Coraggio Consulting
Fairfax County School Board Meeting, Thursday, February 12, 2026

Date: Thursday, February 12, 2026
Place: Fairfax County School Board, Virginia
Length: 3h 13m (video)
Official meeting video (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAs75Nq9rlg
Official School Board page (FCPS): https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/leadership/school-board

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-28. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:00:06] The time is 7 o'clock p.m. and this February 12, 2026 regular meeting of the Fairfax County

[00:01:25] School Board will now come to order. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance followed by a moment of silence and a performances and performances of the National Anthem and Lift Every Voice and Sing by the Daniels Run Singers under the direction of Michelle McCartan.

[00:01:52] Allegiance to the flag.

[00:03:38] Everybody give another round of applause to our amazing students.

[00:05:14] Mr. Dunn has submitted a request to attend tonight's meeting remotely due to a medical conflict and is located in Mount Vernon, Virginia.

[00:05:42] I have performed an initial review of Mr. Dunn's request and have found it to be in compliance with the school board's remote resolution. I have approved the request. Mr. Dunn, please check your audio and video. We see you. - Yes, thank you. - Wonderful, we can hear you as well.

[00:05:58] We now ask the board members who are physically present to vote on the following. All those in favor of confirming the chair's approval of Mr. Dunn's request. That is Mr. Frisch, Ms. Marin, Ms. St. John Cunning, Ms. Lady, Ms. Dixit, Mr. Moon and myself.

[00:06:16] All those opposed, Dr. Anderson. Will the clerk please read the vote? - Seven to one, the motion carries. - Thank you. On behalf of the school board, I would like to welcome Carolyn Pitches, chair of the City of Fairfax School Board, and Amit Hickman, who is a school board member in the City of Fairfax as well.

[00:06:42] So thank you guys both for coming tonight. If you would like to review a copy of the meeting agenda, please see the back of the auditorium. To obtain copies of any items or supporting materials being presented tonight, please refer to the QR code on the agenda or visit www.fcps.edu backslash board docs.

[00:07:06] Tonight's meeting is being broadcast on Channel 99 and live streamed on YouTube and our website at www.fcps.edu backslash live stream. Tonight's meeting is also being broadcast in Spanish on YouTube at youtube.com backslash at FCPS en Espanol.

[00:07:28] Agenda Item 3.01, Black History Month Proclamation. I call on Ms. Dixit for a proclamation. Whereas, in nearly a century, the month of February has been recognized nationally as a Black History Month, providing a time to honor, celebrate, and reflect upon the historic and ongoing contribution of black Americans to the social, cultural, educational, economic, and political life of the United States.

[00:07:54] And whereas, BHM originated as a Negro History Week, founded by historian and scholar Dr. Carter G. Woodson, Who selected February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass the 2026 theme a century of black history common commemorations recognizes the centennial of this observance.

[00:08:16] 100 years of scholarship advocacy and commitment to ensuring that black history is honored taught and valued as essential part of the American history and whereas the first African arrived in Virginia more than four centuries ago.

[00:08:32] And despite enslavement, segregation, and systemic racism, black Virginians have profoundly shaped the commonwealth's economy, culture, governance, and educational institution. And whereas Virginia stands at the center of the nation's civic right history, serving as a monument of black resistance and leadership where enslaved and free black Virginians used faith communities, journalism, and grassroots organizing to challenge slavery and advance freedom, and whereas this legacy

[00:09:06] includes history such as the student-led protest at Moten High School by Barbara Johns, helping lead the Supreme Court decision in the Brown v. Board of Education, Loving v. Virginia, the 1967 Supreme Court case that struck down laws banning interracial marriage and the movement to dismantle massive resistance in public education. And whereas black Virginians have contributed to every aspect of American life and include trailblazers such as Gladys West, whose pioneering work in mathematics and satellite technology helped make GPS possible.

[00:09:46] Maggie L. Walker, the first black woman to charter and serve as president of a bank in the United States. Marjorie Joyner, a chemist and inventor who developed the permanent wave machine. Henrietta Lex, whose cells became essential to medical research. And Corinne Mitchell, a painter and educator who became the first black artist to have a solo exhibition at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. And whereas, Fairfax County was strengthened by black leaders who worked to expand opportunity, equity, and representation in education, including Edwin

[00:10:26] Henderson, a pioneering civil rights leader and educator whose advocacy laid critical groundwork for educational equity in Fairfax County. Mary Ellen Henderson, an educator whose leadership and service advanced equitable access within the public school system. Robert Bob Fry, a long-time community servant and visionary, served on the Fairfax County School Board and as the first black school board chairman in 1999 through 2000. Mr. Fry implemented increased resources for

[00:11:03] underserved populations and championed replacing the Lee Jackson holiday with a holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. prior to federal recognition. Ernestine Hestey became the first black woman member of the Fairfax County School Board elected in 2007, marking a historic milestone in educational governance and turning point in an inclusive leadership and representation.

[00:11:31] Catherine Hudgens became the first black member elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2000, serving with distinction until 2019, leaving a legacy of public service, equity, community leadership now therefore be it resolved that the fairfax county school board hereby proclaims february 2026 as black history month honoring a century of black history commemorations and celebrating the enduring contributions leadership and resilience of black americans

[00:12:07] we encourage all students staff and community members to engage in meaningful educational opportunities that reflect the full and accurate history of black americans and reaffirm a shared commitment to equity inclusion and excellence for all is there a second i second thank you miss st john cunning i will call for a vote all those in favor mr frisch miss marin miss st john cunning miss lady miss dixit mr moon dr anderson mr dunn and myself that is unanimous for all board

[00:12:40] members present congratulations agenda item 3.04 school counseling appreciation week proclamation i call on mr dunn for a proclamation whereas fairfax county public schools employs nearly 700 school counseling professionals including school counselors directors of student services and college and career specialists who are committed to preparing students to become lifelong learners and productive members of a global society with a focus on social emotional

[00:13:19] wellness, academic success and college and career readiness and whereas National School Counseling Week is observed each year during the first full week in February to focus public attention on the unique and essential contribution of professional school counselors within our nation's educational system and whereas professional school counselors are certified trained educators who collaborate with students, families, teachers, administrators and community partners to support the whole child and whereas the theme for national school counseling week 2026 is school counselors amplify student success recognizing the tremendous impact school counselors have

[00:13:58] and helping students achieve academic success plan for their future careers and thrive emotionally and socially and whereas the counseling profession addresses a wide range of student needs including academic planning personal and social development mental health support career exploration college readiness crisis intervention and the development of problem-solving and decision-making skills that are essential for life beyond the classroom and whereas fcps's comprehensive school counseling programs are grounded in national professional standards and work with students individually and in groups through classroom lessons interventions and consultation to remove

[00:14:37] barriers to learning and promote equitable opportunities for all students and whereas FCPS school counselors also support families and educators by providing resources, collaboration, and guidance that strengthens student engagement, resilience, and well-being, contributing to a positive and inclusive school climate that honors diversity, equity, and student voice, and whereas the excellence of FCPS's counseling services is demonstrated by achievements such as multiple schools receiving the recognized ASCA model program RAMP designation, affirming that their counseling programs meet the highest standards for comprehensive data-driven practices that support student achievement and school success,

[00:15:16] and whereas Fairfax County Public Schools recognizes the dedication, professionalism, compassion, and leadership demonstrated daily by school counselors who work tirelessly to empower students, Now therefore be it resolved that the Fairfax County School Board hereby proclaims February 2nd through 6th, 2026 as School Counseling Week in honor of the invaluable contributions of school counselors and expresses its highest commendation and deep gratitude for school counselors' commitment to amplifying student success.

[00:15:47] Is there a second? Second. I call for the vote. All those in favor, Mr. Frisch, Ms. Marin, Ms. St. John Cunning, Ms. Lady, Ms. Dixit, Mr. Moon, Dr. Anderson, Mr. Dunn, and myself. That is unanimous for all board members present.

[00:16:11] Agenda item 3.05, Career and Technical Education, Disability Employment, and Adult Community Education Appreciation Month proclamation. I call on Mr. Frisch for a proclamation. - Thank you. Whereas the celebration of Career and Technical Education, CTE, Disability Employment, and Adult Community Education, ACE, Appreciation Month recognizes these exemplary Fairfax County Public School programs, And whereas FCPS offers a vast selection of CTE programs that give our students invaluable opportunities to explore and learn about a career they may wish to pursue in the future.

[00:16:45] During school year 2025-26, FCPS offered 160 CTE courses in business education and information technology, family and consumer science, health and medical, JRE, marketing, technology and engineering education, as well as trade and industry.

[00:17:02] And these classes equipped over 65,000 students with the knowledge and skills needed to prepare for the workforce, military, continuing education, and or success in a competitive global economy. And whereas our division celebrates the many contributions of people with disabilities to America's workplaces and economy and recognizes the value of people with disabilities bring to the workplace, as evidenced by the recent study that showed that disability-friendly organizations are 25% more likely to outperform their organizational peers on productivity.

[00:17:34] And whereas the Davis and Pulley Career Centers and other FCPS programs help students with disabilities transition to life after high school through work experiences provided by the local Northern Virginia business community and by providing workplace readiness and independent living training, fostering self-advocacy and self-determination and increasing the soft skills needed to succeed in the workplace.

[00:17:57] and whereas each year thousands of adults have learned essential skills through the ACE program in addition the Fairfax County Adult High School has given students the opportunity given adults the opportunity to earn a high school diploma certification of high school equivalency through the GED program and the chance to enroll in individual courses and certificate programs including adult ESOL business information technology health and medical, trade, and industrial, culinary arts, and world languages.

[00:18:28] FCPS's ACE programs complement the Virginia Apprenticeship Program by offering apprenticeship classes in electricity, HVAC, and plumbing, and provide career exploration in the trades or cross-training with related tasks.

[00:18:43] And whereas FCPS honors our students, staff, and program achievements this year, including Sean Appleby, Marshall Academy Culinary Instructor,

[00:18:51] recognized by Virginia ACTE new teacher of the year and VATFACS outstanding new teacher of the year we've had the food that his students prepare it's very good well done Langston Hughes Middle School and Paul Davis recognized as VTEA middle school program of the year Susan Chidovan Susan Chidovan recognized as VTEA high school teacher of the year Kellen Scott recognized as the wise financial literacy outstanding leadership administrator

[00:19:45] award. Rebecca Fenton won the 2025 Harbor Freight Tools and Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. Matthew Bechtel was selected as a member of the 2026 ACTE National Leadership Fellowship Program. Now therefore be it resolved that the Fairfax County School Board hereby proclaims February 2026 as Career and Technical Education, Disability Employment and Adult and Continuing Education Appreciation Month and

[00:20:24] commends these programs pivotal roles in providing our students young and adult the opportunities to acquire job skills transition to new careers have equitable access to societal resources and grow as responsible and ethical workers and citizens is there a second I second thank you Miss Marin I will call for the vote Mr. Frisch Miss Marin Miss St. John Cunning Miss Lady Miss Dixit Mr. Moon Dr. Anderson Mr. Dunn and myself that is unanimous for all board members present. I invite our career and technical

[00:21:02] education disability employment and adult and community education staff students and those here to support the career and technical education to support

[00:21:11] the proclamation join us in front of the board or in front of the dais. We now

[00:23:17] invite our school counselors and school counseling staff and all those here in support of the school counseling appreciation week proclamation to please

[00:23:23] join the board for a photo at the front of the dais. We now invite the

[00:24:35] Fairfax Alliance of Black School Educators, the Fairfax County NAACP, and all those here in support of the Black History Month Proclamation to please join the board for a photo at the

[00:24:44] front of the dais. Madam Chair, that was our last proclamation picture. Agenda Item 4.01,

[00:26:17] Virginia High School League in Academic Team Recognitions. The school board is very pleased to recognize the recipients of Fall 2025 FCPS VHSL State and Regional Championships tonight. Please stand when your team is recognized.

[00:26:34] After all recognitions are completed, individual teams will have a photo with the board. - The board would like to recognize the Shantley High School Esports League of Legends team for winning the VHSL Fall Esports Tournament Championship.

[00:26:53] The board would like to recognize Principal Amy Goodloe, Director of Student Activities Brandon Shapiro, and Coach James Kutula for their contribution to the team.

[00:27:12] The board would like to recognize the Chantilly High School Chamber Orchestra for their performance at the Virginia Musical Educators Association Conference. The board would also like to recognize Principal Amy Goodlow and orchestra-directed Aaron Mines for their contributions to the group.

[00:27:36] - Too busy celebrating. The board would like to recognize the Cooper Middle School Symphonic Band for their performance at the Music For All National Concert Band Festival. The board would also like to recognize Principal Maureen McLaughlin, Band Director Matthew Baker, assistant band director Alex singer for their contributions to the group the board would like the board would like to recognize Cooper Middle School symphonic band for their performance at the Virginia Music Educators Association Conference the board would also like to recognize principal Maureen McLaughlin band director Matthew Baker and assistant band director director Alex

[00:28:16] singer for their contributions to the group board would like to recognize the Frost Middle School girls cross-country team for winning the Fairfax County Public Schools Middle School Girls Cross-Country Championship. The board would also like to recognize Principal Anthony Harris, After School Specialist Deborah Metzger, and Coaches Greg Davis, Lisa Warden, Meredith Marquis, Caitlin

[00:28:49] Loft for their contributions to the team. The board would like to recognize the Justice High School Wind Ensemble for their performance at the Virginia Music Educators Association Conference. The board would also like to recognize the Principal Shawn Rolland and Band Director Brian Thomas for their contributions to the group.

[00:29:28] - Board would like to recognize the Langley High School Field Hockey Team for winning the VHSL Class 6 Field Hockey State Championship. The board would also like to recognize Principal Larry Stroud, Director of Student Activities Jeff Noto, and Head Coach Morgan Philly for their contributions to the team.

