Falls Church City Public Schools

The School Board meeting began with a video update of the Communications and Community Engagement pillar of the FCCPS Strategic Plan. Later in the meeting, the Board unanimously approved the First Reading of a Collective Bargaining Resolution last night, which follows Virginia legislation passed in May 2021. This legislation permits collective bargaining between Virginia school boards, counties, cities, towns, and their employees by adopting an authorizing ordinance or resolution. Collective bargaining is a negotiation process between FCCPS and a group of employees represented by a bargaining agent, such as a union, to establish employment terms and conditions.

The Falls Church School Board received a presentation of the Advanced Academic plan at Oak Street Elementary for the coming year, which proposes a 1.0 additional position at Oak Street to support the new model. The Board then unanimously approved its FY24 Advertised Budget, including the Advanced Academic teacher and many compensation and benefit improvements for all staff. The budget is now sent to the Falls Church City Manager, who adds it to the City's overall proposed budget for consideration by the City Council. Final approval is expected in May.

During the FCCPS Strategic Plan Midyear Update, Superintendent Peter Noonan and Director of Strategic Planning & Community Engagement Marybeth Connelly presented a progress report on the activities aligned with the FCCPS Strategic Plan.

The Falls Church School Board convened its latest meeting last night, which marked the debut of Dr. Jerrod Anderson as the Interim School Board Member. Dr. Anderson is taking over the position from Phil Reitinger, who resigned from the board last month. The meeting started with a series of recognition events, including School Board Appreciation Month, School Board Clerