Coraggio Consulting Loudoun County School Board, 4th Tuesday School Board Meeting (Moved due to Thanksgiving Break), Tuesday, December 2, 2025 Date: Tuesday, December 2, 2025 Place: Loudoun County Public Schools / School Board meeting (see BoardDocs / LCPS-TV) Length: 4h 52m (video) Official meeting video (Vimeo / LCPS-TV): https://player.vimeo.com/video/1142554279?rel=0 BoardDocs (School Board): https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/loudoun/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=DMWJ6Y4BB93F 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 2026-10-10. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [00:03:36] good afternoon i call to order this december 2nd 2025 loudon county school board member meeting sorry um uh we will move on to item two disclosures um i'll go ahead and start as a member of the loudon county school board i make the following disclosure to the school board had to make sure we had quorum yes uh following disclosure to school board and to the general public in connection with the items on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or and or if why can't I read [00:04:15] tonight let's see any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees specifically as a school board member I am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee these benefits however affect thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be effective of which I am included I can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest this disclosure will be reflected in the public records of this clerk of the school board for five years ms Chandler thank you madam chair as a member of the Loudoun County School Board I make the following disclosure to [00:04:54] the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees. Specifically, as a school board member, I am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee. These benefits, however, affect thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected, of which I am included. I can and will participate fairly, objectively, and in the public interest. This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. [00:05:32] Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Chandler. Mr. Streffi. Thank you, Madam Chair. As a member of the Loudoun County School Board, I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and/or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees. [00:05:51] Specifically as a school board member, I'm eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee. These benefits, however, affect thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected of which I am included. I can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. Thank you. Mr Streffy miss Chernoff. Thank you madam chair as a member of the Loudoun County School Board I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees [00:06:30] Specifically as a school board member. I'm eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee these benefits However affect thousands of employees well in the excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected of which I am Included I can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years Thank you, Miss Chernoff. We'll move to approval of the consent agenda Board members are there any changes to be made to the consent agenda? Yes, Miss Chernow. Thank you madam chair. I would like to pull [00:07:05] Item action item 3.06 Department of Support Services current middle school students affected by 26 27 attendance zone changes And off of consent and make that an action item as well as item 3.07 which is also Department of Students support services current high school students affected by the 26 27 attendance zone changes Thank you, Ms. Chernoff. [00:07:29] Clerk, would you please take off item 3.06 and 3.07 and put those in for action items, which would be 13.01 and 13.02, respectively. [00:07:46] Thank you so much. Thank you, Ms. Chernoff. Before we vote on the consent agenda, we have one proclamation to read, and this proclamation acknowledges Computer Science Education Week in Loudoun County and will be read by Mr. Estreffi. [00:08:02] Thank you, Madam Chair. Whereas Computer Science Education Week highlights the crucial role that computer science plays in transforming our society and how computer science enables innovation and creates economic opportunities, and whereas the field of computer science, including artificial intelligence, encompasses technologies with the power to fundamentally transform nearly every sector of the U.S. economy, and whereas the outlook for computer science jobs is bright with over 500,000 open computing positions across the country, [00:08:32] And whereas, to build a workforce equipped to support our community, we must prepare citizens for the needs of an increasingly diverse business climate by providing them with the skills and credentials that are needed in high-demand technology business. And whereas, Loudoun County Public Schools is proud of its legacy in adopting computer science, computational thinking, and coding as essential literacies for all students. [00:08:54] And whereas Loudoun County Public Schools has supported the integration of computer science into the K-8 corporate disciplines and expanded computer science pathways for secondary students, underscoring the inherent significance of computer science education. And whereas Loudoun County Public Schools has developed the Access Academy Lab School with George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College to harness partnerships with industry, higher education, and K-12, with some models aimed at increasing exposure and experience in applied computer science outside of school walls. [00:09:28] And whereas Loudoun County Public Schools recognizes the regional partnerships, expanded work-based learning, post-secondary and secondary partnerships to expand professional development, high-quality instructional resources, and project-based learning opportunities for educators and students across the Commonwealth through multiple Loudoun Education Foundation grants. [00:09:47] And whereas Loudoun County Public Schools is committed to computer science education by providing students with meaningful access to opportunities in computer science, and students, classrooms, and schools are encouraged to celebrate Computer Science Education Week by coming together to explore pathways in computer science-related fields. [00:10:06] Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Loudoun County School Board formally recognizes December 8th through the 14th, 2025, as Computer Science Education Week. Thank you, Mr. Struffy. I'll now entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda. So moved. [00:10:22] I have a motion by Ms. Chernoff. Do I have a second? Second. I have a second by Ms. Chandler. It's been properly moved and seconded to approve the consent agenda. At this time, we'll go ahead and take a vote. Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. [00:10:40] Clerk, please close and display the vote. That motion passes unanimously with Mrs. Griffiths, Vice Chair Donahue, and Ms. LaBelle absent for the vote. We will go ahead and move on to our Advisory Committee update, Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee, CTAC update, presented by Dr. Michael Grubbs, Director, Career, Technical, and Adult Education. [00:11:10] And I will have him introduce everybody else. [00:11:54] That was perfect timing. Good evening, Dr. Spence, Chair Mansfield, and members of the board. we are pleased to share a few updates on the collaboration between our current technical advisory committee and the vision of career technical and adult education. As we have shared over the course of the past year, we are continuously seeking opportunities to grow and enhance career and workforce development for our students. Whether that is through program expansion or mock interviews, we have prioritized ensuring the business community is with us throughout that entire process. Those members are vital for ensuring that we have real-time [00:12:29] insight into the latest technologies, tools, and practices being used in their fields, ultimately helping programs and students attain industry-recognized certifications. We facilitate hands-on experiences like internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing, and site visits. And this also allows students to apply theoretical knowledge in authentic real-world environments. We provide mentorship and career guidance through experts that are guest speakers, advisors, and networkers. And through our advisory committee, we ensure students train on the same tools they will use on the job, making them workforce ready upon graduation. [00:13:09] To that end, we spent the last six months enhancing our career and technical education advisory committee to ensure that we have a breadth and depth of representation from industry. We've transitioned from general updates from our office to a collaborative input centered approach to program expansion and resources for students. [00:13:28] We now have all 17 career clusters represented and almost 20 new members from a nearly 100 potential interested community members. This is a very high-level snapshot of some of the fun community contacts that we have, or community connections, excuse me, we've been making. [00:13:54] We have linked to the press release or news articles for each one of these. but these are really highlighting opportunities for students to connect with community and with career workforce in some cases. The Inova, Loudon, and LCPS team dreamed up for Dream Big again. [00:14:15] This is 30 students from Parkview High School and Potomac Falls High School who had hands-on exposure to areas of health care such as cardiac and vascular care, physical therapy, and rehabilitation and imaging as well. [00:14:34] So we're really excited to continue that partnership. The LCPS Workforce Summit was a November highlight. Many of you attended with us and with our community connections, our business partners and other industry friends. And then a new connection, Belmont Ridge and their adaptive CTE class. [00:14:55] This was a fabulous highlight of how we are building connections for students, for teachers, cross-collaborations, and really getting all students into CTE classes. So as a part of our cycle for continuous improvement, we're modernizing CTE labs and instructional spaces to align with current industry practices. [00:15:24] We are, we include, sorry, this includes implementing refresh cycles to update equipment, technology, and safety features that reflect real-world environments. CTE programs often require specialized materials for hands-on learning, like ingredients for our culinary programs. [00:15:43] We're providing support for these consumables and course fees to minimize financial barriers for students and families. We've also brought professional learning to CTE through the RIASEC framework, which we had a fantastic opportunity to work with you all on, and we have started working with individual schools on that particular framework so that students can identify their strengths and interests, guiding them toward educational and career pathways aligned with their values and skills. [00:16:14] Our goal is to embed career exploration in every student's experience. And finally, since September 16th, approximately 700 fifth grade students from 11 of our elementary schools have visited the AWS Think Big Space, and there they've engaged in computer science activities, the RISEC framework, and career exploration. [00:16:39] In addition to the genuine need for community partnership and support, the Code of Virginia requires local school divisions to form their own CT advisory committee. Our committee meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month from 830 to 10 a.m. [00:16:54] with meeting agendas, minutes, and presentations all posted on our website. Before I pass it off, I just want to give some amazing kudos to our chair of our CTAC. She has led us through a revamping, recruitment, and there isn't a week that goes by that I do not see her out at school supporting our students, whether it's the Sterling Middle School Career Fair or whether it's our advisory committees or whether it's our workforce summit. [00:17:18] So I am pleased to pass it off to our CTAC chair for some updates. Thank you. I appreciate that. So good afternoon/evening. If we can go to the next slide. So CTAC perspective, so because our group has grown so much and we have representation in almost every cluster, I think actually every cluster, we're able to have an increased involvement and therefore an increased impact on what we're able to advise the CTAC group before you and really drill down into what credentials are needed to make [00:17:57] opportunities and classes pertinent to what we see in the industry also I'm going to skip to the last bullet we it's highlighted job for a day through work-based learning we had a really successful job for a day even in today's market and and with everything that's going on in all industries across the board we had a lot of partnerships with companies across the area that allowed students to shadow them and take advantage of getting to know what happens in those industries that they may not otherwise have thought or they thought they were interested in and then after their job for a day they're like hmm no [00:18:36] thanks maybe another another industry is right for me so we do that once a year I haven't told Dr. Grubbs this yet but it would be awesome if we could do that more than once a year maybe a fall in the spring or something like that to support it because not every student is available you know that fall day per se but work based learning really drove that it was a really successful event my company that I work for this is our second year participating and we had we can only take 12 students we had all 12 which was really great and I think it's really impactful on next slide so expansion plan input so you can see here [00:19:13] we're all broken up this is one of our I think this was our second CTECH meeting we broke up into different groups based on industry and interest and it really just started it was the start of really great conversations and what different industries require what they're looking for and how do we flow that down at down to the high school and middle and elementary school level what are the opportunities that we can provide them or expose them to during their education okay future considerations okay so new pathway input again because we have a full [00:19:49] board or a full advisory council we are able to leverage everybody's experience and expertise in the 17 career clusters which has been great the three years I've been involved this is the probably the most informed group of individuals and most active group when we did the workforce summit in November. There was more than just a handful of CTECH members there. I would say at least half of our large group were able to participate in it and provide their input. So that was a really great event to see everyone come together. The curriculum development is really [00:20:27] based on a couple things where Dr. Grebs and his team has pulled together data, industry data, to see where the needs are and where our gaps are and then leveraging that data with our industry experts kind of combining those two aspects and trying to create something that fills those gaps whether it be location or just a gap in the curriculum and making sure the curriculums that we offer are aligned with what the industry expects right because we could get give them credentials but if the industry specifically in our area doesn't recognize those credentials then [00:21:06] why are we offering that right so it's really important that we understand what the industry is doing right now what we're offering and what we can do or what do we have to pivot and and refocus on academies allowed in some wonderful institution they offer so many trades not just engineering but a lot of trades programs that I learned about recently and I think that's amazing and then the support for a new accreditation 3E model the employment enroll or enlist I probably got those out of order but those three I think is really impactful we really want our students to [00:21:43] have access and know about what their options are after high school we don't want them to feel like they're lost we want to make sure that they have a path whatever that path may be available to them so making sure that they're aware and providing those opportunities and then I'll skip to the last and again, continue work-based learning, resource support. [00:22:03] The group recently grew. I personally have worked with quite a few of them already, just in my volunteer chair capacity, and they're really engaged, they're really wonderful folks that are interested in providing hands-on experiences. [00:22:18] And I will say from job for a day, you know, my company, we're a defense contractor, so you can't really touch a lot of things and get involved in our models. And so at the end of the day, we ask the students, what would you like to see? And it's kind of that same thing. They want to touch the thing. But all that said, it's given me homework to figure out how we can provide an opportunity for them to understand that better. [00:22:41] Because we need to know what they want to see for it to make it productive and educational. So really great stuff. Thank you. Thank you, Lisa. One thing I just want to add, you know, Lisa really spoke to what we get out of our industry partners and our CTAC members in terms of new programs and new expansion efforts and better services for our students. [00:23:02] But it also helps us be more equipped when we get updates from the state around changes. And we're able to speak to those changes with our industry partners in mind, saying, well, hey, that's a great idea, but our industry partners in Northern Virginia are saying X, Y, and Z. And we can use that to influence, hopefully, VDOE changes, specifically around 3E. [00:23:22] And it's been very helpful for us as changes to work-based learning and industry-recognized credentials we can say hey that's a great certification but our industry partners are saying this is one and we'd really like that added to the list so before we open it up i just want to thank the school board for our our updates i want to thank lisa and all the committee members for all the great work we're doing maybe we will do job for a day twice a year we'll see how got to listen to our business partners got it on on record so at this point we will open up for any q a that you have [00:23:57] for us thank you so much dr. Grubbs I'm really excited to see how the feet with the future holds for see tack and and more computing more of our computing community partnerships super important okay board members any other questions comments yes mission off thank you madam chair I just wanted to give you guys a shout out and a thank you for including us in so much of your work I think one of the real strengths of our advisory committees is that connection to the school board and then that sort of fans out into the community but you all do an exceptionally good job of making sure that we're included and I know a lot of [00:24:33] our decisions you know impact the budget and different things and will involve CTE plans so maybe there's a little bit more of a deeper connection there but I'm very grateful for that it's a it's a new area for me in being on the board and at the beginning I was like I don't know this is like so important but mr. Slevin can speak to those conversations early on and I was like I just want to talk about curriculum but this is so much more and it's so embedded and I'm just really thankful for the knowledge that I've received from you all the workforce summit obviously speaks for itself the engagement with the students but I am I'm very very grateful for that communication you all have definitely conveyed to us what your goals are what [00:25:12] your plans are how you're involving students and I think that that really just helps us want to support the work so kudos to you all and thank you for all you do yes miss Chandler thank you madam chair and thank you so much again for this presentation. And just to echo Ms. Chernoff, thank you for including us so much in this process. This is one of the areas of growth I'm most excited about for LCPS's immediate future. [00:25:41] There are so many wonderful business partners in Loudoun County. I mean, truly any business that you could imagine in the world is here. And we have these opportunities and being able to harness them and offer them to our students can only strengthen their educational journey so I'm curious to hear a little bit more about job for a day are you able off the top of your head to share how many students are able to participate sure so compared to last year one of the significant changes that we made from previous years was it used to be for juniors and seniors if you're doing job for a day [00:26:19] as a senior and you've already applied to a college it's it's too late and so I do want to commend our school business partnership and our advisory committee for getting on board with that change in such a short period of time. We moved it down to grade 10 and 11. Just some preliminary numbers. We doubled the number of students that applied and participated in job for a day. [00:26:40] To your point, Ms. Chandler, I think some work we need to do is continue growing the business partnerships. We had enough opportunities for students, but there are 14,000 businesses in Loudoun County alone and we had somewhere around 100 business partners participate in job for a day so we've doubled from the previous year but we have some work to do so student interest is there anyone listening we are happy to sign you up for job for a day but we're really pleased with the growth we've had over the last two years. I'll look forward to seeing how you double again next [00:27:14] year thank you very much. Thank you I'm really getting challenged tonight. Really in support of adding that second day um when my kids were in middle school they took i want to say it was probably their eighth grade year took a bus from lunsford and the whole everybody went somewhere that was of interest to them um i think my son might have gone to an architectural firm of some sort and my daughter went to um some arts art thing um and it was really impactful for them and [00:27:53] you know now she is in the arts but i think if you can even start it a little earlier too um to to show them those paths i think is really important i know we're we're focusing on high school but middle school is something i know that you're looking at as well yeah we we agree i think middle school is so important especially grade eight around career exploration and i think to mr grazita's point the fact that we're getting our fifth graders as a start over to learn about career development and RISAC and computer science I think that's a really good building block to [00:28:26] build for the future in our middle school programs and six covenant eight that's my job for like another meeting you break the rules I'm just joking with Dr. Grubbs I get to I get to go back and forth with you in committee which is which is exciting but I was just wondering and thank you for all you do. I was just wondering if you have at all talked about the potential of maybe augmented reality to access those spaces. I know in the cleared space, it's a little bit more [00:29:04] difficult, but like in the data centers where you can't, you know, these are controlled spaces and, you know, whether it's manufacturing or chip development, have we talked about making those things more accessible? I say that for the obvious reason, but also because in workforce development, the default is always to put the burden on the shoulders of industry. [00:29:30] But if we, on the education side, take more of the burden, it'll make things a lot easier on industry to get more involved. And so just thinking from that lens, how have we been thinking about this? So augmented reality, we focus on that with the ZSpace laptops that we have at the Think Big Space that we're able to manipulate microprocessors. [00:29:55] we're able to manipulate human brains, frogs. They come out of the screen and we can actually dissect frogs if we want to. We also focus on VR. So through Dr. Grubbs's leadership, we're focusing on two different VR products at this time right now. [00:30:15] To your point, we can't always bring students to the locations for where occupations are, but we can take them through virtual reality. And so we've explored two sets of curriculum so that students can do that through VR headsets. [00:30:33] - And just to add to that, our work-based learning resource teachers, as Mr. Grazita mentioned, they're gonna be piloting TransferVR, which is a virtual reality platform. And so as they go out to schools, they'll be able to take those headsets with them to engage with students to get onto the job sites. Anywhere from, as Mr. Grazita said, to dissecting an animal to building a shed, right? [00:30:52] Learning about the skilled trades. And so we're, I think, inching forward in that area. And I couldn't agree more that that's an untapped potential for getting our students out on the job site. Thank you. Yes, Ms. Sienna. Thank you, Chair Mansfield. [00:31:08] I just want to say, from a student perspective, seeing these CTE opportunities are truly, truly amazing. Being a senior and being in that admissions process, colleges love to see students exploring those career opportunities, and they love seeing those opportunities of students just wanting to explore what they're able to do. [00:31:27] And I know many seniors, and I've heard many seniors, they're often blindsided by where they're going in their career. And they often don't know what they want to do. So providing more of those opportunities to really explore their career and see what they don't like, see what they're passionate about, is just truly amazing. And I love job for a day, twice a year, possibly. [00:31:45] I know Valley really, really encouraged job for a day. And students loved it. And we had students, not fighting, but students wanting to get into certain jobs for days and spots were full. And so students having that opportunity to truly explore what they're passionate about, seeing, I want to go into the medical field. [00:32:04] I know students were able to view open heart surgery, which was so, so amazing. So those opportunities are truly great and I want to thank you for that. So yeah. - Thank you, Ms. Dillon. That is our student school board representative right there. - Yes, Mrs. Griffiths. [00:32:22] - Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm going to make this a donation plug. I had emailed you about donating dress suits, and I do have some in my trunk. I'm hoping you can use them for a job for a day. We would be happy to take your suits. [00:32:38] Yeah, I have a whole bunch. I was actually, just so you know, I was donating them to DECA programs as well. So I do want to put it out there that if anybody has dress suits that they're looking to get rid of, certainly donate them to the CTE programs or DECA. Thank you. [00:32:54] Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Griffiths. Anybody else? - Yes, Dr. Rasheed. - I really appreciate how you guys really helped to get rid of the barriers. I know that, for example, with the MATA programs, the students in HAMSI, we had uniforms, and I saw how the fees were removed. [00:33:11] So being a part of special programs, being chair of special programs committee, I really like engaging with CTE, and especially seeing that the barriers were removed. If we can always constantly sustain that, that would be fantastic. I don't see any barriers, but if anything comes up, That would be really great to help our students flourish. [00:33:28] Thank you. Thank you. Anybody else? Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thanks. Okay, and we will move on to item five, our work session, Department of Academics 2032 Strategic Plan Update presented by Dr. Ellis, Chief Academic Officer, and Dr. Blakelock, Supervisor of Research and Evaluation. [00:34:07] You know, while y'all are getting ready, Mrs. Griffiths, would you mind doing your disclosure and then Ms. LaBelle afterwards. Thank you, Madam Chair. As a member of the Loudoun County School Board, I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits in any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees. Specifically, as a school board member, I am eligible to receive insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee. These benefits, however, affect thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected of which I am [00:34:46] included. I can and will participate fairly, objectively, and in the public's interest. This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Griffiths. Ms. LaBelle. As a member of the Loudoun County School Board, I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees. [00:35:19] Specifically, as a school board member, I am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee. In addition, as a former LCPS employee, I, as well as my spouse, receive Medicare Advantage insurance benefits through LCPS. [00:35:37] These benefits, however, affect thousands of employees well in excess of the statuatory three employees whose interests may be affected, of which my spouse and I are included. I can and will participate fairly, objectively, and in the public interest. [00:35:52] This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the Clerk of the School Board for five years. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Ms. LaBelle. Okay, Dr. Blake Locke and Dr. Ellis. Thank you, Madam Chair. Good evening, Board members. Today, I am joined by Dr. Blake Locke, Supervisor of Research and Evaluation. [00:36:11] Together, we'll provide a brief update on the progress of developing the next LCPS strategic plan and the results of the recent strategic plan survey. Our goal is to give you a clear picture of where we are in the process, highlighting key milestones, and set the stage for the work ahead. [00:36:29] This slide should look familiar to you. At the September 9th school board meeting, we shared a roadmap outlining the key actions that will guide the development of the next strategic plan this roadmap organizes the process into four distinct phases of input development feedback and ultimately board approval the red arrows indicate anticipated updates to the board and the public and while we had originally anticipated returning not until january or february to provide an update we are pleased to share this evening some high level overview of a high level overview of the data that we collected [00:37:08] through the strategic plan survey. But before we dive into the results, I'll take a moment just to briefly provide an overview of where we are in the development process. So this next slide is one that we will use to track our progress over the coming months. You can see the four phases that I just mentioned, and we will update this each time we bring this back for your awareness and ultimately approval. Each phase is designed to ensure that our end result the new strategic plan [00:37:44] reflects the voices and aspirations of our entire school community. We began with input administering the strategic plan survey to gather perspectives from stakeholders across LCPS. Currently we are getting that implementation feedback. We're in that implementation feedback step so we are seeking implementation insights from all LCPS departments on both the current strategic plan and the upcoming strategic plan. We are asking them what has gone well, where are areas of improvement, and what [00:38:18] considerations we should be thinking of for the future. So this feedback will help us understand what's working well and where we can improve. At the same time, we are forming the strategic planning team, which will be a diverse group of representatives who will play a critical role in the development phase. [00:38:37] This team will convene for the first time at the end of January and will be charged with recommending strategies for board approval. Their work will involve analyzing LCPS data sources, the feedback that we gather from surveys, and engaging in a thoughtful dialogue to craft recommendations that embody our community's values, hopes, and aspirations. [00:38:59] Through this collaborative process, we aim to bring to you a strategic plan that not only sets a clear direction for the future, but honors the voices of everyone in our community. Since launching the development process for the next LCPS strategic plan, we've made progress in several areas. [00:39:21] We have administered the survey that was available from November 5th through November 23rd. We captured feedback from stakeholders across our community, and that included a tailored version of the same survey that Dr. Blakelock will talk about in a minute. [00:39:36] it was administered to staff, students, families, and community members. The strategic planning team has been identified, and those meetings have been scheduled, and as I mentioned, they'll start their work in January. Also, when individuals completed the strategic plan survey, they had the option to opt in to be considered for participation in focus groups. So Dr. Singel and Dr. Blakelock are going through the process of selecting a diverse and representative group of members to participate in focus groups. Meetings for those focus groups are scheduled again after the winter [00:40:14] break to gather deeper insights and perspectives on feelings and aspirations for LCPS. Additionally Dr. Single has been hosting departmental meetings to gather implementation feedback. She has already met with the offices in communications and community engagement, research assessment and school improvement, HRTD and support services. So now I will turn it over to Dr. Blakelock who will provide an update on the results of the strategic plan survey. Thank you Dr. Ellis. Looking at the dates that Dr. Ellis shared the survey closed just a little over a week ago so we are going to be [00:40:52] looking at some very high level results but we will be digging into them further to gain more meaning from them. So the first set of questions asked about alignment of the vision mission and core values with individuals' aspirations for LCPS's future. As you can see here, all of the above vision, mission, and core values, the majority of folks said they aligned with their aspirations for LCPS's future. So before I talk about this next slide, the data itself, I want to talk about how the rankings are calculated. So I'm doing a little bit of math here as we go through this, [00:41:31] in that folks were asked to rank their top three items in order of priority with rank one, being the top priority every time an item got a rank one it got three points rank two two points rank one one point and then all the points were added up so that you could come up with that order of high to low so for example when we look at work and life skills from families there up in the upper left hand corner that received 8,988 points the next one down with the engaged in [00:42:04] classroom instruction, 6,217 points. So I've highlighted in red all the rank ones, apricot rank two, and blue rank three, just to give a visual representation of the level of consistency across all the groups. So as you can see in this slide here, work and life skills, engaging classroom instruction and multiple pathways, fairly consistently in the top three. And looking at through some of the other data that we've worked with over the last year or so a lot of this is consistent with what we saw in the hopes and dreams and Dr. Spence's post-entry plan [00:42:39] as well so the next set of questions focused on student wellness and belonging there was a fair amount of consensus among family staff and community members when it came to learning environments and spaces as well as discipline and behavior there's also some consensus from students and staff when it comes to student mental health supports we had some questions around hiring and retention of staff members. [00:43:10] We looked at the different pieces associated with that. Excellent teacher in every classroom was very consistent across family, staff members, or family, students, and communities that has rank one. Competitive salary and benefits was also fairly popular as well, but you'll see here a little bit more of a spread on the twos and threes across the different items as well. [00:43:33] In looking at the school division operations piece of it, safety and security was very solidly the number one priority for everyone. Again, this is consistent with the data we saw with the post-entry plan, and you'll see a little bit more of a scattering of the different priorities across the different populations there as well. [00:43:55] And then finally, with the family and community engagement, very strong consistency here around the family engagement and the communication from and with schools across family, staff members, students, and community members. All of them ranked, both of those, in the top two. Communication from the division was very strong for family, students, and community members. [00:44:14] Parent education community opportunities was strong, was the third option for staff members. And then finally, we had a question related to the net promoter score. Just as a quick reminder, net promoter score gives an overall perception of the division in the sense of how folks feel about it on the whole. [00:44:35] We have it in our annual survey as one of our strategy plan metrics as well. We posed this question, wanted to get a feeling of the finger on the pulse of how things were going, but we are also looking to disaggregate the data based on the different net promoter score categories to really be able to compare the priorities of those who have a negative perception of the division with those who have a positive perception of the division. So with that I'll turn it back to Dr. Ellis. All right and as we wrap up a couple of next steps we are really going to start to focus on deepening engagement with community members and analyzing the feedback [00:45:12] like Dr. Blakelock mentioned. First, we will conduct a thematic analysis of the open-ended questions, responses, excuse me, from the strategic plan survey to identify those trends and insights that he alluded to. We'll also have meetings to gather implementation feedback from the remaining departments. We plan to conclude those meetings in February. Following that, we will collect implementation feedback from principals at their all-county principal meeting in March to ensure that school level perspectives are being represented and the strategic planning team will hold its first meeting in January beginning the process of reviewing the data and shaping [00:45:52] recommendations focus groups will also occur in January the week of January 12th those sessions will include school-based administrators teachers families central office staff and support staff really trying to provide a comprehensive view of our community's priorities so we are really excited about the work ahead and look forward to continuing to share updates with you as we progress. And Dr. Blakelock and I are happy to answer any questions. Thank you. I mean, [00:46:27] there were a lot of students, 9,000 who participated, that was pretty, and families. I guess something that's disappointing to me, honestly, is the student learning that there wasn't a thought about closing achievement gaps or support for specialized needs learning needs except from staff members and that just goes to show the what I feel is the bias towards people who need something else and our EL students and our students with disabilities [00:47:04] it's a culture thing I guess and that makes me sad I guess then we go to like student wellness and belonging students feel like they need more student mental health supports but you know families don't really feel that you know are less likely it's just interesting to see the differences between the different populations the other thing that was I would have thought that staff members would have wanted an excellent teacher [00:47:44] in every classroom. Maybe they think that we already have that, and so that's lower down on the, on the, on the way. I don't know. So then I like that you guys are looking at it with the survey and everything, and kind of looking at everything in a more holistic manner. [00:48:08] I guess my other thing is, who is on the strategic planning team? What is that comprised of? Who is that comprised of? So the strategic planning team will be inclusive of multiple departments. [00:48:25] So we've asked for a representative or two from each of the departments, as well as school-based representation, community representation, high school student representation. [00:48:42] I'm missing something. Advisory groups at all? Yes, advisory groups. Thank you very much. Okay, so somebody from SEAC. SEAC, EMSAC, LEAF, and... Okay, CTAC. CTAC. I don't know all the groups. I can get you the list of representatives, but it is quite comprehensive. [00:49:01] Okay, I just wanted to make sure there was, you know, parents as well as admins and teachers and students. Did I hear anything? High school students, yes. High school students. Okay, because that negative five net promoter score made me sad too. [00:49:17] I think we need to dig a little bit deeper into that and see what that really looks like. I'm going to let Dr. Blakelock speak to that, and before I do, just a comment about your reflections around closing achievement gaps, because I noticed the same thing when I first looked at the data, and I anticipate being able to dig deeper into that when we have the focus groups and actually have groups of people in front of us talking about it. [00:49:42] I think some of it is in the phrasing of the question and being able only to select three and wanting to be really positive and potentially making connections between engaging classroom instruction leading to closing achievement gaps. [00:49:57] Like, how are we going to do that? We're going to do that by providing work and life skills, engaging classroom instruction and pathways. And so point being, this survey does not say it all, and we need to ask a lot more questions to really get at the heart of that. That was going to be my other thing, like how were these terms defined if there was a paragraph talking about them, that kind of thing. [00:50:17] - Right, they were, the definitions were not provided, so it leaves a lot to interpretation. - So high level really just means high level. - Absolutely. - 'Cause we don't really know what this means. - And we also have the free responses that have not been analyzed yet. [00:50:33] So there are, this is definitely a very high level overview and we need to dig a lot deeper. - Okay, thank you. - And I'm gonna let Dr. Blakelock speak to the, 'cause I asked him the same thing about the student net promoter score. - Thank you, Dr. Ellis. In the work I've done doing survey research across the country, we tend to see more of a negative response from students. [00:50:56] When we look at surveys, especially the net promoter score, it's basically an 11-point scale, and 0 through 6 are considered negative based on the net promoter score metric. So that negative 5 is not something that is inconsistent with things I've seen in other places across the country, just based on secondary students and the way that they interact with surveys on the whole. [00:51:18] The other thing I'll say is in terms just to follow up with the definitions of those sorts of things as well, it's a service conversation starter. We're going to be unpacking these data to define how the focus groups will be posed and then dig in a lot deeper from that and with that strategy. [00:51:35] Thank you. I like that comprehensive view. I'm assuming Ms. Chernoff is going to have some questions too. Wow, cue it up. It's like you guys know me. This is probably the most interesting data set we've seen in two years. [00:51:53] Like, honest to God, I was blown away. I mean, I think I've spent a couple of hours looking at it. I'm totally geeking out. I'm really excited about this process. I know many people maybe aren't, but I am very excited. And some of this stuff is, like, so shocking to me, like Ms. Chair Mansfield said, closing achievement gaps. [00:52:15] Maybe people don't understand what that means. And I was thinking, like, this is the first time that maybe I'm just going to go against feedback because we're going to do that and we're going to make that a priority. And it's really important. But I also saw some really interesting alignment pieces that are happening across the division. [00:52:34] So obviously, we just heard from CTE and Pathways, and obviously that's reflected here. So we're on about those things, and I think that that's really great. Safety and security is not a surprise to me. obvious number one across the board but I also had the same concerns about mental health for students I was concerned as you know chair Mansfield also mentioned that it seems to be a disconnect from the grown-ups to the kids and how much of that is really are we really honestly looking at our students and how much they're carrying and how much pressure we're putting on them and we hear it consistently every school I go to every student group I talk to there's so [00:53:14] much pressure, we're under so much pressure, my students, my friends are struggling with mental health, so how do we amplify that voice in a way that's meaningful so that families and community members know that that is an issue so that we can, you know, turn that focus and pair that with some of that community partnership and communication. And I'm interested to see if that mental health piece and the pressures that are on them is tying to that net promoter score too. I hear what you're saying and digging into that, but it's not a great look on its face and so what is causing that and is it maybe the fact that there's just so much on them because with a lot of opportunity comes [00:53:51] a lot of responsibility and so I'm thinking about that I'm also really so intrigued by the belonging data and how much discipline and behavior supports play into that for almost all groups and you know at PMC we just had the behavior I'm gonna mess up their title what's their resource teachers that we've added and seeing their work and hearing the power of that work and how that is transforming that area and that is very supported I think in this so what I'm [00:54:28] really looking for going forward is how do we continue to make these connections and I'm glad to hear it's cross department because I think that that's really valuable to have those multiple perspectives because these things are gonna have to connect to the things that we're doing and then think about the things that we're not doing and again just a plug to make sure that this is all cyclical that we're really looking at when we're talking to these groups about not only that we just have this plan but how we're evaluating that plan and looking at the feedback and then my last wondering is just who really filled out this survey? Do people feel intimidated by strategic plan and all the things that are in [00:55:07] there? And are, you know, our populations that maybe struggle a bit more, you know, are they represented? Is their voice being heard in this? Because I would think that if you have an achievement gap and if you're struggling, that that would probably be top of mind. So it just makes me wonder if the sampling of people is as vast as we would hope. And so I know we've had those discussions in PMC too about maybe we do a different type of sampling I'm wondering if in this case that would be more effective anyway I'll stop rambling very excited to get deeper into this process and hear more from you all so if [00:55:45] I can speak to one of your points there Ms. Chernoff one of the things we can look at we asked families to identify this school that their oldest child attended so we can take a look at it from the secondary parents versus elementary parents when we look at those that that mental health question to see if it rises up a little bit higher for secondary parents and it does across all parents I would love to see that data if you have it that'd be great thank you dr. Deans I love data but I see that culturally responsive instruction is at [00:56:23] the bottom of those of the list and I think that then that gives me the same question it gives others as to who are the students who were surveyed with the with the with the questionnaire because as you go from school to school you can go into classrooms and see and hear that there are some concerns about the culturally responsive instruction [00:56:57] but it landed number six here so when you dig deeper I'd like for you to pull out as much as you can from those populations that might have been-- there might have been a few of them surveyed, but pull it out and pull it up and see-- in the Title I schools, for an example. [00:57:24] I don't know how you might categorize it, but find that population and see what their thoughts are. Ms. Chandler. Thank you, Madam Chair. [00:57:39] And thank you. This is a fascinating presentation. And I agree with my colleagues. is so interesting to dig in empirically I'm very curious if you're able to categorize 18,000 participants seems like a very high number for our typical survey participation I'm curious if if that's accurate so we want to look at that as individual groups so from what would be known as an end max or total so there's 88,000 family emails that went out 67% of them were opened but to [00:58:16] Ms. Cherno's point, it's hard to find, it's hard to make strategic planning sound exciting, even though some of us do. And get people engaged in that process. Staff members, there's about 15,000 emails that went out because we did all staff. Students, there was about 40,000 emails. So you see a lot of variance in those participation rates across the different populations. You know, we always want more data because that reduces the non-response bias, but this is the data that we able to receive and work with, and we can just continue to work with that as we dig into those focus groups as well. Thank you for that. So you mentioned that you're able to tell what high school [00:58:55] a student is affiliated, or the oldest student, is it high school only or any school that the oldest is affiliated with? So we ask families to identify the school that their oldest child attended. So it's a self-select, but that is the data that we can use to disaggregate secondary from elementary to see if there's any differences there. So from a data perspective, I'm very curious if you're able to differentiate out if the students and the parents are both participating in the survey or if they're different subsets of parents and students. That is not something we will be able to easily accomplish. Okay and then from a language perspective over the last several years we've made lots [00:59:34] of advancements in making our information more accessible to families who speak. There are so many different languages that are represented within our district is this survey presented in many different languages so we translate the survey into our top five languages spoken which is going to be urdu arabic farsi vietnamese and spanish we did receive responses in all of those languages from families and students so that we are able to say that we get some spread that way that doesn't necessarily mean that we get a representative group from those [01:00:11] But we are able to increase accessibility that way. That's great news. Um, yeah Um, thank you. I'm just very curious. I'll be excited to continue along this process. Any other questions or oh Yes, mrs. Griffiths. Thank you, madam chair Thank you for bringing up the achievement gaps and Who filled out the survey? I'm curious to know myself From this survey. It looks like sustainable practices Our communities are not really interested in that I'm curious to know what is the cost associated with the focus groups? Thank you [01:00:51] So this year as we discussed when we first brought this to you in September We are not working with an outside consultant for strategic planning like we did previously So all this will be done in-house. So there is no cost to us to conduct the focus groups because we'll be doing it ourselves Mr. Struffy, did you have? Okay, thanks Okay. Any other questions from anyone? [01:01:24] Oh, Dr. Ellis. Sorry, Chair Mansfield, if you'd like, I can circle back to your question about who is on the strategic planning team. We do have quite a diverse