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A Review of the Northern Virginia VDOE Accountability Listening Session I don’t know if any of you have attended any of the VDOE listening sessions on accountability changes around the state, but Marianne Burke and I drove 45 minutes out to the Hylton Center on the GMU Science and Tech campus in Manassas to participate in one on Wednesday, December 5th. We had read the VDOE August 2023 announcement (Item F) which erroneously compared NAEP and SOL results (again), and thought that it was a public input session similar to the History SOL sessions earlier this year, so each of us took time to prepare remarks. Marianne and I were both prepared to fight for our schools, particularly after Youngkin’s anti-transgender “Model Policies” and other efforts to harm our public schools. Marianne planned to publicly remind VDOE (yet again) that NAEP and SOL scores are not comparable–see her letter to VDOE below–while I was going to demand accountability from the VDOE to Virginia parents, teachers, and students. Yet, we were woefully unprepared for what we found, because this was (seemingly) not another farcical public input opportunity by Youngkin’s appointees to undermine the public will of Virginians. This was a completely different experience. Unfortunately, the purpose of the meeting was unclear and/or misrepresented by the public notice from VDOE, which focused on revising accreditation and adding accountability measures. The majority of the public is unaware of current accountability measures and how schools are accredited, so few parents would have the background to participate or follow the conversation. So neither of our speeches were necessary, much less appropriate for this venue. Fortunately, under Dr. Lisa Coons, the newly appointed Superintendent of Instruction for the Youngkin Administration, this VDOE session was a completely different experience than the cramped, rushed, check-the-box History SOL listening sessions earlier this year. It truly was an interactive listening session where Dr. Coons, staff, consultants, and a parent representative presented plans, asked for input, and held an informed and open discussion. It didn’t feel like they were merely checking off the boxes to satisfy public input requirements. Instead, they seemed to understand and value the input of education professionals, parents, superintendents, and principals in the room. In summary, VDOE is proposing to change the accreditation system to make it more transparent to parents, reduce the number of assessments in a year, provide actionable data to stakeholders, and rely more heavily on the SOLs, which she said VDOE intends to overhaul. Dr. Coons stated that these eight listening sessions are merely the middle of a process to update Virginia’s public school accreditation system, a process that began in 2022 and expects to be completed in 2025. The public can also provide online input here: Both Marianne and I were pleasantly surprised by Dr. Coons’ gracious greeting, level of knowledge, and interest in learning new things. It was so refreshing after nearly two years of culture wars, scandals, and disingenuous solicitation of parental involvement by her predecessor, Jillian Balow, and our Governor. It is important to note that Balow receives full salary and benefits for a year following her March 2023 resignation, paid by Virginia taxpayers despite her poor performance, which is something to note next time school districts are accused of wasting money. According to Virginia Dogwood Balow is “slated to receive almost $300,000 of taxpayer money over the coming year despite having no responsibilities or obligations to the commonwealth; further, the severance agreement guaranteeing this money allows her to take other paying jobs.” Nevertheless, I wonder: What is the true purpose of revamping Virginia’s public school system accountability and accreditation? In my experience, accountability is often applied only to public schools, whose processes, personnel, and performance is already transparent and excessively scrutinized while private and charter schools get a pass on any measurement of accountability–don’t even get me started on the lack of metrics on homeschooling. Efforts to make accountability measures “more transparent” to parents and VDOE make me question the purpose: is it to ensure that all families have access to the best schools by providing funds and other resources to schools whose metrics are less satisfactory? Or, is “transparency” merely a trojan horse for voucher efforts that suck more money from our public schools and taxpayers for unaccountable private institutions, charter schools, and homeschooling efforts? Only time will tell.

Preparing for the 2024 General Assembly: Public Education Priorities The verdict is in. Not only is Virginia seriously underfunding its public schools, but the pipeline for K-12 teachers has proven to be inadequate. A recent nonpartisan study of school funding has confirmed just how badly Virginia public schools are underfunded, and a review of the K-12 teacher pipeline revealed the reasons why we have a shortage of qualified teachers in Virginia. Now that we know the facts, local governments want things to change. These reports by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) were produced at the direction of bill SJ294 that was passed in 2021 to review the funding formula, and at the direction of the JLARC administration in 2022 to review the teacher pipeline. JLARC is authorized by the Code of Virginia to conduct program evaluation, policy analysis, and oversight of state agencies on behalf of the Virginia General Assembly. JLARC recommendations can have a high impact but it is up to our legislators whether the recommendations become bills and eventually law. In recent years only about three-quarters of the recommendations have been implemented by the General Assembly. The Commonwealth is underfunding Virginia’s public schools by billions of dollars because the formula that determines funding “needs to be significantly improved and modernized.” As per usual, Governor Youngkin blamed the underfunding problem on previous administrations, but Senator Ghazala Hashmi responded that it was: Unfair to criticize the previous two administrations given the fact that the democratic governors worked with Republican majorities in both Chambers, and these Republican majorities consistently blocked measures to fund public education at the levels needed. In 2020, when Democrats had the first opportunity to make historic changes to the public education budget, significant funding was introduced but sadly had to be put on pause because of the unexpected and uncertain economic future facing us all with the global spread of the coronavirus. Regardless of where the blame lies, it is clear that the way Virginia funds public schools needs to be fixed. The JLARC report provides details and a gameplan that legislators can use to develop legislation that would improve school funding. The main findings of the study are provided in the drop down below, and JLARC’s proposed recommendations to appropriately fund schools can be found here. JLARC Main Findings regarding the Funding Formula Virginia’s Standards of Quality funding formula does not adequately calculate what school divisions need. As a result: Virginia school divisions receive less funding than national and regional averages. Virginia school divisions receive about 15% less funding than benchmark models estimate. The formula yields substantially less state funding than actual division spending. The formula calculates a lower staffing need