional Competition and was very impressed with the performances of our students from South Lakes, McLean, Chantilly, and Marshall, and I want to congratulate Marshall on their victory and wish them the best at State's. This morning, I attended a parent coffee at Clearview Elementary School, Principal Almquist and her team put on a great program for new and returning families, talked a lot about helping students make friends, talked about afterstool clubs and how it's important for students to be involved in activities and also other upcoming family events.

[03:25:33] This past Tuesday, I was present when the Board of Supervisors celebrated Fairfax County with two recognitions. The first celebrated the Davis Center's 40th anniversary. Davis Center at Marshall High School is a student's pathway to individual education and vocational experiences. This program enables them to discover their skills and talents through a strong partnership with local businesses, community partners, families, and students. If you're in need of a caterer, reach out to the Davis Center and place an order. The second recognition was for Career and Technical Education Month, where they recognized our academy programs and CTE classes.

[03:26:06] The academy open houses are going on now. Also, I am following Senate Bill 27, Public School Trades Incentive Fund and Program to help districts implement skilled trade classes with career potentials in high school and middle school, as well as linking students to credential programs.

[03:26:22] I also want to congratulate David Ko, a Drainsville TJ student who is one of 40 finalists in the 2024 Regeneron Science Talent Search from the 300 students recognized, including seven other FCPS students. Good luck, David, in the finals.

[03:26:38] Also congratulations to the Haycock Elementary School fourth graders who participated in the Lincoln Oratory Festival at Ford's Theatre this week. I know they spent weeks preparing for their recitations. And also congratulations to the Colvin Run Elementary School, Cooper Middle School, and Longfield Middle School math counts teams who were key in winning five of the seven top awards in the Northern Virginia Regional Math Counts competition. And finally, congratulations to Cooper, our Kids Lit team that placed second at Nationals in Connecticut. The Kids Lit Quiz is an international annual literature quiz in which teams of four students age 10 to 13 work together to answer wide-ranging literary questions.

[03:27:14] Great job Cougars. Thank you. Thank you Miss Lady. Mr. McDaniel. I have the script inverted I'm sorry. Mr. McAfee. Thank you Mr. Frisch. Should I say Kenny. So I want to wish everyone a happy Lunar New Year. My family and I will be celebrating at the school board retreat this Saturday. But I do look forward to seeing everyone there. I will be bringing some special treats. Mr. Moon is bringing the soju,

[03:27:51] right? Is that correct? But anyway, see everyone there. Happy Year of the Dragon. Thank you, Mr. McIlvain. This is what I get for highlighting the name that's next and then skipping right over it. So Mr. McDaniel. My wife is watching at home and she texted me and said you've talked too much this meeting so I'm going to pass.

[03:28:12] - Thank you for your brevity, Ms. McDaniel. Ms. Sizemore-Heiser. - I'm just gonna lift up, since we talked about "Cry Baby" the musical and how amazing it is, that it's still going on this weekend. So if you haven't seen it, get some tickets.

[03:28:27] Also Robinson Matilda Jr., Lake Braddock, "Something Rotten" coming up. Irving Middle School is doing "We Will Rock You." So lots of amazing theater going on right now, and I'm excited to go see the Parent Orchestra, and I do hopefully get to play something, 'cause it's a lifelong dream to play an instrument, And the only instrument I've played to date so far is the drums.

[03:28:47] So I'm excited. I'll stop there. Have a great night. Thank you, Ms. Seizmorheiser. Mr. Moon. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thought that you were forgetting me. Mr. McDaniel was going to yield all of his time to me, too.

[03:29:05] So about a week ago, I was able to attend one of the rehearsals, Paran Orchestra. I don't play any musical instruments, but I was able to listen to all the great music and are being rehearsed by many of our talented and dedicated parents.

[03:29:23] Their council seems to be on the night. We have a school for the meeting, May the 9th. So I would like to request Mr. Chairman to excuse me if I don't show up to the meeting. I'm at the panel orchestra. Please bring a note.

[03:29:40] Thank you. And since Mr. McElby mentioned about Lunar New Year that a Saturday, January 1, according to the lunar calendar, there are, I think, about 10 different countries that celebrate a lunar new year based upon the lunar calendar.

[03:30:04] There are Korea, China, Vietnam, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. And upcoming new year is Year of Dragon. And in Korea, we consider this particular ear of dragon to be ear of blue dragon.

[03:30:26] Blue dragon represents bravery, courage. I was not born in the ear of dragon. I was born in the ear of rooster. But however, my name, Il-Yong, in case you didn't know, Il means one, Ryong means dragon.

[03:30:45] So I am one dragon. I am really looking forward to having a brave, courageous New Year from this Saturday, starting with a retreat. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Moon. Ms. Dixit?

[03:31:03] Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm going to call Mr. Moon one dragon. My mistake. Just wanted to say about everybody's talked about Cry Baby, the musical.

[03:31:19] I just felt I was on Broadway. The students were so good. And I was just spellbound. I was so happy to see them perform at that level. There were many students, I guess, across the county. There were students from Sully District Schools as well.

[03:31:36] And congratulations to the team and all the students there for doing such a great performance. Also would like to congratulate the Sully District School, Navy Elementary, Chantilly High School, Stone Middle School, Center Ridge Elementary School and Westfield High School, who won five of the 11 award for outstanding school communication at the school communication conference held on January 26th.