group, so we will be asking or have already asked and gotten confirmation from a SEAC rep, MSAC, LEAF, CTAC, GEAC, two community partners, three business partners, a representative or two from each of the departments in central office, student representatives, again, those are high school students, family representatives from each level, [01:02:04] a principal representative from each level, and a teacher representative from each level. We would also like to invite the board to have two board representatives to participate in the conversation, but I'll leave that to you. [01:02:20] former board members just asking um okay uh great um is there any thought that the kids that the students could be able like during their resource time or anything answer these things to get a bigger pool of kids answering so when we do the student survey we push the link out to principals and encourage them to put it up on schoology and to try to encourage teachers to [01:02:59] do that during the student resource time we also reach out to folks periodically to let them know how many students have participated so if they want to try to encourage participation that way as well. So do we know how many principals actually do it during the resource time because I mean if we're talking about kids who may have some struggles or something it may be nice to have someone who's able to help read things. Yeah I think that's an excellent point and I think we can also to your point about resource or advisory think about ways to engage them in January and [01:03:34] February where when we're doing focus groups is there is there an advisory activity or something that we could push out to schools to get additional feedback from students I think that's worth the group considering PTA PTO that kind of thing I mean I know it's hard to get parents engaged who super super busy but we can always try okay oh yes miss dylan thank you madam chair i just think from again from a student perspective when we are pushing out those student surveys even having principals contact like those student councils because when students push out a survey to another [01:04:11] student it's a lot different than when your teacher or a principal pushes out the survey they take it it is it is it takes we take it a lot more seriously and also something i think that was said is adding those definitions of what those really are just because like usually when high schoolers and middle schoolers take surveys it pick the best three that they think look the best and submit it to pick the best three that take the fastest and submit it so really putting those definitions is something that I think is important for the students and then having principals connect with like different clubs if we want that more diversity like having different clubs push it out we have black student unit at my school fellowship club student council having those clubs take that initiative during [01:04:51] I know many schools in Loudoun County have club time. Taking that one month a year during that club time, pushing out those surveys, and that's their club meeting, and they can get a piece of candy when they fill out the survey. That's how high schoolers are going to do it. So if we really want to do it, we can do it. Love that idea. [01:05:06] And we will make sure we have candy for them, too. Yes. Thank you so much, Ms. Dillon, for sharing that. That's really helpful. I mean, I do think, I can't, I'm a little surprised about the sustainability, because All I hear from the kids is environment, environment, environment. [01:05:22] And so I'm just wondering if they even know what sustainability really was. I don't think so. Sometimes. Yeah. Okay. Well, thank you so much. Any other, doesn't look like any other discussion. [01:05:38] That was fascinating. Thank you. Okay. And we are at 5.32. We have 30 more minutes. I don't think we have anybody until our recess. [01:05:54] So I would like to pull up an information item, if that's all right with the board. And so I think the information item that I would like to pull up is 14.8 and legislative audit and policy. [01:06:13] Wait, where is it? Yeah, it was, wait, where is it? No, no, no. It was Mr. Sutton. Thank you. 14.04. [01:06:37] Okay, so 14.04 Legislative Audit and Policy Committee, 2026 Legislative Program, presented by John F. Sutton III, Government Relations Coordinator, and Joel Andrews, Kemper Counseling. I went home from the hospital with that name, so. [01:07:00] I'm going to ask Ms. Byrne to click for me because I can't multitask very well. Well, good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board. [01:07:17] Thank you very much for the opportunity to present our proposed legislative priorities and give you, hopefully, a brief look ahead to the 25-26 General Assembly session. Before we get into it, what I'd like to do is take a few seconds to introduce Mr. Joel Andrus. [01:07:37] He is our legislative partner in Richmond. Mr. Andrus brings over 20 years of state government relations experience and represents all different kinds of clients in the Virginia General Assembly, legislative and executive branch agencies, boards, and commissions. [01:07:55] His focus very nicely fits in with LCPS and includes, obviously, education, manufacturing, energy, and health care. And we'd like to welcome Joel to our team. Slide, please. This year's priorities reflect a simple but urgent theme. [01:08:17] Virginia must modernize, stabilize, and fully fund the systems that support our students and our workforce. LCPS continues to serve a large and increasingly diverse student population, and we face rising costs, evolving academic needs, and significant workforce pressures. [01:08:36] To respond effectively, we need legislative solutions that are transparent, equitable, and aligned with the real cost of educating students in 2026 and beyond. Our advocacy both here and in our community in Richmond focuses on sustaining the work of the joint subcommittee to study elementary and secondary education funding, protecting our divisions from fiscal shocks as federal funds dwindle, ensuring full and transparent re-benchmarking of standards of quality or SOQ costs, supporting workforce housing for [01:09:12] teachers and staff, advocating for advancing thoughtful reform of our standards of learning and securing sustained investment in mental health support for students and employees. Altogether, these priorities form a strategic approach that strengthens instructional quality, supports the whole child, whole child learning, stabilizes our workforce and ensures that the needs of LCPS are fairly represented in statewide policymaking. If you don't mind, I'd like to take a few minutes to walk through these priorities so we can clearly outline the rationale behind [01:09:51] support of each and the impact that they will have on LCPS slide please we are going to focus on six priorities this evening starting with continued support for the joint subcommittee to study elementary and secondary education funding sustained support for the joint subcommittee for this funding remains a crucial legislative priority in 2026 this body plays a central role and ensuring that Virginia's funding structures evolve to meet current educational, demographic, and educational realities. [01:10:30] Continued investment in the subcommittee's work allows policymakers to systematically examine long-standing gaps in the standard of quality, analyze local composite index challenges, and identify cost drivers that place disproportionate pressure on our divisions. [01:10:46] By maintaining this effort, the General Assembly helps to ensure the future funding reforms are data-driven, equitable, and capable of supporting the Commonwealth's long-term educational goals. Slide, please. Our advocacy for block grants and hold harmless provisions. [01:11:08] Block grants and hold harmless provisions together form an essential strategy for providing stability and flexibility to school divisions. Block grants empower local leaders to allocate resources according to their unique needs, supporting innovation and targeted interventions that may not fit traditional categorical funding structures. [01:11:30] At the same time, hold harmless provisions, protect divisions from financial losses caused by economic fluctuations or shift in state formulas. Conditions that can disrupt staffing, programs, and student services. As the legislature evaluates broader funding reforms this year, preserving and strengthening these mechanisms will be key to ensuring predictability and equity across Virginia's diverse school systems. [01:12:02] Let's talk about re-benchmarking. Re-benchmarking the standards of quality continues to be one of the most consequential educational financial issues heading into the next session. Accurate and timely re-benchmarking ensures that the SOQ reflects the real, current costs of running schools, from rising personnel expenses and transportation needs to inflation and instructional materials and support services. [01:12:29] Without regular updates, localities absorb increased costs, deepening inequities and straining division budgets. Divisions and legislators alike recognize that proper re-benchmarking is foundational to maintaining high-quality educational environments statewide, making it a top priority for ensuring fairness, stability, and adequate support for every student. [01:12:57] Workforce housing. Workforce housing has emerged as a significant legislative issue due to its growing impact on school staffing and community stability. Teachers, bus drivers, support staff, and other essential school employees increasingly face housing affordability challenges that hinder our recruitment and retention, especially in high-cost regions of the Commonwealth, particularly Loudoun County. [01:13:25] Prioritizing workforce housing in the coming session acknowledges that education quality is directly tied to the ability of schools to attract and keep qualified professionals. By exploring incentives, partnerships, policy solutions to expand affordable housing options, legislators can strengthen the education workforce and support the economic vitality of our local community. Slide, please. Our standards of learning reform. Reform of the SOL, or standards of [01:14:03] learning assessment, continues to gain momentum as stakeholders seek a more balanced approach to measuring student learning. The upcoming legislative session presents an opportunity to modernize the assessment system by reducing over-reliance on high-stakes testing and bringing forward performance-based, project-driven, and competency-based indicators. Students, educators, and community leaders increasingly emphasize the need for assessments that capture skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. Areas essential and areas that our college career and [01:14:43] civic readiness depends on. SOL reform stands out as a vital agenda item because it can reshape the accountability framework to better reflect the full scope of students' achievement and instructional excellence. Slide. Student and staff mental health supports. Expanding mental health support for students and school employees remains a top concern heading into 2026. Rising levels of anxiety, trauma, behavioral concerns, and burnout have created urgent demand for additional counselors, psychologists, social workers, and preventative programs within our [01:15:21] schools. Strengthening mental health capacity is not only important for student safety and well-being, but also for academic performance, school climate, and workforce stability. Legislative action in 2026 can reinforce ratios, expand funding streams, and sustain partnerships that allow divisions to build comprehensive, accessible mental health systems. This priority represents a foundational investment not only at a local level in LCPS, but the health and success of school communities [01:15:55] across the Commonwealth. Slide, please. Let's talk about the overall importance. The overall importance of these proposed priorities reflect a comprehensive approach to strengthening LCPS in 2026 and beyond and looks to address critical components of student success and organizational stability. Collectively, these priorities highlight the need for sustained investment, [01:16:23] Thoughtful policy reform and collaboration among our state and local leaders, educators, and our business community partners to meet the evolving challenges facing LCPS as well as schools across the Commonwealth. As we move into the upcoming legislative session, our charge is clear. Advocate for policies and investment that allow LCPS to deliver on their mission for every learner. [01:16:49] These priorities also ensure that our realities, our cost pressures, our student employee needs, and our commitment to innovation remain visible at every level. With coordinated advocacy and strong partnerships, we can help shape legislation that strengthens our schools and provides long-term predictability our students, families, and employees deserve. [01:17:11] Thank you for allowing us to give you this brief presentation. Thank you for your leadership and your continued commitment to advancing priorities that support LCPS's excellence and equity for every student. [01:17:27] Mr. Andrus and I are glad to answer any questions you might have. - Thank you, Mr. Sutton. I do have one question. For the SOQ, I know that for special education SOQ, you're normally looking at special education like staffing standards, is that correct? [01:17:48] - So we've seen the last couple of years, the legislature kind of go in different routes on special ed funding including add-ons and staffing standards, there's been a lot in that. We've also seen outside of the funding portion of special ed looking at other components that surround special ed around dispute resolution and other things like that. [01:18:12] But we've seen a lot of work done in that space. - So my question, the reason why I'm asking for SOQ is because something that is a big barrier to kids accessibility and we lost Learning Ally and and so and that is accessibility for kids with print disabilities and so there's a lot of other assistive technology and accessibility things that I'm wondering you know I know that they typically think about staffing standards and teachers and special [01:18:49] education teachers but if they're really looking at what an SOQ really means I'm just wondering if you think about accessibility technology all those kinds of things that special education kids need to make things accessible education so that was my thought any other mr. handler thank you madam chair thank you mr. Sutton and mr. Andres for your presentation tonight I certainly as the chair of LEMP have had more than my fair share of providing input and [01:19:27] feedback on this process. But I just wanted to share with you how pleased I am at the changes that we've made over the course of this year. And this really does feel like a community-focused, a student-focused, common-sense approach to our legislative agenda. And I'm happy to see several of the new components, but especially the workforce housing and affordability. I don't think people realize how much this has a direct impact on our community. [01:19:59] And I think about the fact that we had a delayed start this morning, right? And it's not unusual to hear some feedback from constituents, of course, because they don't understand when it's raining here, that we're also taking into account the fact that as many, at least 30% of our teachers and staff can't afford to live in the county. [01:20:18] And so that decision is really a factor of where our staff, I mean, really taking into account all of these factors and and making sure that we can get everybody safely in place and so it's just a very common sense way that may have an improvement um for our community over time so thank you any other thoughts okay thank you so much and it's going to be an exciting what three [01:20:56] or four months for legislative session this is the long one right short one was last year this one's the longer one or the normal normal one so um if you my session begins on january i believe it's 14th and goes until march well i'm nervous because my birthday is the middle of march and i've never had to go to my birthday for a session and this is like dangerously close for me so i'm hoping that we get out of there on time so that's wishful thinking thank you so much okay um it is [01:21:32] 5 48 and i think we could go ahead and just and go to uh recess for dinner um so the school board [01:21:45] will now recess for dinner and reconvene at 6 30 p. m the board is coming out of recess um we will [02:03:57] continue with um our pledge of allegiance and national anthem uh our pledge and allegiance and national anthem will be performed by the Arcola Elementary School Chorus, an award-winning two-part vocal ensemble comprised of singers in fourth and fifth grades. They perform unison, two-part, and three-part vocal literature from various styles, genres, eras, and languages, all for treble voices. We have our annual, they have their annual winter and spring concerts at Arcola Elementary and traveled to local community school events, community events, including [02:04:35] performing at the National Christmas Tree, Zoo Lights at the National Zoo, Veterans Honor Flights, Washington Wizards Basketball Game, Stone Ridge Tree Lighting, and John Champ High School Basketball and Football Games. [02:04:50] The Arcola Elementary School Chorus is a voluntary program open to all fourth and fifth graders who love singing and have a desire to learn together in a choral ensemble. There are 154th and 5th grade singers in the 2025 Arcola Chorus, and they're excited to share some of their voices with you tonight. [02:05:11] The chorus is under the direction of Ms. Jennifer O'Reilly, who is in her 29th year of teaching children to love music here in Loudoun County. That's amazing. Everyone, please stand for the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance. [02:07:20] That was lovely. We'll continue on to our recognitions. Recognition of school board members elect. It is my honor tonight to introduce three newly elected members of the Loudoun County School Board who will begin their service in January 2026. Each brings a commitment to public education, professional expertise, and a strong connection to our community. First, Amy Riccardi. [02:07:52] Amy, you can go ahead and stand. Amy Riccardi is an entrepreneur, educator, and Sterling resident. She is the founder and CEO of Leadership Evolution Group and an adjunct professor at George Mason University. Amy holds degrees from the University of North Texas and GMU and served in numerous volunteer leadership roles and currently sits on the board of Loudoun Youth Incorporated. [02:08:17] Welcome, Amy. Next, John Pepper, who has spent more than 20 years working in public education. John has served as a science teacher, coach, curriculum developer, and assistant principal in Michigan and Virginia. He also consults nationally on instructional technology and is an active LCPS parent and school volunteer. John brings instructional knowledge and experience and [02:08:49] a commitment to strengthening public schools. Welcome, John. And our third, Ross Vinson, Representing the Broad Run District, Ross grew up in Broadlands and is a proud former LCPS student. [02:09:08] He graduated from Harvard Law School and now works as an attorney in antitrust and competition law and has previously served as a legislative aide to Senator Mark Warner, supporting federal education priorities. Welcome, John. I mean, Ross, sorry. Welcome, Ross. [02:09:26] Please join me in congratulating and welcoming Amy Riccardi, John Pepper, and Ross Svensson. We really look forward to their leadership and partnership as we continue to work on behalf of the students, families, and staff of Loudoun County Public Schools. [02:09:46] Thank you. In advance, I thank you for your service. All right, we will continue with 9.02.1 LCPS Spotlight. [02:10:03] Harper Parker Middle School reading programs and initiatives presented by Stacey Huffer, Principal Harper Park Middle School, and I will ask her to go ahead and introduce the rest of her team. While y'all are getting ready, I'm going to ask Vice Chair Donahue to go ahead and read her disclosure, please. [02:10:27] Thank you, Madam Chair. Good evening. As a member of the Loudoun County School Board, I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding employee salaries the budget and or health insurance and any other discussion that may include or affect salary and benefits for lcps employees specifically my spouse my minor children and i are enrolled in lcps health insurance that may be affected by any potential changes to employee salaries the budget and or health insurance additionally my sister-in-law is an lcps employee who does not reside with me and is not dependent on me these subjects include thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may [02:11:04] affected, of which my spouse, my minor children, my sister-in-law, and I am included. I can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest. This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. Thank you, Vice-Chair Donahue. [02:11:22] Okay, we'll move on to Harper Park Middle School Reading Program and initiatives. All right, you can go to the next slide. So we are super excited to be here. Last year, our staff made a huge commitment to our reading growth and scores and so we are here to just talk about how we did it the growth that we made and then have some of our students share their perspectives on their growth next slide so i am the principal at harper park i have been there [02:11:57] this is my year and a half status we have lauren masarek she is our english language arts salt which she heads our department she's also a sixth grade english teacher we have amanda brooke brown she is our reading specialist. We have Briani Hernandez. She is a seventh grade student. And then we have Alejandra Hondoy, and she is our eighth grade student. Next slide. So again, last year we made a commitment to raise our reading scores and also just make sure that our students have what they need to be successful in their reading. And so our staff, again, made that [02:12:34] commitment and so we are definitely for goal one two and three in it and we have made that part of our school improvement plan and so as you see on the slides where our growth has shown for reading our whole school last year went up four percent and our special education students grew ten percent and so that is not a finish line that is just a start and our commitment holds steady and we look forward to continuing that growth and still continuing to show that success next slide um so [02:13:09] miss brooke brown is going to discuss how she is a reading specialist prepares our students and makes that commitment of how we are making sure our students belong within our classes and with our reading initiatives thank you so much for having us here tonight i am so excited to be here to talk about literacy which is obviously one of my favorite things in the world um when i joined Harper Park's team last year. I found out about our school plan to improve literacy across content areas, which was one of the things that really made Harper Park appealing to me. Some of the ways we have done that is through quarterly book clubs in each of our English and language arts [02:13:48] classrooms. We offer a diverse set of text to really increase student interest. Another way that we do this is through Project Lit. If you're not familiar with that, it is a free program, and kids are getting high interest books that are diverse and getting to take them home which is really important so it's been really enjoyable to run that program as well next slide please oh so there were six main pieces that we feel led to the success and just the movement in our reading again we have miss brooke brown but we also were given another reading specialist and so [02:14:28] We are so thankful for that because we know that teachers are the force of that difference. And so it has made a huge difference in just the students that we're able to work with. We also made a commitment that every single content in our school is going to do reading. [02:14:45] And so they make sure that they hit a reading piece. And then Ms. Brooke Brown and our other reading specialist, Ms. Branch, they have done a lot of PD for our teachers, especially for our elective teachers and our health and PE teachers so that they also have those skills because reading is not just an English teacher's job. [02:15:05] And so we also have a tool that those teachers use, which is Lexia. We also implemented goal and conferencing with our students, and we have implemented data chats. So reading, we look at our data, we come together, and we work with the English secondary level to make sure that we are on track and we are personalizing the strategies for each and every student. [02:15:27] Next slide. So to piggyback off that, Heidi Branch joined our team this year as the second reading specialist and it has been amazing to have another reading teacher on staff so that we can work together to really build professional development across the school. [02:15:47] So we designed a professional development for all of the elective teachers at the beginning of the school year just to introduce them to good reading strategies because it is our goal that every teacher teaches at least one non-fiction article a quarter. So we just really wanted to refresh those skills of before reading, during reading, and after reading activities. [02:16:11] Next slide, please. And here are some examples of reading that has gone on in, it looks like, science class, where they have focused on vocabulary as a pre-reading skill. And you can see in the last picture, they have their before, during, and after reading strategies that they had learned in previous staff development. Next slide please. Lexia has been a great tool in helping us plan targeted intervention with our students. It gives us real-time data. English class begins with 10 to 15 [02:16:50] minutes of our students on the program, but in that time the teacher is pulling students to the back table to work on that teacher-led instruction so that we can help them master those skills in a one-on-one or small group setting. Last year we delivered 461 lessons and that's what's clicked in the program. But