Coraggio Consulting
Fairfax County School Board — Regular Meeting, Thursday, April 10, 2025

Date: Thursday, April 10, 2025
Place: Fairfax County School Board, Virginia
Length: 4h 9m (video)
Official meeting video (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJN1qZ5qyQE
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 2026-10-30. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:00:10] This April 10th 2025 regular meeting of the Fairfax County School Board will 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 Navy Elementary School strings under the direction of Robert Salzburg

[00:00:24] and Tonya Stanley. We have one more round of applause for

[00:02:32] those talented kids agenda item 2.02 announcements. Mr. McDaniels submitted a written request to attend tonight's meeting virtually due to personal reasons as he has child care conflict. He's located in Fairfax Virginia all All those in favor of Mr. McDaniel's request?

[00:02:53] Ms. Marin, Ms. Dixit, Dr. Anderson, Ms. Anderson, Ms. St. John Cunning, Mr. Moon, Ms. Seismarheiser, and myself, that is unanimous for board members present. Can Mr. McDaniel test his microphone and camera? - I'm here, thank you. - All right, thank you.

[00:03:10] Mr. Dunn has submitted a written request to attend tonight's meeting virtually due to medical reasons. He is located in Mount Vernon, Virginia. All those in favor of approving Mr. Dunn's request? Ms. Marin, Ms. Dixit, Dr. Anderson, Ms. Anderson, Ms. Seismar Heiser, Mr. Moon, Ms. St. John Cunningham, and myself, that is unanimous for board members present.

[00:03:28] Mr. Dunn, will you test your microphone and camera? - I'm here, thank you. - Thank you very much. If you'd like to review a copy of the meeting agenda, please see the back of the auditorium. To obtain copies of any items or supporting materials being presented tonight, please reference the QR code on the agenda or visit fcps.edu/boarddocs.

[00:03:49] Tonight's meeting is being broadcast on Channel 99 and live streamed on YouTube and our website at fcps.edu/livestream. Tonight's meeting is also being broadcast in Spanish on YouTube at youtube.com/atfcpsnespanol.

[00:04:06] Agenda item 2.03, Arab American Heritage Proclamation. I call on Mr. Moon for the proclamation. - Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just for your indulgence a little bit, let me get to that.

[00:04:21] Whereas April is a time to celebrate Arab American heritage and culture, pay tribute to the contributions of Arab Americans and Arabic-speaking Americans. This year's theme, Arab American Heritage, honoring the past, inspiring the future, reflects on the community's legacy while highlighting the next generation of leaders making strides in business, government, education, science, and the arts.

[00:04:50] And whereas nearly four million Americans trace their roots to an Arab country. Arab Americans hail from 22 Arab nations and are diverse ethnically, religiously, politically, and artistically.

[00:05:06] And whereas for centuries, Arab Americans have made valuable contributions to every aspect of American society in medicine, law, business, education, technology, government, military service, culture, and inventing many groundbreaking innovations to include television transmission and LCD screens waffle cone emotional recognition technology the ipod and the iphone surgical developments including the concept behind coronary bypass surgery and internet security advances such as

[00:05:44] the digital signature standard dss and whereas since migrating to america people of arab descent have shared their rich culture and traditions with neighbors and friends while also setting fine examples as modern citizens and public servants. And Arab-Americans have also enriched our society by sharing in the entrepreneurial American spirit that makes our nation free and prosperous. And whereas, two notable Arab-Americans have influenced millions of people around the

[00:06:20] globe. Khalil Gibran was a writer, poet, and visual artist. He immigrated to the United States in 1895 from Ottoman-ruled Mount Lebanon, Moura Serefet, now Lebanon. His best-known work is the 1923 book The Prophet. It has become one of the best-selling books of all time and has been translated into more than 100 languages. Fairfax County Public Schools alumni Hora Karpi is of

[00:06:55] Egyptian descent. She is a successful broadcast journalist and was a TV host of Dayline NBC and the Today Show. She attended Fort Hunt Middle School then known as Stephen Foster Middle School and graduated from both Fort Hunt High School and Virginia Tech and whereas the celebration of Arab American ancestry and cultural heritage educates our fellow Americans and counters bias, misconceptions, harmful stereotyping, and shared abuses by other ethnic groups.

[00:07:30] And Arab-American Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate the great pride and vibrancy of the over 100,000 Arab-Americans in Virginia, whose abilities and contributions strengthen Virginia's economy, diverse culture, and communities.

[00:07:50] and whereas Fairfax County Public Schools believes in fostering an inclusive community that empowers all students and families. Arab American Heritage Month presents an opportunity to explore and appreciate the diversity that strengthens our community.

[00:08:10] Through classroom activities and educational programs, we aim to enrich our students' understanding and appreciation of Arab American heritage. Now, therefore, be resolved that the Fairfax County School would hereby proclaim April as Arab-American Heritage Month and officially recognize the contributions Arab-Americans have made to our society.

[00:08:36] We encourage the celebration of the collective ingenuity, creativity, cultures, and traditions of Arab-Americans and encourage participation in educational events honoring their contributions. So I move. Thank you, Mr. Moon. Is there a second?

[00:08:54] Second, Ms. Sizemoreheiser. All those in favor of the proclamation, Ms. Marron, Ms. Dixit, Dr. Anderson, Ms. Anderson, Ms. Sizemoreheiser, Mr. Moon, Ms. St. John Cunning, Mr. Dunn and Mr. McDaniel, will you verbalize your, I see your hands now. Thank you. Mr. McDaniel, Mr. Dunn and myself, that is unanimous. The proclamation passes. Congratulations. Agenda item 2. Yes, applause is in order.

[00:09:21] Agenda item 2.04, Month of the Military Child Proclamation. I call on Ms. Marin for the proclamation. Whereas April is the month of the military child, this designation was established by former U.S. Secretary of Defense, Casper Weinberger, in 1986 to acknowledge and honor our youngest military heroes and the significant role they play in our communities.

[00:09:45] And whereas the 2025 theme for the month of the military child is celebrating military child and youth, building strong struggle character and relationships. Military youth show bravery, adaptability, and resiliency through frequently changing family environments.

[00:10:02] And whereas Virginia is home to over 77,000 military-connected school-age students, more than any other state in the nation, Fairfax County Public Schools proudly supports around 13,500 military-connected youth and their families. And whereas our military-connected students bring a wealth of life experience to our schools, families relocate frequently, leading their children to change schools and support networks with each move.

[00:10:28] These students know firsthand what it feels like to be the new kid and know how a welcoming attitude can help every new student. And whereas military-connected children overcome many challenges and have unique experiences as a result of their parents' assignments at duty stations around the world, and whereas FCPS is honored to participate in the Purple Star designation program, the 96 FCPS Purple Star Schools are recognized by the Virginia Department of Education and Virginia Council on Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children for actively supporting military-connected students and their families, and we remain dedicated to ensuring all schools

[00:11:04] earn the Purple Star designation by the 26-27 school year. And whereas on April 9th, FCPS celebrated Purple Up Day, Purple symbolizes all branches of the military as a combination of Army Green, Marine Corps Red, Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force Blue.

[00:11:24] Therefore be it resolved that the Fairfax County School Board celebrates April as the month of the military child in recognition of military-connected students for their heroism, character, sacrifices, and continued resilience. This month provides a powerful opportunity to raise awareness and build support for these children.

[00:11:41] And therefore be it further resolved that the Fairfax County School Board extends our appreciation for the service of all children for military families and encourage everyone to wear purple throughout the month to celebrate our military connected students and families. Thank you Miss Marin is there a second second Dr. Anderson all right all those in favor of the proclamation Miss Marin Miss Dixit Dr. Anderson Miss Anderson Miss Sizemore Heiser Mr. Moon Miss St. John Cunning Mr. McDaniel Mr. Dunn and myself that is unanimous for board members present congratulations the proclamation passes.

[00:12:17] I would like to welcome, one second, yes, deputy, welcome deputy to the Fort Belvoir Garrison commander, Mr. Sean C. Lehane, and all those here in support of the month of the military child proclamation to please join the board for a photo at the front of the dais.

[00:14:03] I would like to welcome all those here in support of the Arab American Heritage Month proclamation to please join the board for a photo at the front of the dais.

[00:15:16] Agenda item 2.05, National Board Certified Teachers Recognition. Good evening and welcome leadership teams honorees and guests we are pleased to recognize those Fairfax County Public Schools educators who have earned or renewed national board certification for the 25-26 school year.

[00:15:35] It is my great honor on behalf of the Fairfax County School Board to recognize our national board certified teachers for their dedication and contributions to the education of our students. And now I would like to introduce the division superintendent Dr. Michelle Reed.

[00:15:50] Thank you, Chairman Frisch. Good evening, and I would like to congratulate each of you on achieving or renewing your National Board Certification. National Board Certification is a rigorous and prestigious achievement, and we are proud to be here to honor your commitment to excellence as educators.

[00:16:10] To you, our 2025 honorees, you're part of a very elite group of education professionals who can say that they have achieved National Board Certification. Over the last 24 years, over 500 teachers in Fairfax County have earned National Board Certification.

[00:16:27] As classroom teachers, you are 23 of the 222 currently teaching in classrooms and serving in leadership positions across Fairfax County. National Board Certification embodies everything we hope to see in our teachers.

[00:16:43] This group of educators has demonstrated their commitment to high-quality instruction, equity, family engagement, collaboration and self-reflection on a national level. Thank you for sharing your gifts with the students, staff and families of Fairfax County Public Schools.

[00:17:00] And now, I would like to welcome one of our instructors from the National Board Certification Course, Faiza Alam, to read the names of our honorees and congratulations again. Thank you.

[00:17:17] Good morning, everyone. Oh, no good morning, good evening. Still like in my day zone, I guess. At this time, we will recognize teachers who have achieved National Board certification. We invite you to use the QR code to access the digital program. I think it's going to come up there.

[00:17:35] The digital program for more information about each of our honorees, honorees, when your name is called, please stand and remain standing until all honorees are called. Melissa Johnson, Lake Braddock Secondary School, Patrick Noel, Colvin Run Elementary School.

[00:18:00] Additionally, we would like to honor the following individuals who are being recognized for achieving the National Board certification, but we're unable to come this evening and they are Heather Hall from Westgate Elementary School Kristen Barsfeld Terra Center Elementary School Hannah Brown Bailey's Elementary School Liana Clark Bailey's upper elementary school Carol Dalmat Madison High School Rachel one Elmendorf Holmes Middle School.

[00:18:44] Thank you all. Please join me in recognizing once again the accomplishment of all of the new national board certified teachers. Congratulations and a big applause. Please be seated.

[00:19:01] The following national board certified teachers have renewed their certificates honorees. When your name is called please stand to be recognized and remain standing until the honorees are called. Julianne Braden Lauren Hill Elementary School. Laura Chami Madison High School. Francis Clark Keen Mill elementary school Heather Joan Holland Meadows elementary

[00:19:39] school Lauren Kinney Woodson high school Rachel Morris Lauren Hill elementary school Aliana Taylor Hayfield Secondary school. Additionally we would like to honor the following individuals who are being recognized for renewing their national board certification but we're unable to attend this evening. Emily Kiefer Herndon elementary school Bethany

[00:20:17] Layton Sangster Elementary School Darren Misak Lake Braddock Secondary School Megan Stanley Cooper Middle School Julianne Trimble Bull Run Elementary School Krista Wigetel Hayfield Secondary School Jyotsana Valampati Madison High School and Mary Wolf Herndon High School

[00:20:53] congratulations to the renewed National Board Certified Teachers. At this time we would like to invite the school board and leadership team to come to the dais for a photo with the new and renewed national board certified teachers. We're going to take two photos. The first will be with all honorees and the second will be with all newly certified honorees.

[00:22:32] So the second photo is with our newly certified teachers. All right. Agenda item. If board

[00:25:33] members could please return to their seats. Agenda item 3.01, community participation. The next Next order of business is community participation.

[00:25:59] We welcome all community members who are here and those who have signed up to speak this evening. Additional information about signing up to provide comments at regular school board meetings and public hearings can be found on the school board's website at FCPS.edu/schoolboard. During the signup process, community members acknowledged they were informed of the school board's expectations for proper decorum when providing comments.

[00:26:21] These expectations are also available online and with the printed agenda and meeting materials in the back of the room. We ask audience members to be respectful of one another. Shouting and outbursts will not be tolerated. Please hold your applause until the conclusion of a speaker's remarks. Audience members may not join speakers at the podium and should remain at their seats, including while recording video or taking photos.

[00:26:42] We're grateful for those who have come to speak to us today and thank you for your cooperation. School board members will be listening but not responding. Madam Clerk, please call the first speaker. - Student speaker number one.

[00:27:01] - My name is Michael and I am currently a sixth grader at an FCPS elementary school. I will be attending middle school next year and I'm excited about the after-school activity opportunities that will be available to my classmates and I if the funding does not get cut for them.

[00:27:18] Middle school can be a challenging time with increased academic demands and being in a bigger school with more teachers and expectations. Being able to participate in Battle of the Books or Quiz Bowl or be a part of the school musical are things that are also so important to the development mental health of my fellow students. Providing us with additional outlets and opportunities for engagement beyond schoolwork makes us more well-rounded and gives us the chance to develop varied interests and learn new skills that will help us as we continue our schooling and in life. I urge you to consider other school budget funds that could fund the crucial middle school

[00:27:57] after-school activities program should the item be cut from the county budget. Thank you for your time. Kate Wilska. Most middle schools in the school district, offer family and consumer sciences as an optional semester-long elective, whereas high schools have classes that fall under the umbrella but are not general and instead focus on specific careers like fashion design or hospitality. Students who didn't take general facts classes during their short time in middle school or move to the county later don't have the opportunity to. Not only are these classes not available for high school students to take,

[00:28:35] even when they are available in middle schools, many people simply don't take them. But the students who don't take facts are missing out on the benefits of it. While many high school While vocational classes prepare students for different careers, they're lacking in a class that prepares them not just for a job, but for life in general. The skills taught in FACTS classes are wide-ranging.

[00:28:51] Learning mending techniques can help students recognize quality and avoid fast fashion, whereas learning how to cook and where food comes from can encourage better knowledge of nutrition and understanding of the impacts of farming on the environment, as well as other skills such as childcare and budgeting. Many FCPS students don't see the benefit of these classes and as a result are missing out on an opportunity to be more prepared for adulthood.

[00:29:12] More high schools should offer general facts classes to give older students a chance to take a general class rather than one designed with vocational education in mind. Additionally, the idea of making a facts class a graduation requirement should be considered. There are already a long list of classes needed to graduate, such as core subjects like math and history and additional classes like personal finance and fine arts electives, as well as others like foreign language being highly encouraged.

[00:29:34] It wouldn't be much more of a burden to require students to at some point between 7th and 12th grade take a facts class and the benefits of learning those life skills would last throughout their lives. Bibi Afzali.

[00:30:01] - Good evening, everyone. Dear Fairfax County officials, my name is Bibi Kobra Afzali and I'm a senior at Herndon High School. I'm here to bring attention to a challenge that many students who are new to this country face. From my own experience, I know how difficult it is to start over in a new country.

[00:30:19] Despite all of that, I have been part of leadership, taking dual enrollment and avid classes. However, learning a new language, adjusting to a different school system keeping up with academic expectations can be very overwhelming. One of the biggest struggles for many students like me is the SOL exams. For those who do not speak English as their first language, these tests can be especially stressful and hard to pass. I know this struggle personally because I have not yet passed the science SOL and I'm trying my best to pass it this year so I can graduate and receive my diploma. Many other students are in the same

[00:30:57] situations, feeling pressured and anxious because passing these exams is required for graduation. I respectfully ask the county to consider making the process easier for students who are still learning English, whether through extra support, testing options, or other helpful solutions.

[00:31:15] Giving these students more opportunities would make a big difference. I am writing on behalf of all the students who are new to this country and facing this challenge. I hope you will take this issue seriously and find ways to support us so we can all have a fair chance to succeed thank you for listening. Rihanna Kwasi. Good evening everybody my name is Rihanna Kwasi and I am

[00:31:52] the outreach specialist for Turning Point which is a program of the Fairfax Falls Church Community Services Board a part of Fairfax County. I am here today to tell you about a little bit about our program. We are a program that provides services to Fairfax County residents that are experiencing symptoms of psychosis. So briefly, symptoms of psychosis can include hearing and seeing things that others don't, experiencing behavior, unusual behaviors, unusual thoughts. So Turning Point has two different tracks specifically to address this

[00:32:32] issue in Fairfax County. We have one that is the first episode psychosis track, so specifically anybody who's experiencing symptoms within the last two years is eligible for this program, and the high-risk track, which is anybody who's experiencing some general symptoms, broader symptoms, but hasn't been diagnosed yet.

[00:32:56] So this program is a wonderful program. It provides so many different services like caregiver support, family support, psychotherapy, case management, physical activity, really trying to build resiliency and self-sufficiency and re-engaging our clients back into the community.

[00:33:15] So we are making an appeal to Fairfax County schools, particularly high schools, if they're noticing any symptoms in their students or even parents, to please make a referral. I can provide that referral email for you after this after this meeting and it's just so absolutely wonderful program and we really want to work with schools.

[00:33:35] So thank you so much and I hope that if you have any questions please let me know. Frank Cole Mallard. Excuse me.

[00:34:08] Good evening. I speak to you tonight as a 50 year Fairfax County taxpayer father of three former FCPS students, a Vietnam vet and retired Voice of America journalist. My topic tonight is the school board's responsibility in conjunction with FCPS administrators, the staff, school admin, and teachers to keep students safe and protected.

[00:34:31] This responsibility is just as important as your responsibility to educate students in the academic disciplines and partnering with parents. Some of the safety issues in question include student drug overdose incidents, human trafficking, sex trafficking, gang activity, normalization slash promotion of a parent's sexual acts, abortion as a means of birth control, and instances of gender dysphoria.

[00:34:58] Ironically, gender dysphoria is most likely brought on by topics in the family life education curriculum or the suggestive survey questions in socio-emotional health or the health and human growth curriculum. Recently, Governor Youngkin said in Virginia, parents have a fundamental right to make decisions on their child's upbringing care and education and include schools notify parents if a minor student if a minor student expresses gender incongruence or request school participation in affirming their gender identity schools should gain parental consent before implementing any related plans including

[00:35:38] counseling raising a child consistent with their biological sex including related mental health or medical decisions is not parental abuse or neglect this is common sense Fairfax County Public Schools however is one of twelve school systems in the Virginia that have a policy to deceive parents about their own children I ask you to please recognize that keeping secrets from parents is dangerous and among other dangers opens the door to

[00:36:04] predators it states Paul's parents abusive to raise their Jeffrey a key at the start of his campaign speech surely after he was shot by radicalized would be assassinated. Theodore Roosevelt said it is a very natural thing that weak and vicious minds should be inflamed to acts of violence by the kind of awful mendacity and abuse that have been heaped upon me for the last three months by

[00:36:42] the papers. We need to teach civics. There are a few young persons with whom I speak who appreciate our Constitution was mankind's very first governing document to state all men are created equal or anything really similar. They don't recognize our rights come from God not government and that our government is created to defend those rights. Fortunately, children aware of those are homeschooled or taught in private schools. We need to teach history, the good and the bad. For example, in order to create a society that liberated Americans from tyranny and create full equality, something grave was put

[00:37:15] off until a later date. That date was September 1861, the Civil War. And the struggle continues. America is not perfect, but it is great because we confront the struggle. It is great because we treat history honestly and keep discussions open. It is great because we trust in the human spirit, not in government control. History shows us governments that need to control always end badly. Our constitutional republic defends flourishing. It is in the defense of our rights, so egregiously trespassed against us during COVID. It is in the defense of our free marketplace of ideas and open discussion without reprisal, so dishonestly trespassed against our children with with compelled speech policies.

