Coraggio Consulting
Prince William County School Board Meeting, Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Place: Prince William County School Board, Virginia
Length: 2h 37m (video)
Official meeting video (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECXfUJzjeuU
Official School Board page (PWCS): https://www.pwcs.edu/about/school_board/

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-28. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:00:02] - Okay, Prince William County School Board's called to order and we have a motion is now in order for the approval of the meeting agenda as amended. Vice Chair, Jesse. - I move that the Prince William County School Board approve the meeting agenda as recommended.

[00:00:19] - Do I have a second? - Mr. Chairman. - Ms. Zargarpur. - I second, wow, that's loud. - Any discussion, please vote. All in favor, aye, hands up in the air. Any opposed, no opposition. - Vote is six yes, one not present at vote.

[00:00:34] Dr. Dinik, motion passed. - Okay, motion to enter closed session. Mr. Vice Chair, Jesse. - That pursuant to section 2.2-3711 and 2.2-3712 of the Code of Virginia, the Prince William County School Board enter closed session for the following reasons.

[00:00:55] One, to discuss with staff at the assignment appointment, promotions, promotion, performance, demotions, salaries, discipline, or resignation of specific public officers, appointees, or employees of any public body pursuant to section 2.2-3711A1 of the Code of Virginia.

[00:01:21] Two, to discuss with division counsel and staff actual or probable litigation and specific legal matters involving staff, students, and other civil litigation involving the school division under the section of 2.2-3711A7 and 8 of the Code of Virginia.

[00:01:45] And three, to discuss the award of public contract to employees, exclusive representative with involved the expenditure of public funds and the turn of scope of such contract where discussion in an open session will adversely affect the bargaining position of negotiation strategy of the public body, pursuant to section 2.2, that's 3711A29 of the code of Virginia.

[00:02:16] And four, to consult the division council regarding specific legal matters pertaining to a school board policy 854, and B, school board non-discrimination regulation pursuant to section 2.2, that's 3711A3 of the Code of Virginia, and 8 and 5 to discuss and receive briefing by the staff members related to the security of the school facility, the safety of the person using such facilities, and actions taken to response to such matters

[00:02:55] where a discussion in an open meeting would jeopardize a security facility pursuant to section 2.23711A19 of the Coast of Virginia. - Do I have a second?

[00:03:15] - Mr. Chairman. - Ms. Zarkaport. - I second. - All right, any discussion? Please vote. All in favor, raise your hand. Aye. Any opposition? No opposition noted. - Voted. Seven yes, unanimous. Motion passed. this time the Prince William County School Board will enter closed session and return in approximately one hour.

[00:03:56] Prince William County School Board will now re-enter open session from closed session.

[00:04:38] Motion is in order for 7.01 closed session certification. Vice Chair Jesse. I move that pursuant to section 2.2, that's 3712 of the Code of Virginia, the closed session of the Prince William County School Board meeting of March 4th, 2026, be certified by adopting the following resolution.

[00:04:59] Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Prince William County School Board hereby certify that to the best of each member's knowledge, one, only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements were discussed in the closed meeting to which this certification resolution applies, and two, only the public business matter as were identified in the motion convening the closed meeting were heard and discussed or considered by the school board.

[00:05:29] Do you have a second? - Mr. Chairman. - Mr. Sargapour. - I second. - Any discussion? Okay, please vote.

[00:05:57] You have a vote? - Vote a seven yes, unanimous, motion passed. - Moving on to closed session action items, a motion order for 8.01, Vice Chair Jesse. - I move that the Prince William County School Board approve the appointment and releases of specific employees as presented in closed session.

[00:06:15] - Do I have a second? - Mr. Chairman. - Ms. Wall. - I second. - Any discussion? Please vote.

[00:06:33] - Vote a seven yes, unanimous, motion passed. - Okay, thank you. At this time, that concludes our closed session action items. Moving on to the Pledge of Allegiance, I'd like to invite our student Karina Grover of Colgan High School to lead us in the pledge.

[00:07:03] Thank you, Ms. Grover. Next up is the adoption of consent agenda. That is 11.01. Vice Chair, Jesse. - I move that the Prince William County School Board approve the public meeting of the consent agenda as recommended.

[00:07:18] - Do I have a second? - Mr. Chairman. - Mrs. Zargarpur. - I second. - Any discussion, please vote.

[00:07:44] Go to seven, yes, unanimous, motion passed. - Moving on to acknowledgements and recognitions. Yeah, oh, fantastic, well, very good. Okay, sorry about that, folks. All right, thank you, counselor.

[00:08:01] Tonight we have, so this is our time for Thriving Futures Focus, an opportunity to highlight the exemplary work being accomplished in our schools that fulfill our vision that every student will graduate on time with the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind to create a thriving future for themselves and their community. We dedicate this time during our meetings to recognizing students, staff members, and schools that have earned an honor and award at the state or national level.

[00:08:24] Tonight, the school board is honored to acknowledge three outstanding accomplishments. I invite Mr. Justin Wilk of the Potomac District to acknowledge and introduce our first group of honorees. Mr. Wilk. - Thank you, Dr. Lateef. Coach Marshall, I told you guys would be up here.

[00:08:39] It is my pleasure to recognize the Potomac Shores Middle School varsity and junior varsity boys basketball programs for continuing an undefeated program and reaching the 100 win milestone. 100 and zero, that's pretty awesome.

[00:08:56] Historic. This achievement reflects outstanding teamwork, discipline and dedication from our student athletes and coaches. The teams are supported this evening by Assistant Principal Cassandra DiPlacito, athletic directors, coaches, managers and their families.

[00:09:16] On behalf of the teams, I would like to ask Miss DiPlacito to introduce the team and coaches and share a few words about this historic and outstanding milestone. - Good evening, everybody. I wanna take this time to thank the school board for honoring this achievement.

[00:09:32] Going 100-0 is no small feat and speaks to the dedication, hard work and teamwork of every player that has been a part of this team over the last five years. While this accomplishment on the court is special, what I want to recognize even more is the dedication that the coaches have to making these students great, both on and off the court, and the importance they put on being a student first.

[00:09:55] To our players, we are not only proud of you for this accomplishment, but for how you represent our school on a daily basis. Thank you again for honoring this team and the coaches who guide them. This is more than 100 wins. It's 100 examples of excellence.

[00:10:20] - Wonderful. - You know, I'd love to know the names of every kid on the team. Can you introduce them or they can say their names for us? - I'm gonna have them say their names, what grade and how long they've been on the team. grade. My name is Tyree Sims and I'm in the eighth grade and I've been on the team for three years.

[00:10:44] My name is Tyler Pumetan. I've been on the year. I've been playing on the team for three years. My name is Wesley Watson. I've been on the team for two years. My name is Dominic Delancey. I'm in eighth grade and I've been on the team for two years. My name is Christopher Allen Crank. I'm in eighth grade. I've been on the team for three years. My name is Julio Magallion. I'm in eighth grade. I've been on the team for one year. My name is Jaden Mitchell. I've been on the team for one

[00:11:23] My name is Brian Wilson. I've been on the team for one year. My name is Eli Walker. I've been on the team for two years. My name is Brennan Ashford. I've been on the team for one year.

[00:11:40] My name is Gabriel Tartt, and I've been on the team for one year. My name is Terrence Bradbury, and I've been on the team for one year. My name is Amari Sanders. I've been on the team for one year.

[00:11:58] My name is Kean Ivers. I've been on the team for one year. My name is Jackson Davenport. I've been on the team for one year. My name is Joe Ortiz. I've been on the team for one year.

[00:12:17] My name is Eli Fultz. I've been on the team for one year. My name is Travis, and I've been on the team for two years. My name is Cardinal Jordan, and I've been on the team for one year.

[00:12:39] Mr. Chairman, with your permission, can I have the coach say a few words? Yeah, please introduce the coaches. I'm calling you up, if you can come up and say a few words, coaches. We'll have the coach say a few words and introduce the other coaches, please. Actually, it's Coach Marshall, and this is my brother, Coach Marshall, so I'm going to let him say a few words, all right?

[00:12:59] My name is Coach Marlon Marshall. I've been on the team for five years. But it's been an honor and a privilege to be able to teach and coach these young men, fine young men.

[00:13:15] We strive on making sure that they are definitely successful on and off the court. And so far, that's what they have been doing. Got something to say, my man? Ditto. And thank you.

[00:13:34] Thank you for this. Thank you. Congratulations. And thank you, Mr. Wilk. and congratulations to these amazing athletes and coaches. And can I ask the parents and the teachers and those in support of this fantastic team to please stand in the back to be recognized if you are here.

[00:14:03] Amazing, amazing achievements. Thank you so much, everyone. All right, in the next part of the meeting, we are proud to recognize. We'll move on to some different honorees and then we'll take some pictures with the team. Is that what I'm doing right now? Yeah, okay. Present our final two honorees this evening. We're proud to recognize Danielle Meyer, Prince William County Schools Career and Technical Education Workforce Development Coordinator for being selected by the Association for Career and Technical Education for its National Leadership Fellowship Program.

[00:14:31] Ms. Meyer is one of only two educators chosen from Virginia for this year, for this year long national leadership initiative that develops experienced CTE leaders across the country. Ms. Meyer joins the experienced CTE professionals cohort representing ACTE's administration division, Fellows from across multiple divisions, including agricultural education, business education, counseling and career development, CTE for All, and engineering and technology education will participate.

[00:15:00] Throughout 2026, Ms. Meyer will take part in monthly virtual meetings, leadership training sessions, and advocacy and policy activities at the local, state, and federal levels. The fellowship also includes attendance at two national events, ACTE's National Policy Seminar in March and Career Tech Vision Conference in December.

[00:15:18] Congratulations. Let's give her a round of applause. It is also my privilege to recognize Shawnelle Carmichael, a Career and Technical Education Instructional Specialist for PWCS, who has been honored with the 2026 VATLL Impact Award by the Virginia Association for Teaching, Learning, and Leading.

[00:15:42] This award recognizes excellence in teaching, learning, and leadership, and honors educators who make a meaningful difference for colleagues and students across the Commonwealth. Ms. Carmichael oversees curriculum development and instructional support for two state-required courses, career investigations at the middle school level, and economics and personal finance at the high school level.

[00:16:03] Her work ensures that 5,505 high school students and 6,717 middle school students receive high-quality, standards-aligned instruction that prepares them with future-ready skills. Christine Good, Supervisor of CTE, explained in her nomination letter, Ms. Carmichael exemplifies the qualities celebrated by the VATLL Impact Award, visionary leadership, instructional excellence, and a relentless focus on student success.

[00:16:33] Her influence resonates not only in the classrooms, but across our entire school community. Ms. Meyer and Ms. Carmichael are supported this evening by our Director of Career Technical Education, Dr. Sarah Martin, along with members of the CTE department.

[00:16:49] Dr. Martin, will you share a few words on behalf of our two honorees? - Yes, thank you. Dr. Lateef, members of the school board, and Dr. McDade, thank you so much for taking the time this evening to recognize Ms. Carmichael and Ms. Meyer. On behalf of our career and technical education team, I wanna express our sincere appreciation for your continued support of CTE.

[00:17:08] The recognitions you heard about tonight reflect the deep knowledge, dedication, and professional expertise that these leaders bring to their work every day. And more importantly, they represent a commitment to the community we serve, our students, our teachers and our community.

[00:17:25] Their instructional leadership helps our programs grow to continue to be stronger, ensuring that students have meaningful opportunities to explore careers, develop real-world skills and graduate prepared for college careers on life. We are incredibly proud of Ms. Carmichael and Ms. Meyer and the work happening in our CTE classrooms every day.

[00:17:46] We are grateful to work in a division where career and technical education is valued and provides multiple pathways to post-secondary success, whether our students aspire to enroll, enlist, or seek gainful employment. Thank you again for recognizing their contributions to the work this evening.

[00:18:08] - So, I'm gonna put you on the spot. I think we'd love to hear from Ms. Meyer or Ms. Carmichael, Ms. Meyer? - They respectfully decline. - I see, fair enough, fair enough. Well, anyone here who's with Ms. Carmichael and Ms. Meyer, please stand to be recognized for all those supporting our wonderful teachers and administrators.

[00:18:32] Thank you for being here. Amazing, great CTE departments back there, good work. Outstanding, congratulations to you all. I'd like to ask, before we take a few pictures, I'd like to ask our esteemed superintendent, Dr. McDade, would you please share a few words?

[00:18:51] Doc. - Thank you so much, Dr. Lateef. Danielle and Chanel, congratulations. Your recognition at both the state and national level really represents the strength of career and technical education in Prince William County Schools. So I wanna thank you for your leadership, but more importantly, thank you for your commitment to ensuring that every student graduates prepared for college, career, and life.

[00:19:15] Job well done. And to our Potomac Shores Middle School basketball team. I wanna congratulate you on an undefeated season, and this 100-win milestone really represents more than athleticism.

[00:19:35] It really represents your commitment to perseverance, teamwork, and excellence. Job well done. We are PWCS proud. Congratulations.