than actual employment levels. The formula underestimates school division compensation costs. Additional problems with the formula used include: The formula still uses the Great Recession-era (2008 - 2009) cost reduction measures, thus the formula still results in large state funding reductions that are no longer necessary. The formula does not account for higher needs students (e.g., advanced academics, disabled, and english language learners). The method of accounting for at-risk students undercounts the number of students in poverty. The formula does not adequately account for local labor costs which fluctuate regionally. The formula does not adequately account for a cost per student that is substantially higher for divisions with fewer students. The second JLARC review reported that, “Having enough, high quality teachers is among the most important factors necessary for a quality education system” and that the current pipeline for qualified K–12 teachers is not adequate. The main findings of the study are provided in the drop down below, and JLARC recommendations for improving Virginia’s pipeline for qualified teachers can be found here. JLARC Main Findings regarding the Teacher Shortage Statewide, teacher vacancies and the reliance on less than fully licensed teachers has increased. Some, but not other, divisions are facing substantial teacher workforce problems. Teacher training pathways have tradeoffs between quality and affordability and Virginia-specific assessment required for traditional teacher preparation programs may be an unnecessary barrier. For example: Direct pathways to licensure tend to better prepare teachers to be successful in the classroom. Indirect pathways give individuals flexibility to obtain credentials over time and cost less. Tuition, assessments, and unpaid student teaching present financial barriers to some participants in traditional preparation programs. Licensure requirements and processes can seem complex and be unclear to some applicants. Of course, the primary reasons for the state’s teacher shortage are not the barriers outlined above. Instead, licensed teachers left their positions because they believed there was inadequate support for teachers, too high a workload, ineffective school leadership, and inadequate salary. 4 Public Education, in collaboration with Fund Our Schools and the Virginia Grassroots Coalition, offers what they consider priorities for Virginia’s legislators to develop into bills. Each priority is taken from the JLARC recommendations. The priorities are provided in this drop down. Our education priorities for the 2024 General Assembly Preventing diversion of funding: Oppose adverse bills. Providing school-based mental health support: Specialized Student Support Staff: Support a 4-to-1000 ratio for specialized student support staff. School Counselors: Support a 1-to-250 ratio for school counselors. Increase Funding for the SBMH Program: Expand funding for school-based mental health integration and make it permanent (drop the pilot language). Raising revenue via sales tax: Support a 1% local option sales tax for school construction/modernization with required referendum (same language as SB1408 in 2023). Creating safe and restorative environments for every student: Expand funding to support the Virginia Tiered System of Support and Positive Behavioral Interventions to employ effective positive school discipline that encompasses prevention, wellness, promotion, and interventions that increase based on the needs of students while promoting close school-community collaboration. Redirect funding to deepen the integration of student support personnel to foster a continuum of care and wraparound supports concentrated in root-cause violence prevention and intervention, such as mental health services, restorative justice practices, and other school–community partnerships into school initiatives. Amend Code Language to Include Restorative Practices: Propose the General Assembly amend current code language in this provision by (1) adding “evidence-based restorative practices” to the list of alternatives to suspension; and/or (2) requiring consideration of these alternatives before resorting to exclusionary practices. Make the Community Schools pilot permanent and increase support positions for Community School coordinators and administrative positions within VDOE. Fund Credible Messengers: Allow funding to localities to be used to hire or contract community-based Credible Messengers and Violence Interrupters. Making sure the state pays its fair share of school costs: The numbering below represents proposal numbering from the July 2023 report on school funding published by the state’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC). JLARC Recommendation 1: Make technical improvements to the Standards of Quality (SOQ) formula and compensation supplement calculations to stop leaving out division central office positions, facility and transportation staff, and certain other costs from various calculations. JLARC Recommendation 2: Study on staffing ratios: The Virginia Department of Education should develop and propose a new set of fixed and prevailing staffing ratios for the Standards of Quality formula, in consultation with school divisions and the Board of Education, which should accurately reflect how divisions are staffed and be simpler, easier to apply, and comprehensive. JLARC Recommendation 4: Remove the hidden cuts to school funding that were built into the SOQs during the Great recession, including (i) lifting the support cap (the cap on state funding for student support staff), (ii) reinstating the non-personal cost categories removed in FY09 FY10, and (iii) reinstating the federal fund deduction methodology used prior to FY09. JLARC Policy Option 5: Student-based funding formula for special education and English as a Second Language: Replace the current SOQ formula calculations for special education and English as a Second Language with student-based funding calculations that are based on actual average school division expenditures, which would provide additional funding for these programs. JLARC Recommendation 6: More fairly calculate salary and other costs using division averages, rather than the “linear weighted average” that undercounts Virginia’s largest school divisions and results in prevailing cost assumptions that are well below actual costs for the majority of local school divisions. JLARC Recommendation 7: Limit sudden swings in the Local Composite Index by using three-year averages, rather than a single year, when updating calculations every other year. JLARC Recommendation 8: Move supplemental funding for students living in lower-income communities into the state’s main school funding formula (SOQs) to ensure students receive this critical funding, rather than keeping it as an optional “add-on.” JLARC Recommendation 9: Use the more up-to-date Identified Student Percentage (ISP) measure to calculate funding for all programs that currently rely on outdated and inaccurate free lunch estimates. JLARC Recommendation 10: Consolidate the separate At-Risk Add-On and Prevention, Intervention, Remediation programs and create a new supplement for low-income students under the SOQs. Funding for the new supplement could be allocated based on each school division’s weighted Identified Student Percentage, with 60% of funding being distributed using a flat per student rate and 40% being distributed using a variable rate, with those school divisions with the highest concentrations of low-income students receiving the highest amounts. This blog has also been published in Dogwood--see below.