we look at who is all in that same area and we might pull five or six kids at the same time. Lexia also occurs during resource and our teachers are working to pull kids to give them some additional support. And together with the students doing the program and the teachers giving that instruction one-on-one it's really helped to increase their [02:17:29] reading abilities and their strengths and they're passing their SOLs. We do recognize their growth and their hard work and we celebrate them often which keeps them motivated. Next slide please. So this is just a little chunk of the growth that we had last year in word study which was a big chunk of what we focused on. Sixth graders went down 10 percent meaning that less amount of people or in the foundational level, which is that K through 2 reading level. [02:17:59] Our 7th graders overall went up 48% of them, moved up to that advanced word study level, which is in the grade level area we want them to be in. And 19% of our 8th graders moved up to that advanced range in comprehension, which again is putting them at the grade level in which they're currently in and where we really want them. [02:18:20] So working together online with our tool and with our teachers has really helped to push for this significant growth with our students. Next slide. [02:18:44] What reading initiative has made the biggest impact on you as a student? One impact that has made the biggest impact on me as a student is that I am able to break down words thanks to Mrs. Brown's reading strategies in seventh grade. [02:19:00] I'm able to find vowels more easily and I'm able to break them down into parts and I'm able to put them together and I'm able to understand the word better. [02:19:20] Something that's really helped me to me has been like Lexia and highlighting words because Lexia has really helped me like read and get smoother reading every time I read and highlighting because every time I highlight the words, it really helped me read the words carefully and smoother. [02:19:41] How has becoming a better reader helped you in other classes? What has helped me become a better reader in my other classes is that I'm able to understand the words. And since I'm a Spanish speaker, it also has helped so much with my fluency in English. [02:20:00] And I'm able to read more smoothly and I don't stumble or pause as much between words. Every day in history and science, it really has helped me with my notes. and because vocabulary has really helped me in history and science because I know how to pronounce certain words and how to read them really smooth and how to understand them better. [02:20:30] What is one reading skill you feel more confident about now and why? One reading skill that I feel way more confident in now is that I am able to read more clearly and I don't have to pause between words and I'm able to speak with more confidence in how I speak English. [02:20:50] And that has helped me so much with extra support from my English and reading strategy teachers. I feel more confident when I summarize because I became a fluent reader at it. [02:21:10] It's been getting really good at my reading, and I have been a fluent reader. since I started summarizing a lot of stuff. [02:21:27] - So again, this is not the finish line. This is the beginning. And so with these tools that we have been given, we are honored to have them. And again, with the reading specialist and with our teachers that understand and have that commitment to better our students and make sure that they do have that solid foundation as a reader, we are excited about that growth and we're excited to see what our growth shows this year too. [02:21:55] - Thank you so much. I'm always excited to hear from the kids, from our students. I'm wondering, can you talk a little bit about what your word study looks like, what those techniques and strategies you're using with the students are? [02:22:12] I heard she was talking about locating vowels. Is that syllable work, or could you speak a little bit more about it? In sixth grade, we all do word study within our English classrooms. Students place, they take a, they call it the DSA, And we find their level, and then they work on the skills where they're at. [02:22:33] In small groups, we're working on understanding why we spell words the way that they do, why certain vowels make sounds depending on different things. And that's sixth grade all across the board that we do that. And then... So what she was referring to mostly was in seventh grade reading strategies, I had a lot of students struggling with decoding multisyllabic words. [02:22:54] So I actually individually worked with them back at my table and taught them how to search out the vowels where to break the words apart how to put them together and then we worked on reading fluently because as you know if you're reading very choppy the comprehension especially in classes like science and history when they're coming across vocabulary that is unfamiliar it's so much more challenging especially for our language learners. What kind of morphology work do you all do? So morphology will come after we get the basic phonics piece down and then we [02:23:29] start working on our prefix and our suffix work and breaking apart words that way to learn the meaning and that typically with my population that I'm working with is happening closer to the end of seventh grade and eighth grade just based on where they are so they're learning eds es all of that is morphology yes that I thought you were talking more about suffixes and races yes so that's later no the ending like yes ing that is all along as we're working together but talking about the meaning of the prefix and how that implement or how that changes the word that's [02:24:05] later or the meaning of the sub for them how that meaning yes how that changes the word yeah i mean but ed and yes that's kind of basic as far as you know knowing that it's in the past tense or multiple so um also how are you connecting vowels now do you want me to take this or do you want to I'm just going to let you know, because in Performance Monitoring Committee, we really did see that there was a problem with morphology, and so I'm wondering how y'all are looking at that. [02:24:38] So VALS, so we have lots of data that we're looking at, obviously, right now. We started with the SOL scores and MAP scores from the previous year. Then we did our first round of VALS testing, which was up for all students who did not pass the SOL and any student who did not take the SOL. [02:24:54] So that included a lot of students who had transferred to LCPS or who were opted out. So when we got our initial data, a lot of the kids' data was a lot higher than it needed to be. They were pushed out as far as not needing remediation. Those kids with word study that were very low, they are continuing remediation. [02:25:13] We have bumped up our advisory remediation to tackle that word study piece. Lexia is good in a sense for part of that because that gives us targeted instruction spots. So it will show us where their gaps are, and then we can pull them into individual groups, small groups of three kids, or even one-to-one work to target where that individual child is. [02:25:34] Do you want anything to add to that? No, I think that was great. Okay. Yeah. I mean, I guess I'm always curious about how Lexi is working because I'm a big proponent of the one-to-one instruction with the teacher. And also curriculum that is not on the computer a lot. [02:25:54] So in reading, now for language arts, from what I've heard, I only have one English class, but from language arts, from what I've heard is that it is 10 minutes, and they are also looking to see at those skill checks where they are and pulling them back into small group work. In reading class, Lexia is a small part of my instruction, just because I believe in that one-to-one support. They will check in with Lexia for a few minutes, and I will look where they are with the skill checks but for the most part it is small group work but it is a great tool I will [02:26:28] say that it really I was hesitant to as well but it really has helped us as teachers as long as teachers use the information appropriately to target their instruction not as the primary source of instruction kind of with all curriculum I suppose exactly yeah um yes Dr. Rasheed thank you for this awesome presentation really excited to see the results um and everything coming to fruition my question was you had mentioned teacher motivation a few minutes ago and if you can kind of develop on teacher motivation in a sense of how teachers stay motivated even after their initial training because [02:27:04] obviously there are challenges and it's a lot of information to entail there are constant we have meetings with dr. Picard in English department and the Lexia people to kind of give us some insight into that and I think just seeing the growth and then having that targeted one-on-one time with the students and we really get to just spend that extra time with them really keeps us motivated to want to keep going especially when they see their own growth and they get excited because it's working in their brain you want to just we just keep going with them and also just to piggyback on that for our elective [02:27:42] teachers our art teachers were like what we have to read articles in art but they saw the excitement when they were reading something that had to do with that actual lesson. And then the students actually having that excitement for reading about what they're about to work on. [02:27:57] And so they saw not just the growth, but just the student interaction and engagement that was happening. And so our elective teachers have really stepped up and actually are very happy to do the reading now when at first they were like, this is not reading. And so we were excited about that change in just their thought process. [02:28:16] Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, Madam Chair. And of course, I'm a little biased. Ms. Mazzarek is my daughter's English teacher. So we're very happy to be there and be experiencing this. I just, I've been openly critical about Lexia. So I'm not going to really go there tonight. But one of the things I want to say is that I have seen the pivot and commitment over the last few years to really maintaining that love of reading, especially through the book clubs. [02:28:43] Both of my girls at Harper Park love their book clubs. they love that they can count on them coming again they love the discussion questions I read the books along with them and it's been really really great to see that that love of reading is still going on when a lot of Lexia is wrote right it's that drill and a lot of you know repetition for a reason and I understand its place but so I'm very grateful to to have that learning going alongside the skill work because I think both are important and I was nervous when the pendulum swung and now we're seeing these you know gaps that are moving into [02:29:20] middle school I mean the VALS data was pretty glaring and we have some you know we have some work to do there and as long as we can maintain that you know ability for kids to see themselves in books and to go on adventures through books and to do all of that which I know is near and dear to all of your heart so I really appreciate that work I can speak to it firsthand as a parent and so I just I thank you for being here and to the students you spoke about how you can read smoothly and how you're more confident and that is so evident tonight and I thank you for being here this is not easy to do to stand up in front of us and in front of a crowd of people that you don't know and so your skills [02:29:56] are even stronger than you know and so we thank you for being here thank you all right and that moves us to item 10 student school board representative comment our student for tonight is Sienna Dillon who's a senior at Loudon Valley High School whose greatest passion is service whether she is supporting her school advocating for her peers or giving back to her local community she is [02:30:34] actively involved in various leadership roles at lvhs serving as student council president deca store manager and competitor a member of the national honor society executive board pickleball club president i'm sorry that that word always makes me laugh fellowship club co-president and a representative on this obviously the superintendent's student advisory committee Beyond schools, Sienna loves serving her community through Young Life programs and Special Olympics, where she has found meaningful opportunities to lead, support, and connect with others. [02:31:07] One of her favorite parts of the LVHS experience is the welcoming, inclusive, and uplifting community created by her peers. Looking ahead, Sienna plans to major in biology and pursue a career in the medical field with a goal of becoming a physician. She is driven by compassion, service, and a commitment to making a lasting impact on every community she is a part of. Welcome Ms. Dillon and the floor is yours. Thank you Chair Mansfield. [02:31:35] Good evening members of the school board, administrators, and community members. My name is Sienna Dillon and I am the student council president and student representative for Loudoun Valley High School. I would first like to express my sincere gratitude to our principal Dr. Ross for this incredible opportunity, to my student council advisors, Mrs. Weller and Mr. Verab, and to the LVHS faculty and teachers who have made a lasting impact on my growth and development throughout high school. I would also like to thank the members of the school board for giving students the opportunity to share their perspectives and highlight the amazing things happening across [02:32:10] Loudoun County Public Schools. Finally, I want to extend a sincere thank you to my family for always supporting and encouraging me in everything I do. Tonight, I am honored to share just a small piece of what makes Loudoun Valley High School so special. Loudoun Valley has a long-standing culture of inclusivity, kindness, and high expectations. One of the most meaningful examples of this is Valley's role as the host of the Virginia Special Olympics Spring Feet Meet for the past two years. This event welcomes special needs students from all across LCPS [02:32:44] to compete in track and field activities in a joyful, supportive environment. It is a true celebration for inclusion and community connection. I'm extremely proud to share that this past year, 37 schools participated with nearly 700 athletes and partners taking part in the event. Another element that sets Valley apart is our commitment to creating a sense of belonging and representation for all students. Clubs such as the Black Student Union, Fellowship Club, and Culture Club help ensure that every student feels seen, heard, and welcomed. With [02:33:21] With over 50 student-run organizations, students at Valley are able to explore their interests, step into leadership roles, and create meaningful experiences. Students are even encouraged to start their own clubs, shaping our school culture and inspiring one another through passion and initiative. [02:33:38] I was even able to create a pickleball club, which has grown into one of the highest-grossing clubs on campus with over 150 members. It is a place where students stay active, build community, and sometimes grab a donut because our rallies do get pretty intense. Loudoun Valley is also the only school in the county with a sister school outside of the United States, a relationship that has been nurtured by an LVHS teacher for the past 15 years and continues today. Through this partnership, dual enrollment international relations students have the unique opportunity to visit our sister school in Hungary [02:34:13] each year, opening the door to global connections and new perspectives. Valley is also one of only two schools in the county honored to offer the International Baccalaureate program. The IB program prepares students for higher education and future careers through rigorous coursework that builds research, communication, and self-management skills while fostering personal development in a globally-minded, inclusive environment. [02:34:41] Community involvement is another defining aspect of our school. One of my favorite annual events is Safe Night Halloween, where every club comes together to provide a night of fun and safe activities for local elementary and middle school students. Our choir performs spooky songs, the theater program puts on a Halloween skit, and students transform the building into an exciting community celebration. [02:35:06] One thing I admire about Loudoun Valley is the support and dedication of our staff. Teachers regularly stay before and after school to help students with assignments, projects, and the overall understanding. They help set a positive tone each day by playing music in the hallways to boost the morning mood, and they take time to build meaningful and supportive relationships with every student. Their genuine care makes Valley a place where everyone feels valued and supported. LVHS also prioritizes mental health and well-being. Each year, we host a mental health walk where students spend time with therapy dogs, write words of affirmation, and learn the [02:35:43] importance of mental health in our school community. Valley ensures every student has access to the resources they need to thrive. And finally, one of my favorite things about Loudoun Valley is the deep sense of school pride. Students consistently show up for one another from football and field hockey to performing arts and academic competitions. As someone who is definitely a loud cheerer and has always loved our student section, it's inspiring to see our students rally for each other with so much enthusiasm. Our prep rallies bring the entire school together and remind us of the unity, energy, and pride that makes Valley feel like home. Loudoun Valley is truly a place [02:36:23] where students are supported, encouraged, and empowered to succeed not just academically, but as leaders, community members, and friends. Thank you so much for this opportunity, and go Vikes! Thank you, Sienna, for being here and for your comments throughout the school board meeting, and you continue to, you're invited to continue to do so. We will now move on to the superintendent's [02:36:57] report presented by dr. Aaron Spence our superintendent dr. Spence thank you madam chair members of the board it's always my pleasure to bring some good news from around our school division starting this evening with Light Ridge High School where this Thanksgiving the family and consumer science students cooked up hope by preparing full holiday meals for LCPS students and families who are experiencing homelessness the Light Ridge students applied their culinary skills to create a traditional feast complete with roasted turkey and all the sides while learning teamwork, problem solving, and service. Our students prepared over 70 meals [02:37:33] which were then distributed by LCPS staff to 18 LCPS families currently living in hotels. In total, more than 1,000 LCPS students received services through the LCPS McKinney-Vento program which ensures educational rights and services for children and youth experiencing homelessness. [02:37:52] Many thanks to Loudoun Hunger Relief, Light Ridge staff and families for donating the turkeys and to LCPS staff for making additional donations for the purchase of other food items. Pleased to note that as you heard about earlier, Job for a Day took place on Wednesday, November the 19th and gave LCPS students in grades 10 and 11 a first-hand look at workplaces across Loudoun. Approximately 600 students explored careers in fields like health care, agriculture, engineering, information technology, retail, public safety, and hospitality, with more than 70 local [02:38:27] businesses participating in the event. Experiences like these help students discover new interests, understand the skills needed in different fields, and help them in making informed choices about their post-high school plans. Many thanks especially to our community businesses that hosted our LCPS students. LCPS and the Division of Family and Community Engagement hosted United in service lcps's first interfaith luncheon on world kindness day thursday november the 13th this luncheon brought together more than 120 faith leaders school-based staff and community partners to honor the vital role that faith-based organizations play in supporting our students [02:39:06] families and schools across loudoun county the luncheon also underscored the vital role of community partnerships and enhancing student well-being fostering family engagement and deepening connections amongst us on saturday november the 15th the lcps division of english learners family and community engagement office hosted the empowered english learner family conference more than 230 families joined lcps educators lcps staff and community partners to celebrate and strengthen support for english learner students and their families across our division the conference featured practical resources interactive workshops and opportunities for [02:39:46] families to connect with LCPS staff and local organizations. LCPS middle and high school student leaders contributed by providing technical support and assisting with child care services that were offered during the event. The day highlighted our commitment to ensuring that every student has the tools and support needed to thrive. Students at Independence High School and Loudoun County High School participated in the global celebration of GIS Day, which is an annual event held on the third Wednesday of November to showcase the power of geographic information systems or GIS [02:40:21] technology. To mark the occasion, LCPS welcomed guest speakers from ESRI, a leader in GIS technology, and these visits provided students with a first-hand look at how GIS professionals utilize technology to address challenges and innovate across various industries. [02:40:40] We're pleased to note that Loudoun Valley High School football coach David Bishop was recognized during Sunday night's Washington Commanders game. Earlier this season, Coach Bishop was named the Tackle Coach of the Week, and this is a recognition celebrating high school coaches across the region who demonstrate exceptional leadership, sportsmanship, and commitment to their players both on and off the field. [02:41:02] As part of the honor, the Washington Commanders are awarding a grant to support the Loudoun Valley Football Program, further strengthening opportunities for our student-athletes. Congratulations to Coach Bishop. Also pleased to note that LCPS and the Department of Digital Innovation were recognized by EduPoint for their collaboration in developing strategies enhancing the Synergy platform, which includes our student information system. [02:41:26] DDI's support helped EduPoint address the evolving data management needs of K-12 education. LCPS and members of the DDI team were spotlighted in a video highlighting the division's leadership and innovation that was featured during the opening session of the Synergy Connect conference held in Orlando in early November. [02:41:44] In addition, EduPointe awarded LCPS $10,000 to be used to fund student scholarships, further supporting the success and future of our LCPS learners. Congratulations to Jonathan Shiffler, Band Director at Freedom High School, who's this month's Shine Award winner. [02:42:01] Mr. Shiffler was nominated by a Freedom Parent for his extraordinary support of her student, helping him overcome challenges and shine on the field with the Spirit of Freedom Marching Band. In celebration of his selection as the SHINE monthly winner, Mr. Shiffler received a gift coordinated by the Loudoun Education Foundation. [02:42:20] SHINE, or Spotlighting Heroes in Education, is a joint Loudoun Education Foundation and LCPS initiative recognizing LCPS staff members who go above and beyond in support of our LCPS students and the community. And finally, this evening, I'm pleased to share that 10 of our LCPS high schools were included in Northern Virginia Magazine's ranking of the top 25 high schools in Northern Virginia. This ranking is based on a variety of factors including students earning advanced diplomas, graduation rates, and test scores. High schools from Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fauquier, Manassas, and Manassas Park, Prince William, and Stafford [02:42:59] Counties were all considered in the ranking. Madam Chair, that concludes my report. Thank you, Dr. Spence. Just say Freedom, I think, was number four in that ranking. I think Champ was in there in the top 10 too um okay so now we'll move on to public comment um procedures for public comment thank you for engaging with the school board through the public comment process the school board welcomes comments from loudon county residents and believes that strong community engagement and outreach are important components of a successful school system speakers must limit [02:43:37] comments to the time allotted based on the number of speakers and the agenda this evening all speakers have been allotted two minutes each for public comment please be advised that speakers who miss their time slot will not be called at a later time decorum and civility all audience members shall maintain civility decorum and respect for the functioning and the dignity of the school board at all times please remain seated unless arriving departing speaking at the podium or during a break violations of civility decorum and respect include shouting heckling jeering applause or other noise which disrupts or delays the meeting obstructing speakers from being able to see the school board and vice versa, interrupting speakers, attempting to speak when not called to do so for the [02:44:17] chair, and approaching a speaker or otherwise attempting to intimidate, disparage, or distract a speaker, staff member, or other meeting attendees. Speakers should refrain from vulgarity, obscenities, defamation, profanity, or other like breaches of respect, nor may speakers target, criticize, or attack individual students and or individual division employees during public comment. [02:44:38] As a reminder, School Board Policy 2520 states speakers may not target, criticize, or attack individual students during public comment. Speakers should communicate those concerns to their school