[00:29:54] - The board would like to recognize the Oakton High School Girls Flag Football Team for winning the very first Fairfax County Public Schools Flag Football Championship.

[00:30:12] The board would also like to recognize Principal Jamie Lane, Director of Student Activities Patrick Full, and Coaches Jeff Lewis and Bob Barker for their contributions to the team. - The board would like to recognize the Robinson Secondary School Girls Cross Country Team for winning the VHSL Class Six Girls Cross Country State Championship.

[00:30:44] The board would also like to recognize Principal Tracy Phillips, Director of Student Activities Andy Jimmo, and coaches Nick Reed and Phil Vargas for their contributions to the team.

[00:31:03] The board would like to recognize the Robinson Secondary School Boys Cross Country Team for winning the Fairfax County Public Schools Middle School Boys Cross Country Championship.

[00:31:18] The board would also like to recognize the principal Tracy Phillips, after-school specialist Courtney A. Moyle, and coaches Kelly Kavanaugh, Anthony Portaere, and Talita Lopez and Adrienne Valdry for their contributions to the team.

[00:31:40] The board would like to recognize the West Potomac High School Symphonic Band for their performance at the Music for All National Concert Band Festival. The board would also like to recognize Principal Jessica Statz and Band Director Joe Anaduchi for their contributions to the group.

[00:31:57] The board would like to recognize the West Springfield High School Girls Volleyball Team for winning the VHSL Class 6 Girls Volleyball State Championship.

[00:32:14] The board would also like to recognize principal Shannon Matheny, Director of Student Services Jenny Sobata, and coach Stephanie Noriega for their contributions to the team. The board would like to invite the members of the Chantilly High School Chamber Orchestra, staff, and supporters to please join the board for a photo.

[00:32:41] I ask my colleagues to remain at the front of the dais for upcoming photos.

[00:33:37] The board would like to invite the members of the Chantilly High School Esports League of Legends team, school staff, and supporters to please join the board for a photo.

[00:33:50] The board would like to invite the members of the Cooper Middle School Symphonic Band school staff and supporters to please join the board for a photo.

[00:34:26] The board would like to invite the Frost Middle School Girls Cross Country Team school staff and supporters to please join the board for a photo.

[00:35:16] The board would like to invite the Justice High School Wind Ensemble school staff and supporters to please join the board for a photo.

[00:36:01] The board would like to invite the Langley High School Field Hockey Team school staff and supporters to please join the board for a photo.

[00:37:00] The board would like to invite the Oakton High School Girls flag football team school staff and supporters to please join the board for a photo.

[00:37:52] The board would like to invite the Robinson Secondary School girls cross country team school staff and supporters to please join the board for a photo.

[00:38:51] Board members we're going to combine this one so we're going to do both of the so this is also including our Robinson Secondary School middle school boys cross country team as well.

[00:39:53] country team as well. The board would like to invite the West Potomac High School Symphonic Band school staff and supporters to please join the board for

[00:40:13] a photo. The board would like to invite the West Springfield High School girls

[00:41:13] volleyball team school staff and supporters to please join the board for

[00:41:17] a photo. Madam Chair that was our final photo. On behalf of the board we would

[00:42:27] like I would like to thank all of our students, coaches, principals, and parents who came out this evening for the recognition of these amazing achievements we are all so proud of our FCPS students. Agenda item 5.01 community participation. The next order of business is community participation. We welcome all community members who are here and those who sign up to speak this evening. Additional information about signing up to provide comments at the school board's regular business meetings and public hearings may be found on the

[00:43:01] school board's website at www.fcps.edu/schoolboard. During the sign-up process, community members acknowledge that they were informed of the school board's expectations for respect and proper decorum when providing comments. These expectations are also available online and with the printed agenda and meeting materials in the back of the room. We ask audience members to be respectful of one another. Shouting in outbursts will not be tolerated. Please hold your applause until the conclusion of a speaker's remarks. Audience members may not join speakers at the podium and should remain

[00:43:37] in their seats including when recording video or taking photos we are grateful for those who have come to speak to us today and thank you for your cooperation school board members will be listening but not responding madam clerk please call the first speaker tyler clark hello firstly i would like to thank you for your ears and your dedication to managing our public schools today i'm going to

[00:44:15] be talking about something that is very important for the sake of public health it is tourniquets you may be familiar with tourniquets as the mechanism by which appendages are kept secure when grave bodily trauma occurs the virginia state legislature passed a very important piece of legislation last year with regards to providing public schools with tourniquets bleeding control kits more specifically which include tourniquets compression bandages and scissors among other

[00:44:49] things which are enumerated in the legislature section 22.1-274.8 the importance of these mechanisms in schools is incredibly important as they reduce the mortality of extremity trauma the main thing that i've seen lacking in my school is the existence of them and another part of the legislation is that they are presented in all drills and emergencies and I firmly hold that

[00:45:26] with the familiarization of tourniquets and bleeding control mechanisms to students they can be more apt and more equipped to deal with these grave emergencies which can happen unexpectedly quite frankly so with the action and proper execution of this legislation which was passed last year i hold that the school board has the power to save lives and make life savers thank you very much

[00:45:58] dexter ye dexter ye aisha gozar um hello fcps school board and fairfax county community as you may know fcps has begun implementing metal detector security screenings at many schools this year at my school thomas jefferson high school for science and technology the addition of the

[00:46:34] metal detectors to the school routine has caused various changes with one of the most notable being a decreased availability of counselors in the morning. Very often students used to try to meet with their counselors before school, during lunch, or after school to minimize the amount of missed instruction time. However, because counselors are helping maintain the metal detectors in the mornings, there is a decreased time frame within which students can meet with their counselors.

[00:46:59] This not only causes frustration within our student body, but makes it so that we are violating the code of Virginia's law 22.1-291.1 that states that school counselors can only do noun counseling for 20% of their staff time. After a discussion with students from other FCPS high schools we've come to a conclusion that this is not just an issue at TJ but across schools that use metal detectors. This proposal is not to suggest that metal detectors should be taken away. I recognize that they have helped catch potentially dangerous items entering buildings and overall make our schools safer instead I am asking that a more standard

[00:47:37] procedure is implemented in FCPS in which adults who aren't counselors or first period teachers are scheduled to monitor metal detectors so that students have access to the mental health counseling services that they are entitled to by the state of Virginia thank you for your time and please let me know if you have questions Ellen Zemansky good evening my name is Ellen Zemansky and I'm here today with my son, Louis McNamara, and we wanted to speak about expanding solar power within FCPS.

[00:48:17] I'll talk about the opportunities and the benefits, and he will talk about the urgency and the ask. I lead the Fairfax County Chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby, and with a number of other environmental groups, we've started this campaign. Across the country, school districts are using solar.

[00:48:35] Meridian High has gone solar. Old Elk Elementary became our first solar school. and the division now has contracts in place for 34 schools that's an important start but with 199 schools and centers across FCPS we have an opportunity and a responsibility to do more here's why first solar power reduces long-term energy costs FCPS is using power purchase agreements which means there's no upfront capital costs let me repeat that there's no upfront

[00:49:11] capital costs a private partner installs and maintains the solar panels and the district purchases the electricity at a stable predictable rate roanoke city public schools for example expects to save 46 million dollars over 35 years that money belongs in classrooms instead of paying rising utility costs second solar increases resilience when paired with battery storage solar systems can provide electricity during grid outages schools can avoid disruptions and even

[00:49:45] serve as emergency shelters for the community third solar provides powerful learning opportunities there are they're more than just infrastructure they're teaching tools of energy systems engineering and environmental science and solar panels show students tangible and visible solutions to the climate challenge thank you lewis mcnamara good evening board members my name is lewis

[00:50:24] mcnamara and i'd like to speak about why expanding solar and fcps is not only beneficial it's urgent fcps has made a strong has made strong climate commitments carbon neutrality by 2040 a 50 emissions reduction by 2030 an all-electric bus fleet by 2035 and net zero new buildings these goals demonstrate leadership but to meet them we must significantly scale up renewable energy across the district and solar is one of the fastest most practical tools available the science is clear burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide which accumulates

[00:51:04] and in the atmosphere and heats the planet here in fairfax county we're already seeing the impacts stronger storms flooding and extreme heat these disruptions affect our schools our students and our budgets every solar installation reduces reliance on fossil fuels every roof to every rooftop system is a step toward a safer more stable future for the students sitting in our classrooms today there is also a time-sensitive financial reason to act now federal tax incentives that make solar projects more affordable are scheduled to phase out to qualify projects must

[00:51:39] begin by july 2026 and be completed within four years or be fully completed by the end of 2027 If we move quickly, FCPS can maximize federal funding and lock in long-term savings. This is a window of opportunity. We respectfully urge the school board and Dr. Reed to accelerate the expansion of solar installations across all feasible FCPS schools and to ensure that the district fully leverages available federal incentives before they expire.

[00:52:08] Our students will live with the consequences of today's decisions. Let's demonstrate leadership. This is fiscally responsible, environmentally sound, and forward-thinking. Thank you for your time and for your commitment. Godspeed.

[00:52:28] Jim Hartle. Jim Hartle. Liz Dapree. Liz Dapree. Jamie Maltese. Jamie Maltese.

[00:52:47] Anna Smith. Anna Smith. Jordan Murad. Jordan Murad. Please play the video submitted by Kelly Oxtotolis.

[00:53:09] Good evening chair, board members, Dr. Reed, and members of the FCPS community. I want to begin by acknowledging Dr. Reed's November 19th letter and the intention behind it. I agree with the core truth in that message. Artificial intelligence will shape the economic reality our children will live in.

[00:53:27] The letter describes this moment as our generation Sputnik moment. It's powerful language, and it deserves careful consideration. Historically, the response to Sputnik was not rushed experimentation inside public institutions. It was investment in teachers, curriculum, and research done transparently and with public buy-in and ownership of outcomes.

[00:53:47] This is one big concern I have with the announcement by Dr. Reed that AI tools would be provided for our teachers. When these tools are offered to schools as free trials, it can sound like a good deal. But in reality, nothing here is free. The currency is not money, it's data, our children's data.

[00:54:04] Teacher workflows, instructional decisions, refinements, and feedback are extraordinarily valuable. Once used to improve AI systems, that value is permanent and can't be rescinded. The billion-dollar valuations of AI companies aren't driven by hardware or buildings.

[00:54:21] They're driven by inputs, hours, high-quality, real-world people and interaction. Educational data, especially from a district like FCPS, is among the most valuable data there is. So when we participate in a free AI program, we need to be honest about what's happening.

[00:54:38] public intellectual capital is being exchanged for temporary access that we'll come to rely on. Our children's educations are running parallel to non-consented tests. Education requires carefully crafted studies and all the tests and data that are part of this to move knowledge forward. I don't see any of this. As one of the largest school districts in the country, FCPS has an opportunity to lead, not by adopting technology early, but by setting standards for fairness, transparency, child safety, and public benefit.

[00:55:12] Please play the video submitted by Kez Okshotolos. Good evening. I'd like to build on what my wife, Kelly, just shared. I'm a board-certified pediatrician and allergist immunologist, and in my clinical work, I use AI tools regularly.

[00:55:33] I'm also seeing in healthcare how AI companies drive adoption through free-use periods in order to extract data, data that permanently increases private company value. What concerns me is how closely that model mirrors what is now happening in our schools, including FCPS. In medicine, when people are involved in an experiment, even indirectly, there are ethical requirements, informed consent, clearly defined outcomes, independent oversight, and transparency about risks and benefits.

[00:55:59] While our children will not be typing directly into AI tools, they are still part of the experiment. Their learning environments, their questions, and their teachers' instructional responses are being captured and used to improve commercial AI systems developed by companies like OpenAI. That makes students indirect study subjects, yet families have not been fully informed of what data is being generated, how long it is being retained, how it is used to train models, or how that value is monetized.

[00:56:26] Teachers, likewise, are contributing professional expertise without clarity on whether their work is being used to train systems that will later be sold back to schools or sold elsewhere entirely. So we want to ask a few basic questions. Who is overseeing the efficacy of this program? What outcomes are being measured?

[00:56:42] Are we evaluating learning gains, cognitive impact, teacher workload, or unintended consequences? And ultimately, who benefits the most from these outcomes? Are the benefits accruing primarily to increase private company valuation, refinement of proprietary AI models, or to our children, teachers, and this district?

[00:57:01] Right now, that answer is unclear, and that uncertainty matters. AI will absolutely reshape the world our children will inherit. But if FCPS participates in shaping these systems, then families deserve transparency, teachers deserve agency and the public deserves assurance that this is being done for students not at their expense thank you for your time please play the video submitted by laura chapman i'm laura chapman parent of two fcps elementary school students and i'd like to talk about ai in schools i appreciate we're all struggling with how to best leverage ai for good as parents

[00:57:39] and professionals i've led digital transformation teams and can say with expertise that diving in without clarity on where you're going and what success looks like in at least the short and the medium term is a good way to drown. AI is no different. The reward needs to be clear because the risks are our children. Not only their learning journey, but also their health and well-being. Every parent in FCPS wants you to succeed in giving teachers the tools to do more with less. So I'd like your answers to my top five questions. Number one, where is your parent feedback loop on AI implementation in schools? How can we help and how can our input be integrated

[00:58:15] into the AI plan. Two, what does success look like in the short and midterm for teachers using AI? Be specific. Craft teacher journeys and use cases. Ensure proper training. Teachers are uniquely qualified to get real value from AI if you set them up to succeed, and that's why AI platforms want teachers on their platforms. Number three, how are you gathering learnings? What are your plans to incorporate those learnings into your roadmap? Four, what are your guardrails? When and how do you guide teachers out of trouble? Be that FERPA violations, over reliance on AI, or simply support and prompt writing. Five, and most importantly, what does failure look like?

[00:58:54] What are the boundaries you will not cross? Define it now, change it thoughtfully over time, but don't change it as a reaction to a bad event. Define failure and an exit plan, and then let's all work to make sure it never needs to be implemented. Thank you for your time and leadership. I look forward to your response. Chair Anderson, that was our last public speaker.