[00:19:51] - Thank you, Dr. McDade. At this time, I'd request our honorees to come forward with a photo with the school board

[00:19:55] and receive a small token of our appreciation.

[00:22:06] - I think so, yes. Everyone big smiles.

[00:22:22] Everybody keep going, get it?

[00:25:10] - Okay, moving on to acknowledgements and recognitions, 12.01. The motion is order Vice Chair, Jesse. - I move that Prince William County School Board approve the adoption of the acknowledgements and recognitions as recommended.

[00:25:28] - Do I have a second? - Mr. Chairman. - Ms. Zargarpur. - I second. - Any discussion? Please vote.

[00:25:51] - It is six yes, one abstained. Tridentic, motion passed. - Okay, moving on to citizen comment time. Those citizens who signed up in advance with the clerk may address the school board this evening when they are called to the podium in citizen comment period for regular school board meetings in one hour. And citizens may speak on agenda items or other topics germane to the operations and policies of Prince William County Schools.

[00:26:10] Please use proper decorum and manners while at the podium, or you will be asked to step aside. We ask that the audience please be respectful of each speaker and refrain from clapping, cheering, or jeering to avoid disruption of the meeting. If you do not do so, the board will recess and I'll ask that the room be cleared to restore public order.

[00:26:27] Tonight we have 12 speakers, citizens sign up speak. When I call your name, please come to the podium and state your name and address for the record. I'll call the first five so you know the order and then we'll call that first one. Blake Hara, Ronnie Cervone, Roman Cervone, Julian Purvis, Yubo Zhang.

[00:26:46] Blake Hara.

[00:27:02] - Good evening, board members, chair, Dr. McDade. My name is Blake Hara and my address is on file. I'm here tonight to address an immediate governance concern, lack of clear standards for operations during hazardous weather, which creates safety and liability risk. On December 5th, the superintendent's decision to open on a two hour delay placed students and staff at risk.

[00:27:19] Despite widespread ice and snow, BWCS proceeded to operate, and that morning, a bus scaring students on route to Osborne Park High School was rear-ended on icy roads. On January 28th, despite the forecast nine-degree temperatures and ice on bus routes, conditions that closed all neighboring divisions, the superintendent announced delay.

[00:27:38] Following community opposition, that decision was reversed at 9:22 PM. Keeping students in schools matters, but not at the cost of repeating the December 5th event or the January 5th, 2015 bus trainings in Dale City. Last January, the superintendent told this board and PDO officials told media that the division was developing snow emergency bus routes for historically hazardous areas.

[00:28:01] Yet there is still no public evidence that these routes exist or have ever been used. I'm advocating for stronger oversight of authority that has been over-delegated to the superintendent. Under Regulation 405-1, the superintendent may make weather decisions under vague, as deemed appropriate language, with no requirement to consult any department within PWCS or outside organization.

[00:28:22] Offering excused absences does not relieve the division of its duty of care. It shifts the safety decision to parents who may have no choice but to send their children. I call on the board to adopt three changes that preserve the superintendent's operational control, but require clear criteria and expert input for these calls.

[00:28:39] First, amend policy 405 to establish weather safety criteria. The superintendent shall apply for any delayed closure, including road and walking conditions physically inspected by transportation facilities beyond school property prior to a decision. Second further amend policy 405 to require that the superintendent shall formally consult with transportation facilities and risk management on their findings. Additionally the superintendent shall provide a written decision summary to the board before any closure or delay and a post-event assessment within 48 hours comparing anticipated conditions with the actual outcomes. Third before the end of the school year I ask you to place this

[00:29:16] issue on a meeting and agenda and adopt a motion directing the superintendent to complete and publish the emergency snow and ice bus routes pwcs committed to last january every student family and staff member deserves to know that weather decisions follow clear consistent standards

[00:29:31] and put safety first thank you thank you ronnie cervon okay roman cervon julian purvis my name

[00:30:08] is julian purvis and my address is on file our nation credits thomas jefferson as being the main drafter of these words. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with sudden inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and a pursuit of happiness. Yet our African-American sons and daughters who attend Prince William County schools, who by their constitutional rights are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, chief among them being life, liberty, and a pursuit of happiness and yet at Prince William County schools they are being bombarded

[00:30:45] with racial slurs which are against the title six and the Prince William County School of Conduct. We the concerned fathers of Prince William County stand here before you not oblivious or naive to the culture of America or to what the perpetrators of these racial epitaphs may hear or learn in their respective homes. We realize that each of you has no governance over what happens in a students home. What we do indict each of you for is what occurs during school hours at Prince William County Schools. Every African American student is endowed with their fundamental right to a safe non-discriminatory and stellar

[00:31:22] education which is free of racial bigotry and racial attacks. And this is the responsibility of the Prince William County School Board and Dr. McDade to ensure that this is the culture of Prince William County Schools. When you take a look at the McClellan family case in which young Jefferson McClellan spoke so eloquently before this same school board you will find that four separate Title VI infractions were reported to Ms. Abigail Sentman, the assistant principal of Gainesville Mental School. All four of the separate incidents were reported to the DEI and Compliance Office. What troubles me and the concerned fathers of Prince William County who sit in the audience beside

[00:32:00] behind me is the next step in the workflow that in each incident in which the title six infraction occurred the DEI and the compliance office made a subjective decision the operative word is subjective which pushes disciplinary responsibility to the local school Gainesville Middle School I am asserting as a concerned father Prince William County that the DEI and compliance office has to instill a rubric and or a framework that removes all subjectivity when evaluating Title VI offenses and base the decision on what is handled at the DEI and Compliance Office and what is handled at the local school offered an

[00:32:39] objective rubric or a methodology to remove subjectivity. In closing, Dr. Latonya McDade, we want you to know that you, that the concerned fathers of Prince William County are here for you and we support you. We are publicly acknowledging "that it took a long time for us to wake up, "but we are now awake.

[00:32:58] "We are present and ready to support you and your team. "We want to publicly thank you for your stellar job "that you have done over the past four and a half years "and also say that the concerned fathers "of Prince William County have your back "and we are here to make Prince William County Schools "a thriving environment for every student."

[00:33:16] - Thank you, sir. - Yubo Zhang.

[00:33:33] - Good evening, Dr. McDade and school board members. My name is Yubo Zhang, my address is on file. I'm parents of two students at Battlefield High School. Tonight I'm here to praise the division's shift towards using quality points for second grading because it benefits all students based on their most critical needs.

[00:33:54] Let me elaborate on why and how. First of all, our students been trapped in a point-grabbing culture where the difference between 89% and 90% is treated like a life or death crisis. As an educator and parent, it's painful to see the stress of our most talented and high-performing student.

[00:34:17] We've raised a generation of students who are good at playing the game of school, but we're losing the joy of learning in the process. Policymakers like you have the responsibility to reduce this kind of toxic stress at the system level. Second, some believe that students with failures, this system waters down our standards when actually it's doing the opposite.

[00:34:41] Let me illustrate with simple analogy MasterChef. In the old percentage system, if a student burns the toast on the first day, this failure is mathematically averaged into their final grade forever. Whereas by the end of the school year, the student could cook a five star Michelin star meal, but burn the toast from week one, drag their average down forever.

[00:35:06] This isn't a measurement of their skill. This is punishment for the learning process. Whereas the quality point system evaluate the final dish and ask the question, did a student master the craft? It allows our students to be a whole child, to take risk, to fail, and to recover without a single bad day defining their entire GPA.

[00:35:30] However, as support policy, I must address the communication because why behind this shift was not clearly shared with our community. A vacuum was created, and the vacuum was filled with twisted stories, misunderstandings from parents and students who feel left behind.

[00:35:46] Many believe we're lowering the standards, but when in fact we're raising the bar, how we value actual meaningful mastery of learning. I urge the board and superintendent to launch a clear and transparent communication. Let's tell the real story of this shift, not a technical change in the math, but a more moral commitment to student mental health and authentic academic excellence.

[00:36:14] Let's stop measuring students in decimals and start valuing their degree of mastery. Because at the end of the day, we don't need a generation of just calculators. We need a generation of creators. Thank you. - Thank you. Raymond Bell.

[00:36:40] And then the five or four after him will be, just so you know the order. Malcolm Owens, Jen Donnelly, Troy Harris, Ellen Bowman. - My name is Raymond Bell.

[00:36:56] My address is on file. Good evening, Dr. McDade and the members of the school board. Prince William County Schools Regulation 733-1 and the Code of Behavior, aligned with Virginia Code 22.1-276.01, defined bullying as aggressive and unwanted conduct involving a real or perceived power imbalance that is repeated or causes severe emotional harm.

[00:37:22] This definition includes verbal harassment, cyber bullying, and discriminatory conduct. Racial slurs clearly fall within these classifications under PWCS policy and the district's non-discrimination statement. District policy requires prompt administrative action, preventive measures to ensure student safety, and disciplinary responses consistent with the code of behavior.

[00:37:47] Yet, parents are increasingly concerned that reports of racial harassment are not being handled with the urgency, consistency, or seriousness required by the policy. These concerns were underscored by the recent public comments of an eighth grade student from Gainesville Middle School.

[00:38:03] He described repeated racial harassment over time, being called monkeys, subjected to racially charged remarks and silenced with slurs, but he spoke with clarity and courage. Following the student's testimony, multiple parents shared similar experiences involving their own children across several schools.

[00:38:22] A troubling pattern emerged. Students report racial harassment, little action follows, and the behavior continues. Some students have said they no longer report incidents because they believe nothing will be done. A particular concern is the apparent disparity in discipline.

[00:38:38] In the case reference, the students who reported racially-based harassment received a three-day suspension, while the conduct that precipitated the situation to receive delayed or insufficient response. We, the Concerned Fathers of Prince William County, want to bring you or highlight this note.

[00:39:00] When a student's reaction is addressed more swiftly than the underlying misconduct, trust in the system erodes and policy intent is undermined. The student's closing words should give us pause. At 13, he said, and I quote, "I'm not bad, I'm not threatening, I'm not aggressive, I'm not lesser, I'm just a kid who wants to go to school and feel safe, end quote.

[00:39:24] No child should have to publicly plead for dignity and protection. Accordingly, we respectfully request that the board and the district administration, one, conduct a comprehensive review of how reports and racial harassment are handled at Gainesville Middle School, include administrative action and report the findings to the community, evaluate whether policies of bullying, harassment, and discrimination of being applied consistently and equitably across all schools.

[00:39:51] Identify necessary corrective actions, train accountability measures at the school and corrective district levels. I'm at, that's the end of my time. - Thank you, Mr. Bell. - Up next, please refrain from any clapping, cheering or cheering folks.

[00:40:10] Malcolm Owens, up next.

[00:40:32] - Good evening Chair, Vice Chair, and members of the Prince William County School Board. Our names are Malcolm Owens. - Victor Bonilla, Santiago. - And Kayvion Shepard. And we are proud members of the Omega U monitoring program.

[00:40:49] We are here tonight to say thank you for creating the opportunity for students like us to participate in a program that is truly changing lives. First, we want to say thank you to Superintendent Dr. Lantania McDade for supporting programs that help students grow, not just academically, but as young men and future leaders.

[00:41:07] - Can you swing the microphone over towards you a little bit more, speak closer into the mic. - We also want to thank Mrs. Rose Moore, Mr. Patrick Garland and Mr. Cornelius Young for believing in us, investing in us, and constantly reminding us that we are capable of excellence because of their leadership and the mentorship we received through Omega U.

[00:41:37] We are becoming better students and better people. - Since joining Omega U, our grades, our behavior, and our attendance have all improved. We feel more confident, more supported, and more motivated. The program pushes us to set goals, treat each other with respect, and hold ourselves to a higher standard.

[00:41:58] Omega U has shown us what it means to have role models who look like us, understand us, and expect the best from us. It has helped us focus on our futures and realize that our dreams are possible. We believe that Omega U could be the program that other schools need, a support system that lifts students up and moves them closer to the life they imagine for themselves.

[00:42:19] On behalf of all the boys in Omega U, we want to say thank you for giving us this opportunity. Thank you for investing in us, and thank you for helping us grow into the young men we are becoming. We promise to continue making you proud. Thank you. - Thank you.

[00:42:35] Thank you very much. Jen Donnelly.

[00:42:55] - Good evening. My name is Jen Donnelly, and my address is on file. Today, I stand before you as a parent of a track athlete and advocate for a vision that not only addresses the immediate needs of our students, but also serves the longterm interests of our community.

[00:43:12] The establishment of an indoor track facility on the site of the canceled 14th high school. Imagine a space where our athletes can train year round regardless of weather conditions. An indoor track facility would provide our students with the opportunity to hone their skills, engage in healthy competition, and foster a sense of camaraderie.

[00:43:36] Currently, our athletes face significant challenges, having to practice outdoors in the winter and travel to locations like Liberty University and Virginia Beach for competitions. This travel not only consumes precious time, but also places an unnecessary financial burden on our families and our schools.

[00:43:57] By building this facility right here in our community, we can eliminate those travel expenses and maximize our resources. Not only would this facility serve our local athletes, but also attract students from schools across Northern Virginia.