principal or an appropriate school official. The school board requests that comments on an individual student or employee-related matter not be shared at public meetings or that disclosure could violate applicable confidentiality requirements. [02:45:04] I do want to take a moment to clarify a few things. As I have explained previously, speakers can personally identify a student or employee without stating a student's or employee's names. That is, personally identifiable information is any information that a reasonable person can link together to pinpoint an individual student or employee and where that individual student or employee is known to the others in their school and surrounding community based on the context that is shared. The school board welcomes you to share your concerns, but ask that, to the extent you have performed remarks, prepared [02:45:40] remarks, that target, criticize, or attack any individual students or employees, you generalize such remarks to ensure compliance with board policy. For an example, comments that target, criticize, or attacked a student or an employee, or a student and an employee from a specific named school, or a student or an employee with any characteristics where the information would personally identify that student or employee to others in the school board or broader lcps community would violate school board policy however comments that discuss general concerns with students or employees at schools and do not [02:46:19] target criticize or attack an individual identifiable student or employee or are permissible under school board policy i as the school board chair am charged with the responsibility to maintain order during school board meetings. Accordingly, when reasonable, I will warn of breaches of decorum, civility, and respect and ask speakers to redirect their comments prior to possibly discontinuing individual speaking privileges or taking other actions to preserve the civility, decorum, and orderly conduct of the meeting. Such action includes calling a recess in order to maintain and or restore order. If speakers fail to comply with board policy regarding public [02:46:58] participation you will receive a warning and request to redirect or generalize your comments should you fail to redirect or generalize your comments after that warning you may be asked to the microphone at which time you should yield the microphone as well as the floor and take your seat and then I will call the next speaker to the extent necessary I will also warn of breaches of decorum civility and respect from attendees prior to taking other actions to preserve the orderly conduct of the meeting. Speakers should face the dais and direct their comments to the school board. Per school board policy 2520, members of the school board will not answer [02:47:36] questions or respond directly to the public during the public comment period. Violations of decorum or civility by any meeting attendee may result in the chair directing staff to remove the attendee from the remainder of the meeting. Repeated or persistent violations of decorum or civility by the audience may result in on the decision of the chair, public comment being tabled until a later point in the meeting's agenda, limiting the number of attendees in the meeting room during public comment for safety reasons or the public comment period ending for the evening. Copies of materials for board members should be given to the public information officer in the media box at the back of the boardroom before the start of the meeting. Please provide [02:48:15] 12 copies of the materials. Under no circumstances, may a speaker approach the dais. The public is reminded that access to school board meetings is available through LCPS-TV on Comcast Channel 18 and 1070 HD and Verizon Vios Channel 43. [02:48:31] The live stream of the meeting will be viewed on the website. We look forward to hearing your comments. And we will start with virtual comments. I think I have one. Oh, there are no virtual comments for tonight. So we will not start with them. We'll move on to in-person. [02:48:48] The first one is Erin Kunkel. Second is Helena Welsh. Good evening. [02:49:04] My name is Erin Kunkel, and I'm a parent of three students in LCPS. and I serve as the immediate past chair of MSAC. I wanted to speak tonight to the suggestion raised at the last meeting that perhaps the equity committee and MSAC could be combined, that perhaps their work was redundant. For many families, including families like mine, that notion does not reflect our lived reality. [02:49:24] It overlooks the truth of what our children experience every single day within this division. MSAC and the equity committee are not redundant. They meet different needs because our students face so many different challenges. MSAC is a space where black, brown, and other marginalized families can speak openly about concerns that rarely surface in surveys or even in official reports. [02:49:44] It is where families can engage in solution-based discussions about moments of exclusion, the disparities in academic access and discipline, and the emotional toll these experiences take on our children. MSAC exists because we know these disparities are historic, ongoing, and deeply felt. [02:50:01] The Equity Committee, by contrast, serves a system-wide role in aligning policy, ensuring accountability and helping LCPS keep striving to fulfill its equity promise. These committees complement each other, collapsing them would silence critical perspectives and weaken the very structures our family rely on to be seen and to be heard. [02:50:20] I want to express also my strong support of the Division of DEIA. Their work has ensured students like mine, students who are often the only black children in their classrooms, are not invisible. They create space for truth and that are sometimes uncomfortable, but are absolutely necessary if LCPS is serious about belonging, safety, and success for every child. [02:50:40] I want to be clear. The work of equity is never done. There should always be a dedicated equity committee, and there should always be an MSAC. These structures are not optional. They are essential. They are lifelines for families who are still fighting to ensure their children are protected, affirmed, and believed. I hope that this board continues to be truly committed to a school system where every student belongs. [02:51:00] students deserve nothing less. Thank you. Thank you. Helena Welch followed by Melanie Ross. My name is Helena Welch and I live in Ashburn Village and I have a second grader in Dominion Trail. [02:51:23] I'm here tonight to support the rezoning plan 533. I have been at previous rezoning meetings and have spoken at each one. Tonight I would like to bring to your attention the base capacity number for Dominion Trail. I am requesting that the base capacity number for Dominion Trail be corrected to 674 we all know that dominion trail will not be title one in school next year therefore correcting the base capacity to 674 pre-title one numbers is important for the rezoning data to be accurate once this is done you will see there is no need to move any of the children from dominion trail once the base capacity number is corrected you will see that this overcrowding [02:52:02] is no longer an issue the data shows that by using the correct base capacity number of 674 along with the decreasing enrollment that is overcrowding at Dominion Trail is self-correcting. Why can't we bring in a modular classroom to fix this short-term problem? [02:52:18] There is no need for an overcorrection that will cause issues in the future. In addition, I would like to express my sadness that not more care is shown for these children or families that continue to speak at every meeting, fighting for their kids to stay at Dominion Trail. Are we so short-sighted that it's easier to make a quick decision and take the time to research into the communities, families, and children. [02:52:40] The problem I see with this process is that you are not actually taking the time to find a solution that will work for the long term. You are not showing us how you want to fix this overcrowding other than pushing the children around. Lastly, I would like to say thank you to the board members that have shown their support and desire to work on providing the best solution for the Dominion Trail community and their children. [02:53:00] You give us the hope that there are people who care. Keep us together, Huskies forever. Thank you. Thank you. Melanie Ross, followed by Rocio Caballero-Gill. Good evening, board members. [02:53:21] My name is Dr. Melanie Ross from Zone DN05.3, and I have a second and fifth grader at Dominion Trail. I'm here today to speak about the rezoning of Dominion Trail. While this may feel like just another vote among many, it has consumed my every waking moment for the past five weeks through conversations, research, and data analysis. [02:53:39] Two weeks ago, you learned that Dominion Trail will not be Title I, yet the numbers remain uncorrected. You are relying on these charts to guide your decision, but the data for next year and beyond is inaccurate. I ask you, Dr. Deans, as my board representative and all members elected to serve constituents like me to ensure Dominion Trails numbers are corrected, at the very least, accurate data must be required because only then can you make a valid and reliable decision. [02:54:06] I also ask each of you for 15 minutes of your time to review the data I've prepared, to hear my concerns, and to share yours as well. Let's have an open dialogue. While some of you will leave office in December, this vote will determine the path forward for my family and many others for the years to come. [02:54:25] The data is undeniable. Moving Dominion Trail to Stuart Weller violates four of the six zoning criteria. Shifting Dominion Trail to Elementary shifts the imbalance over the next four years for no benefit when they are the same building size. It seems like an unnecessary overcorrection that will lead to further issues in the very near future. [02:54:45] To you, Dominion Trail may just be one of many schools under review. To me, it's far more than just numbers. It's the community I grew up in, the community I chose to stay in, and where I'm raising my kids. Dominion Trail is our second family. It's our second home. [02:55:01] Please correct its capacity. It's a pre-Title I base of 674, and let's meet to discuss. Keep us together, Huskies forever. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Rocio Caballero-Gill, followed by Sarah Bassi. Good evening, board members. [02:55:27] I'm Dr. Rocรญo Paola Caballero-Guill, planning zone DN 19.6 and mother of two LCPS students, a third grader attending Dominion Trail Elementary School, and a sixth grader at Farmall Station. Thank you for giving our Ashburn community meaningful ways to engage via the current attendance zone change process. [02:55:44] I applaud your efforts to promote continuous improvement, trust, and equity through the rezoning process. To further your equity-based practice, I ask you to please correct Dominion Trail's base capacity to 674. Last recently meeting you heard Dominion Trail will not be a Title I school moving forward or in the foreseeable future. Therefore, using our pre-Title I school capacity is essential for fair and accurate proposal reviews. [02:56:10] Dominion Trail student population has consistently decreased since 2017. As an example we went from 643 students in 2021 to 569 students in 2025. Using the updated capacity and the documented consistent student population decrease mean two things number one without the rezoning Dominion trails utilization stays ideal 80 85 percent for the next six years on paper number two our school will self-correct over time and therefore there's no pressing need to over correct and fracture resources in place by moving a zone or two out of our [02:56:46] school I joined our school's parent teacher association board to put my professional training with inclusive excellence and stem at the service of of our dedicated and hardworking staff as we all support our children and our greater community. I look forward to the other side of rezoning as our team of parents and staff continue working to bridge gaps and through an equity lens make the best of our utilization not only on paper. [02:57:12] Thank you for your time. Keep us together, Huskies forever. - Thank you. Sarah Bazzi followed by Kristen Lloyd. - Afternoon, my name is Sarah Bazzi. I am the mother to a second grader at Dominion Trail and an 8th grader at Farmwell who is also a Husky. [02:57:30] My 8th grader, I say he's still a Husky because he is a Falcon pal, and he dedicates his time to tutoring students who have special needs after school, and he's been doing that since 7th grade, and that is what a Husky is. It doesn't just go away when they leave elementary school. [02:57:47] I asked my daughter, who's a stakeholder, about the issues that were brought up last time about space in the school. I said, Maddie, you know, it made me think you do special education and sometimes you do it in the hallway. And wouldn't it be great to go into one of these big shiny new buildings and have all this space and everything? [02:58:03] And she looked at me and she said, Mom, no. And I said, why not? And she said, because we're Dominion Trail and we're special. So that's message from a stakeholder. I have a message from another stakeholder, but let me back up. I saw the superintendent presentation. You could take every week you could find something at Dominion Trail and see something so beautiful like that. [02:58:23] I heard Ms. Dillon speak, and my gosh, what hope for the future. It was beautiful what she's saying. But that's Dominion Trail. We have all of that, and we don't want to be separated. And I'd like to read to you from a little girl who, we had a party, and in the party our neighborhood kids came together, and they put together food bags with my son, the eighth grader who supervised. [02:58:45] They put together food and hygiene bags for the 21 families at our food pantry that are served, and that is our community. And you know what? My house is not big and beautiful and shiny. It's kind of like a schlocky 90s, smallest on the block. But what was important were the people inside the house. So one of the little girls wanted me to read to you something that she wrote for you. [02:59:04] She's in the second, I'm sorry, she's in the third grade. She said, Sarah Bazzi, I heard you're trying to put people, oh, I'm sorry, this is, hello school board, I heard you're trying to put people in Ashburn Elementary in school or Weller and people are going to miss people. So I am sad. So I have this for you. This school has many people, but that does not mean you have to split our husky in half because we are one big family. [02:59:26] Thank you. Kristen Lloyd, followed by Andrea Weiskopf. Hi, good evening, and thank you, school board members. I'm Kristen Lloyd, mom to four girls, three of whom are at Stuart Weller. [02:59:44] I'm also the PTO president at Stuart Weller Elementary. I'm here to follow up on messages I've sent regarding the Stuart Weller bell schedule. I don't want to get into details of why the 7.30 a.m. start is a difficult time. Many of you have already discussed that in meetings last year, but I'm here tonight to urge you to switch Stuart Weller to a later start time. [03:00:08] We understand what's led to the staggered bell schedule, the issue of not having enough bus drivers. The families at Stuart Weller have taken on the burden, but it's at the point where we need to implement change. We've shared this feedback. Other families have reached out with this feedback. [03:00:23] the school board has discussed and had subsequent meetings. While some schools saw change to their schedule, the results of these conversations did nothing for Stuart Weller families. The Transportation Division incorrectly feels that the Bell schedule is no longer a problem and that the schedule has been normalized because they have not received a significant amount of complaints. [03:00:48] This is certainly not the case. In fact, we've started a petition to capture feedback and band our voices together because the status quo is not acceptable. Right now, we have over 150 families who've signed on. Last spring, you put efforts into changing 15 schools. [03:01:06] Has there been any effort for the others? Has the Transportation Division worked to find fair, equitable solutions? From what we see, no plans have done anything for Stuart Weller. The fair solution is to switch with a school who's had the luxury of an 8 a.m. start time and based on the transportation's division, feeds into the same middle school. [03:01:28] After four years of enduring the earliest bell schedule, families feel this is totally and completely unfair. We're not asking for special treatment. We're looking for fairness and equality. Tenants of LCPS guiding principles. Thank you. Andrea Weiskopf. [03:01:50] Each and every child should see themselves in books. Equity is not a finite commodity. Teaching a love of reading is as important as using mylexia. [03:02:08] Teaching a love of learning is as important as teaching curriculum. School divisions claim to be family in order to gaslight educators. School divisions rely on gaslit educators to work beyond contract hours. [03:02:24] Unions protect educators from being gaslit. schools are not public and are not entitled to public funds. Lunch debt should not be a concept. 20% of students in the wealthiest county in America qualify for free or reduced lunch. Almost 7% of students in the wealthiest county in America are food insecure. Lunch debt should not [03:02:56] be a concept. LGBT students belong and need to be affirmed. Black lives still matter. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. Thank you. And with that, we will end a public comment for the night. Board members, do you want to go for a recess or thumbs up for recess or you're ready to continue i see continue okay start off with item 13.01 uh formally 3.06 on the consent agenda [03:03:36] department of service support services current middle students school students affected by 2026 2027 attendance zone changes um ms chernoff took this off of uh consent so i'm assuming she has a motion thank you madam chair I indeed do I move that the Loudoun County School Board approved the exception request received by LCPS planning and GIS services office as of today December 2nd 2025 for certain current grade 7 students to remain at their 2025 2026 middle school for the for grade 8 there [03:04:13] will be no LCPS bus transportation provided transportation to and from school for these accepted students will be the responsibility of their parent guardian for the student's final year of middle school I have a motion do I have a second second I have a second by Vice Chair Donahue has been properly moved and seconded miss Chernoff would you like to speak to your motion sure thank you madam chair basically it came to our attention that there were a handful of families and I believe miss T is here and could probably tell me the exact numbers and I believe they're in board docs but just a few families that the [03:04:49] The survey was found in their spam folder, and then upon watching the meeting, realized that they had missed the deadline for the survey, and given that there are not concerns about adding them in, I feel inclined to approve their status to continue at their school. [03:05:05] Board members, is there any discussion? Yes, Dr. Rashid. Thank you, Chair. Just to piggyback off of what Ms. Chernoff said, so at the November 11, 2025 school board meeting, we received information about survey results for middle and high school students who would be affected by attendance zone changes starting this fall. [03:05:25] Rising 8th, 10th, and 11th grade students were given the opportunity to express interest in remaining at their current schools, but the number of survey responses seemed a little bit on the low side. This is why Vice Chair Donohue inquired at that time whether any families had attempted to answer the survey after the deadline, and indeed a handful of families did reach out after the November 3rd deadline. [03:05:47] In at least one case, a parent explained to me that all emails regarding the survey had gone to her spam folder. She didn't find them until after the November 11th meeting. All related emails did not originate from an LCPS email address so they were flagged as spam. While I can't say that this is the case for every family who reached out after the deadline, this parent's explanation does make sense and I do want to err on the side of caution and provide an extension for these families only. Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Dr. Rasheed. Any other discussion? Seeing none, we'll go ahead with the vote. We'll move forward with the [03:06:22] vote clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote that motion passes unanimously we'll move on to 13.02 formally 3.07 consent agenda Department of Support Services current high school students affected by 2026 2027 attendant zone changes mr. enough I think you have another motion I do please bear with me this one's a little lengthier I move that the Loudoun County School Board approved the exception [03:07:02] Requests received by LCPS planning and GIS services office as of today December 2nd 2025 for certain current grade 9 rising sophomores and grade 10 students rising juniors to remain at and graduate from their 2025 2026 high school while bus transportation will be provided for the 2627 Academic year for current rezoned grade 11 students rising seniors Potential bus transportation for other accepted students including rising sophomores and rising juniors will be available for the 2627 academic year only on a space available basis only in all other instances [03:07:40] Transportation to and from school for all other accepted high school students will be the responsibility of their parent guardian I have a motion by miss sure enough to have a second second. I was second by vice chair Donahue It's been properly moved and seconded mission off. Would you again like to speak to your motion? [03:07:55] Thank you, Madam Chair. Same rationale as the previous item. Do I have any more discussion? Seeing no more discussion, we'll go head forward with the vote. Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. [03:08:15] Clerk, please close and display your vote. And that motion passes 8 to 1 with Dr. Deans opposed to the vote. We will continue with 13.03, Department of Business and Financial Services, FY25 county fund balance requested Balance request do I have a motion? I can I can go ahead and do it I I'll move I move that the Loudoun County School Board requests the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors to appropriate from their FY25 fund balance [03:08:55] supplemental funding in the amounts of four million six hundred ninety one thousand dollars to the school operating fund and twelve million eight hundred thousand dollars to this health insurance fund do i have a second second i have a second by vice chair donahue it's been properly moved and seconded um i think i can i mean i can speak to the motion it's pretty self-explanatory um but perhaps uh miss willoughby wants to explain a little bit more and remind people yes in board [03:09:31] docs there is a list that provides more information supporting those dollar amounts for the school operating fund the uses are for one time non-reoccurring expenditures so you're going to see examples of various equipment and furniture replacements as well as some equipment in addition the 12.8 million for the health self-insurance fund is to provide funding to bring our reserves in that fund up to a minimum of a 10% reserve and again once should the school board [03:10:07] approve this this evening this will be sent over to the county board of supervisors for their action thank you miss willoway do you is there any discussion seeing none um we will go ahead with the vote uh clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote that motion passes unanimously and we will continue with the status [03:10:40] of the equity committee dr deans i'm assuming you have a motion i move that the lawton county school board dissolve the equity committee in its current form as a select committee of the school board and direct the superintendent to specially establish and name the equity council as a school division administrative advisory committee in accordance with policy 3030. I have a motion by Dr. Deans. Do I have a second? Second. Oh, I got a second by Dr. Deans, by Dr. Rasheed. It's been [03:11:19] properly moved and seconded dr. deans would you like to speak to your motion yes in the last meeting we talked about the the like of functioning of the equity committee as a select committee because select means only temporarily and this it should not be a temporary committee it should be a committee that is permanent for the school division and is far-reaching over the entire school [03:11:55] division so as a result I I think that it would better serve the division as a school division administrative advisory committee thank you dr. Dean is there any discussion yes mrs. Griffiths thank you madam chair I don't know that it should be two committees I heard tonight that they complement each other but I didn't hear the different goals and objectives I just wanted to know if miss miss Ellis Williams is here if she can go over the different goals and [03:12:35] objectives that this superintendent advisory committee or actually the equity committee is how it's different from the MSAC do you mean dr. Ellis Williams yes what did I say said miss dr. Ellis Williams would you mind well I actually can get that information for you at a later date because tonight it's It's not in front of me, and I don't want to misquote, but I can assure you that they're not duplicitous, and I'd like to provide you with that in writing so that you can examine for yourself the distinction between what the Equity Committee provides for LCPS and what MSAC provides for our family and community as well. [03:13:12] And regardless, this is just a vote to disband the Equity Committee and make it an administrative school. Well, I think it's all appropriate to, you know, have them both under one umbrella and not make it as separate. So that's why I'm speaking about it tonight. I took a look at the MSAC