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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.

Vanessa Hall
Feb 115 min read


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.

Vanessa Hall
Feb 102 min read


Congress Just Made it Harder to Fund Public Schools
By passing Reconciliation Bill (H.R.1), Congress made the fight to fund public education even harder by starting a national school voucher program that would divert funds from public education into private coffers.

Marianne Burke, PhD
Jul 11, 20254 min read


Underfunding the Future of Education in Fairfax
FCPS was forced to make tough choices because neither the Governor nor the Fairfax Board of Supervisors considered our schools important enough to bridge the $121 million FCPS budget shortfall.

Vanessa Hall
Jun 3, 20255 min read


Raise Your Voice about the Fairfax County Budget
Sign up to speak about the Fairfax County budget. Learn the key issues and join public hearings to impact Fairfax County budget decisions today!

Vanessa Hall
Apr 18, 20255 min read


General Assembly Responds to Governor's Vetos and Amendments
Discover how the General Assembly is pushing back on Youngkin's budget amendments and how this impacts Virginia schools.

Marianne Burke, PhD
Apr 5, 20255 min read


The General Assembly has Decisions to Make about Public Funds and Education
On April 2nd the General Assembly will enter another session where legislators will decide on whether to accept, amend, or reject Governor Y

Marianne Burke, PhD
Mar 31, 20254 min read


Contact Fairfax County Supervisors TODAY to Save After School Programs!
Learn how to protect our free after school programs for middle schoolers!

Vanessa Hall
Mar 11, 20252 min read


URGENT! Don’t let them Cancel Extracurriculars!
Contact your Fairfax County Supervisor and the Chairman now! Did you know that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (BoS) has proposed to eliminate funding for the Middle School After-School Program (ASP) and summer programs next year? This program costs barely $4 million from the BoS but serves 23,000 students (and their families) across the 26 middle schools in Fairfax County. If you live or work in Fairfax County, contact them now to urge against this. If this plan go

Vanessa Hall
Mar 7, 20253 min read


A Week in the Trenches Dodging Bullet Points
Speaking up from the trenches, teachers share their five bullet points, in light of the federal battle against education.

Vanessa Hall
Feb 27, 20255 min read


At the Statehouse: End of General Assembly Session
The 2025 General Assembly Session ended on February 22. Sadly, bills that called for improved funding for public education were defeated...

Marianne Burke, PhD
Feb 26, 20253 min read


At the Statehouse: Few Priority Education Bills Remain and Budget Negotiations are Impending
February 4th was Crossover, which is the last day for each chamber to act on its own bills. After that date, all bills that passed in...

Marianne Burke, PhD
Feb 13, 20254 min read


Keep Funding and Freedom To Learn in Our Public Schools. Act Now.
Contact Congress about Two Anti-Public School Executive Orders Two recent federal Executive Orders (EOs) on public education have been taken directly from Project 2025, Mandate for Leadership and are attempts by the Trump administration to usurp Congress’s authority and the state and local authority. It is time for public school advocates to tell their members of Congress to insist these orders be rescinded. 1. Public Education Funds SHOULD NOT be used for Scholarships for

Marianne Burke, PhD
Feb 3, 20254 min read


Four Reasons the Governor’s Accountability Framework Should NEVER Be Implemented
The question of what makes a good school has never been more complicated, and questions like “What are we educating students for?” have...

Cheryl Binkley
Jan 28, 20258 min read


At the Virginia Statehouse: Quick Updates on a Quick Session
Because this is an odd year, as opposed to an even year, the Virginia General Assembly session will be short, lasting only 30 days. For...

Marianne Burke, PhD
Jan 17, 20251 min read


Exciting Upcoming Events for September and October 2025!
We just updated our Events Calendar for the 2024-25 School Year with our September 26th Road Trip to Richmond (NOTE: VBOE date change!),...

Marianne Burke (PhD) and Vanessa Hall
Sep 18, 20243 min read


Project 2025 is Coming for Our Schools
Public education is on the ballot this November The outcome of the next presidential election is destined to influence K-12 public...

Marianne Burke, PhD
Aug 13, 202410 min read


A Complex (and Expensive!) Legal Showdown about Student Rights Continues
Theocratic Veto versus School Policy This is part 2 of coverage on Jane Doe v. Fairfax County School Board (FCSB) (CL-2024-0003171), a...

Robert Rigby and Vanessa Hall
Aug 10, 20249 min read


A “Brief” History of Boundary Change
My most recent blog, Essential Boundary Policy for a New Century , identified some “interesting” school boundaries in our area. Any rational person would look at those boundaries and wonder how they came to be. Of course, those non-contiguous, gerrymandered boundaries are a developer’s dime a dozen in Fairfax County. Nevertheless, I did a little research (shared below), but first I want to discuss the recent history of Policy 8130. I was surprised by recent history and previo

Vanessa Hall
Jul 12, 202414 min read


Essential Boundary Policy for a New Century
It Is Time For Some Real Change After months of debate, the Fairfax County School Board is finalizing a comprehensive overhaul of the county’s current boundary policy which was originally adopted in 1986 and last revised in May of 2013, despite 5-year review requirements. This all followed a February school board meeting on Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) amendments, when most of the school board members expressed strong concerns that one-off boundary adjustments at individu

Vanessa Hall
Jul 5, 20248 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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