November 9, 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 Board, including their powers and duties, as governed by the Code of Virginia. Although this blog will primarily focus on Fairfax County, we will share school board meeting reports from around the state, when possible. The 11/9/23 Fairfax County School Board (FCSB) meeting began with a performance by Kilmer Middle School singers of the National Anthem, after which the FCSB certified the closed meeting and voted to approve assistant superintendent contracts discussed during the closed session. The FCSB recognized two newly elected school board members in the audience: Sandy Anderson of Springfield and Matteo Dunne of Mt. Vernon. Newly elected at-large FCSB member Ilryung Moon joined the meeting later. The FCSB also recognized the Garrison Commander from Ft. Belvoir, Colonel Jones, who was attending in honor of the Purple Star school recognitions. I don’t know if it was just me, but the feeling in the room was lighter and brighter than it has been for years. The FCSB seemed relaxed and happy to be seated together and ready to get business done. Honestly, the feeling in the room was electric after the election of 12 FCSB members on Tuesday, November 7th. All 8 new and 4 incumbent school board members support our schools, students, and educators, and they wish to make our schools more equitable, inclusive, and successful during their four-year term that begins in 2024. I am lucky enough to have personally met each of these individuals and I look forward to covering them in the new year. The FCSB shared three proclamations: Renaming the gymnasium at Cedar Lane School, “The Tom Lundy Gym,” in honor of Mr. Lundy, an “inspirational leader, colleague, and friend. Mr. Lundy’s legacy at Cedar Lane School spanned over 20 years, starting as an intern and returning to lead the school through the pandemic as its principal. A celebration of School Counselors, Social Workers, Nurses and Psychologists Month honors those who ensure the physical and mental health needs of our students. I agree with Ms. Cohen’s statement that many of us have kids who might not have survived school without school counseling. “Veterans Day is observed annually on November 11th in the United States in honor of all those, living and deceased, who served with the U.S. armed forces to protect the freedoms that are so important to our nation’s democracy….Fairfax County Public Schools has strong ties to our Veterans, as our division serves over 14,000 military-connected students and their families. FCPS also proudly employs many Veterans who now serve as teachers, administrators and support staff for our schools and division departments.” In honor of the recognition of the 18 Purple Star schools from across Fairfax county, Colonel Garrison Commander Messina highlighted the importance of this program and shared the experience of students who move so regularly for their parents' job. The photographs for all of the schools recognized took close to 10 minutes; however, this is insignificant in relation to the need to support students of military families. Public Input There were fewer speakers than normal during public input; however, all of them raised important issues and none of them yelled or said demeaning things, which was a nice change from the last couple of years: An FCPS employee detailed concerns about warehouse supplies of toilet paper and paper towels and a complicated purchasing process that seems to have failed since schools are suffering shortages. Rick Clayton of 4 Public Education spoke about the impact of three years of attacks on our schools and the FCSB. He thanked the school board members for their work in the face of personal attacks. He stated that the recent election was a referendum on the culture wars and book bans, and requested that public school opponents, who champion “parents rights”, listen to parents, because parents have spoken at the polls. He echoed the oft repeated statement, “Make school board meetings boring again.” A South Lakes dad declared that it was a great week to be a progressive parent in Virginia. He thanked them for their service to the schools and celebrated their wins. He described in detail the culture wars and their awful impact in comparison to the successes of FCPS. He also advocated for boys volleyball, which is very popular. A South Lakes Spartans mom asked for support for boys volleyball as a varsity sport. She shared the personal impact on her son: friendships, team building, leadership, skills growth. She said that 20 of 25 schools have signed interest forms so far. Robert Rigby speaking on behalf of FCPS Pride asked that we all be allowed time to heal after so much divisive rhetoric. The voters rejected the politics of excluding and banning those less powerful. The election showed that transphobia, racism and disrespect of disabled people are not Fairfax values. He asked that the FCSB heal, listen and continue to do work, but cautions them against appeasing bigotry. An elementary school mom shared that kids and our communities need to feel safe before they can heal from trauma. Mental health care is necessary and respect is something every single student deserves. FCPS must foster safe connections for all children and insist that every child access a safe, diverse, and inclusive environment. A speaker thanked Dr. Reid for being the first Superintendent to support middle schools sports, which are related to equity, mental health, and school climate. He asked that FCPS expand basketball in middle school. School Board Business Academic Matters: Dr. Reid covered attendance and absenteeism. She shared how chronic absenteeism is directly related to poor performance and low academic progress. As much as missing two school days a month can be considered chronic absenteeism (i.e., missing 10% or more of school). Prior to the pandemic, FCPS’s absentee rate was less than 10%, but since the pandemic, there has been a spike up to 17% in 2023; however, some of this is due to illness. She shared that the impact of absenteeism can be huge, especially for younger kids, which can increase drop out rates. FCPS has created a multi-tiered support plan, and are involving families in these efforts. Check out the full presentation for more information. Dr. Reid shared that the absentee rate is lower this year for the first quarter so far. FCSB members discussion points included: Medically fragile children: Dr. Anderson discussed pressure on medically fragile children, and how outreach from the school can feel like pressure for families that are already under too much pressure. State Accreditation: Ms. Keys-Gamarra asked about state efforts to tie accreditation with chronic absenteeism. Dr. Reid shared that the calculation evaluates the percentage of students that miss 10% or more (e.g. 2 days/month) State guidance and funding: Dr. Reid shared that the Commonwealth of Virginia has not provided any funding to improve chronic absenteeism, despite it being a state-wide issue. Additionally, she shared that state guidance included sending kids into school even if they were sick. (Oh, hell no!) Other Challenges: Dr. Reid and the FCSB discussed other challenges for kids, including caring for ill parents and food insecurity. Ms. McLaughlin noted that a one-size fits all obviously doesn't work, and that we need to speak to the families and to kids to find out why a student is chronically absent. Ms. McLaughlin reminded Dr. Reid that there is a negative impact related to scolding letters sent to families who are struggling. Dr. Reid agreed with this assessment. Student Representative Matters: Ms. Karim gave updates on student efforts: She reported on the Portrait of a Graduate program at Woodson that occurred on November 10th.vShe asked that Career Day be expanded beyond Woodson High School. (Note: My own kids are uninterested in this program. I have yet to figure out why.) The Student Advisory Council is continuing to focus on food waste and inconsistency in grading policies. TYE, a 501(c)(3) program run by the SEALS, has expanded to include camps focusing on expanding STEM in Title 1 schools. Overwhelmingly, students support renaming Woodson High School to “Carter G. Woodson High School.” Superintendent Matters: Dr. Reid outlined her school visits around the county during November, Family Engagement month, since families are an integral part