As the coronavirus pandemic creates turmoil for the fiscal year 2021 budget considerations, Fairfax County Public Schools aims to mirror Fairfax County’s budget revision approach.
The Fairfax County School Board tackled changes to the FCPS budget during its meeting yesterday.
Marty Smith, the chief operating officer for FCPS, shared in a presentation that Superintendent Scott Brabrand is looking to mirror the reduction strategy being used for the county’s budget.
The presentation also noted that FCPS aims to maintain its existing staff, but will defer compensation increases to fiscal year 2022. Amendments and new strategic investments will also be pushed.
Extended Pay For Some Substitute Teachers
The school board also unanimously approved a motion that continues pay for part-time, temporary, hourly employees through April 24.
The motion applies to long-term substitute and does not include short-term substitute teachers.
The school board will reconsider pay for those employees when the superintendent provides more information to the board for the meeting on April 16.
At that upcoming meeting, the board will decide pay for the remainder of the school year.
“To Be Determined”
While FCPS is expecting several one time savings, many of the costs associated with the pandemic are still unknown.
So far, all of the financial amounts for categories, like social emotional supports and a COVID-19 second wave contingency plan, listed in FCPS’s “Post COVID-19 Response Plan” are “TBD,” according to the presentation.
Financial impacts related to unemployment and paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Act are also unknown at this time.
FCPS may also face another, yet-to-be-determined impact: more students.
Brabrand said during the meeting that FCPS must prepare for a possible influx of students.
“It’s a job creation area and we have families in private school who may be financially impacted,” he said.
Image via FCPS/YouTube
Superintendent Scott Brabrand said during a Facebook Live event today (Friday) that possible Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) budget changes will be shared next week.
Brabrand said that the economic uncertainty sparked by COVID-19 has had a widespread impact on budgets, including Fairfax County.
Currently, Fairfax County staff are revising the proposed budget, which was developed before the coronavirus pandemic hit the area, to address expected revenue losses and help small businesses. The new budget proposal is expected to be ready by next week.
Brabrand said that a new economic forecast is expected from Gov. Ralph Northam later next week.
The Fairfax County School Board will host a virtual meeting next Thursday (April 9) at 10 a.m., Brabrand said. At that meeting, he said he plans to share his initial thoughts on how the budget may need to be adjusted.
Brabrand said that FCPS is dedicated to providing quality education during the “tight budget times that have now confronted us,” adding that FCPS has weathered challenging financial times before.
Image via Fairfax County Public Schools/Facebook
Editor’s note: Starting March 24, Tysons Reporter will have “Morning Notes” every weekday instead of twice a week to accommodate more news.
Here are the latest stories about the Tysons area that the Tysons Reporter team has been reading:
Grab-and-Go Meal Sites Have Curbside Service — “FCPS staff will deliver meals to children and adults while they wait in their cars in the kiss and ride line. Walk-ups are still welcome at all sites.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Hilton to Furlough Employees — “Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will furlough hundreds — if not thousands — of employees at its McLean headquarters as part of ongoing cost cutting measures related to the novel coronavirus.” [Washington Business Journal]
Local Student Makes Medical Masks — “When Beech Tree mom Van Nguyen heard about the shortage of medical face masks, she put her sewing skills into action. Her original goal was to make 20 face masks, but after posting about her project on social media, she received a plea from local medical professionals to make more. Beech Tree fifth grader Caroline got wind of Nguyen’s project and decided to put her own sewing skills to the test.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Falls Church City Employee Has Coronavirus — “Officials were notified this week of the positive test — the first of a City employee and third reported in the City itself — by the Fairfax County Health Department who determined there was not a public health reason to report the details of the case to the public… Falls Church officials told the News-Press the employee is not a City resident.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Former Vienna Town Councilmember Dies — “George Lovelace, a U.S. Army veteran and longtime Vienna Town Council member who also served one year as a state delegate, died March 22 at age 83.” [Inside NoVa]