[03:32:01] Navy Elementary was awarded the 2024 award of communication excellence in the category best in show which recognize a school that is excelling in web, social media and newsletter that shows our schools are getting so creative with social media and technology.

[03:32:20] I also had a great trip to visit to Stone Middle School with Mr. Moon and Superintendent Reid. It was really fun to record an episode of episode of the school pause and listen podcast. Thank you, Principal Williams, for being so welcoming and the valuable insight that you and your staff shared with me.

[03:32:42] Lastly, I wanted to say about I had the exciting opportunity to participate in the FCPS Department of IT Mid-Year Virtual Conference Education AI plus AI with the keynote presentation from thought leaders like Sal Khan from Khan Academy Amanda because staff co-founder CEO of AI and education and of course our own FCPS chief information officer Gotham Setty this event was really interesting and there was a lot of great topics covered I would request in the future if you could do it make it possible for the

[03:33:19] high school students to also participate because as though they are the one who should be learning more about AI of course we wanted to want as well so thank you everyone have a great night thank you miss Dixit miss Marin yeah well I've been really immersed in secondary school course selection because I have a rising ninth grader so I know I'm not alone and it's not just high school it's middle school entering middle school and secondary school and so I just encourage our families and our students to really understand the

[03:33:52] process I know it's it's something that needs to be communicated clearly it can be a bit confusing if you're a first-time family so even even for me I had questions so please do pay a lot of attention to that process and I've had some really amazing academic achievements happening in Hunter Mill We've got some Regeneron Science Talent Search Award recipients in Madison High School and at TJ, and we also have National Young Arts Foundation competition recognition at many of our high

[03:34:27] schools, dancing and music, violin, jazz, so I feature all that in my newsletter, but there's some really great stuff happening, and thank you for our teachers who recently got either new or recertified for their national board certification, including Stephanie Stewart at Herden High School and Estefania Vargos-Clarus Marshall High School, they're new for a newly certification.

[03:34:48] I cannot get enough of Annie Ray, and if I had the choice to meet Taylor Swift or Annie Ray, I would meet Annie Ray, and I expect to do so soon. I was delighted to attend Forest Edge Elementary recently for their Achievement Assembly for the pre-K through second graders, and just a chance to honor the students' behavior and achievements and classroom citizenship and include the custodian Mr. Jose, who's a local celebrity who not only was featured with an honor but helped to present the honor for the best mannered in the cafeteria, which included the winner was the kindergarten, one of the kindergarten classes.

[03:35:26] And then over at McNair Literacy Night had a tremendous turnout. That's our school that is K-2. Tremendous turnout. I mean, over 100 families and students, at least, if not more, and no one was running around the gym. immersed in the literacy activities. Tomorrow night I'm headed to Sunrise Valley Elementary for their spelling bee. I was over at Flint Hills last week for their spelling bee of K-2 students. The winning word was stitchery, which was a fifth grade level word. I will be attending Langston Hughes's honor roll assembly next week as a board member and also as a parent because my ninth grader did it. So happy year of the dragon and I look forward to celebrating

[03:36:04] this weekend and right here in this exact location next Saturday at Luther Jackson Middle School for their annual celebration. That is fantastic. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Marin. I think the Swifties are going to be coming after you after after that.

[03:36:20] I also had an opportunity with many of our colleagues here to attend Cry Baby and before the incredible performance by our student, our incredibly talented students, we had an opportunity to break bread with our city partners in the city of Fairfax on the city council and on the school board and Mayor Reed and had some great conversations with Mayor Reed and Chairman Pichas from their school board about how we can continue to partner together.

[03:36:46] On Tuesday, I filled in for Ms. Dixon, our federal legislative liaison, for a round table with Senator Tim Kaine to talk about education issues. And he opened the conversation by responding to our letter to our congressional delegation about Title I funding concerns stating that he would do everything in his power to protect our Title I funding from the cuts that have been discussed in the House of Representatives.

[03:37:14] So very grateful for that. On Tuesday as well, I had the incredible fortune of being on hand at Cunningham Park Elementary School as HDR, the great engineers at HDR, brought their all kids bike program to Cunningham and to see a room full of kindergarteners as the curtains get pulled and there are bicycles and helmets for all of them was a really great way to start my day on Tuesday. On Wednesday I was fortunate to attend the Bryant High School graduation with several of my colleagues and

[03:37:51] every now and then a student speaker just says something that is just perfect and here's the I leaned over to Dr. Anderson and said that was incredible when she said this. She said sometimes times it feels like the world is on top of us, but today we're on top of the world. I thought that was fantastic. And then on Wednesday, many of us also participated in the FCC PTA's meeting and meet and greet with us on the school board. And finally, last week, I was able to attend the installation of our Wink-O-Matics. I don't even know if that's a thing, but I found out when they

[03:38:28] were being installed and I went and thanked the workers because of how important it is to our community along the Blake Lane corridor. I do want to thank our incredible FCPS team especially the Office of Safety and Security for being diligent in getting that job done.

[03:38:44] Also our partners in Supervisor Dalia Palczyk's office, FCDOT, VDOT, all of our partners that made this possible including those in the community from Fairfax Families for Safe Streets and the neighbors that we have around Blake Lane. So I too will be here this weekend as as we celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Dragon.

[03:39:04] So I'm looking forward to seeing my colleagues there and others as well. And with that, we are adjourned.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Coraggio Consulting · aguyonx.com