[00:44:13] Posting track meets and events would create a new revenue stream for our county and our schools. Imagine the economic boost as teams and their families visit, eat at local restaurants, and shop in our stores. This facility would not just be a benefit for our students, it would help our local economy.

[00:44:32] The benefits extend beyond athletics. An indoor track facility would serve as a community hub, offering programs for all ages, promoting health and wellness, and providing a safe space for our residents to engage in physical activity.

[00:44:48] It could host events, fundraisers, and community gatherings, further solidifying our commitment to fostering a positive climate and culture. Building an indoor track facility is not just an investment in our athletes, it's an investment in our community.

[00:45:03] It saves our county from unnecessary travel expenses, creates new revenue sources, and strengthens our commitment to health and wellness. And let's be honest, it's a million times better than another data center. So I thank you for considering this vital initiative and together we can make our vision a reality.

[00:45:21] - Thank you, Troy Harris.

[00:45:40] - Good evening, my name is Troy Harris. My address is on file at the clerk's office. I'm here in regards to concerns about the boys basketball program at Osborne Park High School, and especially to enforce the policy of 503.01-01 conflict of interest.

[00:46:04] I filled a formal complaint, outline actions by the boys basketball coach that appear to violate this policy, specifically involving outside activities connected to student athletes, while also holding decision making authority in school team selections.

[00:46:22] I submitted, I submitted, I'm sorry, I submitted documentation, lost my place, I'm sorry, I'm nervous.

[00:46:38] I submitted documented evidence to support concerns, However, from my concerns, however, my perspective of this matter has not properly been investigated, nor has the policy been meaningfully enforced. It is extremely disappointing to take time to gather and submit evidence, follow the proper process, and raise the concerns in good faith, only to feel that the information was overlooked, minimized, or dismissed.

[00:47:04] This response undermines trust in the system and in the policies this board has adopted. I am equally disappointed that equally disappointed as a constituent, I was unable to receive clear and substantial information or responses for my questions from my school board representative.

[00:47:29] They relatively went non-answered when reached out to. Accountability includes when legitimate concerns are raised, families deserve answers. This issue is not about one individual, It is about fairness and integrity.

[00:47:48] I am asking that all parties, the athletic department, school administration, and this board to address this issue directly and assure that the tryout process at Osborne Park High School is transparent, equitable, and free from conflicts of interest.

[00:48:05] We have coaches there that take their selected teams over the summer from children that go to the school and sponsor and finance teams for those selected kids, trains those kids, which also moves them through the tryout process.

[00:48:20] During that tryout process, they also select those same children for the teams, negating the equal opportunity for the other students that are coming forward to have an equal tryout without them being knowledgeable of plays that they are granted to within this team.

[00:48:36] I ask you to take a look at this, review it, and have a heartfelt, meaningful look into a resolution to this problem. Thank you. - Thank you, Ellen Bowman. And after Ellen Bowman will be Hina Ansari and Rena Stapp.

[00:49:05] - Good evening, my name is Ellen Bowman, retired teacher, administrator, coach, and my address is on file. I urge the board to consider building an indoor track facility similar to the indoor swimming facility at Colgan High School, which serves our community, reduces outside rental costs, and generates revenue through event rentals.

[00:49:37] Although called indoor track, most of the PWCS winter track season is held outdoors. And this year, extreme weather and heavy snow further limited practices as well as meets.

[00:49:53] We appreciate the new outdoor upgrades to our PWCS high school tracks, but indoor space remains a need. As a parent of a track and cross country captain at Patriot High School, I've learned that each of the 13 high schools spend over $4,000 per meet at Liberty University, the nearest well-built and maintained indoor facility.

[00:50:24] Other options for high school indoor meets in Prince George's County, Maryland and Virginia Beach are rarely available due to high demand. An indoor facility at the new 14th high school could allow PWCS to host 12 to 13 meets per season, potentially generating up to $400,000 annually while reducing the costs for rentals, buses, drivers, and long travel up to 145 miles each way

[00:51:04] from Patriot to Liberty alone. The figure of $130,000 was generated at a well-constructed sought-after indoor track facility at Boston University at one event on entry fees alone.

[00:51:26] This does not account for any of the revenues that could be gained by the AAU track and field community or neighboring school districts in the DMV. I hope these figures support consideration of an indoor track facility at our newest PWCS high school.

[00:51:49] Thank you for your time. - Thank you. Hina Ansari. - All right, thank you to the school board for letting me come back and speak again.

[00:52:05] Always a pleasure, Dr. McDade, and my address is on file. So I'm gonna take a little bit of a left turn at Albuquerque here for my usual stuff. I wanna talk to, I'll tell you a couple of stories within stories, so try to follow along. It's gonna be like Golden Girls, but a little bit different. Okay, so after the last school board meeting, the very next day, I was substitute teaching for Jared Pugh, who was advocating here against your draconian theater policies that you were putting in, but I'm not gonna talk about that.

[00:52:25] So I was in Mr. Pugh's classroom, and at the top of his walls, he has all the posters from the previous productions from Osborne Park. And imagine my surprise when I saw posters that I had seen when I was in school there, as I like to tell the kids last century. So one of the schools, the posters up there, I was like, you know, that one's not right.

[00:52:41] We didn't do two shows, we only did one. And the kids were surprisingly interested in my story. So I'm gonna tell you the story that I told them. So it was the spring of 1995, and I actually did win one election in my entire life. It was in high school. It's okay. And I ran for junior class president.

[00:52:57] And back then, the junior class had to fundraise for the senior class prom. I don't know when they changed it. Do you remember that, Lisa? No, come on, man. Anyway, so we came in with like $5,000 worth of debt that we had to clear from the previous administration. And so we did that, and then we cleared it, and then we hosted the prom in the spring of 1996.

[00:53:16] And everything I thought went well-ish. And then I got a call the next day from either an admin or a teacher, it's been 30 years. Don't get mad at me 'cause I can't remember. And I was terrified 'cause I was like, oh God, did we burn the school down? Did the gym go bust? I mean, what happened? But it was far, far worse than I could have thought of.

[00:53:34] A student had died in a drunk driving accident the previous night. And it's the 30 year anniversary of that this year. So what I kind of wanted to talk about, and I think I went through it too fast, was the substance abuse issues. I mean the student's name was Grant Denherter and he wasn't doing drugs, he wasn't drinking, he wasn't doing anything wrong.

[00:53:51] He was just getting in the car, going from one after-prom party, I think to another after-prom party or possibly home, but somebody else, obviously probably an adult like one of us, would just decide they were okay, you know? You just have one drink and you're gonna be okay and you're gonna get home and you're gonna be fine. But she might still be alive and well, I don't know, but she plowed her car through his beater, old like American Cadillac or something like that, I don't remember now.

[00:54:14] But I mean, it's just, I look at the kids nowadays, and I think that they don't take it seriously how substance abuse issues. You can do all the drugs you want to yourself. You don't realize you're gonna get on the road and you're gonna knock somebody else out, and then what? You're gonna have to live with that for the rest of your life. Anyway, so with the 30 year anniversary, I hope that the PWCS maybe can take advantage of it.

[00:54:30] I don't mean to exploit the tragedy, but I think it's a good reminder for students to realize that a fellow student died because of somebody else's irresponsibility. His whole life, just like that. I mean, he was gonna go to school. He was a track star. He was a theater kid. That's why we only did one show, so the show could not go on.

[00:54:46] But anyway, thank you. - Thank you, Rena Stapp. - All right, good evening, Dr. McDay, Dr. Lateef, and members of the school board.

[00:55:01] I was here to second what the concerned fathers of Prince William County have talked about, that there should be no subjectivity with regards to racial slurs in schools. I attended the NAACP PwC meeting last week, and I was appalled by the stories they've shared about how often and how awful some of the racist behavior is happening in our schools. Additionally, it was mentioned that the western side of the county has more instances of this experienced by the attendees and expressed by them than on the eastern side of the county. One family had moved from the eastern side to the western side and said that this was the first time that their son had been treated this way.

[00:55:40] As a parent of students in the Brentsville district, it's extremely disheartening to know that where I live and where my kids go to school is where this is more prevalent. I know many schools in the area have a no place for hate pledge but more needs to be done than an annual assembly reminding the students about bullying and harassment. We need to do better.

[00:55:57] I ask that you work with the area schools and counseling departments to address this behavior and craft more effective anti-bullying procedures and practices because there should not be subjectivity when it comes to racism in our schools. Thank you. Thank you. That concludes citizen comment time for this evening we'll move on a student representative time we have tonight Karina Grover from the Charles J Colgan high school miss Grover the floor is yours thank you good evening members of the school board superintendent dr. McDade and everybody here today I will be honest I'm a little

[00:56:34] bit salty today even though there was no snow on the ground I would have loved a snow day anyway juniors and seniors applications for the student representative position are now open for the 2026 to 2027 school year that sounds weird being a student representative is so much more than just sitting up here at meetings it's about collaborating with students K through 12 building relationships countywide and ultimately advocating for over 90,000 student voices as a student representative I've had the privilege of

[00:57:13] working alongside our incredible school board members and the superintendent. This experience has been truly invaluable especially if you're interested in leadership, public service, education, or just making a change in your community. Be on the lookout for application help sessions hosted by a staff member in your building. These sessions are incredibly helpful and will guide you through every step of the application process. Remember there are only three student representative positions available so be sure to take advantage of all the resources provided. To access the application check your

[00:57:49] canvas announcements or visit the PWCS student representative web page. If you have questions please feel free to contact violama@pwcs.edu or reach out to your school student voice committee. We are here to support you every step of the way. Now ten years after the Supreme Court declared segregated schools unconstitutional in the landmark 1954 case Brown versus Board of Education, Prince William County began desegregating its schools. Four black female teachers, Fannie W. Fitzgerald, Mary G. Porter, Zella Brown, and Maxine

[00:58:26] Coleman, later known as the Courageous Four, were assigned to four previously all-white schools. At a time when tensions were high and resistance to integration was real, these women stepped into an unfamiliar and unwelcoming space with professionalism and strength. Their presence challenged barriers and helped pave the way for more inclusive and equitable learning environments in Prince William County. I bring this up because March is Women's History Month and their story shows the power of women to create change even in the face of adversity. Their impact reminds us that progress in education

[00:59:03] did not happen automatically. It required individuals, especially women whose voices were often overlooked to step forward and lead. Because of their courage, generations of students like me have benefited from more inclusive classrooms. Their legacy challenges us to continue advocating for equity, opportunity, and student voice in our own time. Here we go, Dr. Sullivan. Now I know we are having a presentation on advanced academics, but I'm here as student representative to raise a question that has been frequently asked.

[00:59:38] How can Prince William County School ensure that advanced courses are truly equal countywide? The issue comes up when students see that Forest Park High School for example has nine dual enrollment courses offered while CD Hilton High School only offers five. They see that and they want to take these classes and I'm gonna skip this because apparently Prince William County Schools already took care of it. So this January February they recently implemented the College and Career Ready Virginia also known as the CCRV which is a program where students can actually take dual enrollment courses online no matter

[01:00:17] their school and this is amazing I was I just found this out I would have benefited from this I know students across the county will continue benefiting from this and I just wanted to say that this is accessible for all students around the county in high school so use this talk to your counselors I know academic advising is happening right now so talk to your counselors reach out this is an amazing opportunity I'm kind of sad I'm graduating surprisingly no I'm not but yeah let me not lie but use the

[01:00:53] resources available because you know I had all my remarks prepared and I found out Prince William County School is already doing a great job of supporting us so I'm gonna end this thank you for your time don't forget to submit your student representative applications and remember your voice has the power to create change thank you very good thank you miss Grover moving on to superintendent's time dr. McDade thank you mr. chairman as we begin the month of March I would like to take a moment to recognize several important observances across our schools and community March is women's history month a time to honor the contributions leadership and achievements of women throughout history

[01:01:32] and within our community. Across all classrooms, students are engaging in meaningful learning that highlights the impact of women who have shaped our world and continue to inspire future generations. Throughout this month, look for special features from our communications department. March is also Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to inclusion, dignity, and access for every learner in Prince William County Schools. We believe that every student brings strengths, talents, and potential that enrich our schools and strengthen our community. Which is

[01:02:07] another reason why for the fiscal year 27 proposed budget we are investing 2.2 million dollars in 50 new teaching assistants for special education. Every student deserves the support that they need to thrive. Additionally, March celebrates the month of youth art, theater in our schools, and music in our schools. These observances remind us that creativity is not an add-on to education but essential to the development of a child. There is extensive research linking arts education to positive academic and social outcomes. NPWCS Elevate 2030 strategic plan our school division is committed to increasing the

[01:02:46] number of students participating in arts related student showcases, competitions, and public performances by 3% annually over the next four years. We We are proud of the exceptional work happening in our visual and performing arts programs across all schools and we want to support our students in their multiple competencies.

[01:03:06] As part of our continued focus on student achievement and postsecondary support, I want to highlight an important academic milestone taking place this spring. On Wednesday, April 15th, all grade 11 students across PWCS will participate in School Day SAT.