Dry Cleaners Now Open in The Boro — The Boro Cleaners is now open at 8303 B Greensboro Drive. [The Boro/Twitter]
Falls Church Farmers Market is Back — “The farmers market in the City of Falls Church will reopen this weekend, though it will look a little different, after a one-week hiatus out of concern over the potential spread of the coronavirus.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Special School Board Meeting Today — “The Fairfax County School Board will hold a Special Meeting at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 27. All Board members will participate electronically due to the COVID-19 emergency.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Keep on responding to the Census, Town of Vienna! Thank you. #NOVAcounts https://t.co/x27OQtgw7M
— Town of Vienna, VA (@TownofViennaVA) March 27, 2020
We've mailed out 67% more absentee ballots for the May 5 Clifton & @TownofViennaVA elections compared to last year. Vote absentee by mail so you can #socialdistance: https://t.co/sXGUyau4yx#coronavirus #coronavirusoutbreak #votebymail #absenteeballot #VAelections #viennava pic.twitter.com/Jc16Yp7hXh
— Fairfax County Votes (@fairfaxvotes) March 27, 2020
Cherry Hill Park playground is closed pic.twitter.com/joonRbn0tx
— Falls Church Views (@fallschurchview) March 25, 2020
Before the coronavirus prompted Fairfax County Public Schools to close, Superintendent Scott Brabrand said a proposed boundary change for McLean high schools won’t impact students later this year.
The Fairfax County School Board voted unanimously at the meeting on March 9 to expand their study of a possible boundary change for McLean and Langley high schools to include the two feeder middle schools — Cooper and Longfellow.
The draft CIP says that McLean High School is currently at 118% capacity, with projections showing the population increasing to 122% capacity in the 2024-2025 school year.
The boundary change would shift students from McLean High School to nearby Langley High School, which has a current capacity of 83%.
Elaine Tholen, who represents the Dranesville District on the school board, said that community input at meetings in December pushed for middle schools to be included in the proposal.
Tholen added that Cooper Middle School is set to get renovated. “That doesn’t need to slow this process,” she said.
Originally, boundary scope meetings were expected to continue into the spring with the goal of voting and having a decision so that the change could impact the 2020-2021 school year.
But Tholen and Brabrand said that the 2020-2021 goal is too soon, especially since high school students have already signed up for their fall classes.
Brabrand said that having the boundary change in effect by the 2021-2022 school year would be more likely.
It is unclear if the coronavirus pandemic will delay that timeline.
Concerns about a proposed boundary change impacting high school students in McLean dominated the public hearing last night on the Capital Improvement Program for Fairfax County Public Schools.
The draft CIP says that McLean High School is currently at 118% capacity, with projections showing the population increasing to 122% capacity in the 2024-2025 school year.
“For years, we have cobbled together a bandaid patchwork of solutions that were never meant to be permanent,” Kimberly Adams, from the Fairfax Education Association, told the school board about the trailers at McLean High School.
Adams said that the school board needs to ask for more funding to pay for additional improvements that will add more school space.
One idea that county officials are pursuing would shift students from McLean High School to nearby Langley High School, which has a current capacity of 83%.
Meetings in the fall solicited community input on the proposed boundary change that could impact the schools for this upcoming 2020-2021 school year.
More than a dozen parents, students and locals urged the school board to renovate McLean High School, add a modular brick-and-mortar addition, add IB classes at Langley High School or allow McLean families the option to enroll their kids at Langley High School.
Two McLean high school students, who spoke together, said that they don’t support the boundary change and would prefer to see a modular instead.
Jennifer Colman, a McLean High School parent, told the school board that the CIP has “good options” for the school, but that the boundary change is not one of them.
“Take the boundary change off the table,” Colman said.
And if a boundary change does happen, several parents, like John Callanan, urged that the change happens for the lower grades, like with students in elementary school, rather than at the high school level and that the boundary change not split up families.