[00:37:54] It is in the peaceful transition of power, so desperately fought against by the weak, vicious minds who attempted to kill a presidential candidate, have incited violence against justices, put men in women's sports, et cetera, et cetera. We do indeed need to love and cherish each soul and lift all to their greatness and their potential.

[00:38:13] It is misguided to teach our children to be racist, to enable their destructive behavior, and to conspire with them against their parents.

[00:38:19] misguided. NDEI and FMLE. Thank you. Molly Sullivan. Good evening. I'm here as an FCPS parent teacher and PTA president from the Sully and Springfield districts. I'm here to advocate for the after school programs and the employees who run them. I'm one of many residents who is in favor of the meals tax in conjunction with the real estate tax so we can keep our programs going. I'm asking you be more creative on how to increase our FCPS budget not tied to the county or state because they've made it very clear we can't count on them. Where can FCPS

[00:39:03] save money, eliminate center AAP schools, and require every elementary and middle school to have AAP endorsed staff and multiple classrooms, saving $8 million annually on transportation. Pay out PTO to FCPS employees corresponding to the step and salary at rate at which it was accumulated.

[00:39:19] Allow businesses to sponsor school events, clubs, named fields, auditoriums, staircases, et cetera. My ask tonight, though, is that the board make a written commitment with Dr. Reed, prior to the finalized budget, that you will retain the after-school program educators in their current schools should their programs be eliminated. Dr. Reed was at GBW this week and she said she wanted to do that. Thank you. But wanting to versus a written and binding commitment is different. After school programs employ 26 highly valued educators and with the threat of eliminating their programs they've been placed under what feels like a gag order barred from using their FCPS emails discouraged from disseminating information to their school communities about these proposed cuts. They've been forced to rely on us at

[00:39:59] PTAs to spread the word. Dr. Anderson, Ms. St. John Cumning, and Ms. Lady know firsthand from having worked in our schools how vital adults like them are. They do much more than just run after-school clubs. Taking away a safe, trusted adult in tandem with the after-school programs will cause serious damage to the 23,000 students they impact daily.

[00:40:17] So please commit to continue contracts for these essential educators, regardless of budgetary constraints. Thank you. Robert Rigby, Jr.

[00:40:37] Good evening, Mr. Chair of School Board and wider community. My proposal tonight is that those of us on opposite sides of these really hot topics sit down together and eat and visit without discussing these hot topics.

[00:41:07] I have a friend with whom I disagree sharply about many things in the culture war. At this point in time, these topics are too hot for us to talk about. So we visit, and we spend time, and we eat. We read books that we both enjoy.

[00:41:24] I talk about, at other times, the erasure of trans folk and the trauma and death to people in my community. He, at other times, speaks of things that he sees that are equally dire. But we can still sit together and see one another as human.

[00:41:44] And I think that's what our community has to do. We have to sit down together and re-humanize one another. Otherwise, we'll get nowhere. My friend and I have the luxury of doing this because we're not directly affected by the things that we fear.

[00:42:08] And I don't want to re-traumatize or blame folks who are directly affected. But we cannot see one another as evil or dishonest. We must see one another as human. In these times, I've really gotten off my speech here.

[00:42:29] So I'll just say thank you all for listening. If anybody wants to contact me, I'm sure you can Google me and find contact information. Thank you for listening. Sheila Muraldeher.

[00:42:49] Good evening Dr. Reed Chairman Frisch and school board members I teach fourth grade at Westbriar Elementary School and I'm here to request your assistance and bring your attention to the fact that FCPS is not honoring teacher trainee years of full-time teaching experience on the step-based scale this contradicts FCPS regulation 4625 which explicitly states quote full-time teaching in a public school shall be allowed for experience credit close quotes.

[00:43:23] Hired in August 2021 to teach K-6 team on an IAPA scale, I was then hired to teach full-time under the teacher resident program created to fill urgent vacancies in 2022. I was then rehired in 2023 under the rebranded teacher trainee program.

[00:43:42] After fulfilling all the coursework requirements last month, HR cited a contract clause that discredits my years of full-time teaching experience and put me on the step one of the pay scale. Teacher trainees have fulfilled all the responsibilities of a contracted teacher unassisted.

[00:43:59] Our community trusts that the work of full-time teachers entrusted with their children's education is credible and therefore must be creditable. As a parent of two FCPS graduates, I certainly trusted that all our teachers were being treated equitably.

[00:44:16] Denying recognition of teacher trainees' teaching experience sends a message that our years of full-time service and contributions are not valued. If those positions were not marked unfilled or vacant, shouldn't our time be credited? I respectfully request that my full-time teaching experience be recognized in accordance with Regulation 4625, allowing our service to be made whole by fair compensation of the work that we have diligently carried out.

[00:44:44] Thank you for your time. Robert Drummer. Good evening, Chairman Fish, Vice Chair Anderson, Distinguished Board Members.

[00:45:06] I'm Robert Drummer. I'm a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated, the Omicron Kappa Kappa chapter that serves primarily Western Fairfax, Herndon, and Reston, Virginia. I serve as chair of our Omega STEM Committee, as well as on our Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative Committee.

[00:45:24] However, I'm speaking tonight solely on my own behalf, in my personal capacity, and not as an official representative of the organization or any other public or private entity. over the past three years i've volunteered with our stem program at langston hughes middle school we sponsor their vex robotics team we also sponsor the area drone competition team at reston teen center and during the course of those three years i witnessed personally these young people middle

[00:45:59] school students grow and develop not only in their hard skills but in their soft social and life skills additionally one of our brothers chuck smith who's a former math instructor has volunteered as a tutor at rest and teen center for math as well as volunteered last year at the vip summer camp in addition to our robotics and stem programs we also sponsor awards for the fairfax

[00:46:34] County Science Fair which is a pipeline through the middle school stem and robotics programs and drone programs so as you consider the FY 26 budget particularly the efforts to eliminate the after-school program funding for middle school activities I we beg you to reconsider that as these funds are indispensable in helping these kids particularly many of them from

[00:47:03] marginalized communities please play the video testimony submitted by stephanie lundquist or good evening a is for the aviator amelia erhart this is how an appropriate public school display celebrating women's history month would have begun instead west springfield high school experienced something entirely different a divisive and inappropriate display that began with a is for abortion accompanied by the image of a coat hanger i could go on here to discuss the other abhorrent

[00:47:39] posters in the display, which Dr. Reed explicitly classified as "critical thinking," and all 12 of the school board members also supported with their cowardly silence when asked to comment via email. In reality, the display was politically one-sided and undeniably controversial. In the future, students might wish to hang signs in the hallway that cover a variety of themes and issues.

[00:47:59] I'm all for free speech, which is why I object to your compelled pronouns policy. So let me ask you this is it district policy to allow students to hang whatever they would like to in the hallways if so please do make that clear i suppose you wouldn't object to for example a display supporting the second amendment featuring an image of lieutenant governor winsome's tears a proud marine corps veteran holding a rifle controversial issues distract public schools from their mission of which you seem to have lost sight the most recent sol data reflects poorly on the district 22 percent of SCPS students failed reading, 72 percent failed writing, 24 percent failed math, 27 percent failed science, and 59 percent failed history.

[00:48:39] SCPS is at the center of yet another national scandal in education because of its poor leadership. You could have acknowledged the divisiveness of the display and removed it immediately, but you didn't. Our tax dollars should not be funding projects and curricula for children that violate many of our principles and religious beliefs. Why is it that whenever faced with an 80/20 issue, you will rationally choose the 20 the way you handle the abc's to me display reflects your biases and willingness to engage in viewpoint discrimination against students who overly objected to the exhibit district leadership should set a better example for its students moving

[00:49:12] forward thank you chair frisch that was our last public speaker thank you madam clerk agenda item 4.01 student representative matters miss sawant is attending an event with her future university tonight i will let her break the news and regretfully could not attend tonight's meeting so we will skip student representative matters and hear from her next meeting agenda item 5.01 action item 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 school

[00:49:51] board convened a closed meeting on april 10th 2025 to the best of each board member's knowledge ONLY PUBLIC BUSINESS MATTERS LAWFULLY EXEMPTED FROM OPEN MEETING REQUIREMENTS AND ONLY SUCH PUBLIC 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?

[00:50:10] MR. MOON DO I HAVE A SECOND? MS. SEISMORHEISER ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? MS. MARIN, MS. DIXIT, DR. ANDERSON, MS. ANDERSON, MS. SEISMORHEISER, MR. MOON, Ms. St. John Cunning, Mr. Dunn and myself, and anybody opposed, abstentions, Mr. McDaniel.

[00:50:32] The motion carries. Agenda item 5.02, action item, confirmation of action taken in closed meeting. I call on Ms. Dixit for a motion. I move that the school board authorizes superintendent and legal counsel to negotiate the acquisition of certain real property, real estate property for a public purpose according to the terms and conditions discussed in closed session is there second second mr dunn all those in favor of the motion miss dixit dr anderson miss anderson miss seismorheiser mr moon miss st john cunning mr dunn and myself all those opposed

[00:51:10] miss marin abstentions mr mcdaniel will the clerk read the vote the vote is 8 1 1 the motion carries the motion carries all right agenda item 5.03 action item financial year 2025 third quarter budget review i call on mr mcdaniel for a motion i move that the school board approve the fy 2025 third quarter budget review as detailed in the agenda item on board docs is there a second second

[00:51:49] miss sizemarheiser mr mcdaniel would you like to speak to your motion i just want to echo what i said at the last meeting this is a fairly routine item um you know we we the budgeting uh process is one where there's really just not a lot of wiggle room and i think if i recall correctly this represents a 0.015 variance of the overall budget and that and the funding is going into safety mostly safety and security priorities uh so i'm happy to move this forward and uh thank you to lee and her staff as always for the hard work you put into the budget thank you mr mcdaniel miss

[00:52:25] sizemarheiser would you like to speak to your second yeah just briefly um i wanted to first start by saying i really thank our budget team budget staff as well this is a very detailed um review that we do you know every quarter on the budget and down to the to the penny is very actually very impressive in the with such a large budget so we really do a quite a good audit review of our budget every quarter and to get the details of the changes um i'm really excited to see that we have six million additional dollars for towards safety and security that came out of i believe our lawsuit against against vaping and that is going to be used towards all sorts of great ways

[00:52:59] including panic alert systems, security camera, $600,000, sorry, $600,000, not $6 million. I was a little too excited. So $600,000 using towards security cameras, panic alert systems, and all sorts of other safety and security measures.

[00:53:16] So I think I hear about that a lot from our constituents and I think we all do about ensuring our schools are safe and secure and our students feel safe and secure. So this is a great way of using some of that funding. So I'm excited to see that. And beyond that, I thank our budget staff again and Dr. Reed for your hard work.

[00:53:31] Thank you, Ms. Sizemorehizer. Dr. Anderson? Yes, thank you. I, too, am very excited to see that allocation to security because I do remember when, with the former board, when that lawsuit was awarded to us, that was the goal, that it be utilized to help counter some of the harm that's been done.

[00:53:54] So very excited to see that. couple of questions um I I guess Dr. Reed or Miss Burden the grants for 653 um roughly thousand dollars um that has 3.5 positions for the magnet schools assistance program can you speak a little bit about that I am unsure what that relates to I believe that's the Montessori grant yes yes we received a Montessori grant I believe we have briefed the board on that and we do need to

[00:54:33] begin hiring for that I had made the connection thank you for that and the other question was regarding the additional roughly forty eight thousand dollars in the nutrition grant how is that be how will that be used is that earmarked for some particular activity or just back to the general food and nutrition fund Ms. Burden I'm going to ask Mr. Mewitt to speak to that we're - We're gonna have to get back with you on that.

[00:55:02] - I'm so sorry, say that again. - We're gonna have to get back with you on that. - Okay, thank you. Those were all my questions. - Thank you, Dr. Anderson. Ms. Marin. - Yes, thank you. I think, you know, I would love to see the board talk more in depth about the spending and the expenses and the budgeting.

[00:55:23] And really, it's not really a budget, it's what's gone out. So I think, you know, being really intentional and focused on talking about the spending and continuing to expand it to be a one Fairfax approach. I just can't help but read this third quarter budget and think about what we're gonna vote on in just a few weeks and know that the funders, the County Board of Supervisors, have offered a shortfall of $150 million, which is really to pay for the raises for our staff and be more competitive.

[00:55:53] That's really the biggest thing in there. And people keep asking me, well, what's gonna be cut? What are you gonna cut? Well, we really can't cut that much more you want people in buildings teaching children. So I just wanted to confirm that the board all knew the facts, you know, that then the public as well, that we were all on the same page.

[00:56:12] So, you know, that middle school after school programs we heard our students and community talk so eloquently about. It's four million dollars in savings and it's a program that supports 20, 23,000 students. However, I think a student, Dr. Anderson, told me that it might not include our Mason District middle schools.

[00:56:31] so that could be even more than that so again four million dollars to cut after school programs for 12 and 13 year olds the vip summer camp for students most in need 16 crossing guards are proposed to be cut which includes the crossing guard at oakton high school and if you know the tragic crash that happened at oakton high school it is i don't understand i have i'm curious about that decision what the data is the data provided in the county's budget says it's because other

[00:57:06] surrounding jurisdictions do not have crossing guards at high schools um yesterday chairman jeff mckay announced a program to offer offer a fifteen thousand dollar signing bonus for applicants to the fairfax county police department and i support public servants getting paid but we can't balance the budget on our teachers backs so my wonderings are will those hired officers have crossing guard duties since they are police department employees and why not offer a signing bonus to crossing guards. I'm aware that several vacant positions have been cut so you know we've got a lot of people in the market looking for work it seems like this could be a win but I just have

[00:57:44] a lot of questions and would love if our board could sit down with the county board as I voiced and asked for but that hasn't happened so I have a lot of remaining questions so I'm glad that this third quarter agenda can be accurate in what it is but it's just hard to plan for the future when these cuts are being made without the budgetary justification so I hope that we can continue to do that perhaps in the next fiscal year we can have a better system to meet with the county board and talk about the 13 billion dollars in assets this school board is tasked with uh stewarding thank you. Thank you Miss Marin I will take a quick turn um I appreciate uh colleagues elevating the

[00:58:25] INVESTMENTS THAT THIS BUDGET REVIEW IS MAKING IN SAFETY AND SECURITY WITH FUNDING FROM THE LAWSUIT THAT WE HAD ENTERED INTO ON VAPING. WE HAVE OTHER LAWSUITS THAT WE'RE IN CURRENTLY AROUND SOCIAL MEDIA USED BY OUR STUDENTS AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL SEE SIMILAR RESULTS THERE.

[00:58:41] I WOULD NOTE THAT IT'S A PARTICULAR BOON FOR THIS WORK AROUND SAFETY AND SECURITY ESPECIALLY FOR OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS BECAUSE THE WORK THAT WE TYPICALLY DO AND PERHAPS MR. LAMBERT OR others can correct me if I'm wrong is funded by grants typically and so this is new money that is not part of the typical grant making cycle that we engage in to fund these projects is that right yes sir much of the camera funding does come from grants so very much look forward to seeing these dollars pay off for the school division I know that safety and security is of the utmost importance

[00:59:18] for all of us so thank you all we will go ahead and vote for the motion on the screen seeing no others. All those in favor, Ms. Marin, Ms. Anderson, Ms. Seizmerheiser, Mr. Moon, Ms. St. John Cunning, Ms. Dixit, Dr. Anderson, Mr. McDaniel, Mr. Dunn, and myself. That is unanimous. The motion carries. Moving right along. Agenda item 5.04, action item, social studies basal instructional resources. That is a mouthful. I call on Dr. Reed for a presentation on the social studies basal

[00:59:55] instructional resources thank you chairman Frisch I know that our instructional services division has put a lot of time and energy into this so this evening I've asked Miss Noelle Clemenco our assistant superintendent for curriculum to present the social studies basal instructional resources that we recommend the board approved this evening miss Clemenco thank you dr. Reed and good evening chairman Frisch and school board members thanks for the opportunity to bring you some information about this adoption process if I'm going to just

[01:00:30] ask someone to click the slides thanks great so over the past year we've conducted a basal resource adoption process as outlined in regulation 3004 this includes collecting teacher and school input it includes public review convening of an instructional committee which is a diverse group of stakeholders and we'll talk more about that we've also carried out the IT and security reviews necessary to keep our students and our systems safe. Next slide please.

[01:00:58] What you see on the slide here is the outline or the timeline, excuse me, the timeline of the multiple steps that our team has gone through as we've looked at basal resources. As you can see we started about a year ago and this whole process hopefully will wind up in us adopting books and implementing this fall. I'm not going to go through each of these lines. This is a similar process that we go through with all of our basal resource adoptions.

[01:01:25] That includes many of the things I mentioned on the previous slide. Next slide, please. It's always important that we start with our educators in the classroom first as we begin these processes. So we reach out to our social studies teachers and our elementary classroom teachers as well as our school leaders to find out what are the must-haves.

[01:01:44] What would they really like to see as we purchase these new resources? And what you'll see up on the slide is basically that we heard clearly they're seeking engaging materials that are integrated into our technology systems and aligned to the virginia standards of learning and just as a note we are implementing new standards of learning at this time so this is all at the um at the perfect moment to meet those new standards next one of the hallmarks of our review process is the instructional resource review committee

[01:02:18] as you'll see up here on the slide that group takes a look at the books that have been submitted and you can see on the slide that it's 60 teachers 20 school-based administrators and 20 community members and those community members are the ones that this board put forward to be part of this process when the ir we call it that i if you can go back i'm sorry when the irc members are pulled together, we spend some time like kind of norming about what we're looking for

[01:02:52] to ensure that each of the members truly understand what criteria we're using, which would include SOL alignment, pedagogy, navigation design, and access and differentiation. Now the next slide. So the IRC combined with our interviews with the vendors that we did during the IRC process, the public review, the feedback from the IRC.

[01:03:18] we landed on five different publishers, okay? I'm gonna go through them relatively quickly, if you wanna go to the next slide. I wanna remind people that Attached to BoardDocs is attachment C that has detailed information about each of these books and why the IRC felt like it was the best book to recommend.