[01:03:23] Providing the SAT during the school day ensures equitable access for all students and supports their college and career planning, whether they are preparing for college entrance exams or exploring other post-secondary pathways. This effort reflects our commitment to meeting students where they are and equipping them with the tools that they need to succeed beyond graduation.

[01:03:44] To support student preparation, PWCS high school students do have access to Khan Academy through the PWCS portal. This is a free resource that offers instructional videos, personalized practice, and full SAT preparation aligned with College Board Standards, which includes support in SAT math, reading, and writing.

[01:04:06] I want to encourage students and families to take full advantage of these resources as we continue to work together to support strong academic outcomes and future opportunities for every learner. This evening, we will continue our focus on academic excellence as we highlight advanced academics.

[01:04:24] In this presentation, you will learn how advanced academics connects to the enrollment, employment and enlistment framework, which is also known as the 3E Readiness Framework. This is the state of growth and achievement in courses and programs that they'll talk about tonight, as well as a look toward Elevate 2030.

[01:04:44] So at this time, I would like to introduce our Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Dr. Stephanie Sullivan, and our Director of Student Learning, Dr. Ashley Cramp, and they will provide an overview of advanced academics in the current state of advanced academics in Prince William County Schools.

[01:05:02] - Thank you so much. Thank you, Dr. Lateef, Vice Chair Mr. Jesse, members of the board, Dr. McDade, and of course, Karina. You've put a lot of pressure on me today, and I am ready to deliver. I am so pleased to share an overview of advanced academics in Prince William County Schools, highlighting our programs, participation, growth areas, and system-wide accomplishments.

[01:05:28] Our Student Learning Department within Teaching and Learning is led by Director Dr. Ashley Cramp, who will be co-presenting with me today. I'd also like to recognize Dr. Alyssa Frazier. She is the Assistant Director for the Student Learning Team that directly leads our advanced academics team.

[01:05:46] They are experienced educators within the Commonwealth who share our passion for growing opportunities for all students. Through their leadership and our collaboration with our skilled teachers and administrators, we are working to ensure that all student needs, including those for acceleration, are met at every school.

[01:06:08] Our work supports the priority of learning and achievement for all by expanding equitable access to rigorous opportunities. We aim to ensure that every student is challenged, supported, and prepared for future success, while also equipping our staff to meet the needs of our students in these rigorous pathways.

[01:06:34] Our team that leads the work for advanced academics who also oversee specialty, are also the ones who oversee specialty programs within PWCS. It is a small and mighty team, led by Supervisor Jennifer Cavanaugh, who's here today, and two coordinators, Dr. Laura Evans, also in the room today, and Amy Hart.

[01:06:57] They are the direct connection to our schools and our families and are truly the right people in the right seat at the right time. Advanced Academics in PWCS includes a range of rigorous programs designed to both challenge and engage our students.

[01:07:18] Our offerings include Advanced Placement, Cambridge, International Baccalaureate, Dual Enrollment, and Gifted Education Services, in addition to the many programs in our CTE department that you heard about at our last meeting.

[01:07:34] These programs provide students with access to accelerated instruction, enrichment opportunities, and college-level coursework. Our goal is to ensure that all students, based on their interests, readiness, and aspirations, have meaningful pathways to pursue advanced learning.

[01:07:56] Advanced academics play a key role in supporting Virginia's 3E framework, specifically the goal for students to be prepared for success in their post-secondary education, not just access to a post-secondary education.

[01:08:13] Through these programs, students have opportunities to earn direct college credits, which reduce the cost and time required for a degree and often allow students to explore other interests while in college without the pressure of a full load.

[01:08:28] They are exposed to college level rigor that strengthens their academic skills. In addition, the coursework builds essential research, writing, communication, and problem solving skills that prepare students for success in any of the three E-Pathways.

[01:08:46] Access is the first step in strengthening student opportunities. Over the past four years, we have dramatically increased student access to rigorous courses. Because of the work of the AASP team and our partnership with the Equal Opportunity Schools Framework through our colleagues in the Equity Office and the work of our school counselors and teachers, we see upward movement across all student groups with notable gains in our Black students, English learners, and Hispanic students.

[01:09:21] While growth varies by group, the trend shows steady progress towards our goal of increasing advanced course participation for all learners in Prince William County Schools. This is the exciting part. Not only have we dramatically increased access, our students have equally increased their performance. They are breaking down the barriers that may have pre-existed to believing that open access means lowering standards. It's exactly the opposite. More students are getting the opportunity

[01:09:57] to take higher level courses and they are showing when given that opportunity they will indeed succeed. The next several slides highlight for you each of our advanced academic programs.

[01:10:15] Each of these types of coursework are available free of charge to our students which can also translate into free college credit. That is not true nationwide and we thank you the board for your continued support in this area. Advanced placement remains a strong component of our advanced academics offerings with 36 AP courses available across the division. This year more than 15,900 AP course enrollments reflect continued student interest in rigorous college-level learning.

[01:10:51] AP provides students with exposure to college-level expectations, helps build strong academic and organizational skills, and offers opportunities to earn college credit or advanced placement. With a wide range of subjects available, students can select courses that align with their interests and their future goals. Over the past several years we've expanded AP opportunities across the division adding new courses such as AP African American Studies, English 10 AP Seminar, AP

[01:11:26] Pre-Calculus and upcoming offerings this fall like AP Cybersecurity and AP Business with Personal Finance. Participation now more closely reflects the demographics of our student population demonstrating meaningful progress and equity of access we've also seen strong gains in student outcomes including a 20 increase in ap pass rates since 2021 in 2025 students earned qualifying

[01:11:56] scores on more than 9 900 ap exams potentially equating to 29 700 college credits additionally we recognized over 2,100 AP scholars and celebrated our highest number of AP honor roll schools to date. The Cambridge program, or ACE, is an internationally recognized academic pathway developed by the University of Cambridge. It builds strong critical thinking, research, and global awareness skills. It offers

[01:12:32] rigorous coursework across multiple subject areas and provides students with credentials valued by universities worldwide. We are the only division in the Commonwealth to offer this prestigious program. In PWCS, the Cambridge program is available at Brentsville High School, Potomac High School, and Parkside Middle School, with 31 courses and more than 1,300 enrollments for the 25-26 school year.

[01:13:01] Students are able to take ad hoc courses or work towards the full diploma. Students benefit from globally recognized qualifications and strong preparation for college and future careers. In 2025, students across our schools with Cambridge continued to excel in the Cambridge ACE program.

[01:13:23] A total of eight ACE diplomas were earned, with Brentsville awarding two diplomas and Potomac awarding six. Testing performance was strong, including one student scoring in the top 1% globally on the ACE/AS English language exam.

[01:13:40] Across the division, 1,224 ACE exams were administered. Students also achieved meaningful results with more than 370 exams earning an E or better, meeting the benchmark for college credit.

[01:13:56] We have also partnered with Cambridge to ensure that every university website for Virginia schools has information on how Cambridge scores transfer into credit. The International Baccalaureate, or IB, is a globally recognized program that develops critical thinking, research skills, and international mindedness through rigorous diploma program or career-related program pathways.

[01:14:27] Students benefit from the IB philosophy due to its holistic approach to learning, strong preparation for college-level research and writing, and a focus on global perspectives that support student success in an interconnected world.

[01:14:42] In PWCS, students have access to 111 IB, MYP, DP, and CP courses, with more than 3,200 students enrolled this school year. This table outlines each IB strand, the Primary Years Program, PYP, the Middle Years Program, MYP, the Careers-Related Program, CP, and the Diploma Program, DP.

[01:15:10] The Career-Related Program is the newest designation that allows for students to combine both CTE courses and Cambridge courses to earn the CP designation. We are thrilled that both of our high schools offer this program and support our division-wide philosophy that college and career preparation go hand in hand.

[01:15:32] Together, these strands create aligned, progressive academic pathways from elementary through high school. In 2025, PWCS strengthened IB implementation by completing unified planners for all five IB PYP schools.

[01:15:51] And this school year is dedicated to aligned planner development and training for IB MYP schools in grades six through 10. IB for all continued to expand with both high schools implementing the model. Across the division, students earned qualifying scores on more than 470 exams, potentially equating to nearly 1,400 college credits.

[01:16:20] - And I'm excited to next talk about dual enrollment. This is the area where we have had explosive growth and program opportunity for our students in the last couple of years. Through dual enrollment, our students are able to directly enroll in college level courses and earned credit for both their high school diploma as well as their college diploma.

[01:16:43] We work with several partners, primarily NOVA and the National Education Opportunity Network. And the benefits for the students are beyond the obvious earned credit. It teaches students that they do belong in a college level course.

[01:16:58] They can succeed and they can excel at that level in perhaps ways that they had not previously understood. One of the newest opportunities in Prince William County Schools is the National Education Opportunity Network.

[01:17:13] And I cannot overstate how excited I am about this new program. This is a nationally recognized program where we partner with an agency that helps our students take courses directly through national universities.

[01:17:30] For example, our students this past semester took courses at Georgetown, the University of Pennsylvania, Howard, Morehouse, Arizona State, and more. Our students were able to directly enroll in those universities, take courses from their professors in a hybrid format while being supported by a base teacher in their school.

[01:17:55] We recently, just yesterday, received notification that we were one of the top performing divisions the entire country and 16 of our students joined the national honor roll for their grades in these courses at these national universities. We piloted this program this fall with 76 students and are continuing into second semester and we look forward to continuing to expand this opportunity and partnerships with universities throughout. Contract dual enrollment is what you are most

[01:18:31] familiar with contract dual enrollment is where at a school a teacher becomes credentialed by a college or university and is able to issue that class at that school essentially with a contract and those students are taking it from their teachers in their schools we have over 36 courses available in our schools with over 4,000 student enrollments in those contract dual enrollment courses and students can again earn both those credits. Okay this is where Karina gave

[01:19:07] us a spoiler alert. This is really hot off the press. College and Career Ready Virginia was passed by the Commonwealth to launch this school year and this is where the General Assembly said that every student at every high school should have a clear pathway to earn a uniform certificate of general studies.

[01:19:30] That's essentially half an AA degree, a full year of college credits, 32 college credits. We were able to launch in January. We're really proud of our partnership with NOVA to make this happen. And out of 250 students enrolled throughout the entire Northern Virginia region, including Loudon, including Fairfax, 177 of those students are ours, representing every single high school.

[01:19:57] And if you go to the website, I encourage you to do so. It is a public website on our PWCS site for CCRV. You can look up each and every individual high school and see how to take those courses. So for example, if a course is not available at your school by a teacher, as Karina mentioned, you can actually do that as dual enrollment, but as part of your courses.

[01:20:22] So you're becoming more independent and agile in your program. So you might take four traditional classes at your high school and three in dual enrollment. That is available at every single high school. So right now for our families thinking about next year, we are in the advisement period and on tax day, registration begins for this program for next fall.

[01:20:45] Money saving, tax day, I think it's a really easy thing to remember. So we do encourage our students to take opportunity. We have worked with our high schools about what does flexible scheduling look like so that our students can maximize these benefits.

[01:21:02] Some additional dual enrollment highlights. Really excited about what's happening with Collegiate High School at Freedom High School. As the board I know recognizes, last year we launched our early opportunity students, nine students, completed courses at both Freedom High School and the Nova campus, literally walking across the street, participating in clubs, activities, and the authentic college experience.

[01:21:28] This year, there are 30 students enrolled in the program that do classes on both campuses, and I've just got some great news from first semester. Each of these students takes three college courses on campus, their average GPA was a 3.6, with 11 students having a perfect 4.0 GPA in their college classes.

[01:21:53] I'm also pleased to share that we have received a commitment from the Manassas campus to expand this program over the next few years to also partner with the Manassas campus. So looking forward to expanding these opportunities for our students.

[01:22:11] As we've shared, some great opportunities where our students in early college have earned over 3,700 credentials, equaling 11,000 plus college credits. Also, we highlighted last week that we're also expanding those pathways in career as well.

[01:22:30] So our students can earn dual enrollment credits in both career opportunities as well as in academic opportunities. This chart, although very difficult to see on a screen, is really a sample of the information we're putting together for parents to be able to compare and contrast the different programs.

[01:22:51] As a parent myself, I had one child do IB, one child do AP. Our children are different, they thrive in different spaces, and the variety of opportunities in Prince William County really makes us unique in the programs that we offer.

[01:23:11] - Currently, we have 179 students enrolled at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, and 133 students attending the Governor's School at Innovation Park. Virginia hosts a variety of Governor's Schools, including academic year programs, summer residential programs, and World Language Academies.

[01:23:31] These highly competitive programs offer advanced learners the opportunity to accelerate and deepen their education. Last year, eight PWCS students were accepted into the World Language Academies, and 76 gained admissions to summer residential governor schools.

[01:23:50] While attending summer residential governor schools, students spend up to four weeks over the summer immersed in the college experience. They live on campus, learn from experts, participate in seminars and labs, and conduct hands-on research.

