Wednesday, March 13, 2013
At noon Friday, Patch readers can join a discussion with Fairfax County teachers' association leaders and school officials to discuss what some teachers have called an unsustainable work environment.
Some Fairfax County teachers say they've seen workloads increase for a few years now — but this is the first year it's becoming what they are calling "unsustainable." And they say they want a solution sooner rather than later. Join Patch at noon Friday to talk with the leaders of two of Fairfax County's teachers' associations, along with a school board member and an assistant superintendent about some of the issues surrounding teacher workload, including state and local testing, grading and evaluation systems and new curriculum initiatives. Readers can make comments or ask questions and get live responses throughout the course of the chat. To join: Bookmark this page and return at noon Friday, or sign up for an email reminder above. At a…
Friday, March 9, 2012
At noon Friday, join School Board Member Sandy Evans and Phyllis Payne, founders of SLEEP, to talk about sleep and rethinking school day structure
Teens need about nine hours of sleep per night for good health, focus, energy and academic performance — but on average, middle and high school students in Fairfax County are getting seven hours a sleep of night or less. The results of the county's recent Youth Risk Survey indicate to founders and members of the advocacy group Start Later for Excellence in Education Proposal (SLEEP) that while they've made progress in teaching parents and students about the importance of the issue, a sleep deficit still exists for many students, they said. "Different children have different needs, but all children need sleep," wrote Phyllis Payne, who started SLEEP along with Evans in 2004, in an email to school board members last month. At noon Friday, …
Friday, January 20, 2012
Join us at noon Friday for a discussion with school board member, community advocates about Fairfax County honors course offerings
The Fairfax County School Board will revisit its position next week on high-level class offerings — a discussion it put on hold last summer — so any changes made can be implemented before the 2012-2013 course catalog is printed. Dan Storck (Mount Vernon) asked the school board to reconsider its elimination of some 11th and 12th grade English and Social Studies honors courses this month so the system could implement any curriculum changes in time for the fall semester. "This directly affects students ... it's incumbent upon us to address it at the earliest possible opportunity," member Elizabeth Schultz (Springfield) said at the board's meeting last Thursday. Over the past several years, the school system has phased out honors courses in …
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Join us at 1 p.m. Friday as we discuss the new proposal with school board members, principals, community advocates
Next month, the Fairfax County School Board will vote on a program that would give high school principals the ability to install video surveillance cameras inside their buildings. The debate has pitted principals who believe the system could curb theft and discipline issues against local activists and community members who say the program is ineffective and violates student rights. The Fairfax County High School Principals Association and the schools’ Department of Facilities and Transportation Services first brought the proposal before the school board earlier this fall. The principals, who the school board then charged with gathering feedback from PTSAs on the issue, presented their findings to the board on Monday, reporting 17 of the 25…
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Friday chat where talked about the Nov. 8 vote on the $252.75 million bond referendum
Come next Tuesday, Fairfax County voters will be faced with a $252.75 million dollar decision. Included on the Nov. 8 general election ballot is a school bond referendum to fund Fairfax County Public School's 2012-16 Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Each year Fairfax County Public Schools develops a five-year CIP to address future facility needs, including renovations of existing facilities and building of new facilities. Capital improvements of Fairfax County schools are not funded through the school system’s operating budget (2.2 billion for FY 2011), but through the sale of bonds. Voters must approve bond sales because they incur future debt. The Fairfax County School Board voted in January 2011 to approve the FY 2012-16 (CIP) …
Friday, October 14, 2011
Join us at 11 a.m. Friday as we talk about the Nov. 8 race for school board with parents, outgoing school board member Brad Center and FCFT President Steve Greenburg
In many communities, the race for Fairfax County School Board seats are overshadowing the General Assembly races in this November's elections. Seven candidates are running for the board's three at-large positions, five members aren't seeking re-election and several incumbents are being challenged, which could mean a complete overhaul of the board's membership. At 11 a.m. Friday, Patch will discuss how this year's election compares with those of years past, why so many people have stepped forward to run for office and what issues are driving parents to the polls. School Board Member Brad Center (Lee District), Steve Greenburg, President of Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, and Greg Brandon, corresponding secretary for the Fairfax …
Friday, October 7, 2011
Join us at 10 a.m. Friday to discuss an online survey about Fairfax County Public School priorities with Barbara Hunter, an assistant superintendent, and a county PTA representative.
In the two months it's been live online, a Fairfax County Public Schools survey has generated more than 100 suggestions, ideas and new initiatives for the system to consider as it re-examines its priorities. The survey, "Preparing Our Children For The Future," was launched by Superintendent Jack Dale in August. It asks community members—including those without children but whose taxes still go toward the school system—"What is the most important thing Fairfax County Public Schools should do to move it forward to prepare our children for the future?" While the issue of sleep and pushing back school start time is the frontrunner among parent responses, with more about 2,600 votes in three different topic groups, the threads started by …
Don Joy
9:32 am on Monday, March 18, 2013
From the Heritage blog: "Where to begin? First of all, there is little that is voluntary about the millions in dues paid to the NEA every year. The NEA is strongest in states without right to work laws, and if you want to teach in a public school that is under an NEA contract in those jurisdictions (like California and New York), you must pay dues to the NEA. It is the law. There is nothing … more ›