[00:59:16] Thank you, Madam Clerk. Agenda item 6.01, Student Representative Matters. I call on Ms. McConaughey. Good evening, members of the board. I wanted to speak tonight about responsibility and transparency, especially as it relates to our policies on student personal data on IT and data privacy.

[00:59:33] Policy 62203 makes it clear that the Assistant Superintendent for Information Technology is responsible for establishing plans and procedures to ensure the security and recovery of information and data processing services, and that the department must maintain a data security operating plan a plan so that all student personnel, financial, or other vital data on FCPS systems is protected from unauthorized use, access, or distribution.

[00:59:57] Policy 2701 reinforces that student personal data must be safeguarded. These are not small commitments. But our data privacy policy has not been updated since 2015. The last review was 11 years ago. Since then, FCPS has entered into numerous digital partnerships, technologies have rapidly advanced, and artificial intelligence has become a part of instructional conversations.

[01:00:16] Yet the policy framework governing how we protect student data has remained unchanged. We should not be doing damage control after something happens. With increased interest in technology, especially AI, we should have an updated data privacy policy to accompany it before expanding new partnerships. On that note, the ChatGPT Education Partnership for Teachers is not necessarily a bad thing.

[01:00:35] Innovation is not the issue. Innovation without guidance is. As far as I know, no one on the board has seen this contract. There has been no formal parent notification and no student notification. The reason I became aware of this partnership was because my FCPS.edu email. That is not how major instructional technology decisions should be communicated.

[01:00:51] If teachers are using this platform, student data will become subject to it. We can advise staff on best practices, but we cannot directly control what teachers input into the system. Human error exists. We have not seen the outputs of the system at this scale, and we do not fully understand how it will operate across classrooms and practice.

[01:01:08] At the same time, the partnership is free until June 2027, and we do not know what the cost will be after that. Financially, that is not responsible planning, especially in a time of budget need. We are discussing funding gaps and unmet needs, yet we are taking on additional projects without knowing their long-term costs. There are many other priorities this money could go towards, things funding has been cut from and issues we have not had the money to address.

[01:01:28] We cannot properly budget for something when we do not know what it will cost once our free trial is up. There needs to be a clear implementation plan, not just an announcement with the obligation that people will follow. We need more than a promise from a company that owes us nothing, that our data will be protected before a county-wide rollout was enforced. I advise that the superintendent rolls back or pause at the Chai GPC partnership for the time being until the contract is reviewed by the board.

[01:01:49] Parents and students are formally notified and there is community input. The data privacy policy, which has not been updated since 2015, is revised and modernized. SRNR policies are properly updated and referenced AI, and a long-term financial impact statement is presented. There is also the issue of accessibility and transparency around the student AI guide.

[01:02:05] I have personally tried to access the student AI guide through my school's website and through the main FCPS website. is not available but the website directs me to look at the student rights and responsibilities document the srnr however is not as detailed on the acceptable uses of ai as it should be if students are expected to navigate ai responsibility there should be a clear accessible and centralized guide outlining expectations boundaries and protections right now that guidance is you're not publicly available or not clearly linked in a way that students and families can easily find and understand we cannot make major decisions decisions about implementing ai tools and then allow policy and transparency to lag behind those decisions. I also want to address the gradebook as I have done many times

[01:02:44] before. Implementing this gradebook without the proper training and the tools needed for teachers will lead what to happen will lead what to what happened at Herden High School last year. When changes are abrupt when guidance is unclear and when people do not feel prepared we will be confused. I for one do not think the conversation about this gradebook is completed. We should be looking at our other options including a quarter system and explaining how skills-based assessment works in practice. Looking at the schools that have implemented this model and had it work spectacularly is significant, but these schools did not achieve success overnight. They put in deliberate work over the years to build trust among students, teachers, and parents. They invested in professional development. They aligned curriculum, and they clarified expectations, and they communicated consistently. We cannot achieve

[01:03:23] the same results with loose guidance from the board and rushed implementation timelines. Either we double down on the research, training, and instructional methods required for this gradebook to succeed, or we explore other options more fully. What we can't do is move forward halfway. A grade book should not be something that works well at some schools and does not work at others.

[01:03:42] A grading system should be universally understandable and transparent across the division. It should not depend on which building a student attends or how comfortable a teacher happens to be with the framework. Students should not have to decode a grading philosophy that shifts from year to year. Parents should not feel confused about how achievement is measured. If it is going to be implemented division-wide, then it must be supported division-wide with the necessary time needed.

[01:04:01] I strongly advise the board to consider this carefully during the upcoming Goal 3 discussion and to refrain from approving further implementation until a clear outline of the gradebook parameters expectations and reasoning is presented before moving forward we need transparent justification for why this model is being chosen how will be applied consistently across schools when what training and tools will provide to teachers and how student and parent concerns will be addressed without this clarity we risk repeating past confusion and undermining trust the major shift requires deliberate planning clear communication and defined guardrails and those must be in place before we approve it not after Otherwise, the board will end up right back here next year with the disapproval of the gradebook.

[01:04:38] Finally, I want to address student voice. I've heard accounts of students being punished for organizing walkouts in response to what is happening in the country. I understand that FCPS policy dictates when and where students can demonstrate, and I understand the need for safety. But protesting peacefully is a part of a democratic society.

[01:04:54] There should be a structured way for students to demonstrate safely without fear of disproportionate punishment. The current walkout policy restricts when students can demonstrate while not providing alternatives. This unclear guidance has led students to defy this policy in an act of civil disobedience, and I would like to highlight the word "civil." These students are not malicious or motivated by the all-consuming desire to skip their fifth period.

[01:05:14] They are students who have been directly impacted by the state of our nation and want a safe and peaceful outlet to demonstrate their feelings. I have heard reports of students being threatened with not walking at graduation or losing prom privileges because they plan to walk out. This is outrageous and does not align with the values FCPS claims to uphold. We can create safety parameters to ensure students are not leaving class simply to leave while also protecting the right to civic engagement.

[01:05:35] For example, walkouts can be allowed on school grounds, like the football field, without students leaving to nearby areas in order to prevent unknown people from joining and risking student safety. FCPS creates and warm, engaged citizens. This education is what has led them to process the world around them the way they do. They should not be punished for peacefully demonstrating their outreach at this event.

[01:05:52] Thank you for your time and your consideration. Thank you. Agenda Item 7.01, Action Item, Certification of Closed Meeting Compliance. In order to comply with section 2.2-3712D of the Code of Virginia, it is necessary for the board to certify that since the Fairfax County School Board convened a closed meeting on February 12th, 2026, to the best of each member's knowledge, only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements, and only such public business matters as were discussed in the motion convening the closed meeting were heard, discussed, or considered by the board during the closed meeting.

[01:06:32] Do I have a motion? Moved. Mr. Moon, a second. Thank you Mr. Frisch. All those in favor Mr. Frisch, Miss Marin, Miss St. John Cunning, Miss Lady, Miss Dixit, Mr. Moon, Dr. Anderson, Mr. Dunn and myself that is unanimous for all board members present.

[01:06:56] Agenda item 7.02 action item confirmation of action taken in closed meeting. I call on Mr. Frisch for a motion. Thank you I move to deny the school reassignment appeal of a student who was charged with an unlawful act in the community two counts robbery by using physical force and one count causing bodily injury and to confirm the disciplinary decision of the division superintendent.

[01:07:18] Is there a second. Thank you Miss Marin. All those in favor Mr. Frisch Miss Marin Miss St. John Cunning Miss Lady Miss Dixit Mr. Moon Dr. Anderson Mr. Dunn and myself that is unanimous for all board members.

[01:07:35] for all board members. I call on Mr. Moon for a motion. - I move that the school board authorize legal counsel to settle the matter discussed in the closed session according to the terms and conditions discussed therein.

[01:07:51] - Is there a second? - Second. - Thank you, Ms. Leidy. All those in favor, Mr. Frisch, Ms. Marin, Ms. St. John Cunning, Ms. Leidy, Ms. Dixit, Mr. Moon, Dr. Anderson, Mr. Dunn, and myself, that is unanimous for all board members.

[01:08:10] Agenda item 7.03. New Western High School naming. I call on Ms. Dixit for a motion. - I move that the school board name sit property at 2949, 2950, and 2954 Education Drive, Herndon, Virginia, at Skyview High School.

[01:08:29] - Second. - Thank you, Mr. Moon. - Ms. Dixit, would you like to speak to your motion? - Yes, briefly. This is an exciting time for us to be able to bring a new school in that division, But I also a great time because the naming of the school was itself is an incredibly interesting process.

[01:08:53] And this was my first time as a new board member to go through this as well. So I do appreciate all the names very creative ones had come. But I think at the end we had two names which stood out and and the board is I'm proposing it to be Skyview High School.

[01:09:14] and I hope my colleagues will support that. But I really admire and trust this process. It was a really good naming of the process of naming a high school, so thank you so much.

[01:09:29] Mr. Moon, would you like to speak to your second? - You know, I was happy to second this motion and didn't even wanna wait for a Madam Chair to ask for my second because I was happy to do it. this is a very futuristic name uh top vote getter amongst all the names hugely supported by students we are student centered and want to support student choice mr frisch i was going to speak on this but i was thinking of opposing the motion because my favorite name that was submitted

[01:10:07] was schooly mc school face and i suppose skyview is a really great name so i will vote for the motion and very much appreciate the student advocacy around the name. It was the most popular name submitted or voted on by students.

[01:10:25] And I think that speaks I think the name speaks well to our hopes for the school. Miss Lady. Yeah, I'm very pleased with all of the community involvement around naming of the school and especially the students advocacy with with the name of the school.

[01:10:42] And as someone who lives in Herndon, not far from the school, I assure you it's not just about potential of what's going to happen as our students reach for the stars but it is a gorgeous view of sunsets it is a sky view when you're over there on that campus so I think it's a twofold name but I'm very excited about what's going to take place the innovation it's just an exciting time to open a new school and I'm excited for sky view to get moving miss Marin I'm eager to support sky view I appreciate the students offering it up I too think it has very high aspirations and it is closer to the

[01:11:22] western you know side of our county of course and the mountains I'm glad it's not named Western because already it's confusing with Westfield and West Springfield and West Potomac so that's definitely not a good choice I also am eager to turn to the next part of opening this brand new school talking about transportation and ensuring our students have transportation to this school and learning from the boundary design process that we just completed I I'd certainly like the board to be engaged in that process and to be sure the community who is eagerly awaiting decisions about this high school beyond this name, they are eagerly awaiting to know if their children, especially those eighth graders right now, what they're doing next year specifically.

[01:12:00] So very exciting times now and to come. Mr. Dunn. Thank you. I think this is an amazing opportunity to provide a break a little bit of the precedent that we have mostly focused on, you know, local geographic names or names of individuals.

[01:12:25] I think Skyview implies we're looking to the future, and we certainly are in the programming that we're developing for this high school, and I think we're also looking to the future in the method of acquisition, acquiring a private high school, saving $280 million plus for taxpayers, which can be reinvested in accelerating the renovation of other schools in the county.

[01:12:48] I think it also speaks to the location near the Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport and Dulles Airport itself, and looking to the aviation and aerospace sector, which is a very exciting sector right now with technological developments that people could never have dreamed of even 20 years ago.

[01:13:10] And I think for all those reasons, it's an appropriate marker, not just for the name of a high school, but also encompassing the vision that the school board, FCPS, and the community have for this amazing new high school on a beautiful campus.

[01:13:29] Thank you. Seeing no others, we're going to go ahead and call for a vote on the motion that is on the screen. All those in favor, Mr. Frisch, Ms. Marin, Ms. St. John Cunning, Ms. Lady, Ms. Dixit, Mr. Moon, Dr. Anderson, Mr. Dunn, and myself, that is unanimous for all board members.

[01:13:47] I would now like to invite the Skyview High School leadership team to please join the board for a photo.

[01:15:36] Agenda item 7.04, action item, proposed fiscal year 2027 through 31 capital improvement program. I call on Mr. Dunn for a motion. I move that the school board adopt the proposed FCPS FY 2027 through 2031 capital improvement program as detailed in the agenda item.

[01:15:58] Is there a second? It's me Melanie Miss Marin Mr. Dunn would you like to speak to your motion only briefly I believe that we've seen a lot of positive improvement under the superintendent's leadership to address the enormous gap between available resources and and and the needs of our schools in terms of construction renovation and maintenance there's still many challenges ahead but I think just in the past year the school board made admirable admirable progress changing its policy

[01:16:37] to enable new construction management methodologies specifically design build and construction management at risk i believe there's more options that we're exploring in a variety of domains to see what we can do to be to enable approaches to good government in terms of the management of our facilities and i look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that we are able to reduce the 42-year renovation cycle and i look forward also to the completion of the facilities condition

[01:17:12] assessment which will inform the development of the next renovation queue thank you yes miss cip this capital improvement program so this is such a beast of a an approach and um you know over years we've tried to give us a little time between the budget and the capital improvement program but they always seem to collide just given other commitments that it has to flow with the county so look this is a document we have to pass and it basically includes you know our best attempts at looking into the future and every year we update it you know as i said before we don't

[01:17:49] really have a plan for how we're going to remedy the lack of funds that are needed for our facilities you know while we are stewards of these public facility assets major maintenance renovations and building new facilities including grounds and fields it's ultimately where the responsibility of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to fund and the executive to manage so we really need to do more if to actually tackle and reduce that 45 year renovation cycle back to the best practice of 25 years so again we have transportation in here boundaries is included you know this relates to policy 8130 about phasing and phasing in the top two grades into

[01:18:27] high school so there's a lot in this document and what we were just sort of talking about on another note is my husband works in gps and i'm wondering how quickly we can get sky view to show up on the maps so i'm going to text him and see if that could be done so it's very exciting yes so um but i will support this document because we have to but i do wish that we could spend a lot more time intentionally figuring out how to improve the funding status of our public facility assets thank you Dr. Anderson thank you after the initial presentation of the CIP at a work session

[01:19:05] several weeks ago now I did raise a couple of questions to staff regarding some of the data that was presented for Wayanoke I understood that would be updated and I would love to hear what that new reflection is in the new CIP yes ma'am so Mr. Gordon do we have those numbers updated yet so uh thank you dr anderson so we are as we've been working over the last week and a half so on

[01:19:41] looking at wayne oak and capacity concerns there that you brought up so we are working through that and we will make adjustments and we can demonstrate what those adjustments are moving forward thank you so is it my understanding what i'm voting on this right now does not reflect those adjustments so the current document can be adjusted to to reflect those adjustments so yes ma'am so the adjustments that we worked on over the last week and a half we can make those adjustments to the document but those are but they're not currently in the

[01:20:18] document so I would be voting on the first version that's correct so unfortunately I will not be able to do that because I think some of the things we discussed that shows way in oak which was a school that was at a hundred and five percent and now shows up at seventy nine percent with nothing that has changed in terms of the nine trailers and portables the three classrooms outside I would have expected that the changes that you came up with after staff went out to take a look at the building would be reflected in what I'm asking to approve.

[01:20:57] So I will not be voting in support because I needed for it to actually be reflective of accurate information and I thought that was going to happen here. The second piece that I had asked for or about is the continuing conversation in the questions that I received time and time again in the community regarding how are the utilization, how is the utilization capacity or the capacity utilization calculated.

[01:21:29] I understand there are some kind of pieces here, pieces there. I had asked would it be possible for the C.I.P. to be reflected of how staff reviews that was that change also a consideration for the C.I.P. Mr. Gordon so I'd like to go back to the first question so we are we did for Wayne Oak we did review the capacity for the facility and we believe it's to be 95 percent so that's that's where we are currently with the Wayne Oak. And that's upgraded in the document. Yes. Okay. Wonderful. Thank you. That's what

[01:22:07] was asking a little bit earlier thank you i appreciate that now the second piece regarding the calculation um criteria for capacity utilization so we can um we feel like we can still update document we we are willing to update uh and add a page to give that explanation going forward i think that would be really important because up until i had a conversation with your team and by the way tremendous I I thank you I think Jessica Gillis and Brian Schuster for really taking the time to allow me to build understanding around that topic because it's a little bit complex

[01:22:48] and I think just making sure that everyone knows that capacity is calculated because the criteria of obviously inside space obviously the number of trailers and quads that are outside and when classrooms are in them and teachers who don't have spaces but another criteria that I don't think I know and I'm not sure how many of you know but efficiencies that are perhaps calculated or presented by facilities but not necessarily part of the building's program those are also

[01:23:23] parts of the calculation and that's a little bit less clear so what I think I'm hearing from you is these things will be made clear in the CIP that's correct yes ma'am very good thank you thank you Dr. Anderson I'm going to take a quick turn one of the questions that I had originally when we started talking about boundaries and how the CIP process was going to overlap with boundaries is how we were I I utilize the information related to capacity and and things like that all the time and so one of the questions that I had is as we have now changed boundaries how are we going to

[01:23:59] to be able is there an ability to be able to possibly go through and maybe update some of that information for us even if it was just a quick addendum or something like that that was provided to the board just so we would have accurate I know some of it lives online but it would be it would be lovely if we could get those charts updated so I didn't know if that was possible Dr. Reed yes ma'am I think it is okay thank you it would be particularly helpful after we get some of the information about which kiddos are to be taking advantage of phasing so it would help us understand better of where all the kids are

[01:24:35] Dr. Anderson did you want to go back no I didn't but I'm trying to find the page where the update has been made if you could just flag that for me please so ma'am we will add so from our position we will add that page before it goes live and the way of no information that already exists what page

[01:25:05] is that um let me get back to you okay okay seeing no others we're going to go ahead and vote for the motion that is on the screen? All those in favor? Mr. Frisch, Ms. Marin, Ms. St. John Cunning, Ms. Lady, Ms. Dixit, Mr. Moon, Mr. Dunn, and myself. All those opposed? All those abstaining? Dr. Anderson,

[01:25:40] how would you like to vote? So would you like to abstain because you don't have all the information? Okay, thank you. Dr. Anderson is abstaining. Can you please go ahead and read the vote, Madam Clerk? 8-0-1. The motion carries. Thank you. Agenda item 7.05, action item, new sole source contract, Virginia Association of Driver Education and Traffic, Online Driver's Education and Traffic Safety. I call on Ms. Lady for a motion. I move that the school board approve the contract for Online Driver's Education and Traffic Safety and authorize the division

[01:26:16] superintendent or the director of the Office of Procurement Services to execute, deliver, and administer the contract on behalf of the school board. Is there a second? I second. Thank you, Ms. Nick-Joan Cunning. Ms. Lady, would you like to speak to your motion? I'll just speak briefly um you know we have an increasing number of students who opt to take healthy PE online at the high school level to make room for additional academic courses or elective courses and this is the only option the state

[01:26:54] provides for our students to access the driver education portion online and I believe it does require an additional fee of $55 when parents our students pay for the online summer course or also the online course I would guess during the year at through online campus so you know while I believe in competition I'm not sure why the state has chosen just one option but it is our only option I want to make sure that our kids have access to doing the online version thanks miss agent Cunningham would you like to speak to your second I really agree on providing this online option for our students because it allows them

[01:27:32] to have flexibility and a lot of our students are pretty amazing and want to take a lot of extra courses that require them to be there physically they're overachievers in the fact that they can take this online I think gives them an opportunity to pursue some other courses that are either academic or extracurricular like arts and not extracurricular arts and they can thrive in different capacities and still get their drivers education. Thank you. Miss Marin. So this contract was on consent it's a pretty standard contract but I pulled it off so we could have a discussion because my daughter took this

[01:28:10] over the summer and there's lots of room for improvement so this is the health education PE that students choose to take in the summer which includes some health programming and online driver's ed she did that because our schedules really limit how many electives you can take and she wants to take more electives this year this was a hard choice because it's a lot of self-directed learning so So look, I'm all for the online option, totally, and it's a good value in just $55.

[01:28:39] Here's the things that need to be addressed, and maybe our friends in the legislature can help us. The videttes, that curriculum does not align with the content in the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles driver manual. There's discrepancies. So you have kiddos and parents trying to figure out what's the rule, and like, yeah, I got my license quite a bit ago in a different state, so I don't remember all the rules.

[01:29:02] The exam is a hundred question multiple choice test and we know that that is not a great way to test for content and you have to get 85 so and you could retake it but the way that the county does it is that you have to sit through an hour and a half presentation before with your parent or person before you take that test.

[01:29:21] Now, some of that might be FCPS approach and that that presentation is required by law. And it's great. It's about safe student driving. But like my daughter missed a question. It was blood alcohol content versus blood alcohol concentration. And she got a point wrong and she did struggle and she had to retake it more than once.

[01:29:38] So or question she was asked, what's the best time of year to buy a car? So it's dated. The videos are from like the 80s. So look, I get it where we're strapped. We got to go with them. But what recourse do we have to make this more meaningful?

[01:29:53] to the the parents and the students so that's my request I've sent feedback I have an email already to go to Ms. Helen Riley I sent it in the summer but if we have to advocate legislatively happy to do so it's just it's a tough thing to go through in the summer so thank you colleagues for allowing me to expand.

[01:30:12] Thank you Ms. Marin I will say that I do know that one of our former colleagues or one of your former colleagues on the board actually brought legislation this year towards expanding some driver's education to help keep our kiddos safer on the road and to particularly dealing with some speed issues so I think that I know some people that might be very interested to to help us make this more robust considering the number of our kids that are that are using this option excuse me madam chair may be recognized the best time of the year to buy a car apparently is the end of the year when the sales happen December thank you all

[01:30:50] you bargain shoppers. Okay so we're going to go ahead and call for a vote on the motion that's on the screen. All those in favor Mr. Frisch, Ms. Marin, Ms. St. John Cunning, Ms. Lady, Ms. Dixit, Mr. Moon, Dr. Anderson, Mr. Dunn, and myself. That's unanimous. Agenda item 7.01 performance review. Financial administration EL6 monitoring report. Each year the school board assesses the

[01:31:27] superintendent in part on the basis of the school division's reasonable progress towards achieving the 2023-2030 strategic plan goals and adherence to a set of 13 executive limitations found on pages 14 through 31 of the board's strategic governance manual. The superintendent provides annual monitoring reports to the board for each executive limitation. The board then votes on whether or not the provided report is in compliance or if corrective action is needed.

[01:31:56] I call on Dr. Reed for a monitoring report on Executive Limitation 6, Financial Administration. All right. Thank you, Madam Chair, members of the board and public. And tonight, I'll be presenting Executive Limitation 6, as the chair indicated, on financial administration.

[01:32:13] I want to begin by thanking our finance, business and finance team for the tremendous work they did in putting this together. and again responded at the time of this report to the best of my knowledge information and belief we have gathered information and evidence that I believe supports compliance with the board's executive limitation associated with this topic this evening I'm going to be sharing some highlights in the presentation but the full report for those watching or listening can be found attached to our board docs software platform there are 12 areas of EL6 on

[01:32:52] On the screen you'll see the first seven areas, and on the next slide are the remaining items in EL6, the last five areas. It's actually got a more significant number in terms of 12 areas than some executive limitations.

[01:33:08] Because we're in the middle of a budget cycle, this year's report contains some evidence from last year's documents as well as some evidence from this year's proposed documents because we're in the middle so it's probably got some of both years before sharing new evidence related to this executive limitation I'd like to note that within this EL we do not anticipate large updates year-over-year because we generally manage our finances similarly year-over-year so as we think about that we don't want to get creative in the administration of our finances we

[01:33:45] have structures and systems in place that in general we repeat year-over-year in a predictable manner. Our business processes and internal controls for financial management therefore do not change frequently and they are governed by the generally accepted accounting procedures or GAAP and these procedures are set externally and they're important for us to follow. Further, financial management is cyclical and having stable business processes and practices is considered a strength in terms of new or newly added information

[01:34:21] just want to note that Fairfax County Public Schools continues to be recognized for its outstanding financial reporting and you can see some of the financial services awards and accomplishments on this screen these awards and And accomplishments highlight that FCPS consistently follows general accounting principles, assures accuracy and transparency of financial information, and is recognized for conformance with the highest standards for preparation of state and local government popular reports.

[01:34:54] Some of these recognitions indeed have been awarded to FCPS for over 30 consecutive years. And generally, those criteria for those awards are not changing much. So in terms of new or newly added information, I do want to note that procurement services reinforces the importance of early procurement involvement and legal review of contractual terms through updates to Regulation 5012, targeting staff training and guidance that's embedded in our new internal system, Atlas.

[01:35:28] The procurement manual has undergone updates, but not limited to, appropriate use of purchase orders, informal RFPs and competitive bids, as well as PROM procurement guidance has been updated over the last year.

[01:35:43] Procurement services monitors aggregate vendors spend to ensure system-wide contracts are established for competitive or established for small recurring purchases that exceed competitive thresholds like theater licensing, referees, umpires, etc.

[01:36:00] We actually spent quite a little time, I believe a year ago, discussing theater licensing. And I really want to thank our community for coming forward with concerns and our finance department for finding solutions. That's what collaborative work does.

[01:36:16] Grant reimbursements are receiving additional monitoring for FY26 with the review of accounts receivable. And these reports and prompt follow-up in response to any questions to assure we have timely payments is continuing. The grants development team is proactively working as well with assisting with writing grant proposals, managing application processes, and ensuring that deadlines and requirements are met.

[01:36:46] This year, we've continued our efforts to use technology to streamline and strengthen internal controls. And these are new efforts. We implemented the inventory management systems and accounting protocol with all CTE auto tech and auto body programs.

[01:37:03] About 65 to 70% now of all client sales are done through credit card. Previously cash and checks were used. These changes have resulted in greater uniformity on sales and inventory management for the auto program at all FCPS schools.

[01:37:20] We've also enabled the electronic funds transfer, known as ACH payment method, and the Local School Activity Fund's Great Plains system. This allows payments to be made to vendors electronically, eliminating check payments and improving internal controls, again an update this year.

[01:37:40] These changes provide better security, lower transaction costs, and they create efficiencies and payment clearing by FCPS to vendors, by reducing fraud, streamlining payments, and when fully implemented, will also reduce paper consumption. Finally, we've implemented positive pay on the LSAF, which the main benefit here is the ability to compare checks cashed when the bank can actually compare the checks cashed, further reducing fraud.

[01:38:12] Madam chair this concludes tonight's presentation on executive limitation six and the finance team and I are happy to answer questions. Thank you Dr. Reed. I now call on mystic set for a motion. I move that the school board finds that the superintendent is in compliance with executive limitation number six financial administration.

[01:38:35] I further move that the school board approves the monitoring report based on the superintendent's reasonable interpretation of executive limitation number six financial administration as outlined in the strategy governance manual. Is there a second? Second. Thank you Mr. Moon. Ms.

[01:38:51] Dixit would you like to speak to your motion? Yes briefly I'd like to just say thank you Dr. Reed for the presentation and we we have seen how fiscal responsible our division is and your leadership and Ms. Burton, Ms. Azravet, all of you have done very well with being fiscally responsible for our division.

[01:39:14] And the numbers are accurate. I was also on, you know, audit committee once and have gone through several details how our APs are working and how the financial system is actually done at school.

[01:39:31] And there were very few infractions looking at the size of district. awards after award that shows a sign of obviously you know a great accounting practices and you know I overall I just I think we're doing everything right so thank you so much thank you mr. moon would you like to speak to your second I agree with the mistake said that superintendent is in compliance and I support the motion with us and I have a few questions that I submitted in advance for public and also there is one area that i would like to request for your consideration

[01:40:10] for in the future you know perhaps you might want to provide us a little more information regarding one particular area and i'll let you know what that is but with the questions first that i appreciate the written responses that i have gotten from this burden earlier and appreciate that i didn't really give you a lot of you know much of advanced notices but you were able to provide me a satisfactory responses so with that my questions a one of the questions had to do with

[01:40:42] Fairfax City tuition which seems to have gone up by large personage and if either you or Miss Burden could tell us why it is seen that way yes sir I think that's a great question I know Miss Burden and I have talked about it but I think for the public I'm going to ask Miss Burden to go ahead respond please because it does connect budget year over budget year and thank you each year we you know use the formula that's identified in the school

[01:41:19] services agreement with Fairfax City which calculates the actual costs of Fairfax City students and what their payment will be to us for the last year the payment was greater than it had been in then what was budgeted and as a result we are catching up in the next year as far as you know there being an increase because it builds from year to year in addition to that the enrollment in Fairfax City is increasing whereas you know most of the divisions across

[01:41:54] the nation are having reductions in enrollment and those things also contribute to their bill being higher in a subsequent year and you know we presented all of this information to the Fairfax City School Board in September and we've met a couple of times with their new superintendent to go over the bill with him and in fact we have a couple of our meeting with him on Monday to do a deep dive into the formula and the different components that make up the tuition bill okay thank you so um you know Fairfax City residents don't

[01:42:34] have to feel that we are unfairly unfairly charging them by 25 percent increase in tuition rate the next question that i had is with out-of-town travel expenditures at one point i think bold expressed our concerns or request about trying to reduce contained amount of expenditure for out-of-town travelers how are we handling that yes sir we did cut out of area travel as part of our budget cut last year was part of our three percent cut across departments and i think we looked at the question that you raised a couple different ways

[01:43:10] first of all we did cut back on out of area travel and second of all we're still able to provide professional development with remaining funds so i don't think we're suffering from a lack of ability for professional development at this point and miss burden i don't know if you'd like to add anything else to that yeah most of the program managers um you know even though the non-local travel was reduced. They are repurposing existing funds if needed from other areas to mitigate the budget cut and to make certain that all critical training and certifications are

[01:43:46] completed. Okay, thank you. One area that I would like to make a request for superintendent to consider providing more information going forward is this is number eight out of twelve that's on page four of the slide where we are supposed to superintendent or school system is supposed to mitigate risks to acceptable levers and I was looking for rubric our definition of acceptable

[01:44:21] risks somewhere in the report and i was not able to find that all right we can certainly elaborate on that yes sir okay thank you but i'm sure that's all i have thank you so much uh dr anderson uh thank you uh no doubt i think um the finance team does a really great job with ensuring that all of the things that are supposed to happen are occurring i'm particularly grateful for some of the work I know part of that is HR but I think the budget folks have a hand with

[01:45:00] teacher compensation I know that has been a huge issue with leave with having it up front or I'm not even explaining it very well but I know you know what I mean we've talked about this ad nauseum so great kudos all across the ways but there are two points that you're not going to be surprised that I raise because I've been raising this since we've been doing this activity one which is a continued continued feedback from the community that they cannot access our budget it's not transparent enough it has to be a little bit more user friendly

[01:45:39] I know that's one of the things that those of us who were on the board when we first started had asked about and then we got the big 500 page book a binder that I still own but obviously it's no longer dated it's no longer current but our community because the dollars are what we are responsible to them for they want to know how every single cent is spent and i continue to get the feedback that they cannot find the information in our budget book in a manner that does not require a meeting with miss burden or a member

[01:46:14] of her team so i i still i'm asking you all to figure out a way to simplify it for community access if if they want to know how much are we spending on this i i don't know how to get there because i'm not winning the awards you all are but i want to raise this as a point that i continue to get lots of questions about in my community um just the accessibility the other piece that i wanted to raise is just greater transparency i i think the the documents are as they are but our community at least folks who are talking to me are not seeing transparency in terms of

[01:46:54] expenditures they'd like to see more of that and I'm not disagreeing and the last piece is how do we highlight better the the efficiencies that we are achieving in our budget administration our financial administration everybody wants to know that we're doing as much as we can with the the dollars that we have that we are abandoning programs that may not serve us that we are reallocating funds we have to be a lot more explicit about that to really bolster that community confidence that we are being responsible that we are good fiscal stewards of their tax

[01:47:31] dollars so I'd love to hear your thoughts on that well I know that we are working and continue to to work on transparency with the budget. I know it's on our website. I think we've come up with a variety of ways of explaining different aspects of the budget.

[01:47:52] Ms. Burden, do you have any other insights on how we might make that more sort of-- it is a large complex budget with multiple buckets. I don't know. I think it's something we can take back and look at to work on.

[01:48:08] I don't know if you have anything to add, Ms. Burden, maybe it's just something again a future focused task yeah I mean we'll certainly you know look at our budget and see you know where we could make some changes that would be more understandable to people who don't work with finance every day although we are somewhat hampered because if we want to continue to receive the awards the organizations that provide those awards largely dictate the format that our budget document is but we still could add additional language to make it more clear to people who don't work with

[01:48:44] finance every day one of the other things that we're investigating is the potential use of AI to be able to jump into the budget and find something very specific that a community member might want to know without having to call their school board member or call one of us to find out what that answer is although we are taking a measured approach I will not have any comments on that end and because I'm just going to leave that there but what I do want to say I appreciate that and I do realize our budget is complex four billion dollars it's really hard to

[01:49:20] it can't be one spreadsheet it has multiple layers but we just owe that kind of accountability to our public because they're the ones who fund us. Thank you Dr. Anderson. Miss McConan. This executive limitation says you're obligated to prevent the district from obligations farther than we can safely project our revenue so with that can you accurately project what the open AI contract will cost the district after June 2027 and has anything been provided to you that gives us an idea of what portion of the budget will go towards this contract so thank you for the question and we have not

[01:49:55] because we're not we haven't currently planned to extend it post June 2027 so that's out another whole fiscal year so as we get closer to that time we might be projecting that but at this time we're not planning or projected to go beyond the current agreement we have.

[01:50:18] Thank you. Seeing no others, we're going to go ahead and call for a vote. Mr. Dunn, I think. Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Dunn. No problem. Thank you. I wanted to ask, when you go into a small business or a large enterprise in the private sector in every state in the union, there's usually a bulletin board and that's you know full of information that's required to be posted by state law federal law and especially in in the federal government space with contractors with federal agencies

[01:50:54] one of the large signs is always how to report fraud waste and abuse and it i i'm not saying i'm aware of particular fraud waste and abuse in fcps but in any four billion dollar organization there's inevitably going to be improper use of money i once worked in a corporation where they received a clean audit every year and yet there was a massive misappropriation of funding

[01:51:25] improper procurement vehicles corruption and that was very very easy to document so a clean audit doesn't necessarily mean there's actually a clean slate or or free or that the organization is free from fraud waste and abuse so i was wondering i understand that there's the office of auditor general but is there any plan to establish kind of a hotline or is there a hotline and i've just haven't seen it in the right places for fcps employees who want to do the right thing and

[01:52:01] are aware of fraud waste and abuse at any level to to report that either to fcps leadership on a confidential anonymous basis so that they don't suffer uh any whistleblower retaliation um to ensure that you know as you know as much as we use ai and everything this is four billion dollars it's very complex as we've been discussing but to ensure that if there is fraud waste and abuse that it is able to be reported and we're able to leverage um the dedication of of our great employees to to mission and to prevent taxpayer dollars being misspent so thank

[01:52:41] you mr. Dunn we do have tip lines we have an office of the ombuds we have the auditor general we have simple email we have snail mail where we receive information so I think there are a variety of channels that staff could share concerns if they have them and are those well publicized in every school building I believe they are publicized and they're okay yeah on our website I believe staff are well aware of them and I think the numbers recently from our Auditor General and definitely indicates that there's awareness wonderful thank

[01:53:18] you mr. Frisch five seven one four two three one three three three and I only know that because I have these cards that I take to school events that have information on the fraud waste and abuse tip line and other things and you know one of the great things about the Auditor General's annual report is that for the last several years there's been a real push in her office to make sure that staff and families and others are aware of the ability to submit reports

[01:53:53] and which creates a challenge because the the teams are only so large and the more people know about it the more they might want to report something it may not always qualify as something that is fraud waste or abuse but they track things down they look into things and so they've had a big increase in reports as people have become more aware of the ability to report things so I'm grateful for for that and and others and I think we as school board members who have newsletters that are delivered to tens of thousands of families and staff across Fairfax County we

[01:54:32] could probably all do a better job of letting people know in our newsletters and I will certainly I appreciate Mr. Dunn's reminder and I will be putting into my newsletter next week. Thank you Mr. Frisch. It's in mine. Seeing no others we're going to go ahead and call for a vote on the motion that is on the screen. All those in favor Mr. Frisch, Ms. Marin, Ms. St. John Cunning, Ms. Lady, Ms. Dixit, Mr. Moon, Mr. Dunn, and myself.

[01:55:04] That is unanimous with Dr. Anderson away from the table. Annually, the board will review each executive limitation at the time of the monitoring report is provided to determine if revisions are needed. Board members may offer amendments to executive limitation at regular meetings provided that they send the final amendment language to the board and clerk at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting at which it's to be considered.

[01:55:27] At this time, as no amendments have been submitted in advance of this meeting, executive limitation six financial administration was placed on the consent agenda for the approval later in tonight's meeting to maintain the current language for the year ahead. At this time, we are going to take a brief five minute recess and give individual board

[01:55:45] members a chance to go ahead and provide their feedback.

[02:03:04] Board members, please take your seats.

[02:03:06] The link is now coming back.

[02:03:46] Agenda item nine point zero one. Academic matters. I call on Dr. Reed for academic matters. Thank you, Madam Chair. This evening, we are thrilled to be able to present academic matters entitled Back to Fairfax, not unlike Back to the Future.

[02:04:03] So what is Back to Fairfax? It is really about a grow your own initiative and program. This work-based learning experience in our career and technical education program is really a highlight for many of our students. Current Back to Fairfax experiences include opportunities with food and nutrition services, department of information technology and human resources we also have the teachers for tomorrow educator preparation program and trades for tomorrow partnership with the office of facilities management the back to fairfax program enables us to educate and prepare students for the workforce

[02:04:42] while also helping to grow our growing need for teachers educators and operational employees in fcps the teachers for tomorrow program is the virginia department of education approved pathway which is offered to high school juniors and seniors in our school division who are interested in pursuing a future career in education.

[02:05:04] This is part of our Grow Your Own strategy, which builds a pipeline of future educators by giving students early exposure to teaching through coursework and practical experience in high school. During the Level 1 course, students explore the teaching profession and participate in classroom observations to build their understanding of learning styles, teaching strategies, and classroom management.

[02:05:26] During the level 2 course, students take on the role of a teacher by designing and delivering lessons in FCPS classrooms. To encourage our students to return to FCPS after receiving their degree in education, we've developed recruitment incentives for our teachers for tomorrow's students.

[02:05:44] Participation in this program can lead to early recruitment benefits, such as a letter of intent guaranteeing an interview with FCPS, and students who complete both years of the program and meet all requirements, are able to receive a recruitment contract to guarantee a future teaching position within FCPS.

[02:06:02] This program helps us to grow our own educator pipeline by offering structured career exposure, supporting students into college and the teaching profession, and addressing our teacher shortage with homegrown talent pathways. Our Trades for Tomorrow program proactively addresses critical FCPS workforce shortages in essential skilled trades.

[02:06:24] The program seamlessly connects students with a classroom and learning and real-world hands-on experience. These are developed through registered youth apprenticeships with our Office of Facility Management. The Trades for Tomorrow program prepares students for high-wage, high-demand careers and builds a skilled local workforce for both FCPS and the wider community.

[02:06:48] This initiative provides a structured career pipeline offering support through apprenticeships, technical training, and direct employment opportunities within FCPS. By empowering students with these practical skills and clear pathways, Trades for Tomorrow strategically strengthens our future operational workforce.

[02:07:09] Interestingly, recently we've added Technology for Tomorrow. This DIT, or Department of Instructional Technology high school internship program, provides students with IT experience and on-the-job training. It operates in close partnership with the CTE office to provide FCPS students with internship experiences where they gain real-world exposure to work in the cybersecurity and IT operations departments.

[02:07:36] There is a paid one-year commitment starting in summer or early fall. Participants receive upskilling opportunities, including free access to the Coursera Career Academy in order to earn industry-recognized certifications.

[02:07:53] The Food and Nutrition Job Shadow Program is a full day work based learning experience where students explore careers in nutrition services. Participating students gain hands on experience including recipe and menu development.

[02:08:12] The program offers insights into nutrition planning, logistics, and culinary career paths. Future plans include developing the current program into formal student internships. And finally, we have our HR Summer Interns, for which last year was our first summer of this program.

[02:08:33] It launched as a pilot in the summer of 2025 and was supported by key funding partners like Apple Federal Credit Union and our Educate Fairfax Foundation. It offered a six-week paid internship for FCPS students and recent graduates, where our students Students and participants gained hands-on professional work experience by interning across multiple departments.

[02:09:00] As you can see, opportunities for workplace learning experiences are found throughout our Career and Technical Education program and efforts continue to increase student opportunities.

[02:09:16] Providing these experiences within our own organization not only helps to prepare our students for their future careers but also helps us to recruit future talent for all of our departments across the division. We're really excited for what the future holds but we're gonna let you see what students say about it themselves. Please play the video. As a senior I received a letter of intent once I graduate JMU it's a guaranteed interview within Fairfax County which I think is a super awesome program to do at a high school level because it gives like the students that are graduating college a little bit less stress going

[02:09:55] into the workforce after we graduate. I think just being in the classroom like I absolutely love just like being in there and working with the kids and like when you're teaching a lesson like seeing them like understand what you're teaching is like so exciting. It's like the little light bulb go off in their head. I thought it would be a great opportunity to get real real life work experience in it and also seeing the school district that I grew up in how like their inner workings work. The number one thing from what I've learned is that their students are their number one priority in terms of keeping them happy keeping them safe and making sure that every single kid no matter how old they are they're in high school middle school elementary

[02:10:30] school has a great experience with that cps the program is a job shadow program where you spend the day with chef tim see what he does in a day and like how have cps curates their menu and food and stuff you could work in a school or at like a business i wouldn't mind being a nutritionist for nursing home. That seems really interesting. Something that motivated me to take a trade class was definitely doing something with my hands and being able like to push myself like not just with like mentally but like also like physically. Like for me we'll be able to do this

[02:11:06] in the future as a job opportunity and as a career. It motivates me to like get up every day and keep doing this because this is like how the future's gonna look like for me. So it's definitely to be interesting to get in it now than to get adjusted to it later.

[02:11:23] When I entered this internship program when I was a junior at McLean, I had no idea what ride I would have gone through. I mean, I get to be a part of something that brings a community together, which is amazing that I can be a part of. I've later realized that it's such a powerful tool to have a huge network and, you know, Fairfax County is great to grow your network with people outside your normal realm of people.

[02:11:45] just gives me such a great purpose to be a part of this program and continue to be working at FCPS. I learned what it means to be professional and how to make connections with people and how to maintain connections with people. I learned how to operate in a professional setting. I learned a lot of skills in communication and leadership. I learned the importance of just standing up for yourself and asking questions. Fairfax County has given me so much as a student is why I am the student that I am today and I just wanted to be able to give back to them in any way that I can.

[02:12:22] That's academic matters. Thank you. We're going to go to Mr. Dunn first. Thank you. I was wondering, Dr. Reed, for the Trades for Tomorrow program, how many students are enrolled in that or participate on an annual basis?

[02:12:41] You know, I think I've been to their program annually. I want to say about a dozen. But Mr. Gordon, do you have the or Mr. Solomon? I think my sense is 12 to 15, but I'll double check here. Sorry, I was slightly distracted.

[02:12:58] What was the question again, sir? It was the number of students that participate in the Trades for Tomorrow program. I do not know. I'll have to take that as a due out. Mr. Solomon? I apologize. I don't either, but I'll work with Mr. Gordon, and we'll get that back. We will get the accurate number to you, but I don't think it's certainly not more than 20.

[02:13:18] Well, it would be amazing if we could expand the number of students who are able to participate in a program like that because we have 200 school buildings we obviously have a lot of deferred maintenance and you know you could you could convert that deferred maintenance into a training opportunity for an apprenticeship program that is you know system-wide and and really provide more opportunities for students who um sometimes we have you know limited class sizes for some of our trade programs and our academies and other high schools and and you know enlisting you know the very real operations of our of our physical infrastructure would help to

[02:13:58] train the next generation whether they continue to work for FCPS after graduation or are able to secure other employment in the DC area I mean every study that's been published in in recent years shows that there's a massive gap between demand for electricians HVAC plumbers and other skilled trades and and available opportunities it would also be good to you know work with unions who often have very impressive training facilities, whether in Virginia or the DMV area, and benefit from some of those opportunities. So I'd love to see FCPS do more in this respect. Thank you.

[02:14:36] Yes, sir. I think we agree. I think for sure. It's a strong program. Thank you. Dr. Anderson. Thank you. I typically don't do this, but I'd like to share a little story.

[02:14:50] Back in 2021, I was at Glasgow Middle School getting together the spelling bee and or it was some sort of meeting, but I think it was a spelling bee and it was this young man there who was helping put up the tech, the microphones, etc. And it was Armand and he was still in high school at the time. And it was just so amazing that just a couple of years later, he became part of the FCPS family. So it's, it's been lovely to watch him grow up a little bit from my vantage point. So I appreciated the video quite a bit.

[02:15:21] My question, one of my questions is kind of very similar to what Mr. Dunn asked, which is some of these programs we've had for a while and some are new because I don't think I've yet heard of the Tech for Tomorrow or the Food and Nutrition, which is great. I'd love to get a sense of how many students have we had with the particularly the Teachers for Tomorrow, former teacher myself, so I'm pretty partial to that program.

[02:15:47] How many kids have we hired back into FCPS through that program? What has been kind of the trajectory and I do know that sometimes demand will outpace what we are able to do. But where are our kids coming from who are participating in these programs?

[02:16:03] Do we have particular groups of kids from specific schools in or from others? I just like to a little to learn a little bit more. So our teacher for tomorrow programs are not in all of our high schools, but they are, I think, part of our academy courses.

[02:16:21] in there in some high schools in terms of the number that we've actually hired back that have gone through the program they would have gone through the program through the university and then come back Mr. Solomon do we keep that data I will have to research we will I didn't expect that you wouldn't do that tonight I thought this would be something else that you can provide and I do want to echo what Mr. Dunn shared regarding the trades for tomorrow because I've been on the board some of the carpenter unions and other trade associations they have

[02:16:56] been really knocking on our door in terms of how can they engage with our students to provide those internships I do also want to say kudos for the summer interns I think this is a great way of offering our kids opportunities we are a big system they don't necessarily have to go outside of FCPS to get some of those internships that we know would really drive their future endeavors so thank you for this and i look forward to the data yes ma'am uh mr moon thank you my

[02:17:28] questions have been already asked about uh you know if mr solomon could get back to us with total number of students participating in these various different programs you know my my gut feeling is that it's a small percentage of our entire high school population and we probably have close to 60 000 high school students in fcps correct you know out of the

[02:18:02] harmony students i mean we are i think this is something dr anderson alluded to we are we are the largest probably employer in fairfax county when we talk about internships of course we can go to go outside of cps but we are as the largest employer we can perhaps provide more internships not just during summer but especially for many of our high school seniors after they're all done with the college applications uh give them a more opportunities to a little more hands-on

[02:18:40] you know real work experience what it's like whether it's not just a trays but it could be in in in superintendent's office or it could be finance office or communications or a data we have a lot of offices where you know perhaps perhaps you know student could benefit you know seeing what you do yes sir thank you mr moon miss marin yes i certainly want to know how much we've expanded this program because i know it's been smaller than we'd like um i wanted

[02:19:19] to mention two things one is job fairs so I know some schools do job fairs I think some don't I have Langston Hughes Middle School is hosting their job fair that the current principal started three years ago I think I participate myself it's on Friday March 6 in the morning and last time I think we did have someone from the facilities office come but there's got to be FCPS you know staff representing this program or just representing the jobs at every job fair we have but also I'm wondering how do high school students get to experience this could there be like a traveling

[02:19:53] road show something that every single high school gets to understand like this is a huge organization that they could be employed with so I just we gotta like pick it up we gotta do something more because it's really seems like it's stalled so that's really it I just want to see the numbers grow it really it's a bummer to year over year to see them not growing especially with all these trades i mean you know we had burst pipes this week like we need plumbers like we need all these things so right you know what can we really do here to match the needs and the and these students

[02:20:28] so that's my comment thanks yep yes ma'am we you know we'll continue to look at the budget too for some of the programs to increase um but uh i think are you talking about career fairs like at the schools? It could be career fairs but I don't know that every school does that when I was on the career tech advisory committee for the school board I know the the CTE office would do a big fair but it also seemed like it just didn't seem as consistent across all of the pyramids and again like should it be just like you know you've instituted museum field trips and musical

[02:21:05] field trips should it be that you know in 10th grade or 9th grade every student gets a visit to see the the span of all of the job opportunities in fcps um i don't know maybe it's part of advisory just i know you can make it happen so i'll pass that along to dr presidio and the miss glazer okay yeah thank you miss jixit thank you dr reed uh this is really interesting program back to fairfax i like uh how it sounds we have amazing uh companies in fairfax right a lot of

[02:21:44] tech companies, government contractors. I feel like we are not utilizing them for our programs, like our internship program. I think a real partnership with them. I know like every DJ kid has an internship, right? Summer internship. They do that. But it's not the same case in other schools. My own sons who were part of FCPS did not get any internship like they were looking for.

[02:22:14] or they could go do a job in a restaurant or something like that, but something gearing to their future, like career, it wasn't there. So I know every school does their own thing, and they have career specialists, but it's not the same.

[02:22:31] It's not centralized. And I was just wondering if we could just come up with a plan to make it a central policy or just a plan for across the schools that the students can use the internships. And I think we have the potential to get every student internship if they want to, but just partnering with the right organization.

[02:22:56] Yes, ma'am, that's a good point. I know those are really, the students find those valuable. Because we don't think we can take all our students in our high school, in our FCS office. I mean, even we try, we can perhaps take a quarter of them are trying to you know some percentage but all of them so I think this is a great start and really love that whole concept of giving teachers tomorrow everything else but I just feel like we have a lot we can do in this space yeah yes ma'am thanks Missy John Cunning so I can go on and

[02:23:33] on about the great programming programming that we have in Fairfax County with our CTE programs and we all want more uh but we recognize our funding limitations uh so i think that as a board we should explore how we can try to work that out um really the one question i have for mr solomon is with the summer internship program can we have some interns for the board we absolutely can take a look at that have to advocate for us thank you i think they would be fascinated to see

[02:24:09] how we work thank you thank you thank you dr reed you bet agenda item 9.02 strategic plan update i call on dr reed for a strategic plan update thank you madam chair it's um we're excited to share our strategic plan update this evening and we're going to be featuring um our pillar b which is our vibrant home school and community partnerships and we're going to be focusing on our

[02:24:41] FCPS information technology office I'm going to be talking this evening about our goals really for technology which is to make it work basically for our students staff and families the vision for our technology department is a fully connected FCPS community where technology is accessible when and where it is needed our teams provide reliable tools and support and secure systems that we can And so that operational staff can stay focused on their operations and instructional staff

[02:25:20] can stay focused on teaching and learning. As you can see on the slide, the work of the team is organized around four big areas, the management, connectivity, protection, and support. Tonight, we're going to take a look at some of the recent work of the team and how this work continues to improve the experience of our family, students, and staff.

[02:25:42] So, Madam Clerk, please play the video.

[02:25:55] Fairfax County Public Schools technology is embedded seamlessly throughout our work supporting student success enhancing teaching and learning and strengthening connection with families. My role is to ensure that student devices, teacher devices, accounts and access are set up and ready to go before school even starts and then as there are issues that come up during the day or overnight they can come in and they can get tech support. We usually come to Ms.

[02:26:30] Mossberg with any technical problems we have on our school laptops, whether that's like a system error or something where we can't figure out what's wrong with the browser, she's always on hand to help us with any of those issues. Some of the applications that we deploy are Lightspeed products, one of them being internet content filtering software, and that's really designed to keep kids safe away from harmful and inappropriate content. In that product, We also give parents the ability to stay connected by receiving a weekly parent report update, and that gives a summary of their students' weekly activity online.

[02:27:26] We launched an FCPS mobile app. The mobile app gives parents and community members access and stay connected to their favorite FCPS schools or the district in general.

[02:27:51] I love the app. I can literally just go on my phone and get all the announcements that I need. My second thing that I love most about it is the language feature. Being able to just click the settings and click it in whatever language that I need to access, I hit it and everything changes to that language.

[02:28:07] And I really like the events calendar. I can look for the division or I can look for my Centerville High School and immediately know that, oh, the football team is at Chantilly tonight. I can get meals information in the menu. Parent Digital Consent is our application that our team built.

[02:28:26] So imagine instead of getting that stack of papers at the beginning of the school year, a parent can easily go online, log in, and they'll see all their forms that may be assigned to their child. And with the click of a button, they can give consent.

[02:28:56] It's been very good, actually. FCPS actually just launched the fourth year of online registration. It provides a portal for parents to upload information and documentation and then it lets registrars do a preview before they schedule that in-person final application just to make sure that all the information is there and you don't have to have multiple meetings.

[02:29:19] Registering for school in Fairfax County as a military spouse in the middle of a move from California to Virginia was extremely easy. I was able to pull up the website on my phone and easily started the process for my three children. It was the most seamless transition of any of our moves.

[02:29:37] - The FCPS Department of Information Technology helps protect instructional time, support student learning, and strengthen the connection between school and home.

[02:29:56] - So, I just really want to commend our IT department. I think that the incredible work in terms of accessibility, engaging families, parents, students, educators. It takes people in such a multitude of roles in this division to do our mission-driven work.

[02:30:14] And our entire department, from our T-Specs and ESPITs in the schools, to our techs, our web designers, our network people, just, I mean, it's incredible. And B.J. Davkota is here this evening from representing IT, and I appreciate you being here tonight, B.J.

[02:30:35] So if there are any questions that I can't answer, Mr. Dakota will. But I do want to provide just a little data this evening. The Lightspeed Parent Reports, again, a safety piece that provides consistent and transparent insight into student digital activity.

[02:30:51] Our mobile app provides information in over 100 languages, which really has improved and increased accessibility for families. The online registration was something our military connected families were very excited about and really um you know we're just a couple years into that now but we're very proud of how far we've come also appreciate our sias in all of our schools that have had to make some real transitions in how they do their work but it's so important that families are able to enroll online because then they can access programs

[02:31:28] before timelines end or classes fill by the time they actually arrive here physically. The expansion of the digital consent system has really also helped with our form collection and help families so they're not finding papers and backpacks weeks after they were supposed to be turned in. I know that's not any of you here and not any of you listening but there are circumstances where that had occurred. But anyhow so really we're trying to use technology as a tool and really support um our students staff and families so for our community members the

[02:32:04] upcoming dates for our goal two and three reports are listed on the slide and madam chair that concludes our strategic planning update uh pillar b as we work to continue to support our five goals and their attainment thank you dr reed we're going to kick things off with miss marin yeah there's certainly been a lot of nice upgrades and you know i always say like i don't know what I don't know and when you arrived you did things like great online registration which was a huge deal for our families who are especially are abroad submitting forms online I remember

[02:32:37] sending in forms for impact aid and emergency contact and medical so that's wonderful even just consolidating all of the after-school activities for secondary grades now that is a huge improvement parent view with attendance and able to see like report daily attendance and also check attendance records, grades, and the app, so really some wonderful things.