of our schools. She discussed Purple Star school efforts, the passing of the School Bond, and the commended scholars announcement (628 Commended Scholars in FCPS). A quick aside on the Commended Scholars. Many of you may not remember the 2023 hullabaloo from far right media about delayed notification of National Merit Commended Scholars. It took over the national news cycle until the media discovered that it was a non-issue to most FCPS parents and after FCPS released a summary report of findings. Unfortunately, Virginia’s Attorney General pursued a costly lawsuit against the FCSB on this subject–fortunately, he lost his case. I plan to examine this more thoroughly, as we are approaching the anniversary of the first far right media reports on the subject, and because I sat through hours of hearings on two politically-motivated cases related to it, which increased the legal bills of our school district. Board Matters Many thanks to the FCSB who moved the vote on renaming Woodson High School after the audience patiently waited for two-and-a-half hours. Dr. Reid presented the two months of community input results, including two surveys and two community meetings which found that there was overwhelming support for renaming W.T. Woodson to Carter G. Woodson. There was some giggling (and maybe a snort from me) when Dr. Reid mentioned that Phase II feedback included “82 responses that did not pertain to the question”--I can only imagine those responses. School board members shared their own experiences with Woodson constituents who overwhelmingly supported changing the name to Carter G. Woodson. Ms. McLaughlin introduced the motion to rename Woodson to Carter G. Woodson High School. She gave a beautiful speech highlighting her own family’s two generations at Woodson and the connection of the community with the school. She shared that although Massive Resistance forced segregation, W.T. Woodson's papers show that he personally supported segregation, and that many current Woodson parents cited this as a reason to change the name because Superintendent W.T. Woodson wouldn’t have allowed their kids to attend school. Ms. McLaughlin listened to parents, alumni, boosters, and students who felt a deep sense of pride in the school, but had difficulty reconciling this pride with our segregationist past. She noted that 2024 will be the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, which is the perfect time to change. The FCSB unanimously voted to change the name to Carter G. Woodson! In my own view, we cannot right the wrongs of our past, but we can learn from them and celebrate Carter G. Woodson who preserved Black History for our nation. This is especially important in a time when some are trying to remove that history from our classrooms and libraries. Many thanks to Ms. McLaughlin, the rest of the FCSB, Dr. Reid, the principals, and staff for their efforts on this renaming process. This was a smoother process than previous renaming efforts, and also worked to be inclusive of many voices across the generations and county. If you would like to learn more, please read 4 Public Education’s blog “A Tale of Two Woodsons.” The FCSB took a brief recess after the name change. Most of the audience (including me) left the room. Here are the rest of the agenda items discussed: Superintendent’s Relationship with the Board (EE-8) Monitoring Report Consent Agenda and votes New Business: School bonds, Legislative Program, Strategic Goal Baseline Report. Due to the late hour, board members chose not to give board reports. The meeting ended around 11:30 pm. Additionally, there was a 11/14/23 FCSB Work Session that lasted nearly 6 hours, focusing on Strategic Plan Goal 3 (Academic Growth and Excellence) and FY 2025 Fiscal Forecast (agenda).

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 parents, in favor of inclusivity, in support for teachers, and excellence, hand in hand with equity for all. This Board has stood up to crude, personal, vile attacks in order to protect our students and our public school culture for 4 years. For some of you, this will be the last time I will speak at this podium. On behalf of 4 Public Education. … I want to say thank you. Through this storm, Fairfax has remained at the forefront of excellence in education. Of course, we still have work to do. I hope those who have been most critical of your work will be true to their word of wanting to “listen to parents”-as parents have spoken loudly and clearly. Parents want all kinds of books in their library- they told you this on Tuesday. Parents want all kinds of truthful history taught- they told you this on Tuesday. Parents want trans kids protected and listened to- they told you this on Tuesday. Parents want teachers supported-emotionally and financially- they told you this on Tuesday. Parents want civility when we do disagree, not performative politics- they told you this on Tuesday. Parents have sent a clear message. I hope everyone, now, will listen to them and, ….as one school board candidate said in another county “Make school board meetings boring again.” I, and the rest of our group 4 Public Education, look forward to working with the new Board next year. View the video testimony here:

Pundits cast Virginia’s Tuesday general elections as a referendum on abortion rights. It was more than that. Further down the ballot those votes also sent a strong message to those trying to disrupt public education: listen to parents. Parents who came out to vote in Fairfax, Loudoun and even Spotsylvania, the epicenters of vitriol and fantasy, voted with a resounding “no” to candidates who focused on anti-CRT, book bans and transphobia. Parents overwhelmingly voted for moderate candidates campaigning on safe schools, feeding hungry kids and supporting our teachers. After almost four years of vile accusations of racism, pedophilia, incompetence and more, voters in Fairfax rejected the lies and returned Rachna Sizemore Heizer, Melanie Meren, Ricardy Anderson and Karl Frisch to the School Board, along with a sweep of all pro-public education newcomers. Rachna Sizemore Heizer said “Today, Fairfax County resoundingly rejected the GOP's divisive politics and relentless attacks on our schools, students and staff, and stood strong in support of public education. It has been a tough four years on the school board, but we've stood strong knowing the majority of Fairfax County shared our values of an excellent education in a welcoming and inclusive environment. Now on to work making our great schools even better for every child.” Spotsylvania County, with one of the most “toxic” school boards in the Commonwealth, flipped from MAGA extremist to centrist, teacher-focused sanity. Carol Medawar, a newcomer to politics, and part of the wave that flipped the Spotsylvania school board, stated “I'm just so happy for the students, families, and educators who really get to breathe a sigh of relief for this race. It's a huge flip on the Spotsy school board.” In Loudoun County, the genesis of the politization of public education, pro-public school supporters held their ground in a clear referendum on Youngkin’s plan to dismantle public schools, drive out teachers and humiliate trans-kids. The acrimony and chaos of the last four years drove every member of the prior school board out of the race. However, the new board, with all new members, will maintain a strong pro-public school majority, despite Youngkin’s concerted, last minute attempt to influence the race. According to Loudoun public school advocate Andrew Pihonek, “a brand new school board will be a breath of fresh air for many in Loudoun.” Albermarle-Charlottesville followed the same trend as Loudoun, Fairfax, and Spotsylvania, rejecting candidates who tried to re-write our history and ban books. If Glenn Youngkin and his minions truly want to listen to parents, now is their chance. Parents across the Commonwealth, in their first opportunity since his election to send a clear message, have rejected fear-mongering, white-washing, transphobia, sabotage and lack of civility. The question is no longer will we listen to parents, but will he? As Carol Medawar, successful Spotsylvania candidate, pleaded a few weeks ago, “Let’s make school board meetings boring again.” Sign up for the 4 Public Education weekly newsletter for more analysis, news, calls to action, events and more in support of public education!