“If we must consider boundary changes do it from elementary to middle to high school,” Callanan said. “Do not begin at the end.”
All of the testimony wasn’t about McLean High School overcrowding — several students urged for support of solar polar legislation and building schools that are equipped with solar and geothermal systems so that they can be net-zero energy.
Some parents urged for the school board to address overcrowding at Shrevewood and Kent Garden elementary schools. Other people said that the schools need to have more support for twice-exceptional autistic students.
Image via FCPS/YouTube
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) unveiled its proposed fiscal year 2021-25 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) last week.
In November, Fairfax County voters approved a $360 million school bond referendum that includes $2 million in planning funds for a new “Silver Line elementary school,” along with other construction and renovation projects.
For the new Silver Line elementary school, permitting would happen in FY 2022, with permitting in FY 2023 and construction from FY 2024-2026, according to the CIP draft.
The revised budget estimates the Silver Line elementary school will cost $39.5 million.
“Anticipation of the completion of the Silver Line Metro has already spurred higher density residential growth along that corridor which may result in an increase in students within FCPS,” according to the CIP draft.
Along with the Silver Line school, the 10-year CIP forecast expects permitting to start on a new elementary school in Tysons in FY 2027.
Here is information on school renovations in the Tysons area in the proposed CIP:
- Falls Church High School, costing $141.9 million
- Cooper Middle School, costing $52 million
- Dranesville Elementary School, costing $38 million
- Louis Archer Elementary School, costing $29 million
A public hearing will be held on the CIP on Jan. 7 at 6 p.m. at Jackson Middle School (3020 Gallows Road), followed by a school board work session on it on Jan. 13. A vote on the CIP is scheduled to take place on Jan. 23.
(Updated 12/28/19) Come Jan. 1, the Fairfax County School Board will have a lot of new faces.
The 12-member board will see eight newcomers in 2020.
Half of the school board’s incumbents decided not to seek reelection, including: Ilryong Moon, Ryan McElveen, Jane Strauss, Pat Hynes, Sandy Evans and Dalia Palchik. The two Republican incumbents — Elizabeth Schultz and Thomas Wilson — lost their reelection bids.
At-Large Member Karen Keys-Gamarra won reelection, along with:
- Braddock District Representative Megan McLaughlin
- Lee District Representative Tamara Derenak Kaufax
- Mount Vernon District Representative Karen Corbett Sanders
Here is information on the new incoming members, who took their oaths of office on Thursday (Dec. 12) at Jackson Middle School.
At-Large Members Abrar Omeish and Rachna Sizemore Heizer
Omeish and Heizer, along with incumbent Karen Keys-Gamarra, beat three opponents for the At-Large seats.
Heizer has worked as a college professor, disability justice advocate and lawyer, according to her campaign website. Omeish is the co-founder of Give, a youth-led nonprofit and led the county-wide campaign for an anti-bullying campaign, according to her campaign website.
Hunter Mill District: Melanie Meren
Meren, a former U.S. Department of Education employee, beat her opponent, Laura Ramirez Drain. Meren is a parent and small business owner who has lived in Fairfax County for more than 15 years, according to Reston Now.
Dranesville District: Elaine Tholen
Tholen beat three opponents. A resident of Fairfax County for 25 years, Tholen most recently served as the director and treasurer for the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, according to her campaign website.
Mason District: Ricardy Anderson
Anderson beat opponent Tom Pafford. She has been a community volunteer, a veteran of the National Guard Army Reserve and lived in Annandale for more than 10 years, according to her campaign website.
Providence District: Karl Frisch
Frisch beat opponent Andrea Bayer in the election. Frisch has served as the executive director of consumer watchdog Allied Progress, was a small business owner and worked as a staffer for the Committee on Rules in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to his campaign website.
Springfield District: Laura Jane Cohen
Cohen beat two opponents, including Republican incumbent Elizabeth Schultz. Cohen has been a resident in the county for nearly 20 years and is a former preschool teacher, according to her campaign website.