[02:33:03] Just a few little ideas, you know, Tandem was, I wonder where that's at? That was meant to be like a whole system capturing calendar, but I'm not sure everyone's on it yet. What's the status with Tandem? So the Tandem Cal is what creates that calendar feed in the app. It's integrated into the app and it's on the website I think that different I know the buildings are still importing their data and I don't know that I BJ I don't know if you're able to speak to that probably not so I will have to get back to you in terms of the percentage I know all buildings have been trained and I don't

[02:33:41] know the degree to which all buildings have all events in but that's what's creating the calendar feed right now in the app well if it could be prioritized to look at pyramids because sometimes there'll be an instance where there'll be an academic night like at the high school and then maybe the middle school has their pta meeting at that exact time or you know there's some big concert and then there's something else happening like thinking about the pyramid structure especially when it comes to academic events that would be really helpful and also division-wide stuff all the you know district-wide concerts and robotics and science fairs i think you know You know, the SRNR, Student Rights and Responsibility, I remember I clicked it once thinking it would

[02:34:20] be more and it was gone. So more time spent, you know, however that is to really make sure parents are absorbing the SRNR. But also just to take it broadly to some things of the comments earlier this evening about technology and education.

[02:34:36] You know, the way I'm kind of seeing things is like the technology, all of the things that we saw tonight and making sure the computers and the hardware and software work, I mean, really come so far no doubt but when it comes to technology and education and how it's really going you know I'd love to see that more reported out you know how is ST math helping us how is it with the laptops one-to-one like because again with the AI work that we're doing I'm reading a lot of things that are saying it's inconclusive that having devices is really all that helpful so I really think we need to explore that if we want to be the leaders that I know you want us to be so and I still wonder about the conversation from Tuesday

[02:35:16] about whether our AI policy should be more higher level about education technology of which AI is a portion but some of those same attributes you know go forward so if anybody wants to continue to you know think about that and share I'd certainly be happy to hear your thoughts on that thank you yes ma'am thanks dr. Anderson thank you one of the things that I wanted to highlight it I mean clearly we see a lot of videos I've seen a lot of videos and sitting on this board but I cannot recall one that was multilingual from the parental perspective and I did very much appreciate that because it is reflective of our community and it is I

[02:35:55] think in a way validating who we are and allowing people to see themselves and the things that we you know consider to be professional that we're putting out to the public. So I think we had two multilingual parents there and that really struck me as a very good thing to do because I know some of the schools that I serve where the PTAs are the most successful, some of them have their entire meetings in different language and do the translating to English rather than the other way around.

[02:36:22] So I just really wanted to elevate that. Another just a quick question that I had regarding the the online consent of forms, which again, super efficient. I would imagine that would offer some savings in terms of not being not having to print all of those copies you know across 200 schools that's a lot of copies of the of the health form but can you please confirm for families that are still wanting in a paper copy that that is still available a paper copy for which for the forms that they need to provide for consent if they

[02:37:00] were not able for some whatever reason to do it digitally I do believe we do have paper copies available and that would just probably be upon request or something of that sort but it's still available I believe so yes ma'am mr. Dakota we even allowed the families to come into the schools and the system as a feature with the administrator at the school could enter the data on behalf of the parent they could speak different language we have the translation feature to allow that also so we made it very easy for the parents they could walk in they could do it on their phone laptop PC or they could fill out the forms hopefully the last one is the last option

[02:37:36] okay thank you thank you for that that's very helpful and the last thing that I wanted to share was the SRNR I actually had this conversation with the team during my two by two earlier well last week and one of the things that I think we could do a little bit better job of is making that document a little bit more accessible even down to the page or to the place where parents are providing their digital signature it's very easy to just scroll all the way down and provide that signature and you would have missed all of the information But I think there will be some power to really highlighting the sections that are particularly

[02:38:14] concerned or new and asking for an initial next to each of these sections because it kind of brings your attention to it in a way that it doesn't if you're just scrolling all the way down. And we've all done this for various agreements. You scroll all the way down, you press X.

[02:38:30] But sometimes some of them ask us to really insert something at each component because it just raises your awareness a little bit more. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT BE PART OF THE TECH USABILITY FOR OUR FAMILIES. YES MA'AM AND YOU PROVIDED THAT FEEDBACK TO DR. KING AND HER TEAM. TWO YEARS IN A ROW. MR FRESH. THANK YOU.

[02:38:56] FIRST MY PARTNER IS A TEACHER AND HE WAS TALKING THE OTHER DAY ABOUT USING TALKING POINTS TO COMMUNICATE WITH FAMILIES THAT DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH AND HOW MUCH OF AN IMPROVEMENT THAT IS AND HOW that wasn't even possible just a few years ago in our school system so I want to commend all of the amazing staff that work in IT for all the work they've done one of the first things that I did on the board before I even understood what a follow-on motion was we were talking about going one-to-one with devices and I remember having this conversation

[02:39:34] about surely there must be a way for us to monitor what kids are using on the computers and there was it was called light speed and so we passed the follow-on motion committing the school division to making sure that light speed was available to everybody and like a year later we got a report on it it was like several thousand people are using light speed and it was so disappointing because people just hadn't adopted it yet and to see the new numbers with more than 300,000 families or 300,000 folks accessing Lightspeed is incredible is it a perfect tool

[02:40:11] I think even IT would acknowledge it is not a perfect tool but it is so much further along than it was when we first adopted it it's getting new features all the time it's an amazing resource for families and I would love to see us put the same commitment as school board members as staff in schools into letting people know about the app because I've begun using the app I think it's fantastic I think all the work that went into it to make it really powerful there were a lot of skeptical people out there about us having an app and it's phenomenal so I would love to you know

[02:40:48] have maybe you could refresh us with the toolkit that you provided the board for helping to promote it every other month in your Friday letter just so that we're reminded to keep reminding people and I will certainly commit to making it a part of my regular newsletter communications.

[02:41:03] And we should probably make it part of the announcements that are made at every public event that we have. Get out your phones, go to the app store, download the app because it really connects much more closely to what's happening in our schools. I do agree with Miss Marin, we've put a lot of effort into tandem and the effort to finally have a very useful way of looking at activities and events in schools.

[02:41:28] and it is way better than it was but really taking advantage of that technology will really make it a game changer and that's going to require institutionalizing within every school's culture the importance of putting every event into the calendar from the arts to the athletics to the pta to the every conceivable thing you know the principal's morning coffee with parents all the things that we hear about and we get in disparate ways from newsletters and Facebook posts and everything else will make it extremely powerful there are still some schools here and there

[02:42:06] more than there should be where it's hard to find out what's happening in the school and with good I mean people are very very busy in our schools and so it's hard to do but it just needs to be part of the culture that we put into it yes sir I'll make sure we pass that along thank you Mr.

[02:42:24] Frisch. Ms. Dixit. Dr. Reed, I'm very impressed overall with the IT and the IT team. Just from last few years when my children were in high school and middle school, we were doing paper forms. And I remember the impact aid form was always the last minute because my boys will forget it. And then they'll be like, Mom, do this and run to the school. So I think the life of it's become easy for parents now and especially if you are like a busy parent like we all are it it's

[02:42:59] it's made it's a game changer um again the bus app where i used to be like always calling transportation office and saying hey where's the bus and now it's all you know you can really look at the app so i think it's making our communities uh parents life easier not just students so overall i think it's it's impacting a lot of our families and i just numbered the of the email tickets 245 000 email tickets the id help desk is answering it's it's uh it's like a you

[02:43:35] know like a i would say it's running a city almost right so so it is uh great and i i would just say one thing about when we are talking about IT is again our students can participate more into these programs and can do real on the job training in these different sectors and it will be very useful for them for their future so I think IT department has a lot of potential to offer to our students and I think there's an appetite for that too.

[02:44:07] Thank you. I'm going to take a very fast turn. And when I was a parent leader at my son's elementary school, I often would teach people how to use the RSS feed off of the calendar in order to populate my own calendar so that I always knew when school ends.

[02:44:26] And you're 100% right that it only works if you're feeding it, right? And so I love the idea of the app, and I guess what I'm wondering is, can we work out something where the information that they're feeding into one system is actually going to feed the website too? Because that is something, and I don't even know if this is possible, it's just in my brain.

[02:44:46] So I'm just wondering whether or not we could have something where if they're feeding tandem, is it called? If they're feeding Tandem, is there any way that it could automatically just feed the websites, too, so that way we don't have people duplicating effort to get things into the system? And so I just know that that main page of the website is oftentimes someplace that people can go look for things, but it isn't necessarily where things always are.

[02:45:11] And so I just think that that would be a really awesome connection point to kind of ease up work for our staff members, too. But thank you so much. We appreciate it. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Agenda item 10, Consent Agenda. Before we move on to the Consent Agenda, I call on Dr. Anderson.

[02:45:36] Thank you. I want to say thank you to Mr. Gordon because I have received the information that I requested during the CIP vote. So therefore, I will ask for unanimous consent to change my vote from an abstention to the affirmative.

[02:45:56] Without objection, Dr. Anderson's vote on the CIP has been changed to affirmative. can the clerk please announce the updated vote. That changes the vote to 9-0. The motion still carries. Thank you. Moving on to the consent agenda. Our adopted rules of parliamentary procedure Roberts rules provide a consent agenda listing several items for approval of the board by a single motion. Many items listed have gone through board review and documentation has been provided to all board members and the public in advance. Items may

[02:46:33] be removed from the consent agenda at the request of any board member prior to the meeting. I do want to note that item 10.06, policy 4411, support employee obligations and rights, has been withdrawn from the agenda and will be considered by the board at the February 26, 26, that one's hard to do, February 26, 2026, regular meeting. The consent agenda items are on the screen. Is there any objection to approving the consent agenda? Hearing and seeing no objection the consent agenda is approved agenda item 10 new business the following new

[02:47:10] business items there will be there won't be a vote on these items this evening but action is scheduled at a future meeting agenda item 11 board committee reports i call on miss st john cunning for a report of this successful youth and children policy team so we met this uh past Wednesday and we had a presentation by the executive director of Fairfax Futures and the youth innovation manager of NCS the theme was powering pathways igniting potential and a collective commitment for Fairfax County youth we went out

[02:47:48] into breakout sessions which were very passionate and the overall summary is that there was a there was a very strong call for a greater systemic alignment of early intervention, inclusive youth voice, clearer metrics, and a stronger connectivity across programs to better support opportunity youth and workforce readiness.

[02:48:10] The focus is shifting from isolated efforts or silos to a coordinated youth centered ecosystem. We determined that there's a lot of programming out there. It's just not all connected. And I think if we connected, we can better serve all of our youth in our county. And we're working towards that thank you miss st john cunning agenda item 12 superintendent matters i call on dr reed for superintendent matters thank you madam chair i really want to first of all express my grateful

[02:48:42] thanks to the over 1 000 winter weather warriors on our fcps team including our office of facilities management our equipment operators supervisors support staff our custodial personnel transportation staff and so many other division staff that rose to the challenge over these last several weeks. It's really been an unprecedented storm. I don't have a long history in Virginia but the amount of snow, the sleet, the ice really created circumstances well beyond our normal

[02:49:18] winter storm status. I want to share that over 1400 of our custodians removed snow and ice by shovel by hand across 200 campuses and i just really really appreciate their work and that's why our schools and facilities and campuses were ready when we were able to get students safely to school with extended operations additional treatment cycles and ongoing monitoring all of the winter weather warriors were able to maintain safe conditions across our schools our

[02:49:53] Our bus drivers and transportation staff cleared buses, roofs of ice, buses that were packed in with snow and ice up to the wheel wells and beyond. And staff worked tirelessly to get our school parking lots open, our sidewalks and buildings ready.

[02:50:11] It's really an incredible task, over 400 square miles, to do the work that our staff did. And I also wanna thank our chief administrative officers who spent many, many hours on the phone and out driving the school division.

[02:50:28] And finally, I wanna thank our families for their patience and their grace and flexibility as we had to adjust our hours, and all of our educators as well, because it's not easy to have interrupted learning. And I appreciate our students' excitement to be back in the building.

[02:50:46] Although when I met with middle school students on the first day back, while they claimed not to be quite as excited, they said their parents were thrilled that they were back. And I will also say that we did build in 10 days for snow this year, and we have now used four days for snow.

