Fairfax County school teachers say they are disappointed improvements to workplace conditions were not made by the current School Board, which leaves office at the end of this year.
"Of course I'm disappointed,” Hill said. “With regard to the Open
Meetings Law violation, rather than asking Judge Alden to follow
previous court decisions, we were essentially asking her to make law by
further refining what constitutes a conversation via email. I understand
that she had to make a tough call on that issue and took a conservative
approach.
More than 90 parents, students and educators signed up to speak at a public hearing Monday night on plans to curb crowding at Annandale High School.
If approved during the School Board’s July 28 meeting, the proposed boundary change would move students living in neighborhoods outside of the Capital Beltway from Annandale High School to neighboring schools.
Parents who spoke during the public hearing Monday were divided on the proposed change, recommended by school system staff.
From where she lives, Kathy Ryan can hear football games and the marching band playing at Annandale High School.
About a mile from the school, Ryan’s community, Wakefield Chapel, consists of mostly single-family houses whose residents have firmly embedded ties to the neighboring high school, she said. “For 36 years or so, the Annandale High School marching band has marched in our neighborhood for Halloween as a fundraiser,” she said. “Now, that’s done.”
A state-level proposal to increase Physical Education time in elementary schools could cost Fairfax County Public Schools both time and money, said Assistant Superintendent Barbara Hunter.
FCPS is lobbying against the proposed legislation that is quickly moving toward approval by the General Assembly.
The new proposal would increase the current state requirement of 60 minutes per week of PE
Twenty-one elementary schools in Southwestern Fairfax could see changes in their student composition during the next three school years if a new proposal to curb school crowding is approved.
With a goal of limiting elementary schools in the region to no more than 950 students, Fairfax County Public Schools staff last week presented plans for responding to crowding in the region. The plan includes adding classroom space to six elementary schools, while shifting the populations of 17 schools to others in the region.
The Fairfax County School Board has approved plans that would push up the start date on several school construction projects. A decline in construction costs and the closures of Pimmit Hills Alternative High School and Clifton Elementary School have generated a savings of $31 million for the school system during the past three years. That will allow the board to accelerate their renovation schedule for schools listed as capital improvement projects during fiscal 2012-16, according to school staff.
Trailers are a reality at nearly 70 percent of public schools in Fairfax County. Of about 135 schools with trailers, 14 have trailers numbering in the double digits.
