Friday, May 24, 2013
In budget approval, school board members divided on how best to keep teacher pay competitive moving forward.
After months of debate on how to fairly compensate Fairfax teachers and keep pace with salaries in other jurisdictions , the Fairfax County School board voted for a $2.5 billion budget Thursday that will give employees a 2 percent mid-year market-scale adjustment — making good on a commitment from school board members to provide some sort of compensation relief during this fiscal year. Much of the Fiscal Year 2014 spending plan, which passed on an 8-4 vote, is dedicated to changing demographics and unprecedented student growth — 3,089 students are expected to join the system next year, pushing total enrollment to 184,625. To view the full budget, click here. The pay raise was the biggest hurdle in this year's budget, school board …
Kevin Cao was recently acknowledged by the Fairfax County Office of Public Private Partnerships.
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology student Kevin Cao was recently awarded the Tony Griffin Partnership Leader Award for his work with Growth and Inspiration through Volunteering and Education (GIVE) — a non-profit organization he founded with a fellow classmate and another student from Robinson Secondary School. Fairfax County and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) recognized Cao and 11 other public private partners at an awards ceremony on May 21 hosted by George Mason University at the Mason Inn Conference Center and Hotel in Fairfax. “Hundreds of our local business and individuals are giving their time, talent and resources as partners in the community. When businesses, the county, FCPS and the local nonprofits …
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
FCPD received a report of a suspect in the area early Wednesday morning.
Hayfield Elementary School and Hayfield Secondary School were in a "secure the building" status Wednesday morning after the Fairfax County Police Department received a report of a suspicious man in the surrounding neighborhood near Buckhaven Court and Welsch Court. PFC Don Gotthardt said they received the call between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. The resident reported seeing a man dressed in a black sweatshirt going from house to house in an attempt to break into a residence. However, the suspect was unable to get into any of the homes. John Torre with Fairfax County Public Schools said the two schools were not on lockdown, but the buildings were secured for the safety of students, faculty and staff. Helicopter and police units covered the area …
Friday, May 17, 2013
Fairfax County School Board will hold listening sessions next week to help develop a strategic plan for digital learning.
Teachers, students and parents in Fairfax County didn't have the smoothest experience with digital learning in 2012-2013. As Fairfax County Public Schools rolled out a new online math program in Fall 2012, students and teachers complained they had difficulty navigating the books, saying there were publisher errors and inconsistencies, technology roadblocks and student difficulty in accessing the information, among other complaints, like a lack of teacher buy-in to the program. They said the program, instead of advancing learning and achievement, was pushing it back, calling the $10.4 million initiative "a big disaster" with no clear solution. The short-term solution was to re-negotiate contracts to get some hard copy books back in the …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Teacher pay and foreign language cutbacks are also concerns as Fairfax County School Board looks for another $30 million in reductions for next year's budget.
If push came to shove, Jane Lipp would give her right kidney to keep an instructional coach at her school. The principal of South County High School, which has a 49 percent minority population, said that's the kind of sacrifice she'd make, drama aside, to keep a position that's been 'instrumental" in helping her teachers push the school's diverse student body to succeed. More than a dozen of the 40 speakers who addressed the school board Tuesday night in a public hearing about Fairfax County Public Schools' budget spoke about the role coaches play in the day to day lives of teachers and students, including their help toward narrowing student achievement gaps. The public hearing comes as the school board prepares to adopt a $2.5 billion …
Coffield has been with the school for five years.
Fairfax County Public Schools recently named MPO Rudy Coffield the 2013 Distinguished School Resource Officer (SRO), according to a recent FCPS news release. Coffield was assigned to Key Middle School in Springfield for the past five years, and is being recognized for building “powerful” relationships with teachers and students, said Principal Christopher Larrick. “Teachers have commented about his ability to engage students in learning while providing open and honest information about safety in our community,” said Larrick, who cites recent conversations on how to avoid gangs and gang activity between Coffield and students. Coffield also serves as the head coach for the girls' basketball team at Hayfield Secondary School and has his …
Monday, May 13, 2013
Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools had surgery for an aortic aneurysm May 7.
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Jack Dale was released from the hospital Sunday after emergency heart surgery May 7. FCPS spokesman John Torre told Patch in an email Monday that Dale had been released from the hospital to recover from surgery at home. Dale was taken to INOVA Fairfax Hospital on May 7 after telling coworkers he hadn’t been feeling well that day. He had surgery after suffering an aortic aneurysm that night. Torre said Dale was expected to return to work sometime in early June. “He is making progress and is not expected to return to work until early June on a part time basis,” he wrote in his email. Dale is planning to retire this summer. Deputy Superintendent Richard Moniuszko is managing superintendent duties …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Dale underwent surgery for an aortic aneurism Tuesday evening.
Jack Dale, the outgoing Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent, underwent emergency heart surgery Tuesday evening after suffering an aortic aneurism. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Dale, 64, was conscious and resting at the intensive care unit of Fairfax Inova Hospital in Falls Church. He was taken to the hospital in an ambulance Tuesday evening after telling coworkers he was feeling unwell, the Post reported. As of Wednesday afternoon, he was in stable condition. Hospital officials were unable to comment further on Dale’s condition Thursday afternoon. Dale is planning to retire this summer but it’s unclear whether he will return to his post after recovering from surgery. FCPS spokesman John Torre told Patch on …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
After medical emergency, Fairfax County Public Schools leader in stable condition at a local hospital.
Update 1:18 pm: "We are optimistic Dr. Dale will return to work before his scheduled retirement," Schools spokesman John Torre said. Original: Just more than a month before he is set to retire, Fairfax County Public Schools superintendent Jack Dale has been hospitalized after a medical emergency. Fairfax County School Board Chairman Ilryong Moon said Dale had a medical emergency late Tuesday afternoon. He is in stable condition at a local hospital, Moon wrote. Deputy Superintendent Richard Moniuszko will step in to manage superintendent duties, Moon said. "On behalf of the entire FCPS community, our thoughts and prayers are with Dr. Dale and his family and we look forward to his return," Moon wrote. Schools spokesman John Torre said no …
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
In ranking of top U.S. high schools, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology remains the top school in Virginia, but slips in national standing.
Fairfax County is home to the top five public high schools in Virginia, according to the U.S. News and World Report’s 2013 Best High Schools rankings. U.S. News generated the rankings through a partnership with American Institutes for Research, looking at students’ performance on standardized tests and how successfully schools educated black, Hispanic and low-income students. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology was once again ranked the top school in Virginia. It was ranked No. 4 of all schools nationally, down from its No. 2 post in 2012. Replacing TJ at No. 2 was BASIS Tucson in Arizona, which jumped from No. 6 in 2012. Langley, James Madison, McLean and W.T. Woodson rounded out the rest of Virginia’s top five high …
Michael
1:22 pm on Saturday, May 25, 2013
It's not strictly true to say that the Board of Supervisors "could not provide a pay increase" to their employees. The truth is they could have, and CHOSE not to. Nobody prevented them from offering a raise. They adopted a tax rate lower than advertised and CHOSE to devalue their employees. It is simply dishonest to suggest otherwise. more ›