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Fostering a Welcoming, Inclusive Education Environment in School
Fairfax County School Board Matters: March 7, 2024 First, I want to address the elephant in the room: I was unable to attend in-person...
Vanessa Hall
Mar 14, 20246 min read
Innovation to Fix Delays in School Renovation
School Board Matters, February 8, 2024 meeting School Board meetings are ground zero for the culture wars. Our “School Board Matters”...
Vanessa Hall
Feb 15, 20246 min read
Honoring a Civil Rights Leader by Doing the Work
School Board Matters, January 25, 2024 meeting School Board meetings are ground zero for the culture wars. Our “School Board Matters”...
Vanessa Hall
Jan 31, 20244 min read
Fairfax's School Board Gets Right to Work with Great Ideas!
School Board Matters, January 11, 2024 meeting School Board meetings are ground zero for the culture wars. Our “School Board Matters”...
Vanessa Hall
Jan 17, 20244 min read
Anniversary of an Expensive Manufactured Crisis
If you care about public education, then you have noticed that school districts across the country have been under fire for the last...
Vanessa Hall
Dec 20, 20232 min read
Welcome to Fairfax County's New School Board
On November 7, 2023, Fairfax County elected 12 School Board members to serve a four-year term, beginning on January 1, 2024. Each took the oath of office on December 13, 2023, which was administered by Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Robert J. Smith. The ceremony took place at Jackson Middle School. The new School Board is composed of three At-Large members, Kyle McDaniel, Ryan McElveen, and Ilryong Moon. District representatives are Rachna Sizemore Heizer for Braddock, M
Marianne Burke, PhD
Dec 20, 20231 min read
School Board Matters: Honoring Outgoing School Board Members
December 14, 2023 School Board meetings have become ground zero for the culture wars. Our “School Board Matters” blog will include...
Vanessa Hall
Dec 19, 20233 min read
School Board Matters: Conflict on the Dais
December 4, 2023 School Board meetings have become ground zero for the culture wars. Our “School Board Matters” blog will include...
Vanessa Hall
Dec 14, 20235 min read
Parents Feel Doubly Violated by a Privacy Breach
Like tens of thousands of parents, I received a letter this week indicating that FCPS inadvertently released my child’s private...
Vanessa Hall
Dec 14, 20234 min read
School Board Matters: Blue Skies and Smiles Shining So Bright
November 9, 2023 School Board meetings have become ground zero for the culture wars, so 4 Public Education is introducing a new blog...
Vanessa Hall
Nov 15, 20238 min read
Reading the Tea Leaves this Election
Election analysis from 4 PE Leadership continues with Public Testimony at the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) School Board meeting on Thursday, November 9th. Read the remarks and watch the video clip below: Good evening, I am Rick Clayton on behalf of 4 Public Education. I don’t need to be a fortune-teller to interpret the results of this week’s election . I can read the tea leaves. Chaos, transphobia, anti-CRT and lack of civility were trounced by the voters, by the p
Rick Clayton
Nov 10, 20232 min read
Tuesday’s Elections Send Message: Parents Want Robust Libraries, Inclusiveness, Truthful History
Pundits cast Virginia’s Tuesday general elections as a referendum on abortion rights. It was more than that. Further down the ballot...
Holly Hazard
Nov 8, 20232 min read
School Board Matters: Academic Growth and Family Engagement
October 26, 2023 School Board meetings have become ground zero for the culture wars, so 4 Public Education is introducing a new blog called “School Board Matters” for 2023-24. It will include analysis and links to video, agenda, and votes that affect you and your student(s), including links to primary source documents to support involvement in your student’s experience and education. We hope this will provide better access to and understanding of the Fairfax County School Bo
Vanessa Hall
Nov 2, 20235 min read
Op-ed: Northern Virginia in the Crosshairs
Even before he was elected, Virginia Gov. [Glenn] Youngkin focused his attention on harmful, fabricated fibs about public education. He...
Marianne Burke (PhD) and Vanessa Hall
Oct 30, 20234 min read
Education Apocalypse
Imagine a world where the Moms for Liberty and like-minded individuals were elected to the school board, state legislature, and...
Vanessa Hall
Oct 27, 20237 min read
Voters Agree that Public Education is on the Ballot
A recent poll by the Washington Post and George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government revealed factors that may...
Marianne Burke, PhD
Oct 27, 20232 min read
School Board Matters: FCPS Outcompetes on SATs
School Board meetings have become ground zero for the culture wars, so 4 Public Education is introducing a new blog called “School Board Matters” for 2023-24. It will include analysis and links to video, agenda, and votes that affect you and your student(s), including links to primary source documents to support involvement in your student’s experience and education. We hope this will provide better access to and understanding of the Fairfax County School Board, including th
Vanessa Hall
Oct 20, 20235 min read
School Board to Vote on Renaming Woodson Tonight!
On October 10, 2023, 4 Public Education co-founder Vanessa Hall spoke at a hearing in support of the proposal to rename W. T. Woodson...
Marianne Burke, PhD
Oct 12, 20232 min read
School Board Matters: A Focus on Literacy by Third Grade!
School Board meetings have become ground zero for the culture wars, so 4 Public Education is introducing a new blog called “School Board...
Vanessa Hall
Oct 5, 20233 min read
Voting for the School Board 101
You may know that early voting began on Friday, September 22, 2023. To help you navigate school board election season in Virginia, 4...
4PE Team
Sep 28, 20232 min read
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Relief after Years of Legislative and Executive Attacks on Education
2026 General Assembly Legislative Support for Public Education Public education remains one of the General Assembly’s most significant policy and budgetary responsibilities. With the conclusion of the Youngkin administration and the beginning of Governor Abigail Spanberger’s term last month, the legislature has continued its role in shaping education policy—particularly through direct investment, funding reform, and oversight. Strengthening State Investment in K–12 Schools In
Appreciation and Concerns Raised about the Superintendent's Budget
Explore key insights from the school board meeting on the FY 2026-27 budget. Understand diverse perspectives which include appreciation and concern over the Superintendent's school budget.
Restore Mental Health Professionals to our Schools
Vanessa Hall shares a personal story highlighting how important mental health professionals are in our schools and why the Superintendent should reinstate positions cut last year.
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