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 Board, including their powers and duties, as governed by the Code of Virginia. Although this blog will primarily focus on Fairfax County, we will share school board meeting reports from around the state, when possible. The 10/26/23 Fairfax County School Board (FCSB) meeting began with the South Lakes High School Treble Ensemble singing the National Anthem–their voices rising to the rafters. After voting on business discussed during a closed meeting, the FCSB voted on those items before acknowledging multiple scout troops in the audience who were working on their Citizenship badge. Attending a school board meeting is a great way to satisfy badge requirements and learn about governmental processes. The FCSB shared four proclamations, which were poignant, but purposefully abbreviated by the FCSB for shorter meetings (yay!): West Springfield High School Maintenance Building Naming in honor of Bob Little who served as an assistant softball coach and contributed to the community. National Activities Month in honor of contributions and benefits students experience through participation in after school activities. Celebrate Red Ribbon Week theme "Be Kind to Your Mind. Live Drug Free”--a call to action to speak out in support of healthy choices. Disability History and Awareness Month. Did you know that over 28,000 and approximately 16% of FCPS students receive special education services? Public Input There were close to three times the number of speakers at this meeting than earlier in the month, including: A student and two adults who asked for greater attention to be paid to the Palestinian human rights crisis and support of Arab students at this time. Two students and an adult advocated for men’s volleyball to be a varsity sport in FCPS high schools. The video presentation was exceptional! Four speakers, including FCFT leaders David Walrod and Emily Vanderhoff, advocated for the 2% salary increase for teachers. They noted that a salary increase would go a long way to prioritize recruitment and retention of teachers, although more is needed. The president of SEPTA advocated for the 2% salary increase and she asked that they include Instructional and other school assistants. She also asks that student attendance be untied from accreditation because it is punitive for medically fragile students who may not be able to access in-person school. A parent shared remarks covering how FCPS is not supporting families whose children have complex medical conditions, particularly with the new attendance policies and unsupportive attitudes. One parent expounded on her rejection of the 2017 Fairfax County One Fairfax policy approach and, seemingly, indicated that systemic racism is not a problem in FCPS. Two speakers shared medical disinformation and made dehumanizing comments about students. One of these two speakers rooted her statements in religious beliefs and quoted violent scripture (note: she referred to Luke 17:22, but the quote about millstones and drowning actually comes from Matthew 18:6). On a personal note, I am deeply saddened that people make such statements about transgender students, as similar discriminatory statements made about any other demographic group of students is clearly unacceptable. Transgender and other LGBTQIA student rights are covered under federal and state anti-discrimination law; therefore, their civil rights must be protected. I have many more thoughts, but none are fit to print. Unfortunately, there was another verbal altercation after the meeting among adults. Since tensions are high after a school board meeting, it is suggested that those with opposing views on highly charged issues seriously consider whether others are receptive to their advances. Here are some ways to determine if someone does not want to talk: They are visibly upset. They ask you to leave them alone…three times. They yell at you to leave them alone. It is also possible to observe body language. If people are receptive to talking, they may smile and engage with you. If they are visibly angry, they are not prepared to engage. Thus, concludes my Ted Talk on how to win friends and communicate with people at School Board meetings. School Board Business Strategic Plan: They will share small presentations on the strategic plan each month. This week is goal 3 “Academic Growth and Excellence.” Focusing on successful completion of Algebra 1 by 8th grade, which has proven to put “students on a trajectory of more advanced math.” They are piloting this project in some local schools to monitor its effectiveness–hearing what the students had to say about the program was enlightening. Amy Hunter, an FCPS Coordinator, said that we should reframe the discussion with students, for example, “Instead of a teacher saying I don’t know if you are ready ... .If you want to take this class, here are things you should do to be successful.” Dr. Reid shared an illuminating presentation on Annual Pass Rates and Accreditation Outcomes that put FCPS success in context of the Commonwealth of Virginia, showing that FCPS consistently exceeds Virginia performance. All 195 of Fairfax County schools are accredited, which is quite an accomplishment. Student Representative Matters: Ms. Karim shared student concerns and solutions that she had shared at a recent High School principal association meeting: The need for appropriate student prayer rooms and how schools can be considerate of student prayer needs The utility of a checklist used by the Woodson administration to establish a student-driven program that is supported by the US Department of Justice, involves a student group known as SPIRIT to address student issues. It ensures students are heard and valued. How crucial Portrait of a Graduate programs can be, if applied accurately, for student life beyond school. She asked that Career Day be expanded beyond Woodson High School. Student Advisory Council meetings with Fairfax County leaders engaged over student to counselor ratio, food waste, inconsistency in grading policies, etc. The SEALS organization continued to bridge the gap in STEM in Title 1 schools, and have expanded to two more schools. She asked the FCSB to support centralized grading systems, since schools have different grading splits, which impacts college acceptance and students’ success. She asked that FY 2024 budget state aid be used to pay employees to sponsor clubs and other after school activities. Otherwise, there is no incentive and some clubs lack sponsors. Superintendent Matters: Dr. Reid completed her conversations with the community and employees this week. TJ applications are open right now–the last day to begin the application is November 15th. See full details here. Board Items: The FCSB voted to revise the process about optional forms on executive expectations process indefinitely. The FCSB unanimously (11-0) agreed to let the next FCSB make a decision regarding this. Dr. Reid presented about “Executive Expectations: Relationships with Families and Community Stakeholders,” with an extensive list of all community engagement (in person and online) from the last year, including that she attended 87 community meetings and provided special accommodations, including child care, handouts, and translations. Close to an hour of significant discussion of engagement measures ensued. The School Board unanimously approved a 2% raise for teachers, bus drivers, principals, instructive assistants, and all FCPS employees. The total cost of this raise is $30.5 million, but the state provides only about 5.3 million (17%), so FCPS needed to raise $25.2 million for this adjustment. The FCSB continues to try to address the lopsided state support. The FCSB approved all Consent Agenda items. Due to the late hour, board members gave brief Board reports. If you would like to know about future FCSB meetings, please go to BoardDocs and click on the "Meetings" tab.

