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We are fortunate in Virginia to now have a surplus in our budget. We are pleased to have legislators who advocate to apply that surplus toward public education to solve critical problems such as overcrowding, deferred maintenance, and inadequate staffing. These needs have gone unfilled in past years because the budget could not stretch far enough to meet those needs. However, other officials in our executive and legislative branches intend to use that surplus to cut taxes, despite these critical needs. Hopefully, everyone with a vote realizes that now is the time we can do what is needed for our public schools that are deprived of what they need when budgets are tight. Thus, we are following priority bills closely for this 2023 Virginia General Assembly. Calls to action for support or opposition to these bills will be posted in the Take Action part of our website as advocacy is needed, or with other pro-public education partners. 4 Public Education supports the following proposed bills: Fully funding Virginia’s public schools with bills HB1497, HB1566, HB2111, SB1215, SB1325; Providing mental health support to students with bills HB1938, SB818, SB856, SB1043, SB1257, SB1268, SJ228, and; Ameliorating Covid’s impact on academics with bills . HB2145, SB819, SB1118, SB1334. 4 Public Education opposes the following proposed bills: Censorship of school library material by bills HB1379, HB1448, SB787; Attacking students based on gender or gender identity by HB1387, HB1399, HB1434, SB911, SB962, and; Diverting funding from public schools in the name of school choice HB1371, HB1396, HB1508, SB823. Legislators continue to recognize the need to increase compensation for our teachers and support staff; therefore, Delegate Convers-Fowler, Delegate Rasoul, and Senator Lucas have introduced bills that should help compensate and retain our valuable teachers. This year we have bills that intend to increase learning and mentorship opportunities for principals, teachers and sta ff, and also reduce the ratios of principals, teachers and staff to the number of students in each school. Those bills were introduced by Delegate Bourne and Senator McClellan. The pandemic impacted K-12 students and teachers in many ways. Thankfully, our legislators stepped up and introduced bills this year to mitigate those impacts. One of the most publicized impacts was what some call “Learning Loss” due to online school during the pandemic, where much of the greatest impact has been on rural, low income, and immigrant communities. We ask legislators to support those bills including ones that: 1) increase in English Language Learner resources (introduced by Senator Hashmi), 2) improve communication with parents of English Language Learners (introduced by Delegate Guzman), and 3) provide early intervention services for reading and math (introduced by Senator Favola). The pandemic has highlighted the increased need for mental health services for K-12 students so our legislators have introduced bills to increase the availability of mental health support in our schools, including bills by Senator Spruill, Senator Favola, and Delegate Plum. Photo Credit: Skip Plitt - C'ville Photography, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

I’m dismayed by recent news about FCPS…that delayed paper certificates are taking priority over critical needs of all of our students and that the loudest voices are using this as yet another opportunity to pit “equity” against “merit” as if they are mutually exclusive. If merit is “the quality of being good and deserving to be praised or rewarded,” then each student should have merit in the eyes of our schools, no matter their PSAT scores. Unfortunately, some only focus on test scores to determine merit, which leaves disabled, dyslexic, English language learners, and so many others behind. My dyslexic child does not test well as reflected by her low SOLs, but she has great grades, works hard, is happy, and is kind to others. When she applies to college, I want schools to look at the whole child (extracurriculars, challenges, effort, and grades), not just some arbitrary test score. Even my son whose scores are off the charts should not be judged just by his PSAT scores. My kids are more than their test scores. All of our kids are more than their test scores. I want you to pursue "Equal outcomes for every student, without exceptions," because we, as a community, should work toward the best possible outcomes for each and every student. To achieve that goal, equity comes into play, giving each student the support and resources they need, whether it is reading support for dyslexics, team taught classes, or extra testing time. Equity recognizes that we do not all start from the same place and that additional resources can bring students up. Equity means meeting each student by name and by need to ensure that they are able to succeed in school and life. This is hard, but necessary work. Nevertheless, I feel blessed to be in a school system that treats both my AAP and IEP kids with respect, by ensuring that they each receive the level of support they need so that they can both succeed. Vanessa Hall's input to the School Board on January 12, 2023 can be viewed on her personal page, Vanessa cares about Public Education. All public input from the meeting can be found here.