[01:03:39] So you'll see at the elementary level grades four, five, six, and let me just make a statement here. Historically, FCPS does not centrally purchase K-3 social studies materials. We provide them with very robust materials from the county and offer other supplementary Supplementary materials, but we do start the more formalized textbook types of books at grade four and you'll see that we've landed on two different Publishers for for those elementary grades five ponds for Virginia studies and then Savas for five and six You probably are aware that in grade four Virginia studies is the topic

[01:04:16] and so we really often have to go with a smaller publisher for those to really have the materials that are tightly aligned so that would be our five ponds our plan for these is to buy digital for every student and then one set of books for every grade level so that they can be used for collaborative learning small group kind of work as well as to provide print when needed for accommodations or preference the next slide as we go into middle school grade seven and eight we we continue with savvus for seventh grade so we have that continuum for five

[01:04:50] six and seven digital and print class set here so once we get into middle school we do not purchase one per grade level but it's one per class so each teacher gets a set of print materials here in seventh and eighth grade and in eighth grade again we're back to five ponds where we really want to make sure we have that Virginia government covered well okay moving on to high school high school gets a lot more complicated in social studies what we have in social studies up there at the top is our standard and honors courses you'll see the world history world history ii u.s history and government

[01:05:30] we have chosen sabbaths for that the plan is to buy digital and then print copies for each classroom just like in middle school. Now in social studies we do allow substitutions for those honors and standards classes of AP World and AP U.S. and AP U.S. government so we also will centrally purchase those books because those are courses for graduation. Once we get into electives then those are school-based purchases and you'll see our advanced placement and electives of the ones listed on here will all be from McGraw-Hill. You may be asking where are the IB books right where the IB books I don't want anyone to think that we do

[01:06:07] not support the IB and they do use some different types of resources that we have contracts already in place for IB and we continue to work very closely with with our IB schools to make sure their needs are met the next slide is just a continuation of high school you have more elective courses that would be a school-based purchases and then our one AP human geography that is also a potential graduation credit so you can see that as we go through the different courses it does get complicated we have to work with a lot of different publishers to get the best the best possible product for the different

[01:06:40] courses next slide please so as I said in attachment C individual books have rationales why the group found them to be the best of all the submitted resources overall what the IRC identified to be true about these books is the alignment of Virginia standards which is incredibly important but also a high level engagement through like inquiry based activities we also need to make sure that the technical the technical requirements that they can sign in through Schoology and to make things as seamless and easy for students

[01:07:18] and parents that they meet the requirements for accessibility and cultural responsiveness and that we ensure that each of these resources have the scaffolds and supports for our multilingual learners and students with special learning needs there's also there was also a desire to really look at the and support geographic skills and awareness because sometimes that is something that doesn't get as much time in our classroom so those were some of the rationales for the the resources next slide please so it's important as we're all talking about budget lots of times it seems like every day people are

[01:07:55] talking about budget, there obviously is a cost to purchasing these new materials and we wanted to go ahead and share that today. It is important to realize that this is a seven-year investment. We literally will have these books and these these online accounts for seven years and that's typically the same schedule that the Virginia State Department of Ed looks and changes any standards of learning. So we try and line up the basal resource process with the standards of learning um changes and the final slide i believe so the next steps and of course we'll take questions here in just a minute but the next steps would be for you all to vote and

[01:08:33] should you choose to approve these resources tonight we will be working to finalize the contracts and make the purchases uh in june and put everything in place for for um for the next school year we will go ahead and gain teacher access and pd and start that at the end of the year where we have some staff development time after the students are gone and then finally full implementation in the fall for all the new resources so that is the presentation and we're

[01:09:00] happy to take questions thank you all right get things started with miss marron for a motion i move that the school board approves the titles listed for the social studies basal instructional resources as recommended by the instructional resource review committee and the instructional services department leadership as detailed in the agenda item on board ox thank you miss marron is there a second my second miss st john cunning miss maron would you like to speak to your motion yes and just like a clarification chair i do have some questions would you prefer that i

[01:09:37] wait until after i know however you'd like to use your time is fine okay thank you so this um this is the second basil that this board is approving we approved the literacy basil and the math one is forthcoming so this is um it's it's important that we see the information publicly and have a chance to talk about it I wanted us to be able to have any questions answered and while I am very confident in the process and appreciate the service of those who've been on the committee including Lisa Ann Moore who I appointed and found that a very worthwhile experience I just I have some questions that I'd like to ask based on the feedback that I've heard

[01:10:14] so given that there is not a k-3 social studies textbook how is consistency quality and anti-racism INCORPORATED INTO THE CREATION OF THOSE MATERIALS AND HOW IS THAT EVEN ALIGNED TO BENCHMARK LITERACY'S CONTENT WHICH HAS A VERY YOU KNOW SOCIAL STUDIES BASED CONTENT AND APPROACH TO THE SUPERINTENDENT PLEASE YEAH THANK YOU MS MARIN UH MS CLIMECO I KNOW THAT'S A TOPIC THAT YOU WORKED WITH UM WOULD YOU PLEASE SHARE WHAT THE COMMITTEE'S THOUGHTS WERE ON THAT OF COURSE AND AND COULD YOU JUST REPEAT YOUR FIRST QUESTION I COULDN'T I COULDN'T HEAR IT

[01:10:50] exactly yes so given that there is not a case to three textbook how is consistency quality and anti-racism incorporated into fcps's creation of the materials that are to be used so i'll start with the second question um first you asked about benchmark and and as a reminder one of the strengths of our benchmark advanced program is the um science and social studies content that is included in the in the reading materials and as soon as we adopted benchmark our elementary social studies started to work very closely with our language arts specialists to see what we could

[01:11:29] align chronologically right because in the early years of social studies that it's more topical as opposed to like when you're doing history so we do what we can to align to to align the topics to help that learning.

[01:11:45] We do provide to teachers, we provide to teachers planning and pacing guides that give them units and lessons and all of the pieces that they need to teach, to teach the social studies curriculum at K-3.

[01:12:00] And we do work with our specialists that specializes in cultural responsive pedagogy to ensure that those meet the standards outlined in our in our framework for curriculum for culture responsive pedagogy thank you yes I'm aware of the work that FCPS did as part of a consortia to work on that cultural culturally sensitive materials and I know that there was an audit of lessons that teachers had had access to that were many or some were found to be not appropriate my question is how are we ensuring consistency like are you are you saying that every first grade is going to have

[01:12:39] the same content just like benchmark or is it going to be the school's choose so we have our social our elementary teachers are provided with curriculums you know they have multiple curriculum areas right and so we provide them we're providing them benchmark right now that is a very tight curriculum in social studies we provide them the planning and pacing guide that has the lesson it has the resources it has everything um everything laid out for them so teachers don't have to go and and find other things or bringing things in, everything is prepared for them to use.

[01:13:16] Okay, thank you. I mean, I feel like benchmark is a lot more like this is it and everyone's going to do it. So I do have some concerns, but, you know, regarding the print versus digital, the superintendent has talked about having math textbooks and being that so critical, 40 books per set in a group for elementary.

[01:13:34] Why then not the alignment to have paper textbooks if it's such an important thing for math, Dr. read? Well, I think that, I mean, it's a great question. I would say that the topic of social studies and civics lends itself to a more fluid content in the sense that mathematics, the basic core math facts, have not changed significantly in many, many years, whereas many of our history books are dated within several years in terms of the content they're able to cover. So I think

[01:14:11] we tried to strike a balance with social studies to say while we're going to provide text books we also wanted an online option to make sure that we remain current and I welcome Miss Clemenco adding anything to that that the committee also discussed there there are a lot of advantages and the digital products right a lot of supports for multilingual learners and a lot of supports for students with with different learning needs and we feel like we can really leverage that we're not you know with the math we've talked a lot about having that math book and and sending it home and having that support

[01:14:50] parents and having that come back and forth social studies for in a lot of ways is done in the classroom right it's done in a little bit more of a whole class way and with cooperative learning or collaborative groups so I think it I think we have the flexibility having the books you know especially for students who might need that for an accommodation or might have a learning preference but I think there's so many benefits to having a digital text that can can provide that that differentiation thank you yes I'm for the digital text as well what's the plan to really integrate it with Schoology the

[01:15:24] chart the slide said seamlessly and easy for students and parents I have not seen that exact thing happen yet what's the plan what's the professional development is that going to occur before the school year is it required professional development so we will have professional development starting in june we'll start to get sort of our early adopters in right after school's out to to build some capacity at every school and then we'll continue with professional development in august and then throughout the year it will take us a little while to get to everybody we We don't have the same sort of big symposium

[01:16:03] like we did for language arts, but we do have a plan that is not only for this first year rollout, but knowing that every year we'll need to train people as they come into social studies. As far as the school GPs, what, you know, we've worked really closely with IT to establish sort of what are the things that we expect all vendors to have so that when, so kids can have single sign-on.

[01:16:26] They don't have to go over here to a textbook that when they go into Schoology those things are they work seamlessly so when they go into their account of access to their resources well that's great I'm more concerned about how consistent it's being used teacher by teacher and in the classroom so that's an ongoing concern that I have understand I'll just move quickly because I know I'm still going here the feedback that I got from my committee appointee was there could be way more with with teaching about diverse cultures ethnic minorities facilitating conversations about history that is difficult. I'm aware that the Holocaust has two paragraphs mentioned in the world history text and

[01:17:04] two pages in AP European history. So I just, however, we're going to supplement and we've got to, you know, we've talked about facilitating, we have a controversial issues policy. We really need to lean into this because it creates problems when our students can't learn how to talk about difficult topics. So thank you. Thank you, Ms. Marin. Ms. St. John Cunningham, would you like to speak your second no thank you mr. Dunn yes thank you so I would like to understand

[01:17:39] will there be a physical textbook for every student in every grade there there will not be a physical textbook for social studies no okay I have a big problem with that the committee strongly recommended a physical textbook and with digital resources as a supplement I mean I can tell you from firsthand experience I've seen the digital social studies resources when it's digital only

[01:18:13] and it is extremely superficial and as a history major I take issue with what was stated a few minutes ago that history is much more fluid I think there are certainly voices in our society today trying to misstate history but But history is, you know, objective and should not be subject to constant reinterpretation.

[01:18:41] I think we need to stand up for history and stand up for history being taught in physical textbooks which I believe every study and every teacher on that committee recommended as being superior to a digital resource. So I will be voting in opposition to this recommendation because I believe, you know, Tradition and studies show that children learn from textbooks and the digital resources when it's digital first are clearly inferior to what's available in the textbook.

[01:19:13] Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Dunn. Ms. Anderson. I just want to echo a few things that some of my colleagues have brought up. I'm a big fan of digital stuff in terms of supplemental information. However, I am a little concerned about the fact that our fourth graders who are in the SOL for history are not going to have access to textbooks in each classroom.

[01:19:38] So I think at bare minimum this would be something that we would need to continue working to expand toward is because those kids are utilizing those textbooks more often where they can go back and forth more consistently. I'm also concerned about our AAP classes that are actually dual I mean most classes switch back and forth between science and social studies.

[01:19:59] So in theory they could probably share resources. So even if we got another set or two in a grade level, you could have the classes switching back and forth so that they could utilize the resources at different times. Shuffling textbooks back and forth between classrooms is still problematic.

[01:20:14] However, for our AAP kids, they're doing both every day. So they do science and social studies in every class period or every day. And so I think that that's another place where we need to at least evaluate whether or not those classes need to have a physical textbook because they tend to go a little bit deeper into the content. So thank you for raising that, Ms. Anderson. And I also want to respond to Mr. Dunn's comment. By fluid, what I meant was definitely not rewriting history, Mr. Dunn, but we're in a seven-year cycle. So seven years, we have a new presidential administration and so forth. So

[01:20:54] sometimes books no longer have a current you know current history in them so definitely we're not interested in rewriting just so I just want to clarify that because sometimes we go longer than seven years if they're budget issues and our books can become very much so out of date so that's that was my point to miss Anderson's point around the different depth to which students might go I think it's certainly a valid point and a wonder at this point in terms of looking at the budget and a redistribution of text versus digital because we're paying for licenses or books.

[01:21:33] So I think we could certainly take another look at that. And as I said, if we can continue to have supplemental information that is a little bit more fluid in terms of building on things that are available, I'm all for those things as they develop. I think that when we're considering, particularly for the fourth graders with Virginia history, that's all, a large part of that is all based on what is being tested and that is not, unfortunately in our state currently, that is not as likely to be more innovative and fluid based on what's being evaluated. So hopefully these textbooks would have a longer shelf life than maybe

[01:22:11] other things. So I think that looking at, I understand the cost saving measure for fourth through sixth graders. I do get that. I just would love to see more kiddos have the opportunity to have textbooks in hand in those classes. So if we could figure out even how to double it so that you could have two sets in each grade, then it would give more flexibility for staff to be able to use those.

[01:22:34] Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Anderson. Mr. Moon? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Listening to what the vice chair Sandy Anderson has asked, providing extra print set for the fourth graders, how much extra would that cost?

[01:23:01] I would need to do that calculation. And I do want to be clear, we have not written any contracts, so these were just estimates based on what we're proposing. So your feedback tonight can help us to determine if we need to buy more print or whatever.

[01:23:16] And I can get some additional costs, the per book cost. Okay, appreciate it. And a couple of weeks ago, Ms. Clemenco, thanks for sending me your response to a question that I posed related to Bayes or textbooks adoption.

[01:23:34] But that actually had to do more with the curriculum rather than textbook. Textbooks are there to support teaching our students our curriculum. And as far as the social studies is concerned, in large part, that states standards of learning dictates what it must unleash to teach our students.

[01:23:55] My question goes to, in social studies, especially in world history, do we go above and beyond a state standards if so how much do you go above and beyond state standards yeah at this time I mean we really are aligned to the state standards we don't choose other areas to to branch off on there there may be opportunities where students have some choice and they may take different pathways but as far as the units and the the objectives in those units they are

[01:24:31] they're tightly tied to the state standards or in the case of AP or IB why do we take that position why do we because just a limited amount of time we have in the class to cover that everything that is required to recover my standards of learning that is primarily the reason right we have a limited amount of time and so giving more time and being able to go in in depth in some topics as opposed to to adding more topics I'm asking these questions because you know over the last three decades I've been involved in

[01:25:07] public education as a school board member basically and I have felt I have felt all along that when we are teaching world history to our students a amount of time amount of time we spend teaching the history of certain parts of the world were grossly inadequate and I'm gonna give you an example of how we we teach history of Asian nations 60% of world's population are Asians but how much time do we

[01:25:42] devote teaching history of those nations Asian people to our students and you will you also need to consider the demographics of students in our Fairfax County and I know for standards of learning that's something that we have to lobby if you want to change at the State Board of Education But I was hoping that we'd go beyond, above and beyond, the minimum requirements by state standards.

[01:26:13] If you think that we just don't have enough time, I guess we must then work together to ask State Board of Education to make some changes. So I do think that that is always the most, I won't say it's efficient because the state doesn't move quickly, but it's definitely one way to approach it, to advocate with the state of Virginia, to build out different parts of the curriculum in different ways.

[01:26:43] There are certainly many advocacy groups that I think get involved every time new standards are written, and we'll see that shift a little bit where one thing might be covered more in one year and less the next time. So I think that advocacy is one way.

[01:26:59] Obviously, we hear from many, many groups as a school division wanting and hoping to have more time and more focus in the different courses. And I think we would love to do that to the greatest degree possible, but we must preserve the base, which is the standards.

[01:27:20] Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Moon. Ms. Dixit. Thank you for the presentation. I actually just had a question about some of the recommendations you have is also available in Spanish and some are not.

[01:27:37] So I was just thinking about our multilingual learners and we talked about that the language acquisition takes time and having a textbook in their language and we have a lot of like MLLs who are Hispanic students who are also we're trying to make sure they are getting the content and also while they're learning English they can take tests and learn in their language so and so I just wanted to know we can keep it consistent that with all some great levels there is it's available we have picked a vendor who provides a Spanish book some vendors don't

[01:28:15] provide that also with the public comments I kind of read few that there were a few which were saying like oh this is not the best book for them but that is a recommendation. I'm talking about grade 5 and grade 6 recommendations. So just to address your first question we wanted just the board to see what is available in Spanish. We have not made all the decisions about how we might buy Spanish, where we might try some Spanish books. It's also important to realize that one of the strengths of the digital is that when you go into the digital platform you can

[01:28:54] read it in many languages so we have a variety of languages available through the digital platform so that is a yes and the comments you're talking about were those from the committee or were those from the public the public yeah the public we had very few comments and sometimes the public's very engaged in these processes and sometimes not as much so we did have very few what we do with those comments is we take the comments and we share them so the IRC will have all the comments to put into the sort of mix as they're making their

[01:29:30] recommendations. And I know a lot of my colleagues said digital may not be good for the younger students. I agree with that too. I think textbook really help having in the classroom but I also think we should definitely use augmented reality for some of these history lessons and social studies and such and And if that is something, have you looked into that?

[01:29:59] - So not during this process, but I can certainly imagine, right? Like having sort of the augmented reality field trip experience. I think that would be something we would probably try on a smaller basis. I'm making an assumption the cost would probably be cost prohibitive to do it right off the bat at a large scale, but it might be something that we could try.

[01:30:19] I have not seen any for social studies. I have seen them in some other subject areas, but it's definitely something that could be investigated. - And I know we have some global classrooms and global programs in FCPS. Do we talk to other schools, other countries about the history they're learning and have like a cross history lesson sometimes?

[01:30:42] - So with our global classroom, a lot of those exchanges are focused on the UN sustainability goals. But I think just in natural, I think it's probably more cultural than historical, but I think there's a lot of cultural exchange of information.

[01:31:02] But it was another opportunity, right? It's another opportunity. In fact, I was very impressed with-- my son was in his high school, in Centerville High School. He brought some papers home. And it was so much knowledge about the Hindu Indian history and Hindu mythology and history.

[01:31:19] And he was learning that in the classroom. And the material was very good. So I think there are some really good stuff is being taught to the students. So thank you. Thank you, Ms. Dixit. Dr. Anderson?

[01:31:37] Thank you. I do want to say thank you to both Ms. Marin and Mr. Dunn, as well as Ms. Anderson, because some of my questions have already handled. But I will reiterate that I do think having a textbook for fourth grade students would be something that is optimal.

[01:31:56] just to kind of dig into it a little bit more, what is the differential between the digital text and the physical text in terms of cost? - I have it, but it's hard for me to answer questions and look it up. So I will provide it for Dr. Reed in the Friday letter.

[01:32:12] So there is a differential. I just don't have it in my brain. I can definitely look it up. - Is it significant? I'm imagining the digital is cheaper. - Let me just make sure I get it right. 'Cause sometimes it's interesting. You would think that digital is cheaper, But the bundle, there's the bundle, then there's the separate costs for items.

[01:32:32] So I just want to make sure I get it correct for you. I would definitely like to have that information before I vote because I think that's important to my vote here. But I have some other information that I'd like to ask. Also in the presentation, you talked about shipping and professional development being separate.

[01:32:48] What is the cost of those two things? So we have not negotiated on professional development, and I don't want to presuppose that. um and limit our negotiation power i will say that shipping will probably be just under a million dollars i know that sounds like a lot but that is shipping to 100 to 200 schools lots and lots of boxes is is no um small small cost okay um one of the concerns that i heard back from teachers when we rolled out the language arts was the lack of seats during the professional development for

[01:33:26] the summer those teachers who completed their professional development in the summer felt a lot more prepared to walk into the classroom what is the plan to ensuring that everyone who wants to participate in the summer will have that pd opportunity i was hearing that is not the case you said there was limited there were limitations there are limit there right now as as we speak there are limitations um to have a certain number from every school attend um and that is primarily because we don't we do not have the same grant funds that we had to to do the summer literacy program from the state of virginia we had the all in virginia grant that we were able to fund

[01:34:06] the summer symposium for literacy last year but what we will have is access to the materials and other resources available to them to to start the learning on their own and then we will kick it off in August. Thank you. Can you please also share students who are in AP schools and those who are in IB schools, are they subject to the same set of SOLs? So as we speak right now, we do performance assessments. So it depends on, so yes, if there is an SOL, they are subject to the same SOL.

[01:34:46] Which is what raises my concern regarding not having any text for the IB schools. And I heard you say that you will work with the schools but I don't know what that means I don't know what that means in terms of materials are they digital are they hard copy the way that it's being provided for our AP schools is it going to be centrally funded I need those details please so I've taught so when the team started working on this and they put out the RFP there really weren't any IB books that even came forward right so and that was a red flag for me so the first thing I did is I started talking to the IB principals and said, what is happening in social studies for your IB

[01:35:26] classrooms? And some of the IB coursework has, there's some flexibility within the IB casework and, I'm sorry, IB program. There's a lot of casework kind of materials. So we have contracted with a different company, and I apologize, I don't have the name of it, for, to ensure that our IB students have the materials that they need and and the principles were saying they did not need to have a textbook like the AP it's a different kind of course than the AP course so they have different materials I believe they are

[01:36:03] primarily digital I do believe that they are primarily digital and they have been found that they are more than sufficient I appreciate that but in going back in terms of our conversations regarding our school system so when we have a presentation about a textbook adoption for the system it needs to be fully comprehensive and it has to include the what the presentation that is here must include what you've just shared with me because I couldn't write it fast enough understood one of the things that I do see as an as a positive to the digital copies is the opportunity for translation and I must I must have

[01:36:42] misheard but can you confirm if a if there is a an opportunity for translation in a different language how many languages are there and our students also allowed to take assessments in that language in that digital format so I do not know about the assessments and and I will have to get you the number of languages my team told me that it there are many many it's not like six languages but I don't have the list in front of me it's more than the eight that we use yes okay thank you and the other piece is regarding the digital

[01:37:20] access for parents because we do have some grades where it's only digital right now how is that going to be better facilitated because I will tell you as a parent who tried probably a few years ago and stopped trying to access the digital textbook it's quite difficult are you saying like even no thank you are you speaking about just being able to log in or you mean to navigate I'm sorry say that are you mean to log in or to navigate the textbook both oh both okay so I appreciate that feedback of course and I think the the best way to

[01:37:58] approach that is to ensure sometimes what we do is we put the information and and forgive me miss Marin in Schoology right so people can go into Schoology and then parents would know how to do it and then sometimes we can also put it on on the internet so if parents can just say online textbooks and it would give people the logins so it depends on it depends on the type of logins we have but we can make sure that logins are accessible often there are videos that we can post so that parents can see it I understand that when you only are logging in once in a blue moon it kind of feels overwhelming like how do I navigate this how do I find it but if we can have if we have

[01:38:37] some quick reference guides like we do for some other materials online hopefully that will help parents that would be helpful particularly if there's some translations in other languages WHICH PARENTS WOULD BE ABLE TO MORE EASILY ACCESSED, BUT NOT BEING ABLE TO GET TO THEM IS A HARDSHIP.

[01:38:54] SO HOPEFULLY YOU CAN NAVIGATE THAT. I -- WAS THAT MY VOW? THAT'S YOUR TIME. OKAY, I'D LIKE TO GO BACK, PLEASE. I HAVE ONE MORE STATEMENT. THANK YOU. I'LL TAKE A TURN VERY QUICKLY JUST TO SET SOME HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ON THIS.

[01:39:13] SEE WHAT I DID THERE. SO PEOPLE MAY RECALL A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WAS WRESTLING in the state board of education was wrestling with the virginia standards of learning and initially came out with i think a four or five hundred page standards document that was riddled with errors historical inaccuracies and what many labeled as whitewashing virginia and u.s history including eliminating references to martin luther king day and juneteenth and many other problems and as a result of that coming out many educators across the commonwealth spoke out they started attending

[01:39:51] public hearings about uh the curriculum standards and the standards were changed and reduced down to 53 pages with many of those inconsistencies errors and omissions addressed but many left unaddressed and so um i am worried ish about uh only aligning with the virginia standards of learning i realize that's not the only thing that we're doing but i'd love to hear a commitment that the work in educating our students about social studies and history in our schools will in addition

[01:40:28] to meeting the virginia standards of learning will also conform uh comport with our educational equity policy and our strategic plan objectives of course yes um that's good to to hear and reassuring um and hopefully um you know in the years ahead um we can ensure that virginia's standards of learning for social studies and history uh fully encompass the the complexities of our history so um i appreciate all the work that went into this from the community from board members comments and questions on this topic and look forward to the implementation we have two

[01:41:03] go backs mr dunn uh thank you uh so i'd like to ask um if uh as part of the information for the friday letter if uh there could be a cost estimate obtained to provide a textbook to each child not just available in the you know in the classroom but to be able to take home I had the pleasure of witnessing last summer all of the books thousands and thousands of thousands of books that were purchased and delivered to each school and organized a great effort labor in time to implement the new

[01:41:41] literacy curriculum and that's because books help kids learn and in the same way we need to buy books and textbooks specifically to help kids learn history because we can't rely on you know the little quickie videos they have in these digital only curricula and I also want to listen to the committee members who came together to emphasize textbooks with digital supplements is the preferred course of action so if is that something that Dr. Reed that you would be able to provide yes sir I can provide that and and dr. Reed in your

[01:42:20] experience do you I mean you you advocated textbooks for math do you do you think that textbooks for social studies might also be prudent to ensure that kids learn comprehensive history noting that in every history class I ever took in elementary middle and high school we never got to you know the last 40 years so updating for the most recent president etc may not be necessary because mostly you get through the first two-thirds and then the school year's over so I am definitely a fan of textbooks and I'm definitely a fan of students being able to take those home

[01:42:56] so I'll visit with staff about the possibility of doing that dependent on where the board lands on this this evening okay so may I ask a question to the chair does that mean that given the cost estimates have been requested not just by me but by others that the vote on this motion should be delayed perhaps No unless the board decides to delay the motion but there's a motion on the table.

[01:43:24] Okay thank you very much. Thank you Mr. Dunn Dr. Anderson. Thank you. That actually was one of my questions particularly because I wanted to have greater clarity on providing those physical materials for grades for the younger grades as well as having greater clarity on what is happening with our IB schools.

[01:43:45] So I will be voting no to give you the time and space to revisit and rejig this a little bit and I hope we can include some other discussions regarding the PD for teachers I realize that there are grants we don't have access to but if we're not setting up our teachers for success what is it that we're expecting for them to be able to do I didn't hear a clear plan is this a train the trainer model whatever that is and when in whatever that timetable is I hope that can be revisited and I would ask that we provide a no to the superintendent on

[01:44:20] this tonight so she could have a little bit of time and represent and represent with some of those answers with some of those questions answered. Otherwise, I think we're kind of stuck to what we have tonight. So I will be a no. Thank you, Dr.

[01:44:37] Anderson. Miss Marin. Dr. Reed, can you speak to what the outcomes would be if the board voted no on this this evening? Financially, timing and like what's the status now of our social studies basal materials?

[01:44:54] well we're within the cycle to order new materials um we did this evening um i want to you know dr anderson you indicated there were more things you would want in a presentation so i want to be clear that staff really put this together very late so i will own the responsibility for what was in or not in the presentation i know staff worked very hard to to put something together for this evening I would then also say that part of why they did that was because the sooner materials get here the sooner

[01:45:31] this spring they can work with staff on developing them however having said all of that I feel like you know if we need to wait two weeks and come back with a plan that is thoughtful we do this every seven years so we want to get it right uh so um i think better to do it well than rush if we're not sure so um the impact miss marin is that we would be delayed in receiving the materials but um so that's the impact thank you and when do you know the last time that the board approved basal materials for social

[01:46:10] studies miss clemenco do you have that information it would have been prior to my arrival if this is 2025 I guess seven years ago roughly be 2018 I think it might have been eight years ago I think we're a year late you're behind well that's not as terrible because I know we were quite behind with the literacy materials so that's a relief so you know I did pull this off of the consent agenda and I do think you know we need to realize that we need to see these materials I believe I also pulled the literacy materials off the agenda back then so we could review them

[01:46:45] and so the math materials whenever we get there should also be presented to us well in advance it's just curious that this most intimate part of learning is not agendized and even a work session really right I mean I so I'm also just a point about printing I was talking to one of our local book owners and she said this was earlier this week at the tariffs lots of the printed books in color come out of Hong Kong and that would be a big price increase it's something I didn't get to ask about in the budget session just about how we're dealing with prices on all the things but I'm I'm not as confident in this

[01:47:24] motion after the discussion and so I hope my colleagues will also further discuss whether we wait or we move forward so I hope you will all respond and give input thank you thank you miss Marin miss Anderson I'd like to make a A MOTION TO DELAY THE MOTION ON THE TABLE TO A DATE CERTAIN WHICH THE NEXT MEETING APRIL 24TH.

[01:47:47] IS THERE SECOND? DR. ANDERSON SECONDS. MS. ANDERSON WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? NO. I THINK WE'VE ALL MADE IT CLEAR THAT WE WANT A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION. DR. ANDERSON WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR SECOND? JUST ONE QUICK QUESTION. WILL TWO WEEKS BE DATE CERTAIN I'M ASSUMING IT WILL BE THE NEXT BOARD MEETING.

[01:48:05] WILL THAT BE SUFFICIENT TIME? YES MA'AM. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF DELAYING TO A DATE CERTAIN AT THE NEXT BOARD MEETING, of this motion. Miss Marin miss Dixit Dr. Anderson Miss Anderson. Miss Sizemore Heiser Mr. Moon Miss St. John Cunning Mr. Dunn Mr. McDaniel on myself that is unanimous.

[01:48:24] Thank you everybody for your work. All right. Agenda item 5.05 new sole source contract teach for America Inc. teachers trained to support high school excuse me high need schools.

[01:48:43] I call on Mr. Dunn for a motion. Thank you. I move that the school board approve the sole source contract to teach for America, Inc., for teachers trained to support high-need schools and authorize the division superintendent or the director of the Office of Procurement Services to execute, deliver, and administer the contract on behalf of the school board.

[01:49:16] Is there a second? Second. Dr. Anderson. Mr. Dunn, would you like to speak to your motion? Yes. I really appreciate that the FCPS under Dr. Reed is continuing to explore every avenue by which to recruit new teachers to our school system.

[01:49:39] Teach for America is a very successful program that has existed for many years. And I think it offers the opportunity to continue to provide more teachers at a time when we're facing a local, regional, and national teacher shortage.

[01:49:55] Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Dunn. Dr. Anderson. Yes, I do appreciate literally the opportunity to exercise exploration of every avenue in order to grow our teaching force. That has to be commended because we're in a place where things are challenging.

[01:50:14] My concern, which we did talk about a few weeks ago when you first sent this, is that these teachers are to be sent to our highest needs schools. the structure that's how it's based and the training if I understand correctly mr. Solomon or dr. Reed the training for TFA's it's a five-week summer course and then they're sent to us yes they are supported throughout the year by TFA but it's five weeks and then you're in front of the highest needs students that we have in our county I struggle with that it's so counterintuitive we've had

[01:50:51] conversation about conversation after conversation in our budget work where we talk about that we need to have those master's degrees teachers because they are the best for our kids and yet it doesn't feel as if we're putting the best and not to say that there are not TFA rock stars there are there are unicorns everywhere but overall the retention is not what we would like it to be and all of that is available I'm happy to send it to you all and the preparation is definitely not what it I would like it to be personally but our highest needs schools so I'm really struggling with it knowing that we are

[01:51:30] just trying to grow the workforce and always possible I in all good conscience when these are these are teachers that are identified for regions two and three it will be our least our least prepared teachers in front of our highest need students it's it's hard for me to wrap my mind around that so I appreciate the opportunity to have this conversation I would say that our teacher trainees are actually less trained than our Teach for America candidates would be the

[01:52:05] contract is for five Teach for America candidates who have a desire to be in education and they do receive as you indicated the five-week summer course but they are supported by Teach for America mentors throughout the rest of the year, which is actually even more support than we're able to provide our new teachers or our beginner teachers or our teacher trainees.

[01:52:32] So I feel like my experience with Teach for America has been amazing in terms of candidates. We still have the opportunity to interview and select the five we wish. So it's not just, you know, candidates provided to us.

[01:52:47] will have the opportunity to interview and have that final say. But I do believe that actually several of our leadership team members are Teach for America alums who went into Teach for America and then developed and recognized a deep passion for education and made it their life's work.

[01:53:08] So I often find that we acquire very mission driven individuals that really contribute to not only the education of the children in front of them, but to the entire division. No, I appreciate that.

[01:53:24] And if you recall, I had similar concerns with the teacher trainees. So for me, this is not new, but it does make me also wonder. Some years ago, we were talking about the Call Me Mr. program, which were I think those were credentialed teachers already.

[01:53:42] Are we still looking at that in order to continue to grow our workforce? Because I haven't heard anything since, well, it's been at least three years. One of the reasons you haven't is Dr. Wilson on several occasions reached out to that program and didn't receive a response back.

[01:53:58] We were also asked to check references or other business partners, and those calls didn't result in confidence that that would be a program that would bear great fruit here.

[01:54:15] I see. I lost my train of thought here. I lost my train. I thought I'll have to go back. Thank you, Dr. Anderson. Mr. Moon? Dr. Lee, so how many teachers are you seeking through this contractor?

[01:54:37] This first year of the grant, we would be seeking five. Just five? Yes, sir. Okay, thank you. My concern with basically with the teachers from Teach for America is that they don't tend to stay as long as non-Teach for America teachers.

[01:55:01] And if, just like Dr. Anderson stated, if they are going to be sent to high-need schools, I think our own data also show that there is higher turnover in those schools for our regular teachers than other schools.

[01:55:21] And so worried about their duration of stay with us, whether it's going to even create higher turnover in those schools. That is my concern. but it's small number to begin with.

[01:55:37] So I'm willing to take that risk and see how that goes. Wish you well. - Thank you. - Mr. Moon. I'll take a quick turn. At the South by Southwest Education Conference, feels like six years ago, it was like a month ago.

[01:55:54] Ms. Marin and I had the opportunity to attend a session led by our conversation with the leader of Teach for America. And one of the topics that came up in that discussion was the efficacy of the program.

[01:56:09] In other words, are these just recent college grads who are taking this as an opportunity to serve and then enter another profession? And while a certain number of folks do that, more than 60% of Teach for America educators stay for more than two years, and about a third stay for more than four years.

[01:56:30] So I think it becomes something that's on us, to Mr. Moon's point, about how long people stick around And I think it's on us as a school division to give these educators a reason to stay with us and to stay in the schools that they're placed in. And so I'm confident in the program, and I'm grateful for the work that's gone into finding every conceivable avenue of bringing people into the system.

[01:56:54] And hopefully with the changes that we're seeing across the school division as it relates to hiring, retention, et cetera, these programs can bear even more fruit and perhaps even lead the averages that we see nationwide for the program. So thank you for bringing it to us. I have Mr. Dunn for a go back thank you do you know what your long-term plan is Dr.

[01:57:18] Dr. Reed because I note by comparison we we have the international educator program that started very small and has grown very substantially do you have a long-term vision for you know how many teachers you would like to ideally receive through Teach for America eventually - Thank you, Mr. Dunn.

[01:57:42] You know, this is a, it's a good question. It asks me to be a bit speculative. I will say that we were calculating just the number of education graduates in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and recognizing we hire over 2,000 teachers annually, there are not enough educators graduating from education programs in the Commonwealth to fill all the positions we annually have, you know, with 40,000 employees.

[01:58:14] So I think we're looking at five this year. I'd like to see how the program goes, how the supports work. Virginia is fairly new to Teach for America. Other states have been much more involved for longer time periods. So, you know, it's a fair question.

[01:58:33] I think we would want to grow it from five. I don't know how many it will grow to, but we're going to have to look at nontraditional plans and systems to keep our schools fully staffed because traditional programs just are not providing sufficient graduates at this time.

[01:58:56] - Thank you. I note that there was a RAND study of Teach for America in Indiana, and then it found that on average, TFA teachers were more effective at increasing student achievement than non-TFA teachers, and had a demonstrable impact on student outcomes and English language arts and math.

[01:59:17] So I think the data does show that the program is effective and I note the positive comments by my colleague. And so for that reason, I greatly support this program and the introduction. I note it is being deployed in region three and region four, I believe, is that correct?

[01:59:36] - It will be deployed in, generally speaking, in our Title I schools and those actually we have Title I schools across the division. But I do think regions two and four both have regional assistant superintendents who are TFA alum and have a special interest and heart for that program.

[01:59:58] So I believe that you're accurate. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Dunn. Dr. Anderson. Thank you. I finally find my thought. One of the opportunities that I've had and you know in my work in education was actually in the District of Columbia was to work as the director of teaching and learning and that in that required for me to be in charge of all the professional development and coaching which also involved the review of many of the TFA teachers which DC has a huge number of and the turnover is high and the turnover is high because we are essentially having

[02:00:37] teachers who are not as trained as we would like them to be in front of our highest need students and I do believe that the record here says it's regions two and three do I think some TFA teachers can be successful absolutely I know that one of our folks that's in leadership can be but overall that has not been the case because of the turnover that has been as high and past four years it's actually 25 percent and not necessarily a third so that is a risk for me that is challenging

[02:01:10] to take when we are placing these individuals in front of our highest needs students so title one schools that are already under it are receiving ideally not you know the candidates we will be seeking the candidates that we speak about all of the time during our budget processes where we are um recruiting and wanting to retain our our um master's level master's level teachers And I do envision, unfortunately, a future where over time our Title I schools will have

[02:01:47] a lot of these teachers, which really makes it difficult for all of the work that we do, which rely on that teacher expertise. We know that is the number one impact to student learning. It's teacher expertise. And so I do have those concerns. And so I will be a no on this because it is going to also be the schools that I represent that largely have this great core.

[02:02:10] And again I do not want to be offensive to say that no TFA teachers cannot be wonderful because that is not the case because a lot of licensed teachers also have struggles but I just have too many worries for this to work for me. Thank you Dr. Anderson.

[02:02:26] Ms. St. John Cunning. So I have the fortunate opportunity of knowing a lot of teachers that have participated in Teach for America and I would probably guess that we have some that are teaching for us now through EduFuturo because I know EduFuturo uses that program and they are in our Title I schools and I know that the retention rate for Ejifuturo is relatively high so to the extent that we do not have you know a lot

[02:02:59] of people that are graduating and I really commend the job that we're doing to find teachers where we can I participated last week with Hispanic Educators Association on how we're supporting the participate learning teachers and I know that there's some very intentional work going on through HR and I appreciate what they're doing I appreciate the work that other organizations of are doing to help support our teachers and in programs such as participate learning and and I

[02:03:37] know that the same kind of support will be there for teachers that come through this program it's five teachers I think we can be very intentional in supporting them and again I think we already have some of them teaching in our schools Thank you Miss St. John Cunning. Miss Marin. Yeah I I think it's great to have the data about Teach for America and Mr. Frischia we did get to hear the founder talk about it and it's only five teachers and if they are surrounded by supportive professional you know colleagues plus the Teach for America

[02:04:14] program I mean we currently have empty spaces I would think a Teach for America individual who is smart and motivated is more preferred than having a substitute as well meaning as they are rotating in and out of a classroom for instance for a long-term sub so I'm willing to go for the pilot and see how it goes and I do expect that they'll be fully supported. Thank you Ms. Marin. Mr. Moon. Just one quick comment I know that your intention is to put them in the high need schools maybe that's how we start but if needed you know they can be also placed non-high

[02:04:53] NON TITLE I SCORES. THANK YOU, MR. MOON. ALL RIGHT. WE WILL GO TO A VOTE FOR THE MOTION ON THE SCREEN. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR. MS. MARIN, MS. DIXIT, MS. ANDERSON, MS. SEIZEMERHEISER, MR. MOON, MS. JOHN CUNNING, MR. DUNN, MR. MCDANIEL, AND MYSELF.

[02:05:08] ALL THOSE OPPOSED. DR. ANDERSON. THE MOTION CARRIES. IT IS ADOPTED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AGENDA ITEM. ACTUALLY, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A TEN MINUTE BREAK, RECESS, BEFORE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION.

[02:05:22] so we will be back at 9:15 board members please return to your seats all

[02:07:57] right agenda item 6.01 performance review asset protection EL7 monitoring report each year the school board assesses the superintendent in part on the basis of the school divisions reasonable progress toward achieving the 2023 to 2030 strategic plans goals and adherence to a set of 13 executive limitations found on pages 14 through 31 of the board's strategic governance manual. The superintendent provides annual monitoring reports to the board for each executive limitation. The board then votes on whether the provided report is in compliance or if corrective

[02:08:34] action is needed. I call on Dr. Reed for a monitoring report of executive limitation 7, asset protection. Good evening, Chairman Frisch, members of the board and the public. Tonight, as Mr. Frisch mentioned, I'll be presenting executive limitation 7, which discusses asset management. This EL is named for you on the slide and I want to reiterate that at the time of this report to the best of my knowledge information and belief I've gathered information and evidence that I believe supports compliance with the board's executive limitation associated with this topic and this evening I will

[02:09:12] share some highlights. If you're listening at home the full document is attached to board docs and I appreciate the staff work in helping to put it together. There are nine areas of EL7. This slide shows the first four and indicators five through nine are on this slide. Additionally tonight's presentation includes updates on last year's EL7 corrective action plan. This evening I'll be sharing selected indicators even though the entire report

[02:09:47] is online. Indicator 1 ensures that the division assets are protected, maintained, and properly disposed of or recycled when no longer in use. This year, our warehouse team created a rapid action plan that focused on procurement analysis and vendor engagement, successfully mitigating impacts through cross-training multiple members and the staff to buy and maintain continuity, including instituting weekly review meetings to prioritize needs and improve vendor relationships. This expanded the team's procurement knowledge which

[02:10:24] created a stronger and more adaptable workforce. Indicator 4 of this EL focuses on the protection of division assets which honestly are comprehensive in nature. Currently our comprehensive school boundary review website provides transparency through readily accessible information about this really momentous process. In March of this year in conjunction with the Fairfax County government we did launch the school bus arm camera program to boost safety. I want to give a shout out to our chief operations officer Andy Muick who

[02:11:03] really drove this process. You like that Mr. Muick? Come on. Drove this process and worked really tires tirelessly to get to an agreement with multiple stakeholders so that we're able to launch this program it is designed to reduce the number of violations and injuries caused by people who disregard the school bus arms being out and create really dangerous situations for our students and our staff we know that most injuries during transportation occur

[02:11:37] during boarding and disembarking the buses continuing on with indicator four I want to highlight the work of our office of communications who worked with our schools to create sort of a top ten or ten highlights would showcase things that their school communities were proud of and I know we've gotten a lot of positive feedback from community members because our schools are unique even though they're part of a school system each of our schools have unique context and unique pride points that we love to see them share.

[02:12:12] We also note that we're sending positive story roundups to the board and division leaders and ensuring that staff are aware of the appropriate use of the FCPS logo and branded materials. Indicator 8 talks about how we utilize knowledge management to ensure assets are known, maintained and transferred.

[02:12:31] I want to share that since last year's report, the Office of Facilities Management has developed and implemented over 35 new standard operating procedures. Honestly, that's a lot in one year to create systems of efficiency. The Office of Assessment and Reporting maintains the FCPS Guide for the Virginia Assessment Program as the knowledge management of federal and state required assessment and accountability procedures and expectations continue to grow and honestly continue to change.

[02:13:03] And as of October 2024, our employee exit surveys are now administered digitally during the offboarding process through staff connect in August of 2024 the board approved a corrective action plan for this EL which included work on our knowledge management processes since then the office of the chief of staff has initiated several actions related to this work including the development of a Baldrige framework application an inventory of existing documentation of major activities in the division development of a standard division-wide onboarding and off-boarding procedures, creating standard templates for standard operating

[02:13:41] procedures, project management plans, and new hire handbooks, as well as the identification of opportunities to further embed this work throughout the division. Staff took seriously the corrective action memo the board required last year and have acted prudently in responding to this.

[02:14:00] Indicator 9 is about the annual review of existing leasing agreements, contracts, MOUs, other agreements to ensure assets are being used in accordance with the Division's strategic plan goals. As directed by the Board, the Office of Facilities Planning Services prepared a lease consolidation plan, which provided background information and options to support any future review of leases to determine necessity, cost analysis, and alignment to the Division's strategic plan.

[02:14:28] And also, as part of last year's EL7 Corrective Action Plan, Division Council has conducted an analysis of best practices for our memorandums of understanding based on this analysis we've updated fcps practices on memos of understanding in several areas as you can see on the screen mr chairman that concludes the presentation for executive limitation number seven asset management thank you dr reed and i'll call on miss dixit for a motion i move that the school board finds the

[02:15:08] superintendent in compliance with executive limitation number seven asset protection I further move that the school board approves the monitoring report based on the superintendent's reasonable interpretation of executive limitation number seven asset protection as outlined in the strategy governor governance manual. Is there a second? Second. Mr. Moon.

[02:15:29] Ms. Dixit would you like to speak to your motion? No. Thank you Ms. Dixit. Mr. Moon we'd like to speak to your second. I just have a question can I ask to I don't know whether this should go to Dr. Reed or Mr. as to asset management I'm sorry this is all SM management I'm talking about number one my question goes to a disposing and recycling part we have a lot of computing devices given out to students or social staff

[02:16:06] members and every what five six year cycle we do replace them what do you do with replaced Computing devices so great question. Mr. Moon. I I know that many of our computer devices are on a lease Plan so I'm gonna ask mr. Sethi to talk about The life cycle of our computers. There's quite a few different things we do first and foremost when the devices come off of rotation from primary use we try to see if they have usable life and Repurpose them to be able to reallocate to someone who could be using it for different purposes

[02:16:45] So sometimes they can go longer than five years. If there is not primary life because of the, you know, there's damage to some parts and pieces, our repair shop actually scavenges as many of the parts of that laptop and preserves it to repair other devices because we typically buy 5,000 of the same models, so we have enough of those parts to repair.

[02:17:08] At the end of all of that, there is a process of disposal where the hard drives are removed and they're separated so no data is disposed and then the physical sort of whatever's left of the device is shipped to the warehouse for disposal appropriately through the warehouse process.

[02:17:25] Okay, because I recall a few years ago, a number of years ago, there was an unfortunate incident of some of our inventory items being not properly disposed of.

[02:17:41] Yes, sir. And I'm hoping that that doesn't ever happen again, But at the same time, you know, those properties must have or have some values to someone outside the school system, even though we are not using it.

[02:17:56] And I think when we're talking about properly disposing and recycling, that we make a maximum use of those that, when I say maximum, not just for us, but those who may have some value, may see some value in using some of the assets that we may not be using, but could still be used by somebody outside yes sir I I do I'm aware of the incident that you're referring to and that led to a review and look at processes which have been enhanced since that incident

[02:18:35] and it shouldn't happen again okay thank you yes sir thank you mr. moon dr. Anderson thank you very much let me just get a minute to pull up my notes here I apologize I cannot find it but um one of the things i'm just going to be super brief here um i think the entry plans that have been um identified in this measure are very helpful because i think it's a great way to really streamline um a principal's interactions with the community and how in that we will kind

[02:19:15] of march together so i'm very excited about that development and looking forward to its expansion and as we discussed i will not be voting in support of this el based on information that i shared with you in closed session but there's some good stuff here thank you thank you dr anderson mr dunn uh thank you um i wanted to ask about the school bus stop arm camera program i believe it's currently uh marked for 50 buses and i think that's a small fraction of our total

[02:19:50] school bus program can you share any plans you might have for expansion of the program over time yes sir mr dunn we started with 50 i think originally the plan was to start with 250 but what we realized in the negotiation is that our fairfax county law enforcement partners needed and i think fairly so we needed to get the program underway for them to determine the amount of time and effort it would take on the part of law enforcement to be responsive as well as the part of the courts to be responsive.

[02:20:29] So we're starting with 50 and with the expectation that once we identify the time required to manage the program effectively, we would gradually grow it. Well, I appreciate that. I'll just say on the street where I live when the stop arm is extended of a school bus, people drive around it both ways and and it's shocking to me that in our country that student safety is put in such jeopardy on a daily basis by by reckless drivers especially on a neighborhood street um so i i

[02:21:05] really appreciate uh that um that mr muick and and paul andre uh you know uh enabled one of the stop arm camera buses to to be deployed in my area to help deal with that um with that crisis along with resources from SCPD. I was also wondering if you could please talk a little bit more about the top 10 lists that have been developed for each of the schools because I think it's a remarkable program and a remarkable accomplishment by the communications team.

[02:21:38] So thank you Mr. Dunn and I also you know big shout out to Mr. Dunn who was part of the thought partner on this topic uh it was uh i think mr dunn has said several times that you know we've done and continue to do great work but if we don't talk about it sometimes it's not uh obvious to everyone uh and so i appreciate mr dunn your encouragement on that and i'm proud of our communications team lisa hall and beth fazoli and tracy winn and the team that has done that work and honestly all of the principals across the division and their staffs who really put together

[02:22:17] i think some very unique lists but it also speaks to how much more our schools are than numbers right because so many of the lists have moments and sort of attributes that aren't about traditional data but really help make our schools something special here in fairfax so i appreciate you drawing attention to that i i think it's so important when we have so much um negativity on social media about our wonderful public schools that um that this top 10 list was developed so for every school parents and students can see what are the top 10 reasons this is the best

[02:22:57] school for my child to attend and and and the top 10 list and i've read probably you know 50 of them by this point are really remarkable and they're very individually tailored and they can reflect just all the amazing things that are happening in our schools and and unfortunately too little of that gets publicized in the kind of morass of social media so I do encourage all Fairfax County residents to learn more about your local schools and spread the word because you know talking to people having conversations can help build greater trust and and and and and and spread the knowledge

[02:23:35] of the daily excellence of our schools thank you thank you thank you mr dunn miss heismar heiser thank you and don't worry um first i want to say i really appreciate the inclusion of all the work you've been doing on knowledge management because i know that was an area i had concerns about last year with the report so i really appreciate the inclusion of the work that has been done as well as the work you're talking about continuing to do um so this is great and i really appreciate that there's 35 new operating procedures sop since the last report and there's as a task force for those SOPs.

[02:24:09] I really do think once it's all in place, you're going to have a much more streamlined operation, which will save costs and time to make it more effective. But I had a couple of questions. I saw that the Baldrige framework, which I know is the budgeting and just sort of the overall audit and review of our budgeting process, is going to include a review of operations and areas identified for improvement in knowledge management.

[02:24:31] Can you talk a little bit more about how that process is going to look towards looking at knowledge management processes? Yes, ma'am. The Baldrige folks actually are going to be in the division the week after spring break to do some interviewing and do some shadow working. Mr. Smith, our chief of staff, has really been spearheading this work, and I'd like to have him respond maybe more specifically to your question.

[02:24:55] Yeah, certainly. And so we're looking forward to providing the board an update. You can see in our report that we will be submitting our 25-page application in April, and we'll certainly provide that to the board in a Friday letter so that you can get a gist of some of the topics that are covered as part of the Baldrige work.

[02:25:16] The knowledge management piece, there is an aspect of that around data and data management. There's also an aspect of that as we on the leadership team are engaging in the work with the Baldrige team. We're actually noting that work and keeping track of that work and are adding that work to the database of SOPs and other structures that we're building to ensure that we hold on to that knowledge of our team as they might come on or go off the team.

[02:25:49] That would be great. As I said, I think building this structure or continuing to build this structure will make our team much more efficient and effective. And when there is turnover or promotions and things like that, make it more easy for someone to be able to jump into the work right away. So I appreciate that. And it's great it's part of that structure as well because I hope they'll have some recommendations as well of changes or areas.

[02:26:09] Ironically, one of the strongest bodies of evidence for knowledge management are the ELs. And I think that's been noted that coming into a system and being able to see the work of the system in every critical area as well as the goal direction has really captured knowledge management in ways, you know, that we might not traditionally think about it.

[02:26:35] Well, thank you for bringing that idea to us when you came on board. No, you deserve the kudos for bringing that idea to us and the board took it and ran with it. But it was a great way of really capturing what we're doing in all these critical areas. One last question is just a suggestion when you're looking at knowledge management.

[02:26:51] I know you've been looking at it in terms of SOPs for your leadership team and your central office, but one of the things that I've often heard, and this is before I even ran for this position, teachers talk about is a knowledge management for some of the lessons and resources that are being created, especially for teachers who are having to modify or adapt lessons.

[02:27:08] They often have to, you know, I've heard teachers talk about having to recreate the wheel every year, And I know there's obviously, there's always going to be some tweaking to make it individualized for students, but if you had at least a starting point, it would make it easier for teachers to recreate it. And I've often talked to teachers about a central repository for some of these lessons they've created or materials they've created, especially, like I said, those that have to be modified from the gen ed curriculum.

[02:27:33] So I just want to put that idea out there as a knowledge manager that could really help our teachers and staff out as well. Thank you. I'll note that, and it does seem with the tech online world we live in that we could capture those accommodations or those lessons that are modified or accommodated.

[02:27:52] Well, I know some teachers have started their own repositories to share and all sorts of things, so I know this thing's out there, but it would just help, especially as we have so many newer teachers in some of these areas, it would probably really help them both do well their first few years, but also maybe stay because they're not doing so much work to create something that someone else has created, so thank you for that.

[02:28:10] Yes, ma'am. When you were saying not recreate them what I was thinking and we forgot to put in here so we're going to add next year is the warehouse for our theater props because we've, Ms. Szymanski and Mr. Muick have combined, I've actually seen a lot of the props out in the warehouse as we're transitioning to that so I'm very proud of them and their work in bringing that.

[02:28:33] That's awesome. I'm glad you mentioned that and since you mentioned I'm going to also make sure the word is getting out to our theater departments as well about that resource for our theater department. departments thank you for that thank you miss Sizemore heiser we will take a vote for the motion on the screen all those in favor of the motion as listed on the screen miss marin miss dixit miss anderson miss Sizemore heiser mr moon miss st john cunning mr dunn mr mcdaniel and myself all those opposed dr anderson the motion carries moving right along agenda item 7.01

[02:29:09] i will remind board members to complete their their evaluation form at their own discretion they can turn it into the clerk or fill out the online version agenda item 7.01 policy review asset protection el7 the next order of business is the policy review for el7 asset protection annually the board will review each executive limitation at the time of the monitor report is provided to determine if revisions are needed board members may offer amendments to executive limitations at any regular meeting provided they send final amendment language to the board and clerk 48 hours in advance of the meeting at which it is to be considered at this time no amendments have

[02:29:47] been submitted in advance of the meeting but board members are able to make remarks on el7 asset protection as a policy before we vote on maintaining the current language seeing none i call on miss dixit for a motion i move that the school board maintains executive limitation 7 asset protection as it is currently detailed in the strategic governance manual is there a second second mr

[02:30:14] All those in favor for the motion on the screen, Ms. Marin, Ms. Dixit, Dr. Anderson, Ms. Anderson, Ms. Seismarheiser, Mr. Moon, Ms. St. John Cunning, Mr. Dunn, Mr. McDaniel, and myself. That is unanimous. For board members present, the motion carries. Agenda Item 8.01, Academic Matters. I call on Dr. Reed.

[02:30:32] So thank you Chairman Frisch and members of the board. This evening I have the real pleasure to talk about our Purple Star Schools. As it is our Purple Star Month as well and having over 13,000 military connected students here in Fairfax County, our Purple Star School initiative is really an exciting initiative.

[02:30:57] I want to remind our community that military-connected youth do move around more than other youth. And I like to think of that, honestly, as a strength. The building of resilience, our empathetic military-connected youth, and often service-minded.

[02:31:16] We've really had some great focus groups with military-connected youth as well as families. But there are also challenges. Even though they move around and change schools three times more than their civilian peers, while it builds resilience, it also, in fact, at times can create learning gaps or overlaps.

[02:31:37] It can be stressful, and it certainly, if parents are deployed or in circumstances that may not be safe, it creates a level of anxiety, I know, for many of our young people as well. because when anyone in the family is serving, really everyone in the family is serving.

[02:31:55] So we also want to note that 80% of America's military-connected youth do attend public schools. So just want to point out that our four pillars continue to be important in how we continue to utilize Purple Star School programming.

[02:32:14] In Goal 1, Purple Star schools provide intentional support through transitions, while Goal 2 supports peer-led student ambassador programs, which amplify student voice and support a positive school climate.

[02:32:30] Goal 3, Purple Star schools utilize available evidence-based practices to provide access to academic rigor, as well as supports that celebrate the experience military-connected students bring. In Goal 5, or Goal 4, Purple Star schools are responsive to military-connected students' lived experiences, strengths, and needs.

[02:32:53] And in Goal 5, our Purple Star schools prepare military-connected youth for on-time graduation and a wide variety of post-secondary opportunities. The Purple Star criteria are on the slide, and in addition to the central office staff support schools must meet other criteria to receive this designation and these include a school point of contact to serve as a liaison a peer-led transition team a division military web page specialized support for students with special needs and staff receive special professional development to broaden

[02:33:32] their understanding of the needs of military connected students schools further must engage in special military observances such as the blue star welcome week veterans day or the month of the military child as it is this month so i want to show you the map of all of our purple star schools and the central office team continues to provide ongoing support to these schools as they fill out their requirements for designation and retain that designation the application period for those of you for your magisterial districts are at large

[02:34:10] the application period opens this month in april and it closes in september this school year alone the team provided 29 purple star application workshops 11 student ambassador trainings and training kits for and toolkits for celebrations as well as recognition and designation topics so here are our statistics for purple star schools since 2018 you can see on the far left of the chart where the number of purple star schools we had we currently have 96 and of those 96 multiple

[02:34:50] schools have renewed their designation at least once we have a two-year plan which has come from the superintendent's desk which requires that every school will become a purple star school by the end of next year so we expect to reach 150 purple star schools in october of 2025 with the remaining schools earning their designation in 2026. it's important that every single school all 200 of our schools are purple star designated because we have military connected youth attending every school in the division whether it's two students or 200 it's important that they feel

[02:35:29] welcome so i feel like i want to really thank our staff who have done renee luffman jackson's here dr luffman jackson and miss hall i mean we started with less than 20 and we're already at 96 so props to that team that's and props to all of our school-based staff that are doing the work i want to share the impact uh creating a welcoming culture fostering connections um it's just it's really um our military connected youth get really excited when they talk about being a purple star school it means something it's it's not just a designation

[02:36:07] uh so as we continue to look at families who appreciate that we have this year begun a military family advisory committee with dr la huffman jackson's guidance again and we've been able to resolve challenges that some of our military families have had as well as a big shout out to mr sethe and his team because we created a lot of online registration opportunities for our families transferring in and out and miss hall and our central registration team being able to provide a seamless enrollment from anywhere around the world we're very proud of the

[02:36:46] progress we're making and with that I'd be happy to take any questions. Thank you Dr. Reed we'll start with our military connected vice chair of the board Ms. Anderson. So my kiddo the other day when we were doing the purple up at his school he decided that he was going to send himself down because he knows that his father is military connected. My husband retired in 2019 and what I what I found out later is that he wasn't actually included on the list of kids that were military connected because we only have a designator in SIS for active duty members and so I'm wondering if

[02:37:24] we can maybe expand that so that when people are registering they can let us know whether or not they're from a retired family and that way those kids that are military connected through a retired family member it may be a cool thing to be able to include them on more things as we're going through but I love that we're doing this I think it's awesome to help support these families in every way that we possibly can so thank you yes ma'am thank you miss anderson mr dunn well i just want to say thank you to fcps and the superintendent for everything you're doing to ensure that

[02:37:59] military families receive all the support they can because they face unique challenges and as as the father of three kids who are either in the military or going into the military i am especially proud of the military service in our community and it's not just the folks who are active duty who are serving it's it's the spouses it's the children as well because they are uniquely affected moving frequently and adapting to new environments and and always supporting the

[02:38:32] military and in various ways large and small so i look forward to working with you dr reed to continue to strengthen the ways in which we can support and serve our military families to make sure that we make it easy for them to arrive and we wish them well when they depart for other destinations and while they're here they receive robust support and services thank you thank you mr dunn sing weathers we'll move right along to agenda item 8.02 strategic plan update. I call on Dr. Reed. Thank you, Mr. Frisch. And again, very excited to talk about

[02:39:11] our strategic plan update. And this evening, I'll be talking about the collaborative work under the Chief Experience and Engagement Office that's being led by Dr. Renee LaHuffman-Jackson, the Director of Family and School Partnerships, and Angie Eldave, the Director of Community Relations. And this is really an exciting opportunity this evening to look at Pillar B, which is our vibrant home, school, and community partnerships. And this evening, I'll be highlighting our FCPS Family Academy. So the Office of Experience and Engagement helps FCPS create a

[02:39:49] positive student, parent, staff, and community experience. In August of 2024, the office launched the FCPS Family Academy to improve and enhance homeschool collaboration. This academy serves as a one-stop site where families can connect, engage, learn, and receive support both virtually and in person.

[02:40:12] These resources empower families to navigate FCPS and support student learning at school and home, which at the end of the day is leading us to our strategic goals. When we look at the Family Academy Impact, you can see what it's had since August of 2024 through March of 2025 in the Learn With Us section of the Academy.

[02:40:37] Over 250 sessions have been offered to support family engagement, and the programs have been provided over 3, 8, and 10-week sessions with specific family education curriculum to support school attendance school readiness disruptive behaviors the extinguishment of those behaviors not supporting the behaviors and reunification their programs have helped families navigate formative experiences in their children's lives such as early literacy and home instruction for families of preschool youngsters parent project getting to know FCPS and other programs

[02:41:14] the Family Resource Center also continues to offer a vast array of of webinars for families through the academy. At this time, we're going to hear a little bit more about the Family Academy. Madam Clerk, please play the video. Established in August 2024 by the Chief Experience and Engagement Office, the FCPS Family Academy was created to strengthen home-school partnerships and support student success. By bringing various learning opportunities under

[02:41:53] one umbrella, it helps families navigate Fairfax County Public Schools and better support their child's education. The Family Academy brings together a variety of classes, webinars, workshops, and programs offered by FCPS, equipping families with the tools to support their child's needs and learning at home.

[02:42:11] Additionally, it provides valuable information on available resources to ensure that every student has what they need to thrive. The Family Academy is a curated hub of resources for families that we work cross-departmental and across offices to provide to families.

[02:42:29] Families told us that they wanted an opportunity to connect with other families and support their child's learning at home. Through the Family Academy, you can find virtual and in-person classes and programs like Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, also known as HIPPY.

[02:42:46] HIPPY helped Rosie Amaya recognize her son's strengths and areas where he could grow. I can now have a conversation with his teacher and you know, let her know he has difficulty in let's say counting till 20 or he loves science.

[02:43:04] I've learned that learning is everywhere and it could be simple and fun. Rosie also participated in the Family Academy's early literacy program. Early literacy classes are offered in multiple languages. The Family Academy offers other multilingual programs, too, including Getting to Know FCPS, a Family Orientation.

[02:43:26] Getting to Know FCPS provides a perfect avenue for families to have a strong start in FCPS. We create a space where they feel welcomed. Our goal is to ensure that families walk away with an understanding of how to navigate FCPS by the end of this interactive orientation.

[02:43:43] The most important thing was Fairfax County's understanding and the atmosphere of the country. The way that FCPS was able to understand the direction of the way that the FCPS was looking for, and the other policies were able to understand the way that the country was.

[02:43:58] The most surprising thing was Family Diasone. It's because of the students who are going to school, but the whole family can be interested in having a little bit of interest in school and they can always be able to help.

[02:44:16] The Family Academy is successful because we honor the feedback from our families. We are always looking for ways to grow and improve. We are working with them to design opportunities and resources that they tell us that they need.

[02:44:32] Sheba Jumayli attended a workshop called The Parent Project and participates in monthly webinars offered by the Family Resource Center. I thank you very much for sharing all of these information in a single place that is easy and best for the access to these information and resources.

[02:44:51] Thank you Fairfax County. Excellence, equity and opportunity. So, it's pretty impressive work and it happens often without a lot of fanfare.

[02:45:07] fair, but I want to make sure that you know I'll continue to be delivering reports and sharing the progress and what we continue to be committed to keeping our community informed about this work and a reminder that we're going to be presenting goal five leading for tomorrow's innovation at the April 24th school board meeting and that is our last and final goal presentation of the year so mr chair this concludes our april strategic plan update thank

[02:45:40] you very much mr moon thank you mr just a couple of quick questions uh the family resource center do we rely on mostly hourly employees to run the programs i believe that would be true mr moon okay uh based upon some conversation i anybody else that no i believe that based upon you know

[02:46:08] Some conversation I had with some staff members in early literacy program, some challenges include because you are providing only hourly rate, just a few hours a week, and it's not throughout the entire year either.

[02:46:29] It's broken up into segments a few weeks at a time. It's difficult to keep staff to stay in the program too long. I mean, they'll come in and do it, get trained, and move on to some other positions.

[02:46:48] Any thought? Well, yes, sir. I mean, that's true. It is a challenge. And the programs are not year-round, as we shared. Sometimes they're three-week, six-week, eight-week, ten-week programs. So we would have to look at adjusting the programming to pay more of an hourly rate or to make positions salaried.

[02:47:10] so I think of this current budget time which I'll talk a little more about in our next item I don't see a lot of room for changing that program for this year but I think if we want to think about a multi-year program to enhance that they also would connect to preschool I think in some cases the early literacy or hippie program but you're correct I mean there's a turnover of staff and people often want more hours and so I think that is a challenge I mean it's a

[02:47:45] challenge for our family liaisons. I hope that you can bring that up for discussion maybe not for this upcoming budget but the following year hopefully. Yes sir. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Moon. Ms. Dixit. Dr. Reed this is amazing. I believe that the relationship between the family and the school system is very integral to for student success too and especially for a lot of immigrant families and who are coming and with language barriers are really good to see that different languages you know people speaking when they're in participation I my question was this most of these programs are geared towards preschoolers

[02:48:23] or younger I guess K3 or K4 I feel like connection of the family and and the parent is family and the school is lost a little bit in the middle school and high school so is there a way to bring those people also in this conversation or have events and I understand it's not easy uh but I just feel as a parent I did not have that much of in involvement with my son's school uh in middle school and high school I think you've raised a great point and I um as a former high school

[02:49:01] principal I used to tell parents it's the time our children most need us uh we think it's younger but i think it really is very often um as they get older right so i'm going to turn to miss love or dr laufman jackson to talk just a minute about what we do provide for middle and high school more likely i think families moving into the division but i will ask her to share what is available in middle and high school sure the video highlighted some of our programs and those weren't all of the programs and you are correct that those were highlighting our school

[02:49:37] readiness programs however at the middle school and high school level we have programs like parent project and parent project works with families around attendance and some of those other issues of support around supporting their child programs and classes are one aspect of the family academy we also have workshops that are targeted to middle and high school we recently held sessions

[02:50:10] in the edison and the um not west potomac pyramid around i'm a middle school parent now what trying to help our families um transition from elementary to middle school and at the end of the month there's going to be a session a workshop session at Robinson and we're going to taking that around to all of our pyramids so there are workshops and programs for the middle and high school however the video highlighted these early school readiness programs thank you for the answer and last question

[02:50:47] is there's so much of that information overload there are messages going out from school and I don't know if this is uh how are you able to get to the the families like it is because i'm sure they're getting ton of a communication so what what is being successful so far dr lehuffman jackson so we work with our communications team um through a lot of marketing through our fcps this week communication there's always a section around the family academy and all the

[02:51:22] offerings and the family academy is designed in six areas and the learn with us is one of catalog but we also have resources and tools and other sections of the academy we in this principals toolkit weekly there's also information that goes out for principals to put that into their communications so that we can have a broader marketing around the division thank you miss STICKS IT MISSING JOHN CUNNING I'LL COME BACK TO YOU SORRY DR.

[02:52:02] ANDERSON WATER OKAY VERY QUICKLY THE PARENT PROJECT IS THAT THE INITIATIVE THAT EXISTS AT ANNADEL HIGH SCHOOL BECAUSE I DID HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT THAT PROBABLY A YEAR TWO YEARS AGO AND IT IS REALLY GREAT AND OUR PARENT LEAISON IS A HUGE PART OF THAT and just for everybody's edification there's a component where there's dinner that's provided so parents and students are able to have a meal together then they separate and the students

[02:52:39] engage in their learning to further their academics and the parents engage in learning to help support their students and then they come back to to discuss how they're going to be working together it is actually one of the most powerful things that i i've seen and so having an opportunity to expand that because i do not know how many high schools provide that dr hoffman-jackson can you articulate how many schools have that i don't have the exact numbers but i can tell you it's

[02:53:15] at many of our high schools this year we also partnered with our colleagues in social work for our virginia all-in grant and we've been able to spread it further so parent project is for the the middle and high school in the same program for elementary is called loving solutions and it's the same curriculum but for different age groups it is very targeted and very structured and my other question is regarding the what you've just showed how many of our schools have the the family project opportunities is it all of our schools and how do we determine if it is not

[02:53:53] the family project I'm sorry I losing the name of what we just talked about oh oh the family academy the family academy so i think that's open to the whole division but miss hall so that's centrally based yes this is centrally based um through family and school partnerships uh community relations also has a role in it and it's it is division-wide um both you know they're virtual and hybrid opportunities as well as in person we're continuing to build Programming for the rest of the division and pyramid by pyramid.

[02:54:31] Thank you Dr. Anderson. Miss St. John Cunning. Okay. I was really excited and I guess I just started to cough but as as you all know this is very close to my heart because I was a parent liaison or family liaison as they are called now.

[02:54:49] One of the things that first of all kudos to all the work that's being done and like anything it could be multiplied as Mr. MOON SAID WE COULD HAVE MORE FULL-TIME PEOPLE DOING THIS, I THINK ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL MESSAGES FROM WHAT ONE OF THE PARENTS SAID WAS THAT SHE WAS REALLY IMPRESSED THAT THAT FAMILY LIAISON WAS THERE. AND EVEN THOUGH WE TALK ABOUT PARENT PROJECT AND FAMILY REUNIFICATION WHICH FAIRFAX COUNTY CREATED AND HAS GONE ON TO TEACH AT OTHER DIVISIONS BECAUSE THE PROGRAM WAS SO INCREDIBLE AND REALLY HELPED OUR FAMILIES. SO THERE IS PROGRAMMING FROM PRESCHOOL,

[02:55:29] the way to high school and I will tell you that aside from all the programming the most critical part of our family and school partnership are those family liaisons that are there on a daily basis that have the cultural competency that have the language skills to connect with our parents that have the ability to bridge as I would always say passing the trust between the teacher and the parent or the counselor and the parent or the social worker and the parent and who are actively involved in our community a lot of our family liaisons

[02:56:06] are not just in our schools they are in the community they are doing the work and just kudos for the work that Dr. Renela Hoffman Jackson is doing who was once my boss and so kudos to the work that you're doing and I will always advocate for the work that our family liaisons do because they work endless hours because they are committed to the families and they stay with some of those families from head start to graduation and so I just can't say enough about the programming I would love to have a million dollars to expand

[02:56:45] it because that is so critical when we bring our families in and empower the parents and when the parents see that the value that they have in their children's education when they themselves maybe weren't educated but they recognize that they have that power with their kids it is just priceless so thank you for all the work thank you it's a great team thank you Ms. St. John Cunning moving along agenda item 8.03 financial year 2026 approved budget update I call on Dr. Reed.

[02:57:21] Thank you, Chairman Frisch, and good evening, members of the board and those listening. This evening, we're taking an opportunity to remind the school board and community about the ongoing budget work that surrounds our FY26 budget and provides some important updates as we progress towards final budget adoption on May 22nd.

[02:57:44] So this evening, you're going to see some repeat slides and information because, as we progress towards these May deadlines we're just wanting to there's value in restating some of our major tenets here and again just reminding our community that FCPS is committed to delivering a world-class education there are many who would say that our school division is our county's greatest asset and to continue being this incredible asset to our county it's important that we

[02:58:22] maintain high expectations which require us to continue to have sustainable high support I do believe that a world-class education is an economic engine and we're very proud of the work of our staff and our students and the support of our families here in the county just a reminder on class sizes this is something that our county has often prided itself on is maintaining reasonable class sizes so that all of our students have an opportunity to be known by name strength and need currently FCPS ranks fifth out of eight

[02:59:02] school divisions in our region in terms of class size however when school levels are considered individually elementary school we ranked third of eight middle school sixth of eight and high school fourth of eight we know that it's really important to continue monitoring this data point as again overall we rank in the middle of our wavy districts want to remind our community about our beginning teacher salaries this is important as we spoke earlier about the number of graduates from Commonwealth education programs

[02:59:41] when there are more positions open than there are graduates it's highly competitive and so these starting salaries become more important in FY 25 we ranked fifth out of eight and assuming we receive full funding we would rank second in starting teacher salary so it's you know we're hopeful that we're going to have full funding and that we'll be able to see our staff be ranked at least second in starter teacher salary. Also want to remind our community that we have the lowest ratio of central management compared to those

[03:00:20] divisions around us and really by significant margins. In other words as the second largest school division in the area I believe is Prince William County. I think we're still well below the ratio in terms of central management. So just really trying to be thoughtful about making sure our resources are at the school level where we know the action with our students occurs. I want to remind our community that the four billion dollar operating fund budget reflects the scale as one of the largest school divisions in the country.

[03:01:00] We are the ninth largest, we run the largest school bus fleet in the nation, and by many accounts are larger than seven states worth of enrollment. With that overview, we continue to summarize the proposals from our county and state partners, which you see here on the slide.

[03:01:18] And I think that it's really important to note that while our budget requests of the county included an additional $268.3 million, the county executive at this time has only recommended an increase of $118.6 million, which leaves a $150 million gap in the transfer at this time.

[03:01:40] I want to share again. Next slide, please, Kevin. Thank you. There are two distinct budgets that we're referring to, and I think there's been a little confusion at times. So it's important that in this PowerPoint this evening that I want to clarify that this slide, number seven, are county budget decisions that have impacted schools, which are not Fairfax County public school budget decisions, but rather Fairfax County.

[03:02:11] budget decisions and you can see these on the slide and I just want to clarify again these sit within the county budget side in looking at the state budget update at this time in March the General Assembly amended the governor's budget in a way that could result in Fairfax County receiving an additional 28.3 million in funding for FY 26 however the governor followed up with recommended amendments and vetoes that would have reduced the 28.3 to 15.7 million more

[03:02:47] recently stay tuned the General Assembly rejected most of the recommended budget changes and so now have sent it back to the governor with the possibility of us recouping the additional 28.3 million and the governor has 30 days from the General Assembly's latest action to review and take final action on the budget. I want to remind those watching about the JLARC recommendations and the chronic underfunding really of schools across the Commonwealth. Again, estimating annually an underfunding of Fairfax

[03:03:24] County public schools of over $500 million, which is approximately $3,100 per student enrolled in Fairfax County. At this point, the local Waby divisions have released their budgets, and while While we are poised to have the second highest beginning teacher salary in the region, our standing could be at risk without sufficient funding.

[03:03:48] Really regardless of where we end up at beginning teacher salaries, we will continue to lag behind at the midpoint and maximum salaries among the Wavy divisions. In looking at the impact of the county and state budget, the funding gap could range anywhere from 120 to 150 million based on the governor's decision to sign or not sign the current budget and also just wanted to put out there for the board in our community that and you may be aware that the board of supervisors have advertised a real estate tax rate increase

[03:04:25] and a potential meals tax while the advertised real estate tax rate is included in the county executive's budget proposal the revenue from the meals tax is actually not yet included and so what we did is provided some calculations to support the discussion here and originally when there was a meals tax proposed and envisioned several years ago there was a discussion at that time that there would be 70% of the distribution of those meals taxes that would go to Fairfax

[03:05:00] county public schools so we calculated that half of this because it would only be half a year could result in an additional 45.5 million to help reduce our funding gap range further i mean if the county decided to provide a hundred percent of the allocation of this four percent meals tax it could increase as much as 65 million in additional funding which would really support a narrowing of the gap in the transfer. So this is a lot of information, but what I've been most impressed about in the last couple days is I had an opportunity to host a roundtable discussion

[03:05:40] on this budget with some of our student journalists. So we had an opportunity, and I really want to give Beth Fazoli a shout out from our communications team, who said, why not go to our lead journalists or those folks who write for their school papers and media and we then had 24 of our 27 high schools represented yesterday afternoon. So I started the meeting and we thought we'd explain some things about the budget but lo and behold we did not need to because they came prepared

[03:06:13] and they had some tough questions and really had you know I think a lot of insight into what a high-performing, high-achieving school division is, and how it's impacted them, and I think you'll be proud of that, and also their understanding that we are at a crossroads. What's helped them become the young people that they are as they transform the world around them is a legacy move they want for their younger siblings and their future children and the community they want to come back to after they've gone on to have adventures out there these voices

[03:06:52] matter and I think we need to make sure we remember why we're here and center our work in the voice of our young people so let's see how this rather large press conference went thank you Kevin hi I'm Kelly I'm from Fairfax High School with the necessity to defund certain programs or delay new initiatives I also read online that the middle school after school program might cut but I wasn't sure if that was 100% true what criteria does FCPS use to determine what programs are reduced or eliminated so right now in our budget we

[03:07:28] didn't plan to reduce or eliminate any programs we've worked on efficiencies but your example of the middle middle school after school program the county actually funds that program not the school division and they've chosen to cut that so that wasn't a cut we would have chosen to make and we hope they reinstate that it's very important hi I'm Sierra and I'm from Southlakes high school will any of the budget go for to like school security and safety and if

[03:08:04] so what are the things that are gonna happen so why is FCPS asking the county for more money this year what do you think the ramifications would be if FCPS were to not receive that money or that additional funding that they're requesting.

[03:08:21] Because FCPS currently has no plans, to my understanding, of getting rid of DEI, that we'll be losing the 4% of federal funding that is in our budget. How is that going to affect everyday life for students? There are a number of practices that, in fact, are quite supported, and our former Secretary of Education was very clear about that.

[03:08:42] And as we do continue to follow state and federal law, we still believe that equitable opportunities for our students is what really is the generator for excellence. So we're not planning to lose those funds and we trust that that won't come to pass.

[03:08:57] I think teachers are one of the most important aspects of our county and I think it's a big accomplishment for the county to agree on collective bargaining. How will the county maintain recruitment for teachers despite like the shortfall, the budget shortfall for the 7% anticipated salary increase?

[03:09:16] I'm coming from an alternative high school that has less students than the principal high schools and my question is how will the proposed budget will continue to fund multi-high school and schools like it? With the significant increase in students who are economically disadvantaged and in special education programs, multilingual, how will the additional funding be allocated to meet these changing needs and priorities?

[03:09:40] Other schools in the county are nearing time for remodel or additional funding. We know that these schools are in need of upgrades or increased support. Having a sister who's a first year, third grade teacher in FCPS, I was heartened to see that with this 7% increase, FCPS teachers will become first in starting salary.

[03:10:00] But I am concerned to see that even with the 7% increase, which obviously is not promised, FCPS will still be fifth at midpoint salaries and seventh out of eight at maximum salaries. Given that the $297 million increase in the budget is largely dedicated to compensation for educators and services for diverse learners, what measures, indicators, or set goals will FCPS use to measure the effectiveness of these investments in improving student outcomes and overall school?

[03:10:30] Do you see any long-term impacts on low-income students in the foreseeable future? Is there going to be a priority over sports versus arts programs with the budget? You know, as you read news reports and hold your elected officials accountable, these are our tax dollars and your parents' tax dollars and soon to be your tax dollars.