Even before he was elected, Virginia Gov. [Glenn] Youngkin focused his attention on harmful, fabricated fibs about public education. He allied with far right activists to push regressive policies, particularly those that would strip funding, respect, equity, and stability from public schools in an ongoing attempt to privatize the funding of public education while decimating our public schools. Thankfully, many of the bills that targeted those goals were stopped by the Virginia Senate during the 2023 General Assembly before they could become law. Youngkin’s 2021 Gubernatorial win is attributed to his successful use of culture wars , fake narratives, and manufactured outrage over claims that parents were being denied their rights, despite a wealth of evidence to the contrary . He continues to employ this strategy to influence the upcoming election in November, when all seats in the Virginia General Assembly are up for election, despite being informed that many of his claims are unfounded. For example, Governor Youngkin claimed that student performance on the nation’s report card (National Assessment of Education Progress) was “ catastrophic ,” and that Virginia’s students are doing worse than their peers in other states. The truth is that Virginia students performed as well or better than students nationwide on the [NAEP], and Virginia’s public schools are rated fourth out of all the states, based on reviews by both Forbes and the World Population Review . The Governor seems impervious to suggestions he stop making those claims, probably because he sees a political advantage to disinformation being shared. Nevertheless, he was told his claims are based on a flawed analysis of student test scores and are patently false. Northern Virginia is in Youngkin’s crosshairs for attacks because that part of the state tends to reject the validity of Youngkin’s culture war issues, just as they rejected him in his gubernatorial election. Most residents view public education as a cornerstone of democracy and support the tenant of the One Fairfax policy that all residents deserve an equitable opportunity to succeed. It is the region’s resistance to Youngkin’s fomenting of outrage over manufactured crises, efforts to undermine public education, and his targeting of the most vulnerable students that attracts the governor’s ire. Recently, The Youngkin administration targeted public school systems in Northern Virginia with three investigations , with threats of even more. The first investigation started the day Attorney General [Jason] Mijares took office, when he commissioned a grand jury to investigate the handling of a student sexual assault in the Loudoun County Public School system. Although the grand jury recommended no charges against the school system and found significant issues with the sheriff’s investigation related to the assault, the grand jury report was used by the Youngkin administration to make unrelated charges. In January 2023, Miyares initiated another investigation at the Governor’s request , involving a delay of National Merit Commended Certificates at Fairfax High Schools. He questioned whether the certificates were purposefully withheld from Asian American students, based on numerous allegations from a single reporter who had openly admitted her involvement in Yougnkin’s 2021 election success . However, the courts rejected Miyares’ request for a subpoena for the school board records in that case. The claims of civil rights violations is particularly ironic because Miyares decimated the Office of Civil Rights , yet is using that office and the Virginia Human Rights Administration to pursue these expensive, misguided investigations. Miyares is investigating whether the revised admissions policy at TJ discriminates against Asian students, even though the Supreme Court is currently deciding whether to take up the issue. Currently, there is a struggle between Northern Virginia public school boards and the Youngkin administration over the revised model policies for transgender students . Northern Virginia counties were the first to refuse to adopt the revised policy because it rolled back existing protections for transgender students, which were in compliance with anti-discrimination laws. Miyares insisted those school boards were required to follow the new policy for transgender students, and that their refusal was a willful violation of state policy . Some suggested that a showdown between the governor and FCPS was coming, and Miyares suggested that parents can and should take legal action against school districts that defy the governor’s policy, and that his office “ will be monitoring all litigation and will be prepared to participate if appropriate. ” Such strong-armed tactics worked in Virginia Beach. Although they initially resisted the governor’s revised policy, when faced with litigation the Virginia Beach School Board revised their policy to fall in line with the governor’s model policy. Legal experts say the model policies are for guidance only. Fairfax County hasn’t changed from their original rejection of the new policy, and there is no indication they will change. Dr. Michelle Reid, Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, responded that the district is within the law by rejecting the policy, and that the FCPS system is in compliance with FCPS Regulation 2603, federal law, and anti-discrimination policies. Recently, Youngkin made an unhinged claim that the Fairfax County Public School system has a “ maniacal focus on equal outcomes ,” consistent with his anti-woke campaign that successfully elected him in 2021. Does he feel that fomenting outrage over manufactured crises will give him a political advantage? It worked for him in 2021, and soon we will know if it works for him in the critical election in November, when all legislative and many school board seats are up for election. Reprinted from Virginia Dogwood .