[02:51:06] And we've had obviously some late starts, but just a deep thank you to our staff and community. We're through it and it's supposed to get be 60 degrees here shortly so time to put on our hawaiian wear and celebrate spring coming so anyhow thank you madam chair agenda item 14 board matters next on the agenda is board matters and i'll call on each board member to speak we're going to kick things off with mr dunn well thank you um i just wanted to reiterate my thanks to all the fcps employees who did an amazing job

[02:51:44] supporting our schools in the face of what a new word i learned a snowcrete concrete like snow and witnessing in alexandria and dc and other jurisdictions the use of actual full-on construction equipment to remove the snow what i also saw in in my community the mount vernon district is parents gathered together with school employees to ensure that sidewalks were cleared including at bucknell elementary and other other places i also saw facilities staff perform above

[02:52:19] and beyond when i submitted reports i received from the community for example for linton lane for fortown elementary for sidewalks to be plowed when there was a lack of clarity on the maps available to us whether that sidewalk was owned by the county by vdot by fcps etc so i think we do have some uh things that need to be cleared up in terms of who owns what sidewalks who owns what roads um so that going forward if we ever get into a situation like this or just with regular snow we know what to address when and where um but i do think this was an opportunity for us to come

[02:52:57] together as a community and that's always heartening to see thank you mr fresh we haven't done board matters in quite a while congratulations everybody um first um miss lady and i attended an interfaith vigil for the senseless loss of life in Minnesota and elsewhere at the hands of ice hosted by Congressman Walkinshaw honoring compassion human dignity and our community's shared commitment to

[02:53:31] human rights so that was very touching and it was great to see the outpouring of support there I'm also incredibly proud of 2023 Marshall High School graduate Elia Malanin for helping to lead the u.s uh figure skating team to gold quite impressive if you've not yet watched it it's on youtube and i've watched it like six times it's amazing um and uh you know i i skated a bit when

[02:54:02] i was a kid nothing even remotely close was possible um uh for me um clearly um i also want to congratulate the 77 providence uh district students who were named national merit commended scholars very excited for that and continuing to see that academic achievement grow within fcps provident district resident catherine russell is a member of tj's winning team in this year's nasa tech rise student challenge the team received a grant to build their project galactic the

[02:54:37] gravitational acoustic loading and analysis of catheter and tubing in circulation nasa will launch it into low orbit in may pretty incredible and two providence district students were named national finalists in the 2025-26 music teachers national association competitions justin lee an eighth grader at luther jackson right here for cello and brandon sangjen for a piano duet and he's a 10th grader at tj i am looking forward to oakton high school's production of clue i will

[02:55:16] try to refrain from quoting lines from the movie throughout the production. It's one of my favorites a little bit later this month, and I'm also looking forward to being back here at Luther Jackson this weekend for the Asian Community Service Center's annual Chinese New Year Festival.

[02:55:34] It's always a very special event, and it is packed with wonderful people from the community. So I appreciate everybody's time tonight, and I appreciate staff sticking with us, and thank you very much. Dr. Anderson. Okay, I was not ready. First of all, I do want to say thank you to everyone who worked on the snow. And I have to say, Dr. Reed, I continue to hear more and more from the two-hour delay from our middle school students about how ready they were for instruction, that they had more sleep.

[02:56:05] So it's another argument for the Middle School Star Times. Granted, not, you know, 10 o'clock, but they were very happy with the time that was provided. And I do want to say thank you as well. I think we forgot one group of people, the city of Fairfax, because I know you had some conversations with them regarding the use of perhaps their personnel and equipment, because as they cleared their streets and their schools, they were able to lend us a hand.

[02:56:30] So thank you to our counterparts there. I want to also highlight the AAP Elementary Center at North Springfield. Those two meetings were held last week, Tuesday and Thursday, and there was a lot of enthusiasm in the community for it, and the questions and the challenges that were being raised were really good ones.

[02:56:53] It was which schools should we include because they want all of the schools to be included. It's not whether or not we should have the AAP Center. There was lots of enthusiasm for it. There was not a person in the room who thought this should not happen, and that question was actually posed, by the way.

[02:57:09] So I'm really looking forward to see that develop in the next few weeks with the board. Lastly, I do want to raise the voices that I know I've heard throughout this week. Our student board member talked about that, and others, even the Minority Student Achievement student member reached out.

[02:57:32] our students are hurting. There are things that are happening in the country and they want to find some way to express their concerns, to elevate their opposition. And the way that they have to do that, the way that they've chosen to do that as of right now is through those walkouts. And it was quite difficult and challenging to see the vast number of responses that were shared with me from across our schools, from, you know, students were concerned. Parents reached out to me about

[02:58:07] their students being told that they could not walk in graduation. There were so many things that I don't think were, at least those reports, were not reflective of the safe and inclusive environment where FCPS, where we uplift student voice, it was not reflective of that. Again, I'm a former principle. I want my schools to be safe. I want the days to be boring and without a lot of unplanned activities. And I'm really hoping, Dr. Reed, we find that sweet spot where we are still allowing students to have their voices be elevated for them to engage in that civic engagement

[02:58:45] while balancing safety, because I do know that's a real concern as well. But I think the disparate treatments that occurred this week at least what was reported is not where we want to be as a community. Mr. Moon. Thank you Madam Chair. With snow and ice on my driveway almost gone naturally that I'll be busy visiting many schools tomorrow Madam Chair and some of the schools I'll

[02:59:20] be visiting I'm not supposed to disclose where I'm going so I'm not going to say but I'm going to a couple of schools in solid district and a couple of schools in mason district and i don't know where when are you gonna go to oakton high school mr fresh because i plan to be there tomorrow if you are gonna be there tomorrow i'll see you there okay and and and for many families of east asian background we are celebrating lunar new year's day on coming tuesday february 17th

[03:00:00] Koreans generally eat on that particular day a rice cake soup if any of my colleagues is interested in joining me it will be my trip just let me know thank you. First of all I will I'm very proud of our team to finish early today so I'll keep it very brief comments I would like to say that our my highlight was actually the graduation of Mountain View winter graduation ceremony I was with

[03:00:39] Miss Anderson and Dr. Reed there and the student stories always amazed me at Mountain View High School it is the most inspiring ones and the students who have you know come over so many hurdles for graduation and some of them are like their first time graduates in their whole family so it is it's just incredible to hear those stories and I'm really proud of the students of Mountain View High School also Skyview High School. My future students there I would say I the website is live

[03:01:17] of fcps.edu/skyview and it is an amazing site and when I read the top 10 reason skyview source on the main home page i want to enroll there dr reed if possible as a 10th grader and i will like love to stay in the auditorium and this and you know do all the fun stuff at the school so i'm very excited about the skyview and lastly i'll say that uh you know the snow had stopped us it made us a little slow uh over over the last two weeks but i'm back going to

[03:01:56] visit a lot of schools and my at-large colleagues and Dr. Reid if you'd like to join me in any school please please do that in Sully District. Thank you so much. Ms. St. John Cunning. So it has been a while since we've done board matters and so I kind of went back to take snippets from the ones I prepared that I never got to say anything about but first I'd like to thank our custodians and everyone that was on board to clear our snow at our schools and while some of us were rejoicing and having days off they did not they were there and they were working very hard uh in freezing temperatures i

[03:02:34] might say and they got the work done i was also honored to welcome the new principal of hayfield tony dabari and to honor principal matthew mau as the region three outstanding principal of the year we did start the new year with proclamations expressing gratitude and recognizing the importance of service and volunteering we welcomed past school board members and honored their dedicated service and leadership their commitment has left a legacy characterized by compassion accountability and a profound understanding that the strength of our schools is reflected in how we care for and support all of our students they laid a strong foundation for us to continue to

[03:03:11] build on however a stronger foundation was set for me by by a very strong role model for me and that was my father who my loss last month he always espoused the value of education aside from building a strong family and a successful business he served on the texas region 19 education service board for 35 years making him the longest serving service board member in the state of texas during his tenure he successfully advocated for funding and programming to serve the poorest school districts in the state of texas as a result the education service board meeting room was named in

[03:03:47] his honor so now every time the board is in session they meet in the marshall st john boardroom The boardroom carries his name, but his legacy lives in the countless lives of the students, staff, and families he stood up for in El Paso, Texas. As his daughter, I will consider myself successful if I can manage to accomplish half of what he did.

[03:04:11] I try to model what I do on this board with the passion, integrity, and kindness that were his trademarks. Finally, as we celebrate Black History Month, I want to mention that Lewis High School will be hosting a week-long birthday celebration of John R. Lewis, week of February 23rd through the 27th and will be hosting a contemporary friend of John Lewis, labor leader feminist and social justice advocate Dolores Huerta on February 24th. I look forward to reporting to you at our next board meeting about her visit with the students. I am confident

[03:04:46] that she will combine the message that John Lewis left us to get in good trouble along with her message of yes we can or more commonly known as si se puede. With that good night and buenas noches. Thank you Miss St. John Cunning. Miss Marin. There's lots of staff that we recognize today and I want to add a few more names to the list. I want to congratulate the newly named principal of Louise Archer Elementary School, Ms. Liz Noto, after the retirement of longtime principal Michelle Macra Georges. Congratulations to Jamie Lane, principal of Oakton High School as the

[03:05:24] executive principal of Region 1. And yes to Tony Dabari who's departing Westfield and moving over still in Fairfax thankfully into Hayfield. Then we had Ms. Hallison Hope principal of Cunningham Park Elementary as one of FCPS's new principal of the year awardees. Dr. Herman Mizell who was here tonight region one principal of the year and he was here to help honor Paul Davis of Langston Hughes Middle School also my son's engineering teacher for his work and then as well as the new staff the new teacher of the year over at Marshall Academy Sean Appleby and I actually did get to see

[03:05:59] Davis Center up the Marshall County for Culinary Arts and I did get to visit Davis Center last week with my team of two from the Hunter Mill District and we made cookies with way too much frosting and watched the student make a whole chicken pot pie from scratch and it was delicious.

[03:06:16] It was just the best place to be. I was over at the Lunar New Year Festival at the Government Center which was phenomenal and I got to wear a hanbok Korean dress in the fashion show and spend several hours there and then I also was at a swim meet at Oakmont Rec Center with many of the schools and FCPS and it was the warmest I had been in like weeks. So this Sunday I'm actually attending a new um event really propelled by my daughter's exploration in the IB program. So the IB in the second year in 10th grade they do the mid the mid-year program or middle years program

[03:06:52] and she gets to pick a topic and do whatever she wants. So after I finally stopped asking her about it. She is doing it, but she wanted to research Paralympic athletes and understand what athletes with amputations or other paralysis, you know, do. So this Saturday, open to the public, I'm sure it's ticketed, the Fairfax Falcons Paralympic Sports Youth Team Wheelchair Basketball Tournament. It's at the James Lee Community Center in Annandale. I'm aiming to be the 12:30 match. I've never seen a live wheelchair basketball game, but I am excited to go.

[03:07:26] And, you know, I held a town hall earlier this week to share what I'm aware of about AI and hear thoughts from parents and families, as well as talk about the budget and facilities and legislation. And I'm happy to announce as ahead of time as I can on March 10th at Louise Archer, I'm going to have my second community summit to talk about those topics and expand more and just practice being an engaged community.

[03:07:48] So I wish a happy Lunar New Year to all of those celebrating and a meaningful start to Ramadan, which is also next week. Thank you. Miss Lady. Yes, happy 100th day of school. And the 1st of 2, Friday the 13th.

[03:08:08] Tomorrow. Well, February, March. Also want to wish good fortune to those in our community who celebrate Lunar New Year. I did, along with Miss Marin, enjoy the festivities at the Government Center this past weekend. Although I was not dressed for the fashion show, you looked fabulous, Miss Marin. Also, Ramadan Ma Uda Mubarak. Is that how you say that?

[03:08:32] to those in our community who observe Ramadan. Thank you, Miss Dixit. That was a perfect pronunciation. I will continue to learn. Also, happy Black History Month. I'm very grateful that we, in addition to the national anthem, are gonna hear "Lift Every Voice and Sing."

[03:08:49] It was "Beautiful Tonight" by Daniels Run. This has already been shared, but I also wanna just state that I'm excited for Jamie Lane to be the next Region 1 Executive Principal. We've also had some movement in Drainsville, as mentioned. We are sad to see Mr. DiBari leave us to go to Hayfield.

[03:09:07] Did fantastic work there, and I offer congratulations to Mr. Scott Setter, who's the interim principal. I had the pleasure of working with Mr. Setter at Chantilly. It was a great choice for an interim. Also, congratulations to Ms. Noto, Principal Noto, who was at Herndon and is now off to Louise Archer.

[03:09:26] And I'm thankful to Dr. Farish, who's going to be interim principal at Herndon High School. And there will be, I believe, this next Thursday and the following Thursday, I'm not sure which is first, the high school or the middle school meetings to learn about the process to select the new principal.

[03:09:45] So please look for those emails and opportunities for you to tune in and or serve on the panel to make that selection. So despite the weather, I was able to visit lots of places, enjoyed the Mountain View High School winter graduation with Ms. Dixit a couple nights ago.

[03:10:00] And last night, I went to the Dulles Art Walk, which was fantastic at Dulles Airport. I mean, what a partnership between McLean's Arts and also Ferris County and the Scholastics Awards, which now we're going to be doing our own art, artifacts.

[03:10:15] I'm not sure what it's going to be called moving forward. But the artwork was really phenomenal, and there were over 200 people who RSVP'd only a few years in when the original one that they did, they had about 50 to 70 people. I think almost all the children were there to receive their certificates and take great pride in their artwork, so it was fantastic.

[03:10:33] And then I want to thank the Drainingsville PTA, PTOs, PTSAs who joined my roundtable. I think we had a great discussion on a variety of topics. And as always, I thank everyone in our parent community who steps up to volunteer in our schools.

[03:10:49] It takes time, effort, and I know the succession planning is not always easy because sometimes there aren't enough folks stepping up. So I just want to know. I see you. I appreciate you. I think it's fantastic. And then finally, thank you to, you know, all of the people, the thousands of people who work with snow removal, VDOT, et cetera.

[03:11:11] I could go on and on and on for this very rare storm in our area. So hopefully we'll never have another one like it. And at that, I heard the timer go off. And I don't know if I should go on for another minute or two because I'm not sure how close we are and who's going to win the prediction to end the meeting but i'll stop right there thanks so i'm going to take a very fast turn because i know i'm the person standing in in in the way of us leaving this evening um it has been a heavy couple of weeks and not just because we've had lots and lots of heavy snow um there's lots going on around the country and in our area um but i

[03:11:48] would like to say that as i listen to my colleagues it's very clear that we have a ton to celebrate too. We have we have holidays going on and we have staff members that are doing amazing things. Before I came to the meeting tonight I was able to run over at and walk through the artifacts to to look at all the and I kept saying to the wonderful woman who was helping me navigate everything I kept saying oh my gosh our students are so talented. I mean and and being Being someone who grew up in the county and did a lot of art within different different worlds.

[03:12:27] It was just so awesome to see kids shine in those ways. And so I love the fact that we have so many opportunities to give kids the opportunity to shine in our district. And I look forward to continuing those in as many ways possible.

[03:12:43] So with that at 10:12 we are adjourned.

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