[01:24:07] The experience is both academically rigorous and personally transformative for students. The Gifted Education and Talent Development Program supports K-12 students whose advanced learning needs cannot be entirely met in the general education classroom setting.

[01:24:25] All schools in PWCS have their own gifted program and at least one gifted resource teacher who has specialized training. Once identified for the program, students engage in challenging units of study, independent projects and Socratic seminars.

[01:24:42] Services include weekly pullouts and cluster grouping in our elementary schools and scheduled classes seminars and advanced coursework in our middle and high schools differentiated service plans provide additional support at every level this slide highlights several middle and high school gifted programs during resource services students focus on developing advanced skills in critical thinking creative thinking communication collaboration and conceptual thinking pwcs offers a wide range of advanced opportunities in middle school. In math, students may follow the

[01:25:22] accelerated pathway, where students complete advanced algebra 1, or the promoted pathway, where students are able to complete both advanced algebra 1 and advanced geometry at their school. We also support students who may need algebra 2 through partnerships with our high schools.

[01:25:40] We offer extended language arts in grades 6 through 8, which provides deeper exploration of texts, more complex analytical work, and opportunities for creative and critical thinking. In many middle schools, students can take Enriched or IB/MYP Science, both of which promote inquiry-based learning and problem-solving.

[01:26:02] World language instruction is available division-wide in grade 8 and is also offered in grades 6 and 7 at schools with the IB middle years program or the world language specialty programs.

[01:26:17] Beyond the classroom, PWCS offers a rich array of extracurricular and enrichment opportunities that extend academic learning and allows students to explore their interests more deeply. These opportunities play an essential role in developing our students' passions, leadership, and real-world problem-solving abilities.

[01:26:39] These are just a few of the ways that our students can experience acceleration outside of our classrooms. We want to close our time with you tonight by looking forward to Elevate 2030. Here are a few of the goals designed to enhance the skills necessary for success in this next era of innovation.

[01:26:59] We plan to integrate computational thinking skills across K-12 to ensure all of our students are developing the complex thinking skills to undergird their success and rigorous content. We want all students to have opportunities to advance in science like they do in math and English language arts, and all high schools to have pathways in statistics and data analysis, as well as information technology.

[01:27:26] We will work closely with our schools to align and strengthen our global pathways. - Thank you, Dr. Kramp. And that concludes our presentation, and we are happy to answer any questions. - Ms. Trudenik.

[01:27:42] - My colleague was talking to me about how much I love athletics. And you know I'm a huge athletic supporter. I'm a huge CTE supporter. I am also a huge advanced academic supporter. I have a child who is four out of, has been in four out of five of these programs.

[01:28:02] And also looking at the middle school aspect, you and I have talked a lot about communication with parents. I am an average parent, probably a below average parent if we're being honest. - Wouldn't say that. - Some of our communication, some of our communications don't always get to the parents when we have so many different emails and modes coming through.

[01:28:23] So I think that us highlighting the dual enrollment, you know, I love that, especially being a mom with college children now too, and getting ready to go into college. I plead to the moms that are paying attention right now in ninth, 10th and 11th grade, really pay attention because those college costs are coming your way and anything you can do to ease that burden, such as take part in the dual enrollment is so smart because your kids are really gonna benefit from that.

[01:28:53] So I appreciate that. I appreciate more dual enrollment offerings. I've been yelling about that for a long time, about having more at each school. So like Karina, I think that the online option is amazing. I also think that highlighting our gifted education, I know we've talked about that before, at a high school level, it really drops off with our kids from middle school and things like that.

[01:29:17] And some of our gifted education teachers are really good at filling out applications with them, going through and doing their essays, things like that. So there is a benefit sometimes to going to that gifted education, even if it happens during PE, which there is a rotation, so that's helpful, all those things that you guys look at.

[01:29:38] But the difference, understanding the difference between the AP, the dual enrollment, so I really appreciate how you explained that for parents, but I will continue to talk about how great dual enrollment is and to really look at that offering for your kids because it's so valuable.

[01:29:55] And we are very fortunate to have a school system that offers that. I just have one question about the middle school level. One thing that I do think is missing, and it might have improved in the last couple of years, but is that transition with the advanced placement courses from middle school into high school.

[01:30:15] I feel like that is a point where if somebody would have talked about dual enrollment, it would have really helped as a middle school parent transitioning up into high school to know that that's available and to understand that process. Even telling those kids in that moment, 'cause we push a lot of AP, we push the Cambridge, we push all of that, but really speaking to them about dual enrollment, is that something that we're working on doing?

[01:30:37] - Absolutely, you really took the words out of my mouth. That's a high priority. Our parents wanna understand a full pathway more deeply. So yes, we will be working with our colleagues and advisement, our middle school leadership colleagues to really strengthen what is a 6-12 continuum of development towards those choices.

[01:30:59] So yeah, that's a high priority and you'll see a lot of references to the middle school strengthening in the strategic plan because we know that's a tough time for students and families and we wanna pour some more resource and time and effort into it. - Thank you, thank you for all your hard work. - Thank you, I do wanna add one point.

[01:31:17] AP, IB, and Cambridge also go perfectly into building that college transcript for an AA degree. And so we also work extensively on having those students' credits transfer so their NOVA transcript already has all of those credits combined.

[01:31:36] And so a student can very quickly become an AA candidate by bringing in their AP, IB, or Cambridge courses as well. And that is something that we are shining a brighter light on to make sure that families understood that they can pull all those programs together.

[01:31:53] - Dr. Solomon, what do you mean by AA degrees at the-- - I apologize, sir, for an associate's degree. And so our students sometimes who are participating in the other programs don't realize that they can simultaneously build a transcript along the way with all those credits as well.

[01:32:14] And NOVA will pull them together to make it a cleaner package for them. - Ms. Zargarpur. - Thank you. I just want to tag onto something that Mr. Denik just said. Hopefully my moms and dads were really honing in on this, that we have multiple ways to get college credit that counts toward a degree before these kids leave high school, which is going to save you a ton of money.

[01:32:46] And at a time where, I mean, my kids knew that they either had to get a really great scholarship or work their way through or, you know, live at home and go to Mason or whatever, that that was their plan. We had like this much money saved up and, you know, the rest was on them.

[01:33:03] And they did do it, but there were fewer options when my kids went through. So I'm really excited that we're expanding these. And it's really, yeah, I'm really glad you brought that up because the affordability of college is just out of control.

[01:33:19] And this also gives kids an opportunity to sort of play with different kinds of coursework before they actually have to spend money on it. So that's another important distinction. You don't want your kid going off to college and you're paying thousands and thousands of dollars on classes for them to decide to change their major two, three times.

[01:33:35] So this gives them a great opportunity to try different subjects and see what's interesting to them. So thank you for all of that. - Thank you. - Mr. Jessie. - Thank you for the wonderful opportunities you're presenting to our kids. My youngest daughter, both of my kids went to Garfield High School, and they were one year apart. And IB started at Garfield, and my oldest daughter could not get in, my youngest one could. She's an AB or AF student. She either

[01:34:15] gets an A or F, depending on what she considered. I was trying to track that. And she has no concerns with the F. So she got in, she got into IB and it's changed her life. She loved the competition, whatever it was. She went down to the university down at Virginia Tech and couldn't get into the honor program, she said, because she wasn't on the honor roll.

[01:34:49] But then she became the dean of students with two degrees and almost a third. But what I want to know is how do you know which of the three programs you're talking about, IB, Cambridge, and the other one, how does a student know which one is the right fit for them?

[01:35:13] And if that's not offered in their school, what do you do? Yeah, thank you, sir. I think that goes back to Ms. Tredenik's comment. The advisement and support in middle school is critical. We have to be very clear about the pros and cons because they are different and there are different benefits.

[01:35:33] And we wanna make sure our families are coming out better informed so that when the opportunity to apply for the programs at other schools come up, they are able to take advantage of that. And so with the team, we are working on, again, strengthening our eighth, our middle school staff, our middle school teams in the nuances and in the differences of the programs so that parents can make those informed decisions.

[01:35:59] Because they are very different and benefit children differently. And so we'll be working on different materials, campaigns, parent events. We do run multiple events now, but it's not enough. We're really gonna key in on strengthening our middle school teams to be part of that alongside us.

[01:36:17] - So if you're a student, determined they wanna go to a Cambridge program, but the high school they're going to doesn't offer that, what happens? - They can go through a specialty program or out. - Okay. - Yep. - Thank you. - Yep. And we do have students that move in from other countries that had Cambridge or IB in those countries, and we actually help accommodate them finishing those degrees at those schools.

[01:36:45] - Excellent, Ms. Wall. - Thank you for this presentation. This is a topic I love to hear about, love to talk about and advocate for strongly. My own children have participated in various varieties of these programs, AP, dual enrollment, obviously not IB or Cambridge, because we weren't at schools where that was offered.

[01:37:03] But I do love the emphasis on opportunity for all students to achieve at high levels. And I really think, I mean, the data speaks for itself with the AP score results that more kids are taking it.

[01:37:19] And it's not that the scores are going down, that their pass rates are going up which is amazing so I just wanted to highlight that very pleased about that I have a couple of questions there are so many things that you said that I loved and I'm not going to reiterate them but let's just read into evidence that the presentation is awesome and that this is a really important work that we're doing so I appreciate everybody who's working on it I've seen a remarkable and noticeable difference in the last handful of years and so I really do appreciate it but you know even from simple things like extended science in the middle school years which is

[01:37:56] something I'd longed for for my own kids they're all three in college now so the costs of college are real and this these opportunities I can't emphasize enough how important it is and how much families appreciate it so thank you my first question is with a dual enrollment credits do we know or could you speak to how transferable they are out of state now I know from my own experience that my student was who had dual enrollment credits was able to get to get those credits transferred with for the most part with a couple of difficulties where you know the college was like I don't know what this is but

[01:38:34] we do have some students who do go out of state so could you speak briefly to that yeah it definitely varies what I will say is the vast majority of the credits do transfer out of state, particularly in public universities.

[01:38:52] And the reputation of Virginia certainly helps. So I think that the community knows that. Now are all of them transferable? They are not. It is definitely more transferable when a student completes a milestone. So for example, the UCGS or the AA degree, those make them more transferable for schools.

[01:39:12] Sometimes a college would accept a course for advanced standing. So perhaps you don't have to take the 100 level course. You're not getting a actual credit, but you're able to access a more rigorous course. So colleges handle prior learning differently.

[01:39:30] Some colleges, one of mine went to the military academy and there are no transferable credits, right? But by and large, they do allow you access to different courses differently. So it's definitely something families should look up, and every college has a webpage that shows you what they take for all of the programs.

[01:39:52] To include, many of them take Project Lead the Way credits as well, so I always encourage parents to look at those colleges that they're interested, look at how they take AP, IB, Cambridge, dual enrollment, and then make a decision that makes the most sense for their family.

[01:40:07] In the Commonwealth, they are all accepted. - Thank you, that's a great clarification on all of those points that you said. My second question is the alignment with some of our schools, I know we're looking at this, can you tell us a little bit more about it?

[01:40:23] What I mean is like where we have like the IB program in middle school and then we have an IB program in a high school but maybe kids don't actually go to that high school or in the Cambridge program, I think that might be an issue too. But I know we're looking at that because we're doing an assessment of all of our advanced programs.

[01:40:40] - We are. - Is there anything you wanna, could you add to that? - Sure, sure. - I'm assuming we're looking at growing AP and other things. - We are certainly looking to align programs. So right now, we do have, for example, NIB.

[01:40:56] We do have PYP, MYP, and DP, but they're not actually aligned in a sequence. And so right now, we are undergoing a comprehensive specialty programs audit. We are literally turning up everything could possibly want to know, and then putting together recommendations over a multiyear period to realign and expand programs. We are monitoring all of the data on lottery applications. What are the programs that are in demand? What are the programs that can be strengthened? What are the programs that might need to attrition? Valuating all of that information. Alignment is a high

[01:41:33] priority and expansion where the demand is there as well great thank you that's something I've thought about a lot some of my schools have some of the IB and then yes it's not and it is in elevate 2030 yes I saw it in there my last question is how are we at some of our schools we might have like an IB program or Cambridge and then we offer maybe a few AP classes but AP is very ubiquitous it transfers very easily it allows it's kind of the cafeteria style where you can pick and choose

[01:42:08] yeah interested in you don't have to seek an ib diploma you know it's not complicated i guess what i'm saying um and it's flexible so at the schools where we have like an ib program as their primary option what do what are we doing to advance ap classes also at those schools so that students who are maybe not interested in the ib track can still take those advanced classes yeah it really depends on the courses so each of the schools does have some albeit limited opportunities for AP it depends on if it is countering the same students so for example we wouldn't have a Cambridge statistics course and an AP statistics

[01:42:45] course and potentially a dual enrollment statistics courses so we're looking at the balance of it out of the programs as you mentioned AP is super flexible Cambridge also has that flexibility model. To get the diploma in IB, it is very structured, and so that's more of a cohort collective program model.

[01:43:05] And so through advancing opportunities like with dual enrollment, those can really complement the Cambridge and IB schools as well. But we are continuing to see some increase of additional flexibilities in that space. - Okay, thank you. That's an interesting consideration.