As printed in the Washington Post Opinion Section on Sunday, January 8th, 2023. Regarding the Jan. 5 Metro article “Va. AG will start probe of top school”: The recent witch hunt by paid operatives and allies calling for the firing of administrators at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is part of a long line of attacks by the same parents who have led challenges against admissions reform that was mandated by then-Gov. Ralph Northam (D). Sadly, The Post continues to provide a platform for these far-right activists to foment outrage for political purposes regardless of the significance of their complaints. This was a brief delay of notification of “commended” status for top-ranked students. Why does it carry such weight with the media, when it carries such little weight with colleges or scholarship opportunities? There is no evidence that the late notifications had catastrophic effects on students. These operatives are taking advantage of a minor slipup by administrators in a long-standing feud. One complainant has, for years, called for the termination of TJ administrators. She is fighting the Fairfax County Public Schools system in court. The drastic call for the termination of administrators at TJ is absurd. The late information can and apparently has been relayed to the registrar at each school of higher learning to whom each student has applied. A minor error has been rectified and apologies made, yet the histrionics continue. Holly Hazard, Falls Church The writer is co-founder and chair of 4 Public Education, a nonprofit advocating for excellence in public education in Virginia.

To be honest, I’m not a resolutions kind of gal. I feel they are overly aspirational or restrictive, and sometimes a bit selfish. Sure most of us need to lose a little weight, but how many people fail at that particular resolution every year, thereby setting off a year of “failure.” Nevertheless, I do set goals each year, all of which are less sexy than a bikini bod by Memorial Day, but way more achievable. Goals keep me honest, but also ensure that I don’t fail before I even try. In the last two years, it has been hard to prevent the noise of politics or paid operators from derailing my community goals to support students and teachers in my community. Thus, 2023 seems like a good time to set a resolution for a great year in education in my community. My New Year’s resolution for education is already posted on the Fairfax County Public Schools facebook page: I hope that my kids are treated with dignity and respect by their teachers and schools, as they have been. That no governor's political agendas will interfere with their education or safety, and that truthful history will be taught in the classrooms. As a parent, I think these are the most basic of goals for each and every student in each and every school. I pledge to work with my schools, teachers, students, and like-minded community members to accomplish these goals. Truth be told, these should be the goals of parent’s rights movements across the country: dignity and respect for every student with an education free from political agendas. I’m not sure why #ParentalRights has been derailed by political operatives, but we need to take it back by resolving to protect and support our teachers, students, and schools. This may look different in your community or you may have more specific goals, so please share your resolution or public education goals for the year. 4 Public Education would love to hear from you. Maybe we can even help you achieve those goals or find like-minded community members who can support you. Wishing you a healthy, happy, and safe 2023.

As we close out 2002 we also reach the milestone of our 1st anniversary! 4 Public Education was launched this time last year, after a busy fall full of meetings with concerned community members. Looking back over our first year, we are proud of the the work to create a new nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting public education in Virginia and nationally. We created this a review of our year- full of photos, friends, and above all- action! Take a look at all we've done together this year and renew your commitment to fight for public education in 2023. Click on the PDF here to view:

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) constructs satellite Gross Domestic Product accounts which look at the contributions of certain economic clusters to the overall economy. BEA makes these data for such areas as the Arts and Cultural Production, Outdoor Recreation economy, and others. The Arts and Cultural Production account includes the Performing Arts, Museums, Design Services, Fine Arts education among other activities. This sector is responsible for 4.2% of US GDP and 4.6 million jobs in 2020, the latest year for which these data are available. This is, of course, significantly lower from pre-Covid levels. In Virginia, the Arts contribute 2.9% of our state GDP. In DC, 8.2%, Maryland, 2.5%. This sector supports 109,900 jobs in Virginia. The Outdoor Recreation sector incudes conventional activities such as bicycling, skiing, equestrian, boating, hiking, hunting; other activities such as gardening and outdoor concerts; and related supporting activities such as related construction, travel and tourism. Outdoor recreation is 1.8% nationally and 1.5% in Virginia. This sector contributes 104,300 jobs in Virginia. Each of these sectors of our economy supports jobs, income, and each contributes towards enjoyment of life in our Commonwealth. Within each of these clusters is a wide range of occupations. In the case of the Arts and Cultural segment, there are artists, performers and musicians and the array of support people including set construction, bookkeepers, lawyers, HR professionals, etc. that comprise the industries. Without the artists, performers and musicians, these other jobs would not exist. We take great pride in Virginia’s great outdoors, we should take the same pride in our artistic and cultural beauty. Support the arts in our schools and we support our economy.