Sully District: Stella Pekarsky
Pekarsky beat Republican incumbent Tom Wilson. She was previously an FCPS ESOL teacher, small business co-owner and trustee on the Fairfax County Board.
Come 2020, the school board seats will all be filled by Democrats.
“Corbett Sanders will remain chair of the School Board and Derenak Kaufax will remain as vice-chair,” according to FCPS. “School Board officers are elected at the first meeting in July of each year.”
The board also includes a non-voting student representative who is selected by the Student Advisory Council.
Photo via Facebook
School Start Time Changes in Falls Church — “The Falls Church City Public Schools will begin classes two weeks prior to Labor Day next fall, on Aug. 24, based on a 4-2 vote by the School Board Tuesday night. The new calendar will conclude the school year next spring with graduation on June 2 and the last day of school on June 10.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Where Can You Eat Out This Christmas? — Here are lists of restaurants open for the holidays in McLean and Vienna. [Patch, Patch]
Local Police Fighting Crime at Tysons Malls — “Tysons urban team patrols the shopping centers. Over the past six years they busted organized retail criminals from other states, and even Russia, Romania and China.” [ABC7]
Want to Work at Wolf Trap? — The performing arts center and National Park plans to host three job fairs — one on Sunday (Dec. 29) noon-4 p.m., Saturday (Jan. 4) noon-4 p.m. and Tuesday (Jan. 7) 4-8 p.m. [Potomac Local]
Meetings to solicit community input on a proposed boundary change for two high schools in McLean seemed to raise more questions than they answered.
Roughly 200 parents, stakeholders and politicians, including Providence District Supervisor-elect Dalia Palchik and several incoming Fairfax County School Board members, attended the meetings at Langley High School on Monday (Dec. 2) and McLean High School last night (Wednesday).
McLean High School, which was designed for a capacity of 1,993 students, currently has 2,350 students. Meanwhile, newly renovated Langley High School has 1,972 students and could have up to 2,370, according to the presentation from FCPS staff.
The proposed boundary change would move some students from McLean High School (1633 Davidson Road) to Langley High School (6520 Georgetown Pike) to address the overcrowding issue.
There are 18 trailers at McLean High School right now, Jane Strauss, the Dranesville District representative on the school board, said at the Monday night meeting.
“It would be unfair to not consider a boundary change,” Strauss said, adding that Fairfax County does not want to move juniors and seniors from the schools. “You want to keep large cohorts of kids together.”
Two meetings next week plan to gather community input on a proposed boundary change for McLean and Langley high schools in McLean.
In October, Fairfax County School Board approved an amendment to its Capital Improvement Program that kicks off a boundary study about moving some students from McLean High School (1633 Davidson Road) to Langley High School (6520 Georgetown Pike).
The meetings next week are meant to give locals a chance to provide feedback and talk to FCPS staff, according to a newsletter from McLean High Students, Parents and Community Expect Sensible School Size (McSPaCES).
The first meeting is set to take place from 7-8:30 p.m. on Monday (Dec. 2) at Langley’s cafeteria. The second meeting is scheduled for 7-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Dec. 4) at the cafeteria in McLean High School.
“McLean High is projected to have an enrollment of 2,500 by 2023 making it the most crowded of the 24 high schools in FCPS,” according to McSPaCES. “At least 500 students would need to be moved out of McLean High School for it to approach its building design capacity of 1,993 and not require trailer classes and/or modular class complex.”
Langley, which was recently renovated, has extra space to accommodate the students.
In a letter posted on McSPaCES from the assistant superintendents for the regions that include the two schools, they wrote that no decisions will be made at the meetings, which will include small group work and presentations from FCPS staff.
”The community feedback from the boundary scope meetings will be collected and used to develop options,” the superintendents wrote. “The options will be presented to the community at boundary study meetings in the spring.”