[01:43:22] And again, I know parents, regardless of their background, their economic status, their politics. They like school, they like choice. - Yes. - They like choice for their kids. They want options and these programs do allow us to tailor our offerings to meet the individual interests of the students and therefore drive engagement, which is what we're trying to do.

[01:43:45] And so I really appreciate all the work in this and thank you very much. - Thank you. - Mr. Blake. - Thank you, Dr. Sullivan and Dr. Crane that's very comprehensive um update i would just what really stands out to me first is um about this advanced academics in prince william county is like miss wall and my other colleagues said is it's not about exclusive exclusivity and um you know it's about access and readiness and as it's outlined in um our elevate 2030 our commitment is to provide uh

[01:44:24] equitable opportunities for all students to achieve at high levels and that matters and that's what we're doing here and and we're not sacrificing rigor to expand access either so that's very good we're doing both at the same time and i just you know want to make sure that everybody understands that um i'm not gonna really like i'm excited about a lot of these things too but i won't go into all of it but i would like our cambridge program you didn't really is let's highlight is that are we like the one of the only divisions we are we are the only division yes we

[01:44:59] are the only division in the commonwealth it is very popular throughout the nation um every college website will show how they take cambridge credits as well um ib credits ap but we are the only division in the commonwealth that offers it and it's a real cambridge it's it is affiliated with the University of Cambridge yes it is it this is what I'll say I believe it's been the best-kept secret in Prince William County School so my team and I are working very hard to elevate to increase training to increase fidelity of

[01:45:37] the program and we've been working very closely with the staff from the University of Cambridge this year they've actually been here five times this year to work alongside our counselors our teachers and our administrators because it really is a remarkable program we want to shine a brighter light on it right thank you that's why i said something i wanted you to say something about that because you didn't mention that we're going to shine it brighter right and then and then my other thing i just want to thank you and you team dr mcday and everybody is i see like our english language learners you know are participating in and succeeding in this advanced coursework at rates that are outperforming,

[01:46:16] even the rest of our peer, our neighboring school division. So I appreciate that. And then just the intentionality, 'cause I remember sitting on the equity committee and advocating for it, like we need to get more, you know, I need to see more people like me taking these classes, you know.

[01:46:35] So I appreciate that, and just including the black students, the Hispanic students, the English language learners, students with disabilities it's everybody i'm i'm happy about it and excited so thank you thank you for all these opportunities and like everybody else said you know um being able to take these classes and getting these college credits before you can um before you graduate it really helps our families especially in in a lot of our districts so you know that's thousands of dollars that you that people don't have to pay so thank you for the opportunity keep up the good work - Thank you, sir.

[01:47:14] I will emphasize that National Clearinghouse data shows that if a student takes even one dual enrollment class, they have a multiplier effect of the likelihood of their success in college. And so we also want the courses to not just give them college credit, but to give them the skills to actually increase their success once they enroll.

[01:47:37] Thank you, sir. - Thank you. Jen Wall, and then I'm gonna ask Karina to just tell us a little experience about what she's had if she's with her APs really quick I believe you did say this but you can highlight it again if you did which I believe you did when I was in high school we had to pay for our AP exam yeah out of our own pocket and if we took the SAT we had to pay for that that's true an ACT and so that was that was the thing I believe we cover that for every single student regardless

[01:48:15] of how many AP tests they take and whether or not they even pass it or not. - That is true, and that's actually, you opened a womb 'cause I couldn't take the test when I was in high school because of the cost. And so, yes, whether it is Cambridge, IB or AP, all the costs are fully covered and our families do not have to think twice about it or even consider that.

[01:48:39] With these new programs that I've mentioned, all the dual enrollment costs are now covered as well. In the past, a family with means might have gone and registered for a dual enrollment course on their own. Now through these programs, all those opportunities are available at no cost to any student in the division.

[01:48:57] - And considering the cost of college, which my family is dealing with right now, that is amazing. - Huge. - That is an amazing benefit. That it translates into thousands and thousands of dollars. - Well, and fees are invisible barriers. There are students who won't enroll because they're anticipating a fee barrier.

[01:49:16] And so it actually limits people believing what's possible. - Thank you for emphasizing that and indulging my extra question. - Before I go over to Karina, I didn't realize I was missing Mr. Wilk. Mr. Wilk.

[01:49:34] - It's been a night. The best kept secret I think is a great word to describe the Cambridge program because probably nothing gives me more consternation than the Cambridge program when it comes to Potomac?

[01:49:50] And I think a problem is the fact it is the best kept secret. - Yes, sir. - I think one of the biggest barriers to the Cambridge program is that families do not really understand what it is. And the point you made about schools, the colleges in Virginia having right there, up there, the transfer and what the courses equate to and stuff like that.

[01:50:15] I think the general public at least believes, again, an assumption, that AP is really kind of where it's at when it comes to making those transfer credits and passing the scores and getting a school, university to accept or dual enrollment to those programs.

[01:50:35] So I guess, and I know you're doing the audit, and I guess I said, in a way, before this, I've been almost in a way trying to supplant and get rid of the Cambridge program at Potomac. But I think if I think more in a propitious manner if we're able to bring other programs like the IT or something else AP scholars program I think it would help especially retain more of our original students within the Potomac boundary because I think we've all seen the boundaries and the transitions I think we lose about 25% of the students in that zone and it's

[01:51:15] And it's been something I've talked with previous principals about, how do we promote it? How do we get out there in the community? You know, the last principal, I do give him credit, he did go to a couple PTO meetings and try to talk about the Cambridge program with middle schoolers and stuff like that. But we really need to do something more robust if we're going to continue to keep these programs, especially the Cambridge program, in my opinion, because it's not connecting, I think, with a large segment of the population.

[01:51:42] - Agreed, and that was my experience too in coming to Prince William County. I've had plenty of prior experience with it and the perception, it was very different. And so that led to my commitment this year of taking it on really as our own separate project.

[01:51:58] We need to increase fluency in the teachers that teach the program, the counselors that speak about it, the school administration. We need to elevate it in a public relations space. It really is top tier. And so we are very committed to doing the work alongside staff at the University of Cambridge to elevate it.

[01:52:20] As I mentioned earlier, they've actually come to Prince William County five times this year, the staff directly from Cambridge, to work alongside our team and the teachers to continue to bring clarity to all of that, 'cause we definitely saw that as well.

[01:52:35] And so it is a high priority. - I'm interjecting in this conversation because it's Cambridge. My question to you is about the Cambridge program. I know you just said like it's top tier. It's all of these things.

[01:52:55] Does it provide college credit for these kids? I-- - Yes. - We have seen a child on our board last year, Kaylee, she was very successful in the program, but she was on a certain track that provided that.

[01:53:13] I guess, you know, again, I'm gonna push that dual enrollment over the Cambridge and I just-- - Yeah, that's okay. - Just to compare the two and what gets you the credit and all these different things. I know it's a great program. I hear and I echo what Justin is saying as well though, being the two school districts that have it in their school, it's underutilized, it's not understood, even as with a child in it.

[01:53:34] You know, I'm struggling to see how that calculates to cutting my college cost, so. - Yeah, so Cambridge is the exact same as IB or AP that is dependent on their assessment result. And so all three of those, and that's really the difference between a dual enrollment choice and one of those programs is it is dependent on the assessment results.

[01:53:56] University of Cambridge did work with the Commonwealth, again, to make sure all the colleges post that transferability. I think that's gonna be very helpful. And again, we've gotta do a better job of clarity around those decisions. - Is the program like more antiquated?

[01:54:11] Like has it been around longer than these other two and maybe it's kind of lost its clarity? Let me just jump in so we can move on. I was the last one picked to talk. No, I know. But I don't want to keep going because I want to acknowledge that we are doing a full audit of all of our programs.

[01:54:32] So that will give us some data to make determinations about how we move forward on different programs. For example, all of the things that you're saying about Cambridge, although it is a very strong program on its face everything that you're saying is true in terms of numbers and interest in all of those things and and it's one of our more expensive programs to run also so as we do the audits and across all of our programming we'll be able to come back to the board with actual data and numbers to make clear decisions about different types of programming that is that's informed so if we have a situation where we're not seeing the interest there

[01:55:10] then we can make decisions about whether or not we swap out one program for a higher interest program I know one of you just mentioned about like IT one of the reasons we're putting IT at every high school is because it is a high demand and it's also a high demand high wage career as well but we're also seeing a lot of interest in it across the school system so we want to make sure that the programs that we offer our programs that our students are actually interested in and are applying for and if we find that one program is just not generating that kind of interest then we should just like we do in our continuous improvement plans our stop start continue look at look at what have

[01:55:50] we been doing historically does the data support us continuing to do this and if it doesn't then do we stop it and then pick up something that may be in higher demand for our students and our family so I just want to I just want to be responsive to the board and the concerns that you're having and letting you know know that the team already has an audit process in place and we'll be able to bring that data to you so that we can make informed decisions to address some of the very valid concerns that you're raising tonight.

[01:56:17] - And I think you make a good point about, especially in my situation with the IT program, a sensitive topic as we see a huge influx of students from school A going to school B in my district and we see kind of the result of capacity at one of those buildings, so.

[01:56:32] Thank you. - You know, one of the reasons I wanna ask Karina to speak, I thought in your comments where you discussed some students felt like some schools didn't have as many dual enrollment and AP courses. I can tell you that when I first got on this board eight years ago, it was a dramatic problem.

[01:56:50] There was inequity across the division in course offerings. And when Dr. McDade came, I mean, if you take a look at the data here and the charts here, I mean, the number of students taking AP classes, advanced placement classes, and then passing, it's because we increased opportunity.

[01:57:06] And so, Karina, one, I'd like to, that point you made is a really important point. It still continues. We still have work to do, there's no doubt about it. But it's dramatically improved in the last four years as shown on slide number seven, which I think is the best slide in the whole deck, where we have far more students taking it.

[01:57:27] And our Elevate 2030 plan continues to push that number. It says we want even more. And that is really critical. And I do believe deeply that if we push that more, I believe our pass rate will continue to go up. And for all those in the country who thinks public schools are not rigorous or not pushing the envelope, this is the clearest example of a school division doing exactly that, pushing the envelope, pushing rigor.

[01:57:56] And I'll have more to say on that. But Karina, I'd like to hear your thoughts on how your experience has been with APs and those kind of advanced classes at your high school. - Yeah, I mean, at Colgan, We have AP and dual enrollment opportunities and I've taken both, I love both. I feel like they both really prepare me for college and I've learned so many key skills that I'm gonna use in college through those courses.

[01:58:19] Same with my peers. We all encourage one another to take them. As a senior, my main concern are seniors skipping out on the AP exam. So I have a question. For the, on slide seven, is the exam, the number of exams in 2025, 14,500.

[01:58:37] Is that exams that were purchased or are those the amount of students that took an exam? - Great question. Those are the number of students that took an exam. We actually monitor it very closely, the participation rate at each of our schools to ensure that we don't have to intervene regarding the participation role.

[01:58:58] It's actually part of our CI goals to make sure every student is given the opportunity, encouraged and gets outreach, if necessary, to be able to not walk away from the potential of that result. - Wow, okay, that's amazing. That just makes it even better.

[01:59:14] I have one more question about the CRV. Nope, that's a car. CCRV, sorry. The CCRV, I was looking at the website that you mentioned and all of the programs or all the courses offered at each school and I have a question on how you guys or NOVA decided, how the program decided which courses to offer virtual at each school?

[01:59:38] - Excellent question. So the NOVA strategy was to look at the base courses offered at the school and those that weren't offered online. So they didn't dissuade or persuade, they looked at what was already there.

[01:59:54] That list will change annually. So if a school is able to offer it in person, then they'll remove the online option. So they looked at what was the reality of every school and then made sure every student had an option. - Okay, because I was looking at Colgan's, obviously, and Colgan does not have dual enrollment psychology as an option, like in-person or virtual.

[02:00:17] Okay, and then I look at Hilton's and they have that option virtual, DE, but they also have the AP psychology. And so I'm just a little bit confused on how that matches up. So the CCRV program is specifically targeted for students to earn the 32 credits that are attached to that full year's work of coursework.

[02:00:41] So NOVA has implemented that match. There are additional courses that are dual enrollment at schools that aren't part of the CCRV pathway. - Okay, okay, okay, that makes sense. But anyways, back to how amazing you guys are.

[02:00:57] Yeah, my experience in high school has been amazing. My first AP class was my sophomore year, AP Human Geography. That prepared me. It was tough as a sophomore, but it prepared me so much. And I know you guys are working on that transition to high school.