A recent poll by the Washington Post and George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government revealed factors that may influence voters in the upcoming election. The poll showed that 70% of registered voters say that education is “very important” in their voting decisions for Virginia Senators and Delegates this November. However, only 30% of those polled were critical of their K -12 public schools. According to Mark J. Rozell, Dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, the results of the poll were “striking” because they refute Governor Youngkin’s claim that Virginia’s public schools are failing. Despite Youngkin’s attacks on schools, most parents are happy with their children’s schools. Another interesting revelation from the poll is that the transgender student policy is less important to voters. Only 34% of those polled say that issue will influence their vote. Interestingly, more disapprove of how Youngkin is handling transgender issues (43%) than approve (37%), and 61% feel schools are not doing enough to protect transgender students, are doing about enough, or don’t have an opinion on the issue. Those polled said they had more trust in Democrats handling transgender policies (50%) than Republicans (33%). Another interesting result is that parents are more concerned about transgender issues than students are, because students tend to be supportive of their transgender classmates. These results suggest that Governor Youngkin’s insistence that school boards implement his revised transgender student will not influence the outcome of the election…at least not in the way he is hoping. The Washington Post quoted Dean Rozell’s conclusions from the poll. “It may be heartening to many public educators who feel that they’ve been under attack by a particularly vocal group on the right to learn that most parents think that the public schools are behaving responsibly and seriously trying to deal with issues of learning loss and making sure that their children get a good education…I think it’s a good story to tell about public education.”

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 their powers and duties, as governed by the Code of Virginia. Although this blog will primarily focus on Fairfax County, we will share school board meeting reports from around the state, when possible. The 10/12/23 Fairfax County School Board meeting began with some confusion and conflict, but smoothed out over time. Ms. Laura Jane Cohen asked for a moment of silence after the attack on Israel and for a moment of silence in honor of those who were endangered, lost their lives, and or lost family members and friends in Israel, Gaza, and neighboring communities. School board members took pains to be brief during the proclamations, but they still tried to give full acknowledgement: National Hispanic Heritage Month Proclamation–One in four of our students is of Hispanic Heritage who have ancestry from a variety of countries and cultures. These cultures in turn enrich our own school community. Many shared the good work of the Hispanic Educators Association Indigenous People's Day/Native American Heritage Month Proclamation–Ms. Cohen read quotes from indigenous people, including Irwin Morris “Everyday is indigenous people’s day. Every day the sun rises and we are still here to celebrate.” LGBTQIA History Month Proclamation–In light of current attacks on the LGBTQIA community, most of the School Board had something to say, much of which was personal, thoughtful, and inspirational. Listen and understand. Principals, Administrators, and Administrative Assistants Month Proclamation. Ms. Derenak Kaufax details their impact and work in the schools. So many leaders got shout-outs from the board! Public Input Two student advocates spoke, both of whom touched on the theme of protecting the environment. A freshman from Chantilly High School asked that the school board continue, or even increase, their commitment to clean energy to mitigate climate change. She identified that it is hard for the students to focus on school and tests when they are worried about their futures, in light of pollution and a warming earth. A Senior from Madison High School explained the problems with the move to Chromebooks by FCPS. He shared that it is environmentally unsound because they have a shorter life than the old laptops, but also they are less effective, unsafe due to batteries that overheat, and are of poor quality. 4 Public Education’s own Cheryl Binkley said that it is “our stories that give meaning to what we do” while some are trying to suppress stories, especially if they are from some groups. She shares Oedipus’s tale which is as vividly explicit and challenging as those told today that are being banned and censored. Outside of those present for proclamations, it was a smaller than usual crowd. Few had signed up to speak, but even fewer showed up. Other speakers spoke to: The deplorable condition of Woodson High School’s ball fields that are unsafe and sometimes unusable. A request to change the start times of middle schools, which currently violates the needs of students, and is taking a toll on their physical and emotional health. It could have a profound impact on so many families. (Note: there have been many efforts to this effect. Any parent of a middle schooler can tell you the nightmare of a 6:35am bus ride.) An appreciation for those on the school board and administrative team who have supported Jewish students and families, recognizing that they have friends and family who have died or are being held hostage. She asks them to continue to combat antisemitism, consult with the JCRC, and be accountable to students who experience antisemitism on a regular basis. Palestine and her family’s experiences. School Board Business Academic Matters: Dr. Reid’s presentation demonstrated how FCPS outcompetes Virginia and the world every year on SAT scores, which seem to have stabilized from COVID drops. This year, FCPS has ensured that every student can take the SAT by adding free SAT testing for Seniors, thus FCPS has increased participation while Virginia’s SAT participation has dropped. All of this counters a current narrative from Richmond that FCPS is failing–see the 4 Public Education blog for more information. Dr. Reid also shared free PSAT and SAT preparation tools available to all students. Student Representative Matters: Ms. Karim focused on the issue of renaming of W.T. Woodson High School. She said that, in 2023, it is our duty to separate ourselves from a segregationist mindset, students overwhelmingly support a name change, and a name change is aligned with the Strategic Plan of creating a healthy school environment. Superintendent Matters: Dr. Reid shared her conversations with the community and employees. There will be more in the future, including: community conversation on the 24th (Madison HS) and 25th (Liberty MS), and employee conversation 16th (Hughes MS) and 19th (Langley HS). She shared that they have rolled out salad bars at 198 schools this year and that cross country has started at most middle schools across Fairfax. Dr. Reid also gave her recommendations regarding the renaming of W.T. Woodson High School, including relevant policy. There was significant discussion (nearly two hours!) of Global Executive Expectations. Clearly, school board members felt passionate about specific items during the discussion, but the nature of the discussion was lost on most parents who were waiting the vote on the renaming of W.T. Woodson High School. Reports from those watching at home indicated that it was “quite painful to watch.” That being said, sometimes it is the minutiae that really matter, which is why we need people on the School Board who understand the importance of good policy and care about specifics. Name change vote for WT Woodson High School Finally, the moment most of the remaining audience (six of us) were waiting for….(drum roll)....the board voted unanimously to rename W.T. Woodson High School. Ms. McLaughlin spoke to the subject and shared the next steps which can be found at https://www.fcps.edu/renaming-woodson: A public online feedback form (open until 12 pm on November 9th) An October 23rd community meeting at Woodson High School Cafeteria “A” (6:30 - 7:30pm). Pre-register for planning purposes. An October 24th Public Hearing at Luther Jackson Middle School (5:30 pm). Sign up to speak through October 23. On November 9th, the School Board will vote on new name for WT Woodson HS A number of news sources covered the Woodson High School renaming vote, including the Washington Post, FFX Now, ABC 7 News, Northern Virginia Magazine, and DC News Now. The meeting ended at about 11:40 pm. Other Northern Virginia school board meetings A 10/10/23 Fairfax County School Board work session covered Strategic Governance and Community Schools (3:40). The 10/12/23 Arlington County School Board meeting was covered by an Arlington parent. Public input was dominated by teachers sharing the devastating impact of a new health care system.