Virginia Organizations and Community Leaders call for the Virginia Board of Education to Pass the August 2022 version of the proposed History and Social Studies Standards of Learning and Curriculum Virginia’s 60-year-old history curriculum originally was built around Eurocentric content and perspectives. In 2019, Virginians began an extensive process of revision to the 2014 History and Social Studies Standards and Curriculum, ensuring Virginia’s History and Social Studies standards were inclusive, factually accurate, and reflected all facets of U.S. and Virginia History in an age-appropriate manner. In the spring of 2022, after extensive consultation with subject matter experts, historians and after two public comment sessions, a revised draft of History and Social Studies Standards of Learning and Curriculum was ready for approval. In August of that year, the revised standards and curriculum documents were well-received during Virginia Board of Education’s (VDOE) August 2022 meeting. However, a couple of VDOE representatives felt some minor additions needed to be made. Instead a completely rewritten version of the document was presented at the November 17, 2022 Virginia Board of Education (VBOE) meeting. That document bore little resemblance to the document proposed in August and was replete with significant omissions of history, misinformation, and grammatical errors. 4 Public Education and collaborating organizations are preparing a letter for the Virginia BOE to be delivered to the chair on Nov. 30. This statement will demand that the August 2022 version of the History and Social Studies SOL be accepted and implemented. If your organization would like to sign onto the letter please contact Marianne Burke at Marianne.VaGrassrootsCoalition@gmail.com by noon on Wednesday, November 30, 2022.

Do you remember learning about sex ed in school when you were a teen? I do. Not only do I remember the cheesy heavy-handed after-school specials with Tiger Beat heartthrobs, but I also remember extreme mortification when I was excused from sex education class to go to the hospital to meet my brand new baby sister. In my 13 year-old mind, my sister’s birth advertised to all of my friends and classmates that my parents were having S-E-X…the horror! A million years ago, when I took sex education in Fairfax County, girls were separated from the boys for most of the class, as they still are decades later. Today, Fairfax County students voice that separation during sex education increases suspicion of each other and reduces empathy among students of different genders. Experts like Nicole Cushman , executive director of a sex education program at Rutgers University, says that separating genders for sex education “reinforce[s] the idea that sex is not something to be discussed in ‘mixed company.’” There has never been a scientific reason for gender-separated sex education, just social taboos combined with an antiquated concern about “natural modesty” of children, as if students weren’t already mortified being taught by (seemingly) ancient adults about “how babies are made” with their peers. Of course, if we stopped teaching everything that made students uncomfortable, there would be little learning to be had. First to go: calculus! After vigorous discussion among the parents, students, teachers, and health professionals on the Family Life Education Curriculum Advisory Committee (FLECAC), the committee voted unanimously to adopt gender-combined instruction for the human growth and development portion of Family Life Education (FLE) for grades 4-10. Community members of FLECAC felt it was the best way to support the social, emotional, and physical health and safety of FCPS students. Close to half of the FLE classes are already taught in a mixed gender setting already for emotional social health lessons like consent, avoiding abuse, and using social media safety. Some parents and teachers have expressed reservations about boys’ immature behavior affecting the girls’ learning environment in a mixed-gender FLE class. Is immature behavior ONLY reserved for FLE? Absolutely not. Anything can inspire puerile behavior…even talking about the weather can sound dirty. If we are worried about immature behavior interfering with lessons, then Franz Kafka’s “The Penal Colony” should be thrown out of English class and nobody should graduate magna cum laude in mixed company. Dozens of FCPS students rallied for gender-combined FLE . Those most vocal against gender-combined FLE seem to be against teaching FLE altogether, despite the fact that comprehensive sex education is beneficial to students’ health and safety by: preventing unintended pregnancy, reducing sexually transmitted infections, delaying initiation of sexual intercourse, and improving academic performance. Gender-combined FLE enables students to have these health and safety conversations together, thereby enabling them to have a lifetime of such conversations. 4PublicEducaton.org is asking you to provide input from now until 12/1/22 4:30 pm supporting gender-combined FLE, which is supported by experts, FLECAC, students, and parents.