[02:01:13] And my experience was a little bit different because of COVID. But having that transition period to really understand, oh, this is what I'm going to experience in high school is so important. Because especially coming off COVID, I had no clue what I was expecting, which is why I think it hits so many of us so hard but nonetheless the fact that you guys have so many opportunities for AP and DE at Colgan and county-wide is just amazing and despite all the hardships we face in middle school it really all these courses prepared us for the future so

[02:01:49] I love it I love everything about it and I'm glad you guys are making it more equal county-wide like Dr. Lateef said I don't even want to know how it was back then I'm glad we're looking forward and making Prince William County School a better county to be in and just no matter your zip code so that's amazing thank you so much thank you Karina thank you Karina very good points great presentation as I said we have you know when you apply to college especially the competitive colleges and those are we have many of them in Virginia and that's for UVA and William and Mary

[02:02:24] and Virginia Tech the first thing they look at is your rigor of courses offered in the school and and whether you took the most rigorous courses offered at your school. That is how they judge you. And then they'd look at your grades in those rigorous courses and compare you to everyone else who took those same rigorous courses in your school.

[02:02:43] And that's how they select. The second thing they look at is your SAT/ACT score, right? So those are still important. Some schools are optional, but most of the competitive schools have gone back to requiring them. Some schools wanna see all your AP scores. You don't have to submit them.

[02:02:59] There are a couple universities that require, if you took the AP, we wanna see the score. Some universities, you know, it's an option, and as Karina said, you know, you can skip the AP test, and I'm not advocating that, but, you know, you could, if you didn't wanna sit for that AP test and just take the class, obviously you're still, you know, the grade and the class matters for your GPA and all of that, so that's critical.

[02:03:20] I wanna thank you all. You know, the number of schools offering more advanced placement classes has dramatically improved in these four years. It has been, you know, we spend a lot of money on students with special education students. We spend a lot of money on English learning students.

[02:03:37] You know, I've always said that we need to spend a lot of money on every student and advanced students where I think that's critical, but I also think that that BC student, that mid-range student, like how are we gonna push them to take more advanced courses, dual enrollment's a great option for them, not necessarily as rigorous as the APs, but great options to get your credits for your associate's degree and get you trained and ready for community college and college as well.

[02:04:05] And so I think those are critical. And I think what I wanna, not that I'm gonna ask this question, I think you all know that I ask this a lot. I care deeply about counseling. I care about whether our counselors are as up to date on what the requirements are for colleges of all sorts of colleges and the strategy that each student should employ as they start in ninth grade, looking forward over those four years.

[02:04:30] Do I take nine APs? When do I start them? Do I start two my freshman year, two my sophomore year? I wanna know that our counselors know that. I wanna know that our counselors are making sure that they are offering our students the full gamut of options. You know, it's fine to warn them and say, look, you're gonna sign up for a rough curriculum, but again, it's everyone's choice.

[02:04:50] It's a student choice, it's a parent choice, it's a family choice. But, you know, I think that's critical if we're going to set our kids up for success because you can't, you know, a lot of times kids show up in junior year and senior year and they've taken a rigorous course but didn't take that many APs.

[02:05:05] And so their GPA doesn't look that good compared to other students in their class, right, because they took a bunch of 5.0 classes and those are the APs, the Cambridge and the IB programs. And so, you know, I mean, I'll say it out loud, you know, when you're competing and you're taking a lot of those 5.0 classes, every time you take a class that's not a 5.0 and you get an A, your GPA actually goes down.

[02:05:29] So if you're running a 4.3 GPA and then you sign up for a 4.0 class and get an A, your GPA actually goes down. And so there are a lot of students, these 7,644 students who are taking AP courses care deeply about that. And while I understand, you know, not everyone thinks that way, there are a lot that do.

[02:05:48] and I think preparing that batch of kids for their future is really important. And I wanna know that our counselors are really encouraging, at the middle school level, take Cambridge over there, go look at it, don't scare the kids, take IB, take AP classes.

[02:06:03] And so those things I think are important. So the alignment of what our counselors and teachers are saying to encourage our students is really important. I get really upset when I find students tell me that my counselor discouraged me or my teacher discouraged me from doing this.

[02:06:22] Those things concern me. And while I recognize that we have to give good advice to kids and some might not be ready, but I think we have to give the full gamut of information to them to let them make the choices. But you don't have to respond to that, but that is important to me that we have alignment along our counseling that is really good and that they're up to date on what colleges require.

[02:06:46] - Yes, sir, agreed. I do want to shout out Dr. Sampson, our newest associate superintendent. He's echoed all those words. So I think you can feel confident in his leadership and working with counselors to continue to elevate their expertise.

[02:07:02] I think you're kindred spirits. And so I think you'll find that he's taking that mission quite seriously. - Wonderful, thank you. Ms. Zargarpur. - While Dr. Lateef was talking, we were having this sidebar conversation now I have questions about dual enrollment yeah oops well because I have a neighbor who teaches dual enrollment and she I already know what she says about this so our dual enrollment students following PWCS or are they following what Nova is saying so so we offer retakes Nova would never

[02:07:39] do that yeah so yes so we are providing some clarification to that point good thank you Because we have found that that needs further clarification. The students should be following NOVA's expectations, the guidelines and the course requirements because we are presenting it as a college course.

[02:07:57] So we are working to provide some of that clarification. For example, even with the grading practices, we've made clear that the NOVA classes are actually different because they are expected to follow those NOVA criteria.

[02:08:13] It definitely requires a little bit more work and a little bit more clarification. Yes. That's excellent because I know -- my neighbor is an amazing teacher. And the way she talks about how she prepares, she teaches this same class to college students.

[02:08:34] And she doesn't want to have a different standard for high school. So I think that the rigor and the value for dual enrollment could rival any AP class. Because you are actually doing the college work. AP, you're still in high school. And if we are -- are we going to allow AP -- are we going to say AP then also has to have sort of a college standard in no retakes, no this, no that?

[02:08:59] »» Yeah. We are working on including that in the regulation change to be very clear about, by definition, they are considered NOVA courses. So we are working through some several stakeholder groups and putting together some communications to really clarify and really understand that those are college courses and they should be equivalent to the college experience on the campus.

[02:09:27] That's awesome. Thank you so much because I know that's been an issue among some of the teachers for a little while now. They've been great advocates when I've done opportunities for Zooms. They attended the Zooms and they thoroughly clarified their perspective.

[02:09:43] So I caught on very early on in the stakeholder feedback. I really appreciate that too, because people will talk about it for a while. And when you have offered yourself as this resource, thank you for following through and listening. Yes, ma'am. Thank you.

[02:09:58] On that note, so I do appreciate your support and Dr. McDade's support truly over the last four years, whether it's the grading policy or how we're doing retakes. - I do think, and while I share Ms. Zargarpur's concerns that we wanna do it like it is in college, the governor's school is over at George Mason, so they do it like George Mason.

[02:10:17] TJ doesn't have the same sort of level of retakes, but I think retakes are important. I think they are a way to transition our students, even with NAPs, to getting to college. You know, you get warned like they're not gonna do this to you in college, but here's a couple opportunities.

[02:10:33] These courses are very rigorous. They are very tough and I want our children to succeed in these courses. And you see that whatever we're doing, whatever we're doing, so before we start going and changing a whole lot, that 68% PACS rate on the APs that has gone up, we're doing a really good job in our AP program.

[02:10:52] - 100%. - And so while we're working on grading, I appreciate all that. I really appreciate Dr. McDade's commitment to sort of, let's work in the favor of the student. - Always. - Right, in the favor of the kids, because we are sending them out in a highly competitive environment.

[02:11:10] And if anyone were to say, again, I wanna be crystal clear that Prince William County's padding grades or doing something, that's not happening here. You know, our students are leaving here and achieving very high levels in their post-secondary success. Our pass rates on the AP scores are higher.

[02:11:25] So anybody who would say that somehow it's an easy place to get, you know, passing grades, I think that's not necessarily true. that if we're somehow changing these grading policies to make it easier, I think we're changing the grading policies to make sure our students have a fair shot. - Absolutely.

[02:11:41] - And get rewarded for the hard work they're doing. And I think that's really important. While it may not work in every scenario that someone may point out, I think it's really critical. And so I do appreciate that. And look, in these advanced courses are where you have those students who care deeply about their grades, and that will impact them.

[02:11:59] You know, when these universities, Unfortunately, UVA's and the William & Mary's can't take everybody in the state of Virginia. And they can't take everybody from Garfield High School or Colgan High School that applies. And unfortunately, they rank you against the kids in your own school.

[02:12:16] And that's how they do it. And they're gonna say, well, you didn't take as many classes as this one. And you didn't get as many high grades. So they have algorithms. They're using AI now, which is even worse. So the question is, are they reading your college applications? That's a whole nother thing. but a lot of it is a numbers game, and that's why these kids care deeply about those numbers.

[02:12:36] It matters, it impacts their lives in some ways, especially the students who want to get to those types of schools. I'm not saying it's all in the grades, and it's all in the percentages of decimals. We heard an eloquent speaker tonight talk about that, but the reality is, as long as this system tells me my kid has to take an SAT and get a certain score, or we have to have grades, then grades matter, And SAT matters, and we have to prepare them for that.

[02:13:03] So I appreciate Dr. McDade's strong commitment to that. There were times when she and I got into it where I said, look, doc, test optional on the SAT anymore. Let's, you know, like, you know, and she's like, you're an idiot, you know. I did not say that. And the SAT is back, and it's not only back, it's back with a vengeance, right?

[02:13:23] So the ACT and the SAT, both considered equal. I appreciate that. We pay for the AP exams, as Ms. Wall points out. We have summer school this summer that I think we're paying for, is that right Dr. McDade? And we have an incredibly robust number of kids signed up, okay, which is incredible.

[02:13:45] And I just want you to know that when you offer an opportunity, you know, they will come. They will do it. Whether it's at Brentsville and Potomac and we make changes there in those curriculums, you'll see people will want to do it, I promise you. So I think we should reduce the barrier in every way for students to take more rigorous courses and push them hard as we can.

[02:14:07] - Yes, sir, thank you. - That's my soapbox for tonight. We're moving on. That's the end of the discussion. Thank you, thank you, thank you. - Thank you, sir. - Superintendent's time. Dr. McDade, do you have anything else to add? Superintendent's time? - No, sir, that concludes Superintendent's time.

[02:14:22] - Okay, we're up to committee updates. Ms. Wall has an update from the internal audit committee, the most important committee in the school division. - All right. The internal audit committee met on February 18th at 4:15 for our quarterly meeting.

[02:14:39] At the meeting we selected the internal audit committee chairperson and based on that action I will be continuing as chair of the internal audit committee. We received a status update of audit activities from our chief internal auditor which included completed audits and projects in progress and upcoming audit activities and the 2025 Office of Internal Audits annual report. There were six completed school audits since we met the last time a completed audit of central office financial review of four departments and then for March through June we have financial audits coming for three high schools one middle

[02:15:18] school and eight elementary schools as well as a financial audit of the aquatic center a background check audit and some ongoing enterprise risk management work, just to highlight some things. So looking ahead, we discussed our meeting schedule for the remainder of 2026 with our next meeting on May 20th, 2026, and our November 4th meeting is on track to discuss and approve the 2027 internal audit plan, which would then come before the board for approval in December of 2026.

[02:15:51] So that completes the report for the internal audit committee. Thank you, Ms. Wall. I think it should be noted, I think it's Ms. Wall's second or third year chairing audit committee? Second? Third. Okay. She's done a great job. I appreciate the superintendent's cooperation. It is, I believe, one of the most important committees.

[02:16:07] It helps this board and the internal audit committee answers to the school board and reports directly to us on making sure that the work we do is transparent and answers to the public's a charge of their public dollars and to make sure we're doing it well.

[02:16:24] Thank you so much. Of 1701, we have an approval of side letter to collective bargaining agreement. A motion is in order, Vice Chair Jesse. - I move that Prince William County School Board approve and authorize the board chair to sign a side letter to the collective bargaining agreement ratified on May 7th, 2025.

[02:16:46] - Do I have a second? - Mr. Chairman, I second. - Mrs. Argenpour seconds motion. Any discussion? Please vote. - Oh yeah, no, I'm sorry, Ms. Wall, go. - I just wanted to state that I love track, my kids have run track, have been actively involved in extracurriculars in track and by no means does the way I vote on this have any reflection on how I feel about track, track and track students and track athletes.

[02:17:15] - Ms. Zargarpur. - Just super quick, I appreciate the collaboration on this particular item and that collective bargaining has a process and the process works. - Please vote.

[02:17:49] - Vote is five yes, one no. Wall, one not present at vote. Tridentic, motion passed. - Okay, the next motion is a motion that was supposed to be given by Ms. Williams this evening. I'm gonna go ahead and make the motion. It is agenda item 1702. It's the appointment of a naming committee for the new Woodbridge District Elementary School.

[02:18:08] I move that the Prince William County School Board appoint Dr. Lateef, Lori Williams, and Tracy Blake to the naming committee for the new Woodbridge Elementary School. pursuant to School Board Policy 854. So Lateef, Blake, Williams.

[02:18:24] Do I have a second? - Mr. Chairman. - I go with Wall. - I second. - Wall seconds. Any discussion? Okay, please vote.

[02:18:54] - Vote is seven yes, unanimous. Motion passed. - All right, we have board matters. Now we start with Justin Wilk this evening. - Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I definitely won't use all my four minutes, but just wanna bring up some general themes.