As you may know, book bans have been on the rise with requests to ban books at record high in 2022. Like you, 4 Public Education is concerned about the attacks on the 1st Amendment through censorship, thus, we are covering Banned Books week, October 1-7th, over multiple blogs. To kick off Banned Book Week, Maryland and Virginia congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Church held a festival of banned books entitled Unstoppable Stories that covered the joy of reading challenged books, stories of inclusion and celebration, and the current war on our libraries and beloved books. 4 Public Education was fortunate to participate in the Fairfax, Virginia session with close to 100 citizens. For 13 years, former Speaker of the House of Delegates Eillen Filler-Corn has been working toward a more welcoming, inclusive, and safe Virginia, thus she is concerned about the findings of the Pen America 2023 censored book report showing that book bans in public schools have increased by 33% in the last year. She reminds us to consider whose stories are being banned–primarily contested books have Black, Hispanic, and/or LGBTQIA characters–and questions why people want to censor such a rich tapestry of people and experiences. She agrees with the American Library Association’s (ALA) slogan “Let Freedom Read.” Stories are Unstoppable. They celebrate who we are out loud, despite attempts at censorship. They lift up our experiences, connect us across our differences and are how we learn to be better people. – Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax The panels offered amazing insight into the censorship assault on our schools and libraries that affect the education of students and safety of teachers and librarians. Recent censorship efforts started in the classroom, but have moved onto public libraries, where they are not only targeting books, but the very funding of public libraries, which are the core of many communities, particularly rural communities. Kelsey Lawrence, grassroots organizer for Save Samuels, said that when a small group of 53 extremists targeted her Front Royal, VA library, they drowned the library in over 800 forms asking to have 134 books removed, most of which they hadn’t even read. Every single one of those books contained LGBTQIA themes or characters and many had no sexual content at all. When these requests for removal were denied, they went after library funding, despite the library being the only resource for many in Warren county for books and other public services–355,000 people have relied on the library as a resource in the past year. Leon Van der Goetz, founder of NoVA Prism Center, shared that you should read the books: if they make you uncomfortable, sit with that, and ask yourself why the stories make you feel that way. Unfamiliarity of voices and experiences can be discomfiting, but learning about and respecting others’ lived experiences is part of life. To censor these books is the same as censoring the people behind the stories. Shari Henry, Director of Democracy and Community Impact at Urban Libraries, dashes the “porn in schools” mantra pushed by many activists, as there is not a book in school that meets the legal definition to be removed from a library. Parents are free to make their choice for their own family, but making the choice for other families infringes on fundamental freedoms. She also echoes earlier sentiments that rural libraries are more susceptible to funding cuts. Mary Pelicano, a retired librarian and American Library Association (ALA) advocate, said that the atmosphere of book challenges has changed. It used to be that an individual would fill out a challenge form after having read a book, but now people are arriving with long lists and pre-written forms to censor books they never even read. “Books are mirrors and windows”--they are how we build inclusive community, compassion, and empathy. Vee Vee Majesty, a Latina drag queen, questioned whether well-intentioned parents are being used as pawns by those with power and influence, particularly in a movement where only 11 adults have filed 60% of book challenges in 2021-21. In general, book challenges have begun with marginalized groups like people of color and the LGBTQIA community, but this is a slippery slope where the challenges are chipping away at our freedoms–Fahrenheit 451, a commonly banned book, outlines exactly what they are doing. Not only that, but the obsession with gender and gender identity ignores the humanity of each one of us–it amplifies differences among us, when we aren’t really that different on the inside. Finally, 4 Public Education attended only one of the breakout sessions, but it was a doozy! Lara Bury of Red Wine and Blue shared how everyone can get involved in an informed and respectful way by: Talking to neighbors and friends about the impact of banning books–remember 87% of people do not support banning books that discuss race! Sharing your concerns and tell your friends what you are doing. Personal stories often have more impact than sharing facts. Asking questions and empathizing with (not demonizing) others who may not 100% agree with you. Wearing “Banned Books” t-shirts or buttons to let others know what is happening. Thanking and supporting librarians and teachers. Check out and read banned books from libraries to show the community values them. Also, remember that parents can always prevent their own kids from accessing certain books, but every parent that wants their kids to develop critical thinking skills should have the right to have books available to their kids.