committee. I saw there was a lot of openings for MSAC vice chair, communications chair, secretary, membership chair. I think a lot of people that were in the equity committee [03:13:46] would possibly want to be, maybe be interested in these positions. So I was hoping we could just get the information on how they're different and why do we have to create an advisory when we can have them under one umbrella. And I believe Ms. LaBelle had brought that up our last board meeting and I tend to agree. Thank you, Ms. Thank you, Mrs. Griffiths. Dr. Rasheed. Thank you, Chair. As I stand by what I said last time, the equity committee is a division-wide committee [03:14:22] and the MSAC focuses more on students. Now, I don't have the verbiage in front of me because we had this discussion last time i am strongly opposed especially as the msac liaison that those two merge or those two be under one umbrella they should be separate and no business with being under an umbrella of some sort i i i know we're talking about it again and i feel like a broken record because i said it last time and now i'm saying it again thank you okay and i'm just going to remind the school board that this is changing the equity committee that is this motion on the board um and we're not talking about umbrellas or anything else it's just changing the equity [03:15:01] committee from its current status as a select committee to a school division administrative advisory committee that is the motion on the floor okay um is there any discussion for just that decision no okay we'll go miss labelle is this uh change going to give it the status of a standing committee, or how is this impacting it? [03:15:35] As we discussed before, this is going to be a school division administrative advisory superintendent. Dr. Spence, do you want to... Yes, ma'am. Ms. LaBelle, as you'll recall, during the conversation on the policy about committees, there was some discussion about the differences between a board standing committee, a board select committee, a board advisory committee, And then there was a conversation about a couple of committees that exist now. [03:16:05] The examples would be the Head Start Policy Council and the School Business Partnership Council, which were listed under committees but are not actually board committees. They're administrative committees, and the administration has requested those committees have requested a board member to be a liaison, similar to how the Loudoun Education Foundation, which is neither a board committee nor an administrative committee, but its own entity, has requested the board to provide a liaison. [03:16:31] can just be aware of the activities of that committee so we felt it was important during that conversation and the board ultimately agreed that we should have a separate ended up coming out of the board committee policy and becoming a separate policy 30 30 I believe with a regulation accompanying that says that you have a super not a super excuse me a school division administrative advisory committee which is a division led committee that is you know community partners and other folks who provide input to the school's administration on the operation aspects of the school school division and in [03:17:10] this instance they're specifically named as such because they would be committees where a board member liaison has been requested to participate which would differentiate it from just for example an advisory committee that I might have that doesn't have board member participation right so what this vote just to then come all the way full circle to your question what this vote would do would be to create not a board standing committee which is appointed by the board but an administrative committee which would be membership garnered by the administration and then we would request a board member liaison thank you for the clarification and refreshing my memory some it's been a [03:17:49] busy few weeks yes ma'am it has there's a it's kind of like SeaTac versus you know school partnership you know okay um yes mrs griffiths thanks madam chair i just want to point out that i have serious concerns about it becoming an advisory or administrative committee the equity committee has struggled to make quorum and i'm not sure it makes sense to add an unsuccessful committee to our list of advisory committees um and again um sorry if i sound like a broken record [03:18:26] But it was an unsuccessful committee that couldn't make quorum, and I'm not sure why we wouldn't just include it in the umbrella, but go ahead and let's take the vote. Thank you. Thank you so much, Mrs. Griffiths. Okay, I have a motion. [03:18:43] Oh, Ms. Chandler. Thank you. And in sort of reflecting on my own position and how I intend to vote tonight, it was very important to me to hear from the community. And I know there were some deep discussions within the equity committee and what I heard directly from members who've been very invested in the committee for years is that they think this is the right path forward. [03:19:05] So I will definitely be supporting the suggestion tonight. Thank you, Ms. Chandler. All right. Any other discussion before we move forward to the vote? Okay. We're moving forward with the vote. [03:19:25] I had a motion. I had a second. We probably moved and seconded. Dr. Deans has spoken to her motion. clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please okay uh clerk would you please uh clear the board she can still change it okay miss labelle you can change it um clerk [03:20:04] please close and display the vote that motion passes seven to two with mrs griffiths and miss labelle opposed to the vote um okay we'll continue to 13.05 student services committee revision of policy 8155 school assignment presented by um well actually it would be presented we would go ahead and start with our motion first since you are chair of that committee vice chair donahue do [03:20:39] you want to go ahead and start us off with the motion yes thank you madam chair i move that the loudon county school board adopt the revisions proposed by the student services committee for policy 8155 regarding school assignment i have a beginning a base motion do i have a second second i have it okay i have a second by ms shurnoff it's been properly moved and seconded uh and now [03:21:09] we can discuss the uh discuss the motion discuss it uh i know that you want probably want to speak to it vice-chair Donahue thank you very much yes I would thank you very much madam chair policy 8155 regarding school assignment also encompasses the special permission process this policy is not up for its five-year renewal but it is a topic that has been of significant interest to myself and to several possibly all of my colleagues here on the board since we got on the [03:21:45] board so student services tackled revisions to this policy last year to start making some changes in the way that LCPS handles of the special permission process we've we feel like the changes that went into effect last year at the beginning of the last calendar this current calendar year were helpful and effective but I also felt that there was room for further improvements so we have again been working through the policy through the committee in our efforts to continue to refine it make it a better policy for [03:22:20] the entire division so what has come out of our of our several months worth of discussions on this topic are the proposed revisions that are up on board docs for the board to consider tonight um with that I would just like to go ahead and make a motion to amend it just in the easy amendment before we get into the other amendments and that i moved to amend proposed policy 8155 by replacing march 31st [03:22:52] with april 30th on lines 173 326 331 360 and 460 on the red line that was and and i'll ask for a second second second i have a second by vice chair donahue and um i'll speak to my motion the reason wise because I am listening to staff feedback on I wanted to shorten the window because I wanted school board members to not have to go in July to the appeals I felt that was kind of late and I [03:23:27] felt like we wanted to move it up and with boundaries and all the rest of that it's just not going to work so I am taking it all back and replacing it with our original wording so we can either take another amendment or we can go ahead and vote on this amendment and then start the other processes okay go ahead and vote an amendment okay let's go ahead and vote on this amendment is there any other [03:24:04] discussion I guess before no okay clerk please open the vote board members Please record your vote clerk. Please close and display the vote and that motion passes 8 to 1 with dr. Deans in opposition of the vote Okay, now we're moving to Any other discussion? Yes, mr. Vice-chair Donahue. Thank you, madam chair my my longtime crusade with regard to the special permission policy has been to [03:24:42] To to bring some more organization and clarity to the policy The it has been in place since the 70s and although it has gone undergone a number of changes over time the the basic nature of the special permission process hasn't changed which is that anyone can request special permission Transfers of their students for any reason my long-term goal has been I I think that we should change that I did put forward some proposed amendments in consulting with my colleagues prior to [03:25:18] Tonight's meeting. I am under the impression that there is not widespread appetite to make that kind of sweeping change at this time And for those reasons, I do still have proposed amendments But I am not putting forward all of the proposed amendments that are currently posted. So What I am that the changes I am proposing are Two I'm proposing two changes first on lines Looking at the red line on lines [03:25:55] 227 231 233 235 I'm proposing to delete and instructional suitability and on lines 238 239 243 and 247 to 248 I am proposing to delete the the words or instructional suitability and the reason I am proposing this change is simply because I I think that it is confusing because this this section of the policy is specifically [03:26:28] related to other factors for special permission and so including references to instructional suitability within that section, I think could be confusing. And there is already an instructional suitability section higher up in the policy. [03:26:47] So to the extent that these concerns need to be addressed with relation to instructional suitability, I respectfully suggest that that would be the appropriate place to do so. Vice Chair Donahue, are you saying that we would add them somewhere above? [03:27:04] Do you have those lines which you would add them to? So I-- - Yes, Mr. Dawson. [03:27:22] - Ms. Donahue, may I just ask, in the amendment that you have on board docs, you do clarify, I think, the first comment you made, which was about removing references to instructional suitability throughout lines 227 to 248 and replacing them somewhere in lines 50 to 82, which if memory serves me correct, that is the instructional suitability piece section of the policy, is that what you are, that is the first point of amendment that makes sense based on what you have written in your amendment on board docs. [03:27:55] - Yes, thank you, Mr. Dolson, that is correct. I was looking at if Madam Chair was asking me for a specific line, I had not necessarily arrived on a specific line, but the instructional suitability as you pointed out between lines-- - Just as a point of clarification for Mr. Richardson, based on what you have proposed in your amendment on board docs, the second one that you are putting forward Just so we have clarification as to what you're referencing. [03:28:25] Yes. Oh, he's asking. The second amendment. Oh, sorry. Sorry, I didn't know. Well, I'm just wondering if those two things should go together. [03:28:41] Those two amendments should be together. Since you're taking it from one and moving it to another area. It's pretty much, it's really the editor in Vice Chair, Donnie, that we're hearing right now. So, for clarification. [03:28:58] Is that correct? Yes. Am I? Okay. Yes, that is correct. All right. So, I guess Mr. Dolson is asking, okay, so we know where to take it out. Where should we put them in? You said put them in, let's see, add them somewhere in 50 through 82. [03:29:18] Yes, ma'am. That makes sense because that is the given section of the current policy. Okay. So, what would that look like? Do we need to be that specific on what that would look like or how that would read? I think we'll just work on lifting the language from 227 to 248 and make sure that it flows somewhere nicely between lines 50 through 82. [03:29:45] And then, of course, that red line revision would come back before the board. If that's acceptable, unless you want to take the time to give us the specific lines that you would like for us to add that language. So if we don't have the initial language right now, then it would have to come back and be voted again next. [03:30:05] Correct staff is proposing that we lift it as it's currently written We will reread the instructional suit at that section of 50 through 82 those lines And we'll make sure that that lifted language from 227 to 248 fits nicely into that section is that too late? [03:30:32] No before we have all right. Okay. Okay, so now I'm kind of confused as to what to do now Now, since we have a motion on the floor, Mr. Allen, could you help walk me through what we could potentially do? [03:30:53] Should we stop now? Should we go ahead and vote on that and add language that it will come back before the board next in two weeks? There's a couple of, thank you, Madam Chair. There's a couple of different approaches you might consider. [03:31:10] One is you can do a temperature check at this time to see if that's something that the board supports, in which case it may be more efficient to delay this until two weeks and then discuss further amendments at that time. [03:31:26] That would also mean the amendment that had passed with the timing on it would also be postponed just so you could address this as an action item with all amendments and consider it in one fell swoop at that time. But we already voted on that first amendment. [03:31:44] So that is not already a part of the base motion now. base motion as amended correct it is that that is correct so that those were already so what we haven't done is like vote on the base motion as amended should we would it be clearer to go ahead and do the base motion as amended for that and then come back for this other one you you could um i i would suggest maybe doing a temperature check to see if there's support among the majority [03:32:19] the board on miss donahue's current motion to lift the language and that can inform next steps board members can i get a thumbs up to um yes miss shirnoff sorry i one i'm wondering if there's a simpler fix if on line 203 of the red line version it the title there says other factors for special permission would it make sense to add and instructional suitability and then that fits and so it applies to both I mean it's going to apply to both either way you're going to have to add a section to instructional suitability if we just add that in the title and then that flows [03:32:57] from there it accomplishes the same purpose in my mind when I look at it it wouldn't change the meaning then in my mind clarification on that I think anybody wouldn't wouldn't work with lines 213 through 224 it would start working after 227 that makes sense i don't know um i don't know [03:33:34] uh thoughts all right thought that if we added it maybe in the title what it covers for instructional suitability where it's mentioned it applies to that where it's mentioned for special permission it applies to that and then that makes it a little cleaner but i see head nodding from staff I'm gonna ask them to chime in that would be in agreement with that fix it's easier than lifting the language and moving it to the section that could be something that the board could consider probably more immediately this evening than having to bring that section back on the 16th okay by sir [03:34:10] Donahue do you have any thoughts yes thank you madam chair I I was hoping to solicit some additional input from mr. Allen in light of later parts of that subsection sections C D and E pertaining to special permission talking about siblings being placed and special permission being rescinded for failure to follow rules if we were to change the wording of the header of part three to say other factors for special permission and instructional suitability would [03:34:50] Would there be any concern about other provisions in these subsections being interpreted as applying to instructional suitability if that is not the intent of the board? Thank you, Ms. Donoghue. [03:35:08] I think if the board is considering reworking this, it would want to be intentional to provide clarity if it applies to instructional suitability or not. I see in the current red line version, for instance, in paragraphs B one and two on lines 243 and 248, for instance, there is a reference or red line to include instructional suitability there. [03:35:36] And so if instructional suitability is included in the title for section three, just for clarity for anyone picking this up and reading it, want to make sure that they understand the board's intent to what this applies if it's special permission and instructional suitability or just special permission. Vice Chair Donohue, [03:36:09] do you have any other before I take a temperature check? No, thank you Madam Chair. Okay, let's go ahead and take a temperature check. First to lift the language and just vote on it next in two weeks. [03:36:28] Was it December 16th? Yeah. One, two, three. Okay. I mean it looks like there's a majority of the the temperature check to go ahead and do it that way um so then uh mr allen walk me through what we should do now thank you madam chair um at this time um one approach would be to consider this as kind of an like you do for an information item and and send it back for for action or continue this [03:37:05] as an action item for december 16th if you want to include the amendment that you've already voted on you could amend uh the base motion as amended and uh direct that this be brought back in two weeks as an action item for further uh consideration of amendments okay so since she um since vice donahue went ahead and did a motion did we i don't think we seconded it yet i don't think we did yet [03:37:37] huh i don't think we i don't think it was an actual amendment quite yet so then right does anybody remember five minutes ago it wasn't seconded at this point so that we can go ahead and make another amendment to direct it to come back is that okay with you vice chair Donahue yes that makes sense thank you madam chair okay so okay um so let's go ahead and um vote [03:38:07] so let's go ahead and make a motion I think maybe uh Mr. Allen to make a motion to bring this back for action you don't necessarily need a motion to to bring it back as an action item just okay but if you want let's go ahead and vote on the first amendment and and uh as a and amend it to the base of motion okay so let's go ahead and let's just close that part up so that's done um [03:38:45] okay um then let's go ahead and uh vote on the motion as amended which was the dates being changed on the basement we voted on it but we have to vote on it as amended to close it out vote on the base motion as amended um do i have to have a second i don't think so second you could for okay whatever it's second to me okay um and there's i'm assuming no [03:39:24] discussion but is there no we're just huh the date will be april 30th yeah moved it back okay clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote that motion passes unanimously now can we direct staff to bring back this for action next week uh in on the 16th and uh with the request of um vice chair donahue and to work it through for [03:40:03] the red line yes thank you madam chair if I could request some clarification as to whether we would be I am I am in support of doing that I would like to request clarification on whether we would still be discussing and potentially voting on other proposed amendments tonight that depends if they are fully fleshed out yeah yes I I can speak to my amendment which is the other one on the table and mine we need to work through all the other amendments [03:40:41] before mine is even relevant so I will wait if we're gonna wait my only other question is are there other things that need to be discussed and changed because we cannot punt this right after the 16th so whatever needs to get done we need to speak now or forever hold our peace because this needs to get done so that the process can begin if there are any other grammatical or editorial kinds of things, I would, okay, there are. Vice Chair Donahue. Thank you, Madam Chair. This may, this may [03:41:19] be strictly a grammatical thing. Yes, I am an editor. I'm sorry. On lines, looking at the red line, on lines 304, 307, and 311 of the red line, that is section, subsection F at the top of that page and then it goes down to one two three and four and after reviewing the entirety of this policy draft multiple times the other factors for special [03:41:57] permission that we were just discussing section 3 begins on line 203 of the red line and I believe special permission application timeline on 319 is for the next section. And I also kind of was thinking that the one, two, and three above it on lines 304, 37, and 311 are parts of, sub parts of section F. And if that is the case, I was wondering if that was meant to be, for example, further indented with small eyes as it is up in section C on lines [03:42:34] 261 to 267 and if that is not necessary to be voted on great so the question is would that be a technical change correct yes mr. Allen are you nodding your head mr. Allen that would be a technical change that we do not have to vote on if that is correct yes if the staff is going to bring this back in two weeks anyways they can clean that up yes great okay one more thank you for your patient manager and my colleagues in lieu of the more drastic proposals that I [03:43:12] had put up on board docs I would like to offer a different proposed amendment for consideration by my colleagues related to special permission applications my proposal is on line 174 of the red line at the end of the paragraph about applications that says an appropriate new application must be submitted annually by the parent or legal guardian or student via special permission and request between the first business day of February and what is now the end day going [03:43:41] to be April 30th, I propose that we add at the end of that section 1A the following two sentences. Applicants may but are not required to identify the reason for the student's special permission request. Applicants who identify a specific reason are encouraged to provide documentation [03:44:06] with the application. Yes, Dr. Deans. I'm concerned that documentation is going to exclude some parents who really need the special permission because those parents of a lower income is not going to pay a psychologist or a pediatrician to write any documentation for her or him. [03:44:43] So, I'm not sure that this whole special permission thing needs to even go forward. I know you're moving the dates so that we can get it done before summer break. [03:45:05] But with us changing attendance zones, and now we're going to give special permission to go to certain schools, are those two actions not oxymorons? mr. Dolson do you want to discuss what or or share what we the wording that we discussed about boundary changes for special permission because we did add [03:45:43] that language boundary zone changes for and special permission we did address that issue we talked about it specifically in regards to this school year and others yes because of so yes in looking at the dates and looking at how it would present challenges to scheduling and to staffing looking ahead if you do not also have those things set but you're are you specifically [03:46:18] no I'm line 125 yes yes I apologize you have to look at lines to 125 on we did discuss that and that is placed in here because the thought was that if we are moving kids out of a school like don't get mad dominion trail we're just talking about it then we don't want kids who are on special permission to be able to stay there we want them to have to go like [03:46:53] reapply again correct and you've all you've already started with elementary in one small pocket and so obviously the trajectory is other areas secondary so yes you you have enumerated what that might look like in the current red line policy I am not ready to get rid of special permission right now so I'm not I'm I'm just gonna lay that on the line right now I'm not ready to do that yes vice chair Donahue thank you madam chair I just wanted to respond to dr. Deans's point about potentially this being an obstacle to parents and that is [03:47:31] certainly not my intent but I I have had the experience of sitting as we all have had the experience of sitting on some of the special appeals sitting in those rooms and and looking at the looking at the requests from parents and sometimes a parent might say my child is being bullied and there may be a question in our minds was this reported to the school and that's that's not something that you would have to have a professional a mental health professional provide a piece of paper you can just print out the email from your home to say my child that says I reported to the principal that my child [03:48:08] is being bullied and no action was taken and again I I do not want to create obstacles but I do think that having documentation available has helped me in my decision-making process when I've been on those appeal panels and but that is also why I've specifically phrased this language to encourage parents not to require so vice chair Donahue in your wording I heard the word may is that the wording that you had in there may provide may decide to provide can you [03:48:41] may may identify a reason as for the request may but are not but are not required to provide a reason for the request sorry applicants may but are not not required to identify the reason for the student's special permission requests request applicants who identify a specific reason are encouraged to provide documentation with the application so encouraged and not required correct okay um that would be an amendment to go for [03:49:17] it on the 16th so write that up as an amendment for you know a motion for next for the 16th um and then uh i think that this is going to come back with your other uh amendment and and if we could have that in a motion that specific lines specific everything don't just include it in the red line but i think that it's important to have it in a motion uh format uh specifically and then [03:49:50] also um we do not have to have tech we can we can do a technical change of the other things so that's what we will work towards next on the 16th is that a temperature change is that cool with the board yes i'm saying yes okay great perfect let's move on mr allen may i move on without any other votes of any sort no just if the the record reflects that you're directing staff to make those changes did you just say no i can't move on oh i was clarifying madam chair [03:50:27] that the record reflects that you are directing staff to make those proposed changes and that the board will consider this or continue this for an action item on the December 16th. Okay everything that Mr. Allen said we will continue all of this on the 16th. Okay moving on let's go let's move on to the information items. Thank you Mr. Dolson and Ms. Richardson for your patience and for everything else I appreciate it okay moving on to item 14 information item student behavior and accountability committee revisions to policy 86 55 [03:51:05] student personal device use presented by Ms. LaBelle who's our chair of student behavior and accountability committee Ms. LaBelle thank you madam chair the student behavior and accountability committee worked on this the main thrust of this was to get it in compliance with what is now state law. [03:51:30] Cell phones are not to be used or any personal communication devices are not to be used from bell to bell. Exceptions being for those students who have special needs IEPs 504 plans with specific accommodations saying what devices they need and who should be using them. So if you'd like to go ahead and take a look at this, it's fairly simple. This was passed back in May by the state legislature. Thank you, [03:52:05] Ms. LaBelle. I have one question. My understanding is that there is the wording in code was restrict not prohibit is that correct it would be restrict if you're considering that you're allowing some students to use personal devices for special needs so that in that case yes you're restricting other students prohibiting would be everybody you are correct that's an interesting [03:52:41] thought um okay so i mean i'm just going to go on the record i mean i will probably vote I probably won't vote no for this I'll probably abstain and the reason being is because I feel like high school students should be able to use and be taught how to use personal devices in you know during their break or during lunch I think you have to teach responsible [03:53:19] device use as well I have some I know that we always say that we have this cutout for kids with special education students with disabilities and ELL students and and kids who have diabetes and medical needs and things like that I just want to make sure that we put it in those plans that they can use their personal devices in their accommodation section which historically we have not done so those those are my discussions and my comments and again it is state [03:53:55] law bell to bell they may use them before school after school on buses but when that first bell rings then that kind of communication has to cease thank you yeah and again I would I would parse words with restrict but I understand the point so okay yes miss Chandler thank you madam chair I would really just like to go on the record and say I truly understand these changes are mandated by changes to Virginia code this is the the law this is not something that's being [03:54:30] left to local discretion we have no nuance or ability to impact changes to the policy this is something we have to respond to that said even though I understand we are required to make these changes. The issues that I see that trouble me in knowing that we have to do this is that we're taking away this law, the changes to the code, take away privacy for students with special education needs. They're going to be so easily identified when [03:55:10] they're using their devices, and no one else is. And I'm just troubled by that. I also think it's going to be incredibly challenging for teachers, principals, school staff, the division, to deal with this as a discipline issue. [03:55:27] I think we all know that having perfect self-regulation is a challenge for students at the secondary level. And the way we are proposing to move forward is that the students are going to be responsible for regulating their own behavior and i i just foresee it's going to be a huge discipline problem um that said i accept that this is what we're going to have to do um i just want to go on the record of noting those two issues that i'm struggling with well said ms chandler uh yes vice chair donoghue thank you very much madam chair [03:56:04] to your earlier point the the code that was passed states each school board shall develop appropriate policies relating to student cell phone and smart device possession and use on school property from bell to bell, such policies shall restrict student cell phone and smart device possession and use on school property from bell to bell. It does not say prohibit, it says restrict, which was the prior language of our policy was use shall be restricted. So I am curious why [03:56:40] SBAC is proposing a complete ban. I think Dr. Spence might want to talk about that. Yes, thank you, Madam Chair and Vice Chair Donahue for the question. So we did seek clarity with the Department of Education because of the ongoing debate about the word restrict. They spoke to the patrons of the bill. [03:57:10] The patrons of the bill made it clear to the department that they intended for this to be beginning of the day to the end of the day. no use of phones and so if the board were to not vote for this I suspect that would be a test and I only mention that specifically of interest the secretary of education called me about this last week wanting to know when the board would come into compliance with state law I've never had that phone call before so I just want you to know that for awareness well and that's that's the [03:57:47] reason why we need to be very specific about our wording in legislation and proposing bills yes I think maybe what they are indicating by the word restrict means that they can use them on school grounds, but not in between those hours when the bell rings in the morning and the afternoon. [03:58:05] That may be their way of dealing with it, because they are allowed to use them for clubs or, you know, on buses or for other places. So maybe the restriction is just from bell to bell, and that's how they worded it. I really don't know what was in their mind other than we're not supposed to be using them during instructional time during the day I just don't know that it matters what we think at this point. It is what it is [03:58:33] Okay, any other discussion? Yes, dr. Dean's I think from committee supporting the discussion in the committee We talked about those exceptions but realized that we could not get around the mandate with those exceptions. So other committee members, correct me if I'm wrong, [03:59:06] we had the same discussion but went forward with allowing the policy to say bell to bell because that's what the mandate says. And the other piece is with all the data about the mental health of students and their cell phones would also support us supporting the mandate that we've received from the state. Thank you, Dr. Deans. Any other discussion? Yes, Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, [03:59:42] Madam Chair. I am supportive of Belle de Belle. I don't think we have a choice either, but I am actually supportive. I'm really proud of the work that we did to get to this point. I think we sort of led the charge on it, actually, and I feel really proud that it's gone very well. I think we've gotten a lot of positive feedback from students and from teachers. My fear with this policy is that the state is saying we need to be more restrictive. And this policy to me feels like it is way looser than what we had before. And I've talked to a bunch of high school teachers and [04:00:18] just trying to understand, I think it would be helpful for me to understand more logistical clarity school consistency and how we plan to actually implement this because if you'll remember back when we passed this policy I was pretty adamant about having the storage container thingy I don't know if they have a name yeah the little pouches and having them out of the backpacks because my biggest worry was that kids were going to be sneaking them in their backpacks and so as I'm just thinking about rubber meeting the road right like here's a new policy we [04:00:55] have a policy that works teachers really like it it keeps kids focused on instruction and the phones if the teachers feel necessary go in a pouch away from them so I'm trying to think about now with that removed from this is the goal that it just stays in their backpack I'm hearing from some principals that they're going to put them as reassigned lockers for people to have them in lockers okay some schools don't have enough lockers for every student. New high schools are being built without lockers, so that's an equity issue. There's disparities there. So I just want to make sure that before I vote yes on this policy that I understand what those logistics are [04:01:34] going to be. Is that going to come in the form of a regulation? Is that going to come in schools, make that choice on their own? How do we ensure that this is consistent and fair for all students by removing all of those logistical items from the policy. That was a loaded statement, but want to know what the plan is. Who are you directing that to? Whoever can answer. I think Dr. Spence might want to answer. Yeah, I think the short version is that what schools could expect is clear communication from the administration on [04:02:09] the expectation for how this will be enforced. I think we're still working through some of that because there are some questions in terms of like how we're going to handle it. You know, for example, if a student refuses to give up their phone, if they've taken it out and it's a violation right and so there's going to be some we're still having some conversations realizing this is right around the corner we do have a communication plan to communicate to families about this we have a communication plan that includes information that will be posted on the walls of our schools that will help ensure some of that consistent understanding of what's expected and then we'll work with our administrators on enforcement and how to how to do that in a way that is both educational on [04:02:48] the front end and then attached to consequences if the behavior continues I I guess a more specific question is, if teachers are using the storage pouch and feel like that's effective, it keeps the phone out of their hands during instructional time, is that still allowed? Yes, my belief is that we will expect that to continue. [04:03:06] Okay. And that after the instructional time is concluded and they're moving between classes, that the students will have to conduct themselves responsibly and will have to have it in their backpacks and then move to the next class, and then at lunch they'll need to keep them put away. [04:03:23] Okay. And then if it's seen, it's taken? Well, as I said, we're working through the logistics of that. I mean, we know we've been through this before. It's not the first time down this road of whether or not you have to confiscate cell phones and the issues that that creates. So we're working right now with our principals to try to understand it. [04:03:39] And it's one of the reasons we sort of did that survey to reach out to our staff and our families to say, what issues will this create that we need to be aware of so we can work through that? So we are working through the guidance that we'll give to our principals about that. there may be some changes that have to happen, or at least some alignment in terms of our understanding of those behaviors of take it out and have it seen, and then we've got to take it from you and align that to the current code of conduct, and so we're working through it. [04:04:06] Okay, I appreciate that. And so that's also smartwatches. Yes. All devices. All devices. Smartwatches, a student's personal computer. iPad. Anything that is defined in the law as smart technology, your phone, smartwatches, Your personal computer, Ray-Ban glasses, all that stuff, any of it has to be put away. [04:04:30] And, you know, cell phones can be stored. They're the primary culprit. But the rest of it, it'll be, if it's seen, we'll have to have a conversation about next steps. Okay. And then it mentions the SRNR in here. I know right now the SRNR has a section about devices. Will that be updated then to reflect these changes in the policy? [04:04:50] May need to be. I think initially, I think the thinking is no, but it may need to be depending on how implementation proceeds. Okay, because that's usually like a once a year thing that we update. So I just wasn't sure if we've done that mid-year or not to bring clarity here. It feels like there'll be some shifts. [04:05:06] Typically, I don't think so. Okay. But again, I think some of this is going to be, let's see what happens, and then we may have to adjust. It's hard to vote on a policy when you're saying, let's see what happens. I have a little bit of angst about that, so I guess I'll need to work that out in the next two weeks. [04:05:22] I appreciate that it's nuanced and that there's a lot to consider, but maybe over the next two weeks, if there's clarity, I think that that would be helpful. The only other thing I wanted to ask about is field trips. Some field trips go beyond bell-to-bell, and some don't. [04:05:40] Some are instructional, and some are king's dominion. So I'm just, how does field trips work? Do we have an answer on that? So the policy covers on-premise only. So when you're off-premise on a school bus, or you're on a field trip, you're in D.C., you're at King's Dominion, this policy that is not on-premise at an LCPS property, so it's bell-to-bell on an LCPS campus. [04:06:03] Thank you. I will not put in a King's Dominion amendment. All right, I will end my soapbox and appreciate the conversation. Thank you. Ms. Dillon. Again, coming from the student perspective, I do want to just say, like, a big thank you and just congratulate you for the phone policy we do have now because it is very effective. [04:06:24] It's working very well. We're doing great things with it. But I know, and I appreciate Dr. Spence, you came in for a town hall meeting about two weeks ago, and I appreciate the time you put into that. And I know a lot of students had questions about the new phone policy. I actually took action on that and took that survey to multiple staff focus groups along with student focus groups and had them fill it out all together. [04:06:45] And I think the one thing that we were all talking about is consistency. I know there's a lot of questioning that goes into it and that there is a lot of clarity that's needed. specifically for Valley we do one lunch so we have 1200 kids at once eat lunch all together and we don't have that much staff so enforcing a rule when you have 1200 kids versus 100 staff members is going to be very difficult and it's something I know we're going to have to work around we're going to have to work through we also don't have lockers anymore we don't do lockers so lockers are not an option I guess the phone pocket slots have been working well students [04:07:25] know that that is their responsibility to put that in there and we do enforce it well but we're not we don't have enough phone pockets for 1200 kids at lunch as well and also just that same thing you have your phone in your backpack you're going to slip it out during lunch and you're you're going to you're in a crowd of 1200 kids no one's going to notice you but it's against the rules so my question is just more about how are we enforcing it how is it going to stay consistent and is it really ethical for people who have one lunch or who have multiple students and not enough staff. [04:07:57] So thank you. Well may I address that? Okay and we have an entire set of rules which we expect our students to adhere to and those students always have a choice about whether or not they're going to adhere to those rules and then there are a consistent set of expectations that have to be enforced by school administrators and school staff. This is one of those. I was a high school principal for nine years. We had a no cell phone policy for all of those nine years in the county [04:08:36] in which I was a high school principal. We enforced that, and there were often times where students would try to sneak their phone out. We had a, if we see it, we will have a conversation with you the first time. If we see it again, we will confiscate it and call your parents. If we see it After that, we'll keep it for a week. [04:08:53] We had that as a countywide rule. And it was well understood by our families. It was well understood by our students. And we followed that rule consistently. And it allowed us to help our students develop that sense of responsibility for if this is the expectation, then this is what we're going to do. [04:09:10] You know, I think Ms. Chandler made a great point earlier, and I tend to agree, that we do need to teach our students to use technology responsibly. But also, if you are at your place of employment and your employer says, do not take out your cell phone while you're at work, like my son when he goes to work, I expect him to know that's what that means. [04:09:29] Put it away and don't take it out. And if that's what we are communicating in our schools, I think it is okay for us to expect that to happen. We need to engage in conversations with our students about what that means. We need to enlist the help and support of our families so that they can share that those are the expectations as well with their children. [04:09:46] And then we need to make sure that we are enforcing those in a way that is at first educational and then attaching consequences if the education doesn't work. Thank you, Dr. Spence. Okay, moving on. [04:10:05] 14.02. I know, right? No, but words matter. 14.02, Joint Committee of Loudoun County School Board and Loudoun County Board. Oh, this is me. board of supervisors revisions to 2025-2026 work plan presented by me joint committee of the loudon county school board and loudon county board of supervisors so we met on november 17 2025 and the joint committee of the school board and board of supervisors approved revisions to a 2025-2026 joint committee work plan these committee these revisions which the committee is recommending [04:10:45] for approval by both boards including the addition of two key information items the loudon the eastern loudon community art center and the sheriff's office adult detention center's ged program and then also there was a suggestion to delete the items concerning their t-shirts because the wars they figured out how to pay for them otherwise and specific school traffic congestion [04:11:16] which uh mr lewis remind me it's just not a thing anymore right that's correct that program does not no longer exist right so this action directs the staff to prepare the updated agenda items for presentation at future board of supervisors and school board meetings that's it um do you guys have any questions no oh can it go on consent that's a great question okay yeah okay well [04:11:51] putting that on consent. Yes. Okay. 14.03 Department of Support Services Ashburn and Dulles North Elementary School attendance zone presented by Kevin Lewis our Chief Operation Officer and [04:12:06] Beverly Tate Director Planning and GIS Services. Mr. Lewis and Ms. Tate. [04:12:36] Good evening. In an effort to be brief I realize that it's been a long evening I just wanted to provide an update to the board of course you were wearing those here with us still are also where we have four plans that are presently under active consideration by the school board both the staff plan are 1117 and our staff plan are 11 and staff plan are 17 redistrict plan 280 and redistrict plan 533 I have these slides here that [04:13:13] are just providing the map if there are specific questions I have noted in the slide which schools are not being recommended for changes with any of the plans happy to answer any questions but I did want to draw attention to the next two meetings on next Monday December 8 is the final briefing and public hearing on the attendance own process with the help of communication staff we will be noticing all 18 elementary school communities and staff for their [04:13:50] awareness if folks have not been following the meetings and then on December 16 when the board takes up this item as an action item I just wanted to kind of reiterate what's in policy that the board would entertain motions for the adoption or modification of a plan under active consideration so it could be any of the four plans any effort to bring forward another plan before the board would require suspension of the rules and the requisite two-thirds votes of members present to do so however motions to amend any plan that's [04:14:26] entertained can be taken up as part of the action item and can be adopted by a simple majority vote so I just wish to put that out there we've had some questions as to how the process moves so I believe that was my final slide again happy to answer questions we have our contact information here we continue to receive questions we got several over the Thanksgiving break and we're trying to get them answered including questions from you all as well I actually just posted a response to your question dr. Rashid while we were sitting back there but I do have questions if you've got questions I'm here otherwise we look [04:15:04] forward to seeing everybody next Monday. Alright, any questions? Yes, Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, Madam Chair. Just trying to address some of the concerns that have now been brought up after our last conversation. I think it was fruitful conversation about what's happening at Dominion Trail in terms of the space, the accommodations for Title One that have been made and now it seems pretty clear that they will not have Title One status as the speakers mentioned tonight and as Dr. Ellis followed up with us this week so I guess my question is directly will their base [04:15:42] is it worth consider well I know they believe that it's worth it so maybe not rephrase it's getting late I'm trying friends I am can we have can we assume that looking at the base capacity with pre title one numbers is important to consider because they will lose their title one status thank you for asking question because I had written that note down and failed to mention it the data that we're providing is based off of the current school year it's the 25 26 base [04:16:18] capacity we calculate capacity every year the only exceptions with what we staff have provided you with the plans thus far are with respect to Madison's Trust in Creighton's Corner we have provided you base capacity without the modular classrooms at the school because it is staffs belief and staffs understanding from community members and individual board members the intent to get rid of those remove them yes shouldn't say get rid of remove them from site when possible so that's the only exception to the capacity calculations [04:16:56] that staff has done I know a number of the speakers have indicated that the capacity would be 674 Dominion Trail if the school did not have a title one status this year Dominion Trail is a 34 classroom school just like Ashburn Elementary and Ashburn Elementary is not title one and their classroom capacity their base capacity this year is 638 so if we were to provide that to you board members that would be a variance from all of the other school capacity was provided because we're trying to maintain the current year the [04:17:35] capacity for Dominion Trail would be 638 if the attendance zone remains the same going into next year okay so if we wanted to do those calculations we could look at it at 638 is would be your recommendation yes ma'am but if the zone for the school changes in any way I don't wish to speak for dr. Ellis I I don't know if that would impact the school's Title I status for next year. [04:18:05] That was my next follow-up question, actually. I think I can address that. Okay, great. We've looked at that. We don't believe it would. Okay. All right. I appreciate that, and we'll reflect on that. And then I guess my other question is, I know it was sort of mentioned again to me. [04:18:24] I had proposed in my Plan 280 to move DN05 to Ashburn Elementary, sort of as a consolation, because that was more of a pure feed and not to put them at Stuart Weller. And also in my plan, moving back some of the neighborhoods to Stuart Weller that have requested, it felt not appropriate then to just stack Stuart Weller. [04:18:47] I guess the question really is, if they are not in Title I status, I know it puts Ashburn's numbers at a little bit higher to move DNO5. So are we just displacing one group to another, but it's creating the same issue if we were to move DNO5 to Ashburn Elementary? [04:19:13] 5.3, sorry. Right, so in the out year, Ashburn Elementary would be projected to have a capacity utilization of 87%. Okay, thank you. [04:19:30] And then my last question has to do with Willisford Grant, which maybe you've had a chance to answer. I know you're smiling because I've been following up with you. And if you don't have it until next Monday, we can table this discussion. but the data that was presented to us in terms of the new neighborhoods being in the new residents being embedded versus not embedded and that was the question that dr. Rashid had submitted in writing so I have we just posted the response but I will give you a brief summary of that we do reflect the development with those those three specific projects they are reflected in the projections for [04:20:09] Elaine Thompson however