[03:10:54] And we want to make sure that they're spent in a way that really shapes and lifts up future generations. because the budget, while it's not the most glamorous topic, it drives everything we do. So I think we've got some pretty amazing young journalists.

[03:11:16] And I'm just going to, spoiler alert, if you want to know the answers to all those questions and more, you have to check in with your local school media. So I'm not scooping them, but they were pretty amazing. So I'm going to close out the presentation this evening just with a reminder that there are so many things that FCPS does that exceed the minimum state standards we just jotted down some of those in alphabetical order both on the instructional and operational side of the house that and just I think a real

[03:11:52] reminder that our community has expectations and we traditionally have funded those and supported those and at this point the crossroads situation we find ourselves in is that that classroom experience is going to be impacted one way or another depending on the degree to which we're funded.

[03:12:15] And our students also wanted me to make sure that I noted that a world-class education occurs both inside and outside of the classroom, and FCPS has always taken great pride in that. So I want to remind our community about next steps, and this is the timeline, dateline, The next major milestone for the county are the public hearings that the Board of Supervisors host from April 22nd through the 24th.

[03:12:42] The budget, the county budget, will be marked up on May 6th and finalized on May 13th, while the school budget will be presented on May 8th with final adoption scheduled for May 22nd. So a lot to keep track of, and we do have a website to, you know, for folks who want to stay involved.

[03:13:02] at this time that's the update on our budget process chairman frisch thank you dr reed i appreciated the smith's t-shirt in that video um and i also want to note since this presentation was prepared we've added a pm work session for uh the committee of the whole the budget committee so we'll be doing that on the tuesday the 22nd from 6 30 to 8 30. obviously open to the public and available in all the other platforms that we typically stream on we'll get started with with Ms. Seizmoorheiser.

[03:13:36] - Thank you, I appreciate it. And first, thank you for this presentation. And I think it's important for our public, as we saw from the public comments tonight, and the things that I've been hearing and others have been hearing, to kind of have a bit of a update on what is the status of our budget and really what is at risk here with our budget too.

[03:13:52] So I appreciate you talking about, one, I wanted to mention in some of the statistics you give in the early slides, it really does show how effective and efficient we are, right? Our class sizes are not the smallest, but they're not the biggest in the county, in the area. We have the lowest ratio of central office staff to, given our surrounding jurisdictions.

[03:14:13] And, but the other thing I really wanted to point out first, well, first was that Smith's T-shirt because that brought me back to my day. So that was pretty awesome. So whoever that student journalist was, please let him know he made an impression on us. - Yes, ma'am. - But slide seven, you know, I just, I wish the people who were here tonight to speak about the middle school after school program were here to see this part because, you know, While we are all in tough budget times and I wish the state would do more to address the chronic underfunding as shown in the JLARC report, and we're trying to work in partnership with our Board of Supervisors, it is difficult to see some of these cuts that I think there's

[03:14:51] some confusion in the public as to where these cuts are coming from, right? And I hope that the Board of Supervisors will continue to fund the middle school after school programming. I've heard from lots of families and students and teachers of how beneficial it's been for the students at the middle school but I wanted to point out that these are all of the different areas that are that impact the school system that are not in our budget they're they've been traditionally in the county's budget on slide seven is that a correct way of interpreting that slide yes ma'am it is and I think that's important to point out that these are additional ways that the county supported the schools but it's always been traditionally part of their budget and so it would be difficult having a shortfall that we have of either 121 million or 149 million depending

[03:15:31] on what the state does to absorb an additional $7.7 million to cover. So, you know, we're already at a crossroads. I understand everybody's budget numbers are tight right now, but it would be difficult to include that in our budget as well.

[03:15:47] And the last thing I wanted to mention on slide 13, when you say these are the areas that we exceed the minimum state standards, I'm assuming what you're trying to get at is that the state only funds us for what they consider the state standards, the SOQs, right, in terms of staffing for schools.

[03:16:05] Because the state funds us on a staffing model, right? Correct. And so the amount that they fund us for staffing doesn't cover all of these things, is that correct? Yes, ma'am, that's correct. So if we have this much of a shortfall, and the state isn't making up their share from JLARC and from the underfunding, and we're not getting it from the county because there's a lot of competing interests and a lot of issues on the budgets on both sides, all of these things that you listed here could potentially be at risk for not continuing or some of these things?

[03:16:39] I think that the reason we noted them is there is a risk they certainly could be impacted. For example, we have more staffing in some areas than the state talks about.

[03:16:55] The advanced academic resource teachers, for example, are not in a state SOQ. But Fairfax County has determined those roles are important for the work that occurs in our classrooms and schools so it you know as you go down these lists there are either they are not in the state formula or we've enhanced the state formula to provide a higher level of service delivery for our students here a couple things i wanted to mention in here the college and career specialists which we just heard from our students i know you mentioned that they consider how important that is elementary art music and pe

[03:17:31] teachers we know how important having a well-rounded education is in the elementary school so I think it's important to realize that this is what the crossroads means right if we want to continue to be Fairfax County this is where our crossroads is at and we've just got to figure out how to continue all the great things that we're doing one last question on this oh sorry can I confirm last question sorry are you aware of how much money average school systems spend above the SOQs like our most school systems able to staff schools within the SOQs in Virginia are we unusual that we go beyond that no ma'am I I know that schools

[03:18:06] across the Commonwealth tend to staff above the SOQs and for for sure here in Fairfax County that's left to the county pretty much and we're grateful for the support our county has provided over the years because that's enabled us to go beyond the minimum and I think when we talk about excellence we definitely that requires more than the minimum right so our community's always been there for us and we trust that will continue thank you thank you miss sesmerheiser miss marron

[03:18:44] dr reed the questions i've gotten in the community the last few days i'd like to ask you please one of them is why can't the superintendent cut something else to keep the after school programs so at this point the after school programs as per slide seven were on the county side of the budget

[03:19:03] And if we were being fully funded, like our full transfer, we could likely look for some spaces, but we're already in a situation where we're not being fully funded, potentially up to $150 million, which would not leave any wiggle room at all at this point to be funding from the school budget, what traditionally has been funded from the county budget.

[03:19:30] Well, that is the next question I receive is, why can't FCPS tighten its belt more in terms of, you know, being more efficient? And where is data substantiating that FCPS has done so already and there's really nothing left to cut? So we had a chart, and I'm not sure if it's still up on the website, but if not, we'll make sure it's up tomorrow morning.

[03:19:49] But over the last 10 years, we've cut over $800 million from our budget, either in cost avoidance efficiencies or simply efficiency cuts. So we can absolutely document over $800 million in savings over the last decade.

[03:20:05] I'm aware you've already had to inform those middle school staff or FCPS employees funded with county funds that they will not have a job beginning July 1. Are you able to state how many jobs you've reduced, either within this budget development season or even just, say, in the last year?

[03:20:21] So I would say that much as the county has discussed their number of jobs that they've eliminated, many of those were vacant positions. And similarly, in our efficiency work, we have closed down vacant positions as well.

[03:20:39] And I would also say when you think about fewer, we're right around 1% of central office support. The vast majority of our staff are at the school level. We have not, to date, eliminated positions at the school other than those that are enrollment-driven.

[03:20:59] But with the level of transfer dissonance, it's going to be very difficult not to look at school-based staff or programs in addition to central office-based. About the student meeting with the journalists, did the individual journalists research the situation on their own, perhaps with, you know, information or direction from your staff?

[03:21:20] or are FCPS students being taught now and consistently about local government and its impact in their lives? Each of the journalists that came are writing or providing, I mean, they're acting in the role of a journalist at their school.

[03:21:37] Several have asked for follow-up interviews. We did not provide the questions, and they came ready with actually more questions than we got to in a little over an hour. - Well, I can't wait to receive a copy of that link so I could share it.

[03:21:52] I am concerned though because when I've talked to a number of students recently and even in the past, whether it's AP government, IB course, or you know, Gen Ed, they really don't understand what's happening locally. We, you know, they think they vote every four years.

[03:22:07] And I know like Oakton High School has an amazing program where they bring in candidates and they have a model Congress. What, you know, we had this whole discussion about social studies. Are we preparing the units to teach the students The you know litany of people who represent them and that we vote every year in Virginia So we didn't discuss all of that in the press conference as you might guess But I do know that I think our students are beginning to form a much more cogent Perspective on their experience right now And being so close to the nation's capital. I think our students here are much more

[03:22:47] Aware of political moves around them of all perspectives. So In fact, there was a question about why doesn't the central office more directly fund journalism at the high schools? They took a moment for a shameless plug So we did discuss that as well and we're still I mean we're at this crossroads where this board has put a stake in this You know stake in the ground around if it's good for one school in one community it needs to be for all schools and all communities and

[03:23:20] We're still working on making sure debate is at every high school. We're making sure that every high school has a publication and We're going to do that even with this budget in the situation since we're in this This time where we're all going to have to make sure that we keep a just a steady focus on what's best and right for our young people well I could appreciate that the students are more aware but as I've seen in a lot of my friends and community there's a lot of focus on the federal and there's so much we could do locally and I'm not hearing that we are consistently teaching our students during the instructional day is selected time like

[03:23:59] which class which grade are they gonna learn that there are nine magisterial districts in Fairfax and they have one delegate and one senator and the governor can't be elected back to back terms like that granularity because I think we're doing a huge disservice if we graduate them and they don't they can't name their magisterial district so I I hear you and I will have some matrix of where we do that and if we don't we'll find an opening to do that Ms. Barron great and I just want to thank our chair and vice chair for scheduling that April 22nd work session for the budget the County Board of Supervisors has its public hearing that day that begins at 4:00 there is no set

[03:24:38] end time. I've confirmed that. So perhaps we can get there before our 630 meeting. Thank you. We tried to schedule it so that people can do both at least partially. All right. Mr. Dunn. Thank you. I wanted to suggest slide five offers a comparison of leadership and management. But I think you could actually provide more information to the public. Because if you look at all non-school based positions as measured by the Waby Guide,

[03:25:15] Fairfax County actually measures up quite well. I looked at the comparisons for Arlington, Loudoun, and Prince William County. Prince William County, it's 9.7% is non-school based. Arlington, 8.7, Loudoun, 8.3.

[03:25:30] Fairfax County is 7.45. So I think if you provide that comparison, it shows even when you expand beyond leadership and management positions, which is quite a small fraction of the overall workforce, we compare favorably. I wanted to ask a little bit more about the efficiencies.

[03:25:49] You mentioned, I haven't seen this slide, you mentioned about 800 million. But in the video, you stated that you did not propose to reduce or eliminate any programs. And so where did the efficiencies come from if you're not reducing or eliminating any programs?

[03:26:08] So thank you, Mr. Dunn. And we-- in the video, I said, in my budget, I didn't propose that, right? Because in the original budget, we didn't propose cuts to programs. The efficiencies are, in a number of cases where we've had open positions over time, we've simply made a decision not to fill those positions.

[03:26:31] We're also looking at trades in a very direct manner at this time. We're looking at, I'll be minimizing out-of-division travel next year. We're going to be cutting that. So there are a number of efficiencies that we're working into, if you will, the business rule for this year's budget to get where we needed to get and still have the collective bargaining agreement met with the budget we passed.

[03:27:01] I appreciate that. As a former COO, I know that eliminating vacant positions and limiting travel conferences, sometimes professional development is usually the low-hanging fruit. But ultimately, is there any plan to conduct a comprehensive examination of our programs that we have in existence?

[03:27:24] Because I think what we've seen over the past year and a half with this new school board is there's a lot of business as usual in the way we contract and the way we do some of our business operations. And sometimes when we have discussed them, there haven't been metrics or data to show that the program is the most effective or there are no metrics to say, we're tracking that this is actually achieving the original objective.

[03:27:51] So is there a plan to conduct a very granular comprehensive review similar to what the county undertook on its side? Absolutely. That is our Baldrige work and that is the 25 page document we're going to be providing you this spring has led us in a number of areas. Our non traditional schools program for example are we have a number of programs that we're really looking diving into in terms of org chart program delivery and efficiencies but the Baldrige work is actually capturing that at a system wide level.

[03:28:30] you're gonna have an opportunity to take a look at sort of our first year of not just the study but also some of the pieces that we are how should I say integrating more efficiently in aligning because we know if we have better alignment we also have more efficiency I appreciate that my concern about the Baldrige is that it it comes with it framed as the Baldrige efficiency award which kind of presupposes that we're going to win some kind of award for the work we do and I want to make sure that as we're going through this we we actually focus on how can we reduce our expenditures to be able to allocate that

[03:29:10] money towards increasing teacher pay or meeting other mission objectives I also wanted to ask in the slide 13 it says we're exceeding minimum state standards with central office reductions can you explain what that means so I think that But there are no state standards on the support side in that particular in some of those categories.

[03:29:40] For example, cybersecurity is not something that there's an SOQ for. Mr. Sethi, is that correct? There's not an SOQ for safety and security, for office staff, translators, so there are number of items in that support column that don't have if you will a ratio that's funded from the state so essentially what the central office reductions that goes to those positions that have not been filled that we just simply said we're not going to fill in many cases so I don't know if miss

[03:30:20] burden wants to add on to that in terms of the central office reductions no you're correct there there are not any SOQ staffing standards that are associated with central office we do receive some funds for leadership very small amount of funds if you know how they do the salaries when they calculate that but in general the support staff there the SOQs are either silent or very vague where they say that you must have enough safety and security people it's

[03:30:55] just there's no formulas attached to those items and no funds right or minimal minimal funds and and finally I just wanted to mention I know that we're always talking about salaries but prefects County has certain benefits that many counties in our wavy guide don't for example not everyone offers dental and vision which is very important but not everyone provides and we also are loan and having the ERFC which you know the supplemental pension so I think that is a distinguishing factor and should be included in our budget presentation

[03:31:32] because you know that those things matter for staff when they're making decisions about which employer it's not just based on money it's based on the whole package of salary and benefits thank you thank you mr. Dunn dr. Anderson thank you I do want just to reiterate that last point that mr. Dunn made That's always a point that we've discussed before and has been discussed even with the last board ad nauseum.

[03:32:01] How do we include that as an attractive feature to not just retain the folks that we have, but to also attract new individuals? Because we tend to not have it be part of the conversation. And I definitely understand the challenge because it's not necessarily part of the salary package.

[03:32:19] It's not compensation, but it is a benefit which is very unique. So I would love to hear how can we better feature that for our own recruitment work? And I know it's told at the job fairs, but in these discussions, in these slides.

[03:32:36] So two topics, I think Mr. Dunn mentioned vision and dental insurance. Oh, I just wanted to talk about ERFC. Oh, okay. I was going to say because... No, just ERFC. Okay, because staff still have to pay the deductibles, right, or pay for the insurance benefits.

[03:32:54] THE ERFC IS SOMETHING I KNOW WE'VE DISCUSSED FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, AND I'M GOING TO ASK -- WELL, I KNOW THAT OUR HR DEPARTMENT HAS WORKED TO TRY TO ILLUMINATE THAT BENEFIT TO A HIGHER DEGREE. I WILL SAY IT DEPENDS ON THE EXPERIENCE LEVEL OF THE CANDIDATES COMING IN IN TERMS OF THEIR APPRECIATION OF THAT VALUE.

[03:33:22] Burden do you want to clarify anything about the ERFC benefit I know dr. Anderson said that it's you know it's sort of separate from salary but it is a benefit and then mr. Solomon if you could follow with what we're doing to amplify and eliminate that benefit yeah I believe that ERFC the local retirement plan is the only distinction between us and surrounding school divisions I'm checking Wavy right now and it looks like everybody carries dental and vision the ERFC is my understanding that young teachers

[03:34:00] straight out of college that salary is that is the item that is most important to them we certainly mentioned in our recruiting and mr. Solomon can go in more detail about that about ERFC because you know some of their parents may be informing them that retirement is really important even if you're only 22 years old but in general it's really more of a retention than it is a recruitment strategy and so that's why the salary increase that we've proposed is is so important but it does distinguish us from the surrounding

[03:34:35] divisions in the Commonwealth by having that that local retirement plan and that's very attractive to all of our employees once they've been here a few years and start thinking about you know the future and I would just say that Miss Burton is exactly correct and of course we take a multi-pronged approach to recruitment and retention about that benefit specifically of course we share it at our job fairs we actually partner very closely with ERFC and have them attend our job fairs we share the information when we visit colleges universities and professional organizations and of course we partner very closely with the ERFC to share the information with our current employees

[03:35:15] through newsletters and other platforms. And I can also share that during those job fairs, we have some employees who are of an age where they will soon benefit from ERFC, and that has been a retention tool for some of those employees who might be coming later in their career and want to take advantage of moving to Fairfax to get ERFC as well as their VRS from another jurisdiction.

[03:35:42] Thank you. I appreciate all of your responses. I also would like to think, how can we, again, include it in all of our conversations, because the more we speak about our beginning scales, whether it be bachelor's, master's, a lot of people are hearing that information. And so it's just like one more thing that is working in our favor that I'd like for us to elevate a little bit more frequently.

[03:36:04] I did want to speak about the middle school after school programs, and I'll speak about this a little bit more during my skipped report but particularly because so much of the discussions that have occurred with the board of supervisors have centered around a sliding scale for the after-school program and I've been adamant as one board member I do not find that to be a reasonable a reasonable course of action because of the percentage of our students who participate who are essentially students who are economically disadvantaged so can you speak to that a little

[03:36:38] bit please. Thank you Dr. Anderson I Dr. Mark Emery is in charge of our middle school after school activities and has been for a long time. His assessment is that approximately 70% of the middle schoolers who participate in middle school after school activities would qualify for free or reduced lunch and I mean that's 70% of the young people participating in the program and so I I think that it appears, based on that data, that it would be very difficult to recoup

[03:37:15] the costs of the program based on a fee structure. So I think that it's imperative that we think about how we are able to fund that program, because so many of the young people who participate, their families would not be able to fund.

[03:37:34] Absolutely. And Mr. Smith also shared this quite eloquently. This board and previous boards have really worked hard to remove barriers from student participating and having access to various things. This will just reverse course. And so I appreciate that. And last thing I will say on this matter, it seems to be and this is a very technical term that I'm going to use. The juice is not worth the squeeze on this one. It's four million dollars. There has to be a better way to to have some savings on the county side without taking away a program which has been so successful

[03:38:10] in fulfilling its core mission which is to reduce gang activity which is to ensure that students have something productive to do after they are dismissed from schools. One question that I do have is obviously dollars are limited everywhere so we want to make sure that we are turning over every stone I would love to hear the conversations that we are having or could be having with our partners on the board of supervisors in terms of how to have efficiencies in areas in which we have like work it's not going to be teachers it's not going to be firefighters is it printing

[03:38:47] is it hr is it technology what space do we have to maximize economy of scale between these two entities that serve essentially the same constituency yes ma'am i it's my understanding that the board of supervisors has proposed and we've agreed to some joint committees board to board on key topics i believe facilities are one perhaps technology another but i think that is a great first step to begin to think about how because you're right i mean all of us

[03:39:25] who live in the county are taxpayers and we want our tax dollars to be well used and to support the work and those things that make this county amazing so i think that those joint committees will be a good first start and i believe it's been capital facilities and perhaps technology are where they're starting on that thank you and i could see another space with cyber security one of the things we talked about with our federal partners is how much we invest in that. And it's

[03:40:00] difficult and it's challenging. And this is a good space where we can get some support from our local organization. One of the things you talked about in the student interviews, and I was very glad to hear that, that we are not going to divert away from our work on DEI. It is core to the mission of Fairfax County. And I cannot overstate this because there's been a lot of concern in the community are we going to abandon our core mission given that so many schools are doing such whether it be higher education institutions or even other school divisions in the state in the commonwealth of Virginia. So I was very glad to hear that response

[03:40:39] but along with that can you just to paint the clear comprehensive picture in terms of what is at stake if things were to proceed in a manner that is not that is not beneficial to us what i mean is what grants could be potentially at stake and what is that total number i know we've discussed this year before so i'm not sure if you've sent that to us in a friday letter i don't believe i've seen it yes ma'am so the um the question the student journalist asked which i think is a question that many divisions you know around the country

[03:41:18] and states honestly are addressing is the most recent department of education request around commitment to not engaging in certain diversity equity inclusion practices but also making sure we're committed to following the constitution and state and federal statute and our our our equity work here in Fairfax County clearly is in alignment with state and federal

[03:41:50] statutes and therefore we I believe that our funds are secure and that we continue to work with a clear understanding of the importance of that work and our resolute commitment to that work and we believe it's legal work in fact it's morally the work we have to be doing it's mission-driven work Having said that, our federal grant dollars are about $168 million in basically three large buckets, if you will.

[03:42:25] Our food and nutrition dollars are about $68 million, and our Title I dollars are about $50 million, and our IDEA dollars are about $50 million. And so those would be the three areas that would be at risk if for some reason there was a disruption in our federal dollar allocation.

[03:42:49] That was my time but I do have a follow-up because I don't think that was the answer I was looking for. Thank you Dr. Anderson. Ms. Anderson. I just wanted to reiterate something that we had talked about earlier this week when we had our check-in.

[03:43:06] I do wonder whether or not some of the numbers that we have related to middle school after school program usage is actually maybe misleading because of a certain number of factors. So what I would love us to do is because at a town hall that I was at with Chairman McKay, he leaned over and he said, we've got to get these numbers up if we're going to keep doing this.

[03:43:29] And so I'm kind of wondering whether or not we are not representing the actual use. We come to Luther Jackson and we see the robust after school. And so it's hard to think that we don't have good usage across the county. So I have lots of questions about where our usage is happening.

[03:43:47] I also am wondering whether or not our usage has picked up with the return to the office order for the federal government workers. And so whether or not we have more usage. So I would love for the opportunity to maybe revisit some of those numbers to ensure that we're giving the board of supervisors the most accurate numbers possible.

[03:44:03] Yes, ma'am. I know Dr. Emory is working on that and did present some numbers at the recent skip meeting. And I will check in and make sure we have current numbers. Thank you, Ms. Anderson. Dr. Anderson, for your one question. Thank you. What I was getting at outside of those three funding sources that you've that you talked about are any other potential federal allocations which might be in jeopardy.

[03:44:32] Yes. That's the listing that I was looking for. For example, one of the things we discussed very early on was the, I guess, the loss of the grant for the EV buses. What other like things that are out there that may not be part of our recurring expenditures, but will essentially impact our operations?

[03:44:53] So we receive a number of different grants through federal funds. Uh, the EPA grant was not necessarily a Department of Education grant, but definitely federal funding. And you're correct. Uh, we did need to cancel that order because we didn't have a commitment, uh, to fund it.

[03:45:14] And without that, we're not going to follow through. Um, Ms. Burton, can you enumerate maybe several of our, and it doesn't have to be today, but I would love to see a written list of that and could that be possible? Can that be provided? Yes, ma'am. We, we can provide it tomorrow.

[03:45:30] put you on the spot but I'd like to get a clear picture and just the last thing I just kind of wanted to reiterate what was shared by several members regarding slide 13 you know the needs based staffing is one of the most important things that we do at our schools and it's a necessary activity it's not a nice to have it's really a need to have as it's articulated but one last other question which is asking you to kind of um project a little bit and looking at prince william um some of the data shows that they have some of the highest um teacher um teacher salaries

[03:46:09] and yet some other slides that you've shown us also show that they have the lowest per pupil allocation how is that achieved so um i would say a couple things uh their county fully funds their budget just as Loudoun County I believe recently fully funded their budget and class sizes are different is my understanding is one of the key differences in Prince William County. Thank you. Thank you Dr. Anderson. Miss

[03:46:46] Marin just under the gun. Dr. E can you share you know we ask you to share best practices and examples can you share what a another example is of how a school division works with their local funder to budget like in your previous school division was it this kind of bifurcated system or are you aware of other school divisions that do something differently in Virginia that we could try to really collaborate authentically with the Board of Supervisors that's a great question miss Marin I my experience coming from a state where I've previously been

[03:47:22] superintendent we had our school division had our we had taxing authority subject to voter approval but we didn't have a local entity such as a board of supervisor group we dealt with the state and the federal government just as we do here but there wasn't a local funder because we retained that taxing authority in terms of Virginia and best practices miss burden can you think of other divisions that in Virginia or other practices that come to mind well a couple of divisions are still operating revenue sharing agreements but

[03:48:02] those kind of gone out of fashion they were popular 10 15 years ago where they have get a set amount of funding from the local I mean from the local governing body every year but you know that really just shifts the conversation to the projections instead of the budget because if you're if they you know county governments typically are going to be ultra conservative on their revenue projections which is not really good for people who are trying to plan but if I was on the county side I would be ultra conservative too so if they

[03:48:39] regularly are ultra conservative then even if it is a certain percentage then you know you're going to put a lot of money on the back end which is not really efficient way to run your budget so they have you know others you know critics say that revenue sharing agreements silence the voice of the people because if the amount of funding that you're going to get is always known then you know why why would anyone bother to comment about it and then the third item is is that it would be it's very difficult for a superintendent to

[03:49:11] meet their code required thing to provide a needs-based budget based on what's needed in the school system at the upcoming year if they are falsely pushing that number down based on a revenue sharing agreement so it's probably not legally enforceable but revenue sharing agreements are probably politically enforceable thank you that's really interesting I think too as the board prepares for its May 6 worth session about capital planning you know these are these huge investments that we need to know more about and like I'm really glad that our board is looking to learn more about other ways to fund

[03:49:49] construction in a more effective efficient way especially as the cost of things keep escalating so again these community resources I just I'm so hungry for us to work in partnership for one Fairfax so perhaps in the remaining weeks we can make that happen yes ma'am thank you Miss Marin mr. moon miss burden I those school districts where a date there isn't revenue sharing arrangement between governing body, local governing body, and school board. Those local

[03:50:26] governing bodies still take very conservative approach for the revenue projections. I think our own governing body seems to be taking that approach even without the revenue sharing arrangement. Isn't that correct? I don't know. I'd have to look at their year-end and see how their revenue projections compare to what they actually receive. Okay. I'm listening to your response to uh the revenue sharing arrangement question that reminded me of one particular school district which

[03:51:01] has revenue sharing arrangement but they share they share additional revenue yes that is usually a component of a revenue sharing agreement and that is on the back end that there's a true up to the actual revenue instead of what is projected but again that's not great for planning because you get it on the back end so you can't you can't really use it it's like one thing they seem to be using that additional revenue at the end back and for one-time purposes right in maintenance or purchase you know with

[03:51:38] that said I I am still hopeful that that county our local governing body county bureau supervisors will see truly see our needs and then fund beyond what the county executive has proposed That said, that said, if we have to make any adjustments to our budget, I was looking at these numbers, charge, et cetera, in our budget book, with the assumption that we're not going to touch what he agreed to provide to our employees through CBA.

[03:52:15] Then we have to go to what is considered logistics, budget set aside for the logistics, which is about $400 million. And then I was looking at different categories of those for where those $400 million is coming from.

[03:52:37] I think those areas, that is the only area that we can have any adjustments that can come from. looking at each one of them it will be very difficult. I'm going to cut textbooks, I'm going to cut supplies to schools, we cannot cut the insurance, I'm going to cut a middle school after activity buses, I'm not going to purchase buses, I mean but we may end up looking at

[03:53:11] the logistics area just for my colleagues' benefit and consideration. Thank you Mr. Moon. all right moving on agenda item nine 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 items may be removed from the consent agenda at the request of any board member prior to the meeting the consent agenda is displayed on the screen is there any objection to approving the consent agenda seeing and hearing no objection

[03:53:49] this consent agenda is approved agenda item 10 new business the following are new business agenda items there will not be a vote on these items this evening but action is scheduled for a future meeting agenda item 11 board committee reports i call on dr anderson for a skipped report yes giving the hour i'll be a little bit more brief but i do want to inform the board of the last skipped meeting that we had on april 2nd um both dr ponce i'm sorry dr ponce dr king and dr Presidio and there's probably one more person who were in

[03:54:27] attendance who had been in attendance. One of the crucial pieces that I wanted to share was the the strategic early childhood plan that the county has come together that really has four components component one is to improve child health and well-being to increase access to early learning three elevate the early childhood workforce and four transform the early childhood system and what really came to mind to me during this meeting is that we are really working with two different definitions because we've had some interesting discussions where the minds weren't really meeting from schools

[03:55:07] and County and I think Dr. Presidio did an outstanding job in really elevating what is our what our definition is of preschool versus their definition of early learning it's the piece that is much more academic and much more rigorous that is missing so one of the things the committee needed to do was to approve this document and we had quite a robust discussion and and were adamant that we needed to have a piece in this plan that spoke to the preschool education component other than that it doesn't advance our work in any way and

[03:55:43] And so I think Dr. Presidio, again, you get the kudos on this. Not only were we able to initially infuse it, that was the ask under goal two, but doing better than that, it's going to now be its own standalone goal. Without that being a target, we are not going to move the needle and having the skipped committee help us to increase seats in early childhood and preschool.

[03:56:10] school. It's going to be more of what is offered, which is really not consistent with what FCPS requires. So once we have the final plan, I do intend on sharing it with you. I didn't share this one because of it's still going to be revised, but I really wanted to make sure we were clear on their understanding of what the early childhood experiences were and how it doesn't.

[03:56:37] It has not yet aligned with what our vision is for preschool education. Thank you, Dr. Anderson. Agenda item 12, Superintendent Matters. I call on Dr. Reed. Thank you, Chairman Frisch.

[03:56:54] Just again, a congratulations to our National Board Certified Teachers. And also it is National Assistant Principals Week. So right before spring break, I know they're busy. Just want to say a big shout out to the transportation team.

[03:57:09] The rodeo was incredible. They can back buses up in tighter spaces than I can back my car up into. So I was very impressed. Then also want to share that I enjoyed attending the La Liga soccer game at West Potomac High School, student run game, and there was some fabulous soccer going on.

[03:57:29] Superintendent Student Advisory Council, and I shared their reports in my last weekly reflection. It was a lot of excitement. want to share that the edison high school production of greece was amazing um i could i was just incredibly uh impressed as well as their academy auto collision class which finished the car they used in greece which was a really nice partnership i also saw a play i'd never heard of before so i might be living under a rock but justice high school did almost maine and i hadn't heard of the play so i googled it and found out it It was the most performed high school play

[03:58:08] in the last decade, which I didn't know, but it was really a wonderful show. Also joined several of you at the 50th annual all county sixth grade chorus, a dance move at Bailey's Upper, the pyramid art show at Westfield, a steam night at Hunt Valley Elementary, amazing things happening.

[03:58:29] And what I loved especially were our West Springfield High School students that came and our TJ students to help our students at Hunt Valley. So just really lots of track and field at Woodson High School.

[03:58:44] We have our young women pole vaulting over 10 feet, which is unbelievable. I was kind of thinking maybe I should try it, but I restrained myself. And then the lacrosse tournament at Fairfax High School in Robinson.

[03:59:01] So just lots of exciting things, all of which funded by our county in addition to the minimums from the state and just really trust that um our community you know understands the importance of those activities so thank you chairman frisch thank you dr reed agenda item 13 board matters i will call on each board member to share their comments mr dunn uh thank you uh so having a little trouble with my video oh there we go so i'd like to congratulate uh the nationally board certified honorees from mount frannon district Heather Young from Holland Meadows Julian Braden from Laurel Hill and Rachel Morris from Laurel Hill.

[03:59:41] I'd like to say congratulations to South County High School student Julia Seitz for being selected as a grand prize nominee in physics and astronomy at this year's Fairfax County Science Fair for her project The Impact of Municipal Dimming on Sky Glow. I'd also like to say congratulations to Whitman Middle School Special Education Department Chair Angela Perez who was selected to receive a first-class award for demonstrating excellence in educating students with disabilities. In late March I had the pleasure to conduct presentations for the Stratford Landing PTA, the Washington Mill PTA, and the Crosspoint

[04:00:18] Homeowners Association. Thank you to these organizations for inviting me. These events provided valuable opportunities to share information and address the questions and concerns of families in my district and if you haven't heard very exciting news a Montessori program the first public Montessori program in Fairfax County is coming to the West Potomac Pyramid at Bucknell Elementary it will begin next year the 2025-26 school year it'll start with multi-age classrooms at the pre-k and kindergarten levels families of current three four and five year olds are invited to apply through a lottery process the program is free and transportation

[04:00:57] will be provided. The application is available online now through May 1st, 2025 at fcps.edu/montessori. Please check it out and please make sure to enroll your child to participate if you're interested. I hope everyone has a safe and restful spring break, especially all of our students and staff. Thank you.

[04:01:19] Thank you, Mr. Dunn. Dr. Anderson. I do want to say happy assistant principal week. Is it week or month? Dr. Reed, is it week or month it is only a week oh it needs to be a month that is one of the most challenging jobs in a school because you're doing discipline all day and you don't really get the joys often of the academic work so whoo better y'all than me but congratulations on that just one thing I wanted to share last week I had the opportunity to go to Falls Church High School to attend the Amy

[04:01:55] Baker Memorial bench dedication which brought back so many so many Jaguars who graduated there were a class of 1989 while they came for a somber moment it was wonderful just to watch them walk around the school and to see the new school that they you know that they that they attended how many years ago again it was just fantastic so I appreciate the individuals from the community one of their classmates who got that together as well as Dr.

[04:02:27] Nowak's support to ensure that he could be supportive of this community because they made a beautiful moment out of a very sad event. Thank you, Dr. Anderson, Miss Marin, Miss Dixit.

[04:02:44] I'm just going to say have a great spring break. Good night, everyone. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Dixit. Miss Marin. Yes, I also just want to wish everyone a happy Easter, happy Passover, happy spring break.

[04:03:02] Thank you, Miss Marin. Miss St. John Cunningham. okay i'm going to try to go fast to cover some of the things i didn't cover at our last meeting because i couldn't talk uh i was happy to attend the cares of the quarter presentation to twain middle school's miss vivian back and she received this quarter's cares award for showing special care for those who have not yet experienced success region three awards for outstanding operational employee janelle lewis at bucknell elementary school outstanding leader mary beth STARKEY AT EDISON HIGH SCHOOL REGION SIX AWARDS OUTSTANDING NEW SECONDARY TEACHER SHERIDAN LUSK WHO HAPPENS TO BE A

[04:03:39] HAYFIELD GRADUATE AND THE DAUGHTER OF FRANCONIA SUPERVISOR RODNEY LUSK OUTSTANDING NEW ELEMENTARY TEACHER MACKENSEY FAGAN AT SPRINGFIELD ESTATES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ALSO EDISON'S CHEF WALDEN AND CULINARY STUDENTS INVITED ME AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO JUDGE A CHOPPED COMPETITION AND THOUGH I WAS UNABLE TO ATTEND DUE TO THE FLU IT WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE FOR MY STAFF AID WHO FILLED IN FOR ME THIS PAST SATURDAY I STARTED MY DAY AT THE HAYFIELD CRAFT FARE AND RAN INTO SHEILA HOMES INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANT FROM MOUNT VERNON WOODS SALLY BOYLE SHOWBERG RETIRED ROSE HILL PRESCHOOL TEACHER AND CHRISTINE BARR FORMER BROCKNELL TEACHER ALL DISPLAYING THEIR CRAFTS I ENDED THE DAY AT THE EDITION THEATER COMPANY

[04:04:18] PRODUCTION OF GREASE WHICH WAS WONDERFUL THIS PAST TUESDAY I WAS HONORED TO ATTEND THE SCHOOL BOARD LEADERSHIP PROGRAM MOC FORUM WHERE MY STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE NATALIA LANGDON FROM HAYFIELD SECONDARY PRESENTED HER TOPIC EXPANDING CREW TO ALL HIGH SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT FCPS.

[04:04:34] I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE JOHN MICA, A MATH TEACHER AT HAYFIELD SECONDARY SCHOOL WHO HAS BEEN NAMED A VIRGINIA FINALIST FOR THE 2025 PRESIDENTIAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHING AND CONGRATULATIONS TO INTEGRATED ENGINEER TEACHER in Edison's global STEM challenges program for being recognized by the Air Force for STEM excellence. I do hope you all enjoy your spring break. Happy Passover.

[04:05:00] Happy Easter. While you're out, please go online and look at all the spring musicals you can see when you come back. Also, save the date for the community conversations with Superintendent Dr. Reed on Monday, April 21st at Mount Eagle Elementary School from 630 to 730. I'll be joining her that night. And just all of you have a great Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[04:05:22] As you probably know that last week I was able to spend three days, three, four days in Atlanta, Georgia, attending National School Boards Association's conference. I just wanted to see, you know, the rest of the colleagues, you know, went to a different conference, but I wanted to see how the NSAB conference has become.

[04:05:42] has become uh realized that compared to pre-pandemic years the crowd size has probably diminished quite a bit and and there were fewer choices of the sessions that i could take however at the same time i was able to get uh really a lot out of conference uh you know including uh how we can better provide a program for the multilingual learners and language and cultural immersion programs as well and also as we focus more on our you know advanced courses for our students that

[04:06:19] you know how we can make that successful and in the age of ai about how to deal with deep fakes and disinformation but most of all a lot of people a lot of people have concerns about The challenges posed by federal directives in one session, you know, I attended.

[04:06:43] It was a closed door. We closed the door so that we can have an honest conversation. And media was not welcome to that room. And we're pretty lively, a very serious conversation. That's something I would like to share with my colleagues of record.

[04:07:02] Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Moon. Vice Chair Anderson. I hope everybody has an amazing spring break. Thank you, Ms. Anderson. A COUPLE QUICK THINGS. I ALSO ENJOYED ATTENDING THE 50TH ANNUAL 6th GRADE ALL COUNTY CHORAL FESTIVAL WEEKEND BEFORE LAST.

[04:07:25] IT WAS REALLY GREAT TO SEE SO MANY TALENTED KIDS SINGING THEIR HEARTS OUT AND PLAYING A VARIETY OF INSTRUMENTS AS WELL. IT'S NOT LOST ON ME. MY PARTNER TOLD ME HE WAS THERE ABOUT 30 YEARS AGO AS A 6th GRADE STUDENT IN THE ALL county choral festival so it's it's still churning out very talented students and very much appreciated being able to join folks there and open with a joke which i will now share with my colleagues who were not there why are pirates such good singers because they can hit the high

[04:08:01] sea oh isn't that a good one i also had an opportunity to join several of my colleagues at the opening of the nova prism center which is the only lgbtq center for youth in fairfax county and perhaps even northern virginia but definitely fairfax county so we're grateful to have them in mclean you should look them up so you can see their services looking forward to the false church pyramid art show uh next wednesday um or the when the wednesday after next um at false church high

[04:08:36] school and want to remind constituents that senator mark warner is having his annual academy day coming up on saturday april 26th at the university of mary washington you can find information on his website and congressman jerry connelly is hosting his annual congressional art competition which you can find more information about on his website as well with a timeline i believe the nominations have to be in by May 5th. So with that, I appreciate everybody's hard work tonight in getting us through this meeting. At 11.22 p.m., we are adjourned.

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