[02:19:10] You know, tonight, I appreciate the concern. fathers coming from Prince William County, Raymond Bell, particular in my constituent. I do agree the bullying of the code of behavior does need to be further addressed and worked on. Often bullying is a very gray area, but I agree that we can put some parameters and processes in place to better support students when it comes to things like racial discrimination.

[02:19:38] Wanted to mention, you know, on Sunday, I did have office hours from 5:00 to 9:00 PM at Panera. I do like getting different perspectives and hearing about the various topics. This had to do broad themes, more like accessibility and parental access, food nutrition, school booster funding options, parental intimidation against staff, broad swath of topics, and it's just good to take those concerns back, even if it's just people who really just want to vent and talk to someone about their concerns, not necessarily seeking immediate action, but having the ability to come to someone.

[02:20:17] So I do appreciate that. And I'm gonna try to set up another one for those people who do wanna meet with me in person versus a telephone call. I do wanna, again, thank, I wanna thank the division for recognizing the Potomac Shores Middle School on their historic feet and championship of a hundred and zero.

[02:20:39] They probably won more than a hundred games now, but being still undefeated and reaching that hundred milestone, I appreciate that. Another parent came and spoke. We've been talking about racism and we've also see that things are unfolding in the world around us as a result of the intervention or war in Iran.

[02:21:03] And, you know, we just got to be cognizant of all of our groups of students, as I'm hearing a little bit more from parents of Muslim students who are facing some harassment right now. So I do want to be cognizant of that as this theater potentially expands or the war continues.

[02:21:21] And speaking of the war, I do want to mention that, you know, in the last couple of days, we did lose six U.S. service members who were killed in Kuwait during the Iranian counterattack. It just goes to show again the line freedom isn't free and these soldiers gave the ultimate sacrifice.

[02:21:40] So forever remembering them and thanking them for their service and I am done, thank you. - Thank you. Thanks again to Dr. Sullivan and her team for that great discussion on the advanced courses and things that we offer.

[02:22:04] One of the things that parents in my district have brought up and even teachers that we've talked about is our average students too. We do a lot of talking about the special education and our advanced, and then just the average student and how they respond.

[02:22:20] And I will disagree with one of my colleagues when they talk about retakes. I do think that they benefit some students, but I also ultimately, you know, in watching my child transition, who was an average student to college, it really did him a disservice going to the next level and being provided those retakes for so long, you know, you can only tell your kids so many times, like, you don't always get a second chance at everything before they call you and say, hey mom, hey dad, you were right.

[02:22:47] Like, this is moving faster than I thought. Like, I've gotta really buckle down. And, you know, even with homework and things like that, I know parents are not huge homework fans. I get it because they have so many other activities, but, you know, they've gotta take that time to themselves to do the hard work.

[02:23:03] And when they get a second chance and a third chance, why do that, you know what I mean? And so I think we really do a disservice to our kids by providing that retake. I've always said that, I'm not a big fan of those. So anyhow, that's just me on my soapbox for that.

[02:23:20] I am gonna say this too, and Dr. McDade might cringe a little bit. I received a attendance email this week about like, here, congrats on your achievement.

[02:23:38] You and your child set a great example for others to aspire setting goals and achieving them. Your accomplishments did not go unnoticed. This child has a 95% or better attendance rate. The same week, I got a truancy letter for the same said child.

[02:23:54] So I'm struggling a little bit with those two mixed messages because this child says to me, look, guess you're wrong. And I'm like, what about this letter? So there's a little bit of mixed messaging there. I'm just going to say, you know, not a big fan of those attendance emails and i also don't think that um they help when your child struggles a little with attendance if they get that really big pat on the back for 95 attendance like let's just only send them for 100 let's just forget the 95 because those kids are somehow weaseling by with that 95 when they're not even going all the time so that's my mother's soapbox

[02:24:30] as a mom i just i'm not a fan of of those uh attendance things and i hope we're not mailing them at least i did like to see that it was an email and not a mailer because those mailers are expensive um happy march and um that's all mrs agafar well good evening everyone it is music in our schools month and i i have to put this out here um music improves the neuroplasticity of our brain when we make complex motor tasks such as playing an instrument and combine it with decoding a visual language such as reading music our brain can increase the volume and inactivity

[02:25:09] in the corpus callosum this is important because we just started we just talked about gifted ed and and rigor and all that good stuff and i one of the easiest ways we can do this is to have our kids participate in music and in elementary school they always get music in middle school they get a choice and hopefully some of them choose to go on in high school music can be considered a multiplier for um learning it is a catalyst for learning and core subjects such as language, arts, math, giving you spatial reasoning. It gives kids leadership abilities. You have to be

[02:25:46] good at what you do as an individual, which means you have to spend the time and practice. You have to be able to hear and take criticism and comment and feedback and do something with it. It's a great place to practice failure and then success. You learn a little bit about your musicianship and and how to work with others.

[02:26:07] You also have your critical thinking and listening skills. You learn how to work through collaboration and take feedback as individuals and as groups. When we fund music in our schools, we aren't just buying instruments or sheet music. We are investing in the neural architecture of our students, ensuring they have the discipline, cognitive flexibility, and emotional resilience to succeed in their lives.

[02:26:32] So I am celebrating all of our teachers and our students who are involved in music. And thanks to the parents who probably drag these poor kids to all the rehearsals and things. But it really pays off in the end.

[02:26:49] I went to watch Colgan's concert last night. They did like a little mini festival. They invited Benton's 8th grade chorus and then a bunch of the Colgan choruses sang. And it was so amazing. And just to watch the kids get on stage and they practiced how they were going to do this at their assessment that's coming up.

[02:27:14] There was a clinician who came and gave them comments and then had them practice in front of us. And the audience was great for just sitting and listening and we could immediately hear the difference. So it was a great experience. And good luck to all of the musicians, whether your band, strings, chorus, and your assessments this year.

[02:27:32] Have a good evening. wall thank you mr jesse um i yay music in our schools month i'm a huge fan of music education and i feel like every student i know who has participated in music education has benefited immensely so i love that we highly promote the music music in our schools and i just want to give a shout out to all those amazing music educators out there all three of my children have been beneficiaries of your amazing dedication and talent i want to appreciate or express appreciation for the parents and community members who came today and

[02:28:08] expressed their concerns clearly racist behaviors in our schools is a problem and we need to take it seriously and we are we are taking it seriously at Prince William County Schools so thank you unfairness in sports and in sports selections and other things is also a thing we need to take very seriously and I love the idea of an indoor track I know the Board of County Supervisors shot that idea down a couple years ago and I thought it was a terrible decision

[02:28:33] and they should have run with it so we should have run with it congratulations to the students from Battlefield Colgan Patriot in Gainesville who are National Merit Scholar finalists and congratulations to the Gainesville boys indoor track team for their state win although not a Gainesville district school many students reside in the Gainesville district who go to that school and I know some of those families so we're all so proud of your

[02:29:11] achievement I want to highlight some events that I've been to and since we last met because I think they're important one is last night it went to the state of the county event probably none of you heard about it but it was hosted by the BOCS and it was very enlightening I also participated in the evaluation of Governor's School Innovation Park on Monday they're up for their annual, not their annual, their sixth year, every six years they get evaluated.

[02:29:38] So I think that we'll have a really good report. On the 28th, I went to the Special Education Conference and Resource Fair at Forest Park. This was awesome, great event. I hope it continues to grow. There was so much good information shared. I sat through one of the classes and I learned a lot.

[02:29:56] I was impressed with the variety and quality of the breakout session topics and the number of resources available from the community. So great job for everybody who worked on that. I went to All County Elementary School Choir at Colgan on the 21st. Oh, those kids were amazing. They were, what I love is seeing how proud parents are of their kids.

[02:30:14] It's really sweet and they were really good. I went to the student mock trial competition on the 21st. This was at the Prince William County Courthouse. This was amazing. These kids were fantastic. They presented a case. They were prosecution and defense. They had witnesses and everything.

[02:30:29] The judges were legal professionals, in some cases they were actually judges, and those judges really interacted with the kids in a fantastic way. It was absolutely awesome. I heard that the Bar Association is likely going to take this over and grow it, which is amazing.

[02:30:47] Great opportunity for our community members to interact with our incredibly bright and talented students. I went to a glow dance. PTO never disappoints. This was at Gravely Elementary. Again, it highlights our amazing volunteers and parents. Battlefield had an orchestra pre-assessment concert, which I loved, and the kids did a fantastic job.

[02:31:07] I went to a principal advisory meeting at Bull Run on the 19th. It's always great to see those principal advisory councils in action. Thank you to all the parents who volunteer for those committees. Okay, I'm gonna skip ahead. To the Teacher of the Year finalists across the division, and congratulations to those from the Gainesville District.

[02:31:25] I look forward to seeing you hopefully being winners in that category. And my last closing thoughts, I actually am running out of time, so I'll just say good night. - Mr. Blake. - Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[02:31:41] Good evening and happy Women's History Month and happy Music in School Month also, 'cause I'm a big supporter of the music program in school. But let me just say over the past couple of weeks, I've had the opportunity to spend some time across our schools and throughout the community.

[02:31:59] And I just wanna briefly highlight a few of those moments that reflect the strength of Prince William County and Prince William County Schools. At Penn Elementary, I was able to, I went to the Advisory Council and the PTO meeting where I was just reminded how vital family engagement is to student success.

[02:32:20] And when parents and educators collaborate with intention, the schools thrive. And then I also had a chance to see the new book vending machine that the PTO donated, which was awesome. They already, like, bought out a row of books in there already, but it was very good.

[02:32:38] So, like, I wish I would have one of those in school. I would have always been getting books out of there. But that kind of investment speaks to literacy. It speaks volumes about the partnership between families and schools. And then I also had a chance to attend the friendship dance at Minnieville where I just saw a lot of joy and belonging and community and action.

[02:33:01] The event was packed with families and students. I think everybody was just like cabin fever. They wanted to be out from being inside for so long. But these are the kinds of experiences that help children feel connected and supported and safe in their school communities.

[02:33:17] And then I also, a couple weekends ago, I attended the student mock trial competition at the Prince William County Courthouse where our students had got to demonstrate critical thinking, confidence, and professionalism in a real courtroom.

[02:33:36] It was impressive to watch them argue the cases with such boys at such a young age. Even our own Beulah Sarsa was there on the defense team for Hilton. And this is just a, it was just an incredible empirical learning opportunity.

[02:33:55] and one that i truly wish that i would have when i was in high school there's like a lot of things that happened that i didn't get to do but these kids get to it's very good i also got to go to the all-county choir at kogan um which was it was really outstanding it was just a bunch of fifth graders from all over the county every school so i think every school had three three fifth graders from every school so it was it was great almost 200 kids in there um again it's just a powerful reminder of the strength of our arts programs and the talent that we have in every corner of this

[02:34:30] county and uh and I also got to attend the uh Prince William County State of Our Parks which was hosted here and it was just really encouraging to see the uh continuing investment in spaces that support youth programs wellness and community connection and you know our parks are extension of our classrooms we actually have science in the park where our elementary kids go out to parks and get to learn about science in their natural habitat. And then also I was honored, I attended both Dell City Elementary and Hampton Middle School's

[02:35:09] Black History Month celebrations. This was great. I also attended the STEP conference with Ms. Wall at Forest Park. And my last thing I would just leave you with was, which I get to do every year now, which was great, read across America at King Elementary on Monday I saw Dr. De La Rosa and Dr. Medea was there later but it was um I got to read to a first-grade classroom and my chaperone Ms. Sophia she was just so great taking me around everywhere but I'm sure we'll

[02:35:48] see her up here one day sitting on the dais but as a student rep but yeah that was it and I'm just grateful that I got to witness all that firsthand and have a good night. Thank you. Mr. Jesse. Thank you. I did get to one event. I was able to take Mrs. Jesse and we went over to the Hampton Middle School for that Black History event and that evening I went over to one of the mosques. I learned that there are two mosques on Holy Road

[02:36:25] which I didn't know until I went to the wrong one first. But I hope to get to some more events this month and uh looking forward to it thank you all right everybody's going short um well well very good a couple comments um you know i saw that the county you know so there's a lot of discussion on the indoor track i think the county board of county supervisors is putting it up for a bond referendum in this fall's election for a track they already own property kind of in the same area where our high school was where they were planning on building the track anyways so so that's there, so I would really encourage

[02:37:03] the Board of County Supervisors and the school division, they know the school division supports anything they do for that and support the public in supporting the bond referendum on an indoor track. So that I think is in the works, just for folks to be clarified on that. You know, I don't have a lot to say.

[02:37:22] This was a great meeting. What I do wanna say is thank you to each of my board members. You heard a lot from a lot of them this evening. They're passionate about their districts. They're passionate about the students in their districts. They're passionate about the success in their districts and across the school division.

[02:37:37] And I wanna thank them for everything and for the opportunity to get to work with each of them on the things that make it very important for them to do this work. So thank you. And that includes our student member, Karina Grover. Thank you all very much. With that, the meeting is adjourned.

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