there are mix of projects some are single-family detached some are multifamily and some are single-family attached or townhomes all residential projects do not develop the same and they do not all generate the same number of children that impacts enrollment at all schools we anticipate that a lot of the development with those projects is included in the projections they were but we also anticipate that some of that development will occur out of outside of this six-year planning period so it is [04:20:46] reflected there we do find we get more students out of single-family detached homes than we do out of multifamily particularly if multifamily units have a one-bedroom unit for housing versus a two or three-bedroom multifamily unit it's just it's families but we do it is reflected in there I would remind the board that our projections that were presented on October 28th the same time we launched this boundary process staff is projecting a declining enrollment for LCPS and that is seen across the division at all schools so that's [04:21:22] reflected in the same kind of lens as everybody's looking at Elaine Thompson we're reflecting a decline there as well at grades in schools so but with the response is posted in writing that's probably a little bit more clear than yeah speaking right now and I will say one of the questions that they had was about the grade level number specifics and we you pointed that out to me last night that we do have those numbers and I think this whole booklet thing is on board docs right so it's in some board docs it's also on our web page okay I have them individually posted it's in section 8 if you're listening wills for [04:22:00] grant you can look at the different numbers and it is very top-heavy that and the numbers coming in are much lower when you look at those zoned places so that does seem to align to me with the numbers that you all have given us as well so I just wanted them to know that I did take a deeper look and I appreciate you pointing that out that these zones that you have it actually by grade level and that you can see you know some as many as 41 leaving and five coming in so that that's something to really look at and consider as well and And then I guess my last question is sort of to my colleagues and sort of where people are at and what they're considering. [04:22:39] I know there was some conversation about walk zones last time, so I'm not sure if anybody has feelings about that as we sort of kind of start to hone in on where we're going to land here in two weeks. Thank you. Dr. Deans. [04:22:56] One of the things that I think that we have talked to the different neighborhoods, we've heard from the different neighborhoods. [04:23:06] However, I think one of the statements that I have to make is that the families might not know what they don't know or what they don't have because students being serviced in a hallway or in a public setting where students need more focus puts the student at a disadvantage. [04:23:37] And so while we have our love for a particular school or a particular neighborhood, I think that we also have to look at it from the educational delivery point of view, in that educational delivery would be more effective if this delivery was being made in an environment that would be more conducive to student learning. [04:24:06] and that's the only statement I have to make that statement I've driven around from one school to the other and looked at them and that's just a statement that I think maybe the parents don't recognize what their students are missing by being in an overcrowded school. Mrs. Griffiths. [04:24:34] Thank you Madam Chair. I just want to be clear I've been talking to people at Dominion um and they had given dominion trail and they had given me um plans and i just wanted to be clear after looking at the plans i am okay with 533 i wanted to let you guys know except for i will be working on an amendment to remove sanders corner but um i don't know how much that will affect your plan but um i don't think i got back to a lot of you about that um everything else looks [04:25:08] good to me but i just wanted to be clear so you know where i stand that sandra's corner is under capacity and they have the dual uh immersion program and um they're fine i i don't feel that they should move to cedar lane so um i would like you know i'll end up removing them from the 533 so i just wanted to let you all know um you guys have been great advocates for your kids and the schools and i wanted you to know where i was on that okay thank you thank you [04:25:42] mr griffiths any other discussion all right oh dr rasheed thank you chair i um i i wanted to tell you know a lot of the people that came out that i'll be in support of 533 with the two amendments first to keep dominion trail as is and to keep willisford at madison's willisford grant at Madison's Trust and don't move 36.4. So just I'm really wavering on that specific plan 533 with [04:26:14] those amendments. Thank you. Okay anybody else? It's going to be a lively conversation. Okay moving on to item 14.04. Oh we've done that already. 14.05 legislative audit and policy Committee, Revisions to Policy 3410, Office of Auditor General, presented by April Chandler, Chair of LANP. Ms. Chandler. Thank you, Madam Chair. I wanted to start out tonight by saying [04:26:49] the Legislative Audit and Policy Committee has been working sort of on an overarching project to bring more unity and clarity to the policies that oversee the division employees who report to the school board. And this committee in particular came up and began with a discussion about who in our organizational structure is best suited to offer the Office of the Auditor General or the Auditor General a performance evaluation. The Auditor General is by explicit institutional [04:27:29] purpose meant to be independent and impartial. And in doing a deep dive on the norms and protocols of other school divisions that have auditor generals, the committee decided to put forth an idea that the office of the auditor general should have a direct report on the school board in order to preserve independence. By bringing the authority to employ the auditor general under the authority of the school board, the office of the auditor general will align more appropriately with a typical industry standard. Other divisions with similar models include Fairfax and Virginia [04:28:04] Beach. We discussed the best course of action and weighed placing the auditor under the direct supervision of the school board chair, but opted for leaving the supervision in the legislative audit and policy committee, which works most directly with the auditor general. This alignment works well for direct oversight for the actual work and sets us up in the event in the future that we choose to create a new standing committee to transfer oversight of the auditor general from the legislative audit and policy committee to a [04:28:38] freestanding audit committee so that is where we are with this policy and the edits that are included reflect that thank you miss Chandler any other discussion okay moving on 14.06 legislative audit and policy committee revisions to policy 2130 oath of office I guess that oh actually I could ask do [04:29:13] does anybody want 3410 to go to consent for the December 16th so we're gonna have a big meeting that meeting miss Griffiths okay that will go not go to consent it will go to action for December 16th okay now I guess this is is this going to be presented by dr. Bergen chief of staff yeah thank you [04:29:47] Madam Chair. Policy 2130 was last reviewed by the board in September of 2021. This is coming out of LANP with no proposed changes to the existing language since it currently aligns with our current practice, conforms with the requirements of Virginia Code, and namely that prior to assuming their official responsibilities, each elected or appointed member of the school board must take and affirm the oath of office as prescribed for officers of the Commonwealth. So again, no proposed changes. It's simply up for its five-year review. Thank you, Dr. Bergen. Board [04:30:24] members, do you have any questions? Can we put this item on consent for the December 16th? Okay, that will go to consent on December 16th. Moving on to 14.07 LENP revisions to policy 2140, orientation and professional development for board members presented by Dr. Barkin again. [04:30:44] Yes, 2140 was last reviewed by the board in November of 2021, and there are a number of significant revisions coming out of LAMP to this particular policy. [04:31:01] First of all, insertion of the word new into the title. So this policy would then pertain just to new board members as the policy speaks to the orientation process for new board members, whether they be elected or appointed to the board. Other proposed edits include revised language in paragraph C regarding the planning of in-depth programming by the board chair in collaboration with the superintendent and the expectation that the orientation session occur within 30 days of election or appointment. [04:31:36] And I think it's just timely that we're talking about that tonight as we've introduced our three new board members, and they are currently this week undergoing their orientation session. Finally, it's recommended to remove paragraph F from this policy, which sets forth the requirements for professional development for the superintendent and for all of the school board members. [04:31:59] The proposal is to move that language wholly and intact into other policies where they fit more tightly. So moving the professional development requirements from this policy into 3120, which is powers and duties of the division superintendent, and moving the professional development expectations for all board members to policy 1035, which is school board norms, protocols, and violations. [04:32:29] Mr. Bergen, are we voting on 1035 any time? There was a fair amount of discussion in LAMP about 1035, and the committee asked to keep 1035 in committee for their next meeting. [04:32:46] Okay, so then I might not vote for that particular point to be taken out yet until it's put back into 1035, or 1035. [04:33:06] It's just me, because I think that it's required by code for us to do training, is it not, Mr. Allen? Yes, yes, Chair Mansfield, that's correct. [04:33:25] Any other questions? Okay, yes, Mr. Streffy. I just had one question about, so the title of the policy is Orientation and Professional Development for New Board Members, but I think the revised changes really focus on the orientation piece and remove references to professional development. [04:33:49] Maybe somebody could just kind of talk me through the reason for that and how that piece might have been discussed. Thank you, Mr. Streffi. I don't recall the committee having a discussion about that. I appreciate the point you're raising. [04:34:08] The orientation is professional development, but I hear your point. It could stand as orientation for new school board members without including professional development. But I would defer to the members of LAMP if they want to comment to your question. [04:34:32] - Any other discussion? - Okay, we'll move on to LA 14.08, LA&P, Committee Revisions to Policy 3120, Powers and Duties of the Division of Superintendent. [04:34:58] Again, I guess presented by Dr. Mark Bergen, Chief of Staff. - Yes, Madam Chair, again, that just follows from the proposed revisions to 2140 to remove the language with expectations that the superintendent participate professional development just takes that paragraph out of 2140 which is pertinent to board members and puts it in 3120 which is pertinent to the division superintendent but otherwise the language remains in whole just moving it from one policy to the other board members do you have any questions [04:35:33] yes uh ms janler um i just wanted to preview for the board um that i intend to make a motion when this is up for action and I will submit this amendment in writing so that everyone has time to consider it before we vote on the updates but I will be submitting language beginning on line 20 that would read the division superintendent shall have the authority to delegate to other school personnel the exercise of any powers and the discharge of any duties imposed on the superintendent [04:36:09] consistent with the applicable law, policy, bylaw, regulation, and other governing documents of the school board. I think this is just in line with our current practice and will make the policy more streamlined. Right. Could you say that in plain language, what you mean? I think it's consistent with our practice that not every item that is delegated to the superintendent is actually performed by the superintendent, and it is appropriate and legal for certain duties to be delegated to others. [04:36:41] staff members and this would just give us um a little bit more clarity within the policy okay um any other discussion no okay um this will not this will go to action uh for the school board meeting um since we're going to have an amendment and then the one previous um 14.07 that will also go to action um all right i think that is everything for information uh we'll go to [04:37:19] board member comment and committee reports um do you guys want to go ahead and do that three minutes all right miss labelle you're up thank you madam chair uh obviously sbac student behavior and accountability committee has been working uh very hard on the new cell phone personal device policy, and that was one of the things. Other things that we've been doing or that I've been doing, I visited several schools, one for their Veterans Day performance, another one for a [04:37:59] Family Flight Fun Day fest, I think they called it. We had helicopters landing, and the students there got to speak to Freddo, who was the last living astronaut from Apollo 13, so that was very, very interesting. We also checked out several other schools. We were looking at their adaptive playgrounds and finding other issues that were problems that we needed to see to. So it's been [04:38:30] fairly busy, but things are moving along. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. LaBelle. Dr. Rasheed. Thank you, Chair. At the November MSAC meeting, delegates were introduced to new members of committee leadership. The committee also received presentations on career and technical education and math course selection, and delegates were able to ask important questions about access and representation in career pathways and accelerated math courses. [04:38:58] By the way, save the date for the annual equity event on May 2nd, and look for information about community assistance and an upcoming career night. The next MSAC meeting is scheduled for December 17th, and also last month I attended the Virginia School Board Association annual convention in Williamsburg. [04:39:15] Among other activities, I attended two sessions on topics that school divisions across the country are grappling with. In one session, presenters talked about the challenges that go along with AI use in schools. They advised us about training, guiding policy for students and teachers. In another session, we learned about addressing school threats and new related legislation. [04:39:35] These presentations will help inform my approach to both advancements and challenges in our county, and I am grateful for the opportunity to attend. Thank you, Chair. thank you dr. Rashid we'll move on to Ms. Chernoff thank you madam chair at the November leaf meeting we reviewed policy 86 55 the personal device usage which we spoke about tonight and we also have they also received a budget updates on both the CIP and cap budget as well as the operating budget so very grateful to staff for being there to speak with our parents we had we have the next two months off so we take a little bit of a break during budget season and the [04:40:14] holiday season and so that gives all of us time to put a plug to get more members but we are seeing an increase in membership and so that has been a productive meeting. Tomorrow night is the CNI meeting and we are going to be discussing three things. We're going to get an update on the Eastern Loud and Welcome Center which is scheduled to open later in the spring. We'll get a preschool update as well as instructional technology update specifically tackling the topic of device usage. So we'll be looking at some data about how much devices are used in our school and talking about one-to-one usage in primary grades so check that out I also attended the VSBA conference [04:40:53] and was very grateful to have some time with my colleagues as well as other school board members around the state of Virginia and found that to be kind of refreshing to hear from others and learn from them as well about this unique role and shout out to Pinebrook Elementary who invited me to be on their PAW their PUMA pod cast and they asked me if I could tell their community anything I wanted about what it's like to be a school board member so you can check that out if you'd like it was a fun time and we really enjoyed that and then this Thursday will mark my visit to our 100th school I made a goal to [04:41:31] physically visit all 100 LCPS schools by the end of my first term and after Thursday I can say that I have either been there for an event or for an official visit to every single school in Loudoun County and I am very grateful to have done so. So thank you. Thank you, Ms. Chernoff. Mr. Streffi. Thank you, Madam Chair. Hard to follow 100 schools visited, but November was a busy month. [04:41:59] I'll start with some of the exciting stuff. I got a chance to participate in the Empowered English Learner Family Conference, which was a lot of fun. I just want to say thank you to all the community partners that exhibited and how amazing that was and seeing all the non-profits and community work and all of the organizations that are so invested in our schools and our communities. I also got to participate in the Interfaith Luncheon, which I think was such a success, and just hearing about all of the different ways our interfaith partners are supporting our school communities was exciting. Busy time for the PMC, for [04:42:38] the Performance Monitoring Committee, so in our last meeting we got to go through VALS and MTSS data, and we got an update that the VDOE has shared that they unanimously voted to pause implementation of the revised SOL cut scores, which is an important update that we received. [04:43:01] And next week, we will have two Performance Monitoring Committee meetings. So next Monday, we will have kind of the second iteration of a topic that we covered around racial speech, racial slurs and hate speech. So there'll be a continuation of that discussion. And then Tuesday we will have the next, the December version of our PMC meeting, along with a Tuesday afternoon meeting around finance and operations. So thank you. Thank you, Mr. Streffi. Vice Chair Donohue. [04:43:39] Thank you very much Madam Chair. I also had the privilege this month of attending the VSBA conference as well as the legislative breakfast. I also attended the Loudoun Chamber Small Business Awards earlier in the month. The Loudoun Education Foundation was a finalist for at least the second year in a row for Best Nonprofit Small Business in Loudoun County which to be nominated is a significant honor because there are more than a thousand nonprofit groups in Loudoun County so being narrowed down to one to four out of that thousand is is [04:44:15] very impressive. Loudoun Education Foundation scholarship season starts in January so in January be sure to check out their website. LEF received 133 applications for innovation and education classroom grants this year which is fantastic and they will also they will there check their website for when the application window is open. The last student services committee meeting of this calendar year will be on Thursday December 18th so if you want to come out and tell us how to fix special permission next year feel [04:44:54] free to come and sign up for our public comment and at VSBA I also attended this session on responding to threats in and against our schools which was a very interesting conversation and I attended a session on chronic absenteeism and also on recent changes to VHSL eligibility and waivers and exceptions which I look forward to to hopefully being able to put that knowledge to work our student services discussions going forward thank you thank you I guess I we [04:45:32] had the joint committee meeting of the Loudoun County School Board with the Board of Supervisors and we went over the unpaid meal debt and we discussed confiscated vape devices and Dr. Michelle Peace gave an amazing presentation and I would highly suggest anybody go check it out and listen to it highly informative and it's a great partnership with the Sheriff's Department and LCPS and VCU um the other thing that we did for the joint committee was we discussed the sheriff's uh that [04:46:10] the loudon county sheriff's office and leesburg police department memorandum of understanding together and it was a fruitful discussion um a reminder that tomorrow night wednesday december 3rd just a little plug for division of family and community community engagement they're hosting a welcome to lcps english learner family workshop it'll take place at the historic douglas school in leesburg starting at 6 30 and that the gifted education advisory committee will host a meeting next wednesday december 10th at 7 p.m right here at the administration building the agenda includes [04:46:47] math progression and pathways and teacher and student panel discussions which i are always my favorite and discussion on gifted program priorities and spectrum rebranding review and vote if you do decide to come they would appreciate it if you can rsvp so they can plan for attendees by going to the lcps gifted and talented web page and that is all for me dr deans last week i attended the special Olympics at Broad Run High School by invitation. [04:47:24] And what was exciting is that the principal said that so many students signed up, he had to stop the regular students from signing up in order to get all of his teacher cadets signed up first. And that was really special that they were that interested. [04:47:43] And it was a morning of full activity in two different gyms. So that was fun. All right, Ms. Chandler. Well, I feel like I just provided you with my committee report. [04:48:01] Pretty much. November has been just an incredibly busy month with the VSBA conference. But in looking back, I have to say the event that I enjoyed the most was the interfaith luncheon. It was really a heartwarming event and such a nice way to celebrate the over 50 interfaith partners who work directly with our schools and specifically our parent liaisons to provide support for our students. [04:48:33] And the work that they're doing in conjunction with our parent liaisons and our schools is just really very impactful and lovely. So I was glad that we had the opportunity to sit down together and celebrate that relationship. [04:48:49] So I am very much looking forward to continuing to have these many important discussions as this term comes to a close. and we welcome our new say goodbye to our current school board members and welcome our new school board members so thank you. Thank you Ms. Chandler. Mrs. Griffiths. Thank you Madam Chair. We weren't able to do comments in November so I wanted to take another moment and personally congratulate the board members that won their elections. Ms. Chandler with Algonquin, Ms. Chernoff for Leesburg, Ms. Riccardi for Sterling, Mr. Pepper for Dulles and Mr. Svensson for broad run on [04:49:25] their wins to the school board. They will join us in January. I would also like to say goodbye to our current board members, Ms. Mansfield of Dulles, Dr. Deans of Broad Run, and Mr. Estreffi of Sterling. Thank you for your contributions. Shifting gears, it was an honor to speak at the Veterans Day celebration at Waxpool Elementary on November 11th. Thank you to Principal Pellegrino, the Waxpool Elementary staff, and students and their families for making this such a memorable event. I want to extend a special thank you to all the veterans who participated in this event. [04:49:58] Your sacrifice doesn't go unnoticed. As one constituent put it, Veterans Day is not just another date on the calendar. It's a sacred day dedicated to honoring the brave men and women who served our country in the armed forces. These individuals sacrificed their time, comfort, and sometimes their lives to protect freedoms we enjoy every day and including our right to education. If it were up to me, you know, we'd have the day off on Veterans Day. I also had a wonderful time at Harper Park on American Education Night on November 20th. It was a pleasure to meet [04:50:32] so many talented students and their families. Thank you to Principal Huffer for welcoming me to that event. Shifting gears again, I had an amazing, a great experience at the Douglas High school commemorative graduation ceremony on November 21st. I appreciated the moving speeches by Chair Randall and Gertrude Ashton Evans, class of 1966. I had the great fortune of sitting next to Jackson Roberts, a Jay Lupton Simpson middle school student and grandson to James Roberts, [04:51:06] class of 1956. I look forward to seeing that documentary next year. I also attended the broad run adaptive field day where many high school students helped out and assisted our students with special needs. It was a great opportunity to check out the school's sensory rooms. I also stopped by the school store in DECA that's where I dropped off some suits and I and actually bought some items at their store. So I hope to donate more suits dress suits to the schools for DECA programs. I want to thank Mr. Slevin for taking the suits from me today for the [04:51:42] cte programs and that's all i have thank you thank you miss griffiths um okay item 16 new business new board members do we have any new business seeing none we'll move on to item 17 adjournment uh seeing as there no more business to discuss the december 2nd 2025 lawton county school board member meeting is now adjourned we have our final school board elementary school attendance zone briefing and public hearing on december 8th and our final school board meeting of 2025 will be on December 16th please drive home safely. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Coraggio Consulting ยท aguyonx.com