4PublicEducation.org champions public schools as the cornerstone of a healthy democracy and the right for every child to an exceptional education, thus we encourage all to vote before or on Election Day, November 8, 2022. Some deadlines are fast approaching, including: November 5th: Last day to apply in-person for absentee ballot AND last day to request a replacement absentee ballot. November 7th: Last day to Request an Emergency Absentee Ballot. November 8th: Election Day. On November 8th, Election Day, you should have a plan: Know who the candidates are. Ballotpedia is a neutral source that covers all of the Virginia 2022 candidates. Identify your polling place in Virginia here. Arrive at your polling place during polling hours, from 6:00 am until 7:00 pm As long as you are in line by 7:00 pm, you will be able to vote. Bring a friend, neighbor, or family member to vote. Vote with your conscience. Vote for the future. It is your civic duty to try to get to the polls. Don’t let anyone dissuade you. Additionally, since 2022, Virginia has had same-day registration for voting with a provisional ballot. Some common myths about voting can be found here. Finally, if you are disabled, polling places should be accessible, meet state and federal accessibility standards, and should have at least one voting machine accessible to disabled voters. The full range of accessible voting options at each polling place can be found here. Education and justice are democracy's only life insurance. --Nannie Helen Burroughs (Virginian, Educator, Innovator, Activist)

4 Public Education strongly opposes ableism in all of its forms whether in the classroom or in public, which includes the use of slurs like the one used by Ms. Karen Keys-Gamarra during the October 20, 2022 Regular School Board Meeting. Such words not only severely harm those in the disability community, but harm our entire community and should never be used or tolerated. We appreciate that Ms. Keys-Gamarra quickly apologized and continues to try to make amends to the individuals and community she has harmed. Nevertheless, we see her words as a caution for the community: ableist slurs, words, and actions are far too common and too infrequently pushed back upon. Such words and actions are deeply offensive and harmful to students and their families, and employees. We would hope that each of us in our school system commits to countering such damaging words, while working harder to center our education system on the needs, dignity, and abilities of all students. If any students with disabilities are bullied or name-called as a result of their disability, then our community has failed. As Ms. Togbe so aptly said, “Students are watching.” If they see that we do not value each student by name and by need, then they will follow that poor example. Ms. Keys-Gamarra has a long history of advocacy for a diverse group of children and their families, including as a family law attorney and serving as a court-appointed guardian ad litem. She is an important part of the Fairfax County School Board, having served as chair of numerous committees and having spearheaded the Special Education audit. She is continually advocating for equity and quality education. Her lifetime record illustrates her dedication to children. 4 Public Education hopes that she will continue in these endeavors as she works to heal the harm she caused. In the meantime, we oppose attempts to remove her from the School Board or censure her. Ms. Keys-Gamarra is in her third year of a four-year term and is up for re-election next year; therefore, the Fairfax County voters should decide if she should stay on the school board for future terms. Censure is one of the most serious consequences a legislative body can impose on its members. While Ms. Keys-Gamarra’s behavior was disgraceful, it does not rise to a level at which such a drastic measure should be invoked. Censure affects not only that member, but also her constituents. In our view it should likely be used for behaviors that are both egregious and intentional. This action does not meet this test; therefore, while strongly condemning her words, we oppose censure as a resolution. This is a moment for the entire community to reassess their words, behavior, and biases regarding disabilities and disabled people. We can all do better and be better for our students and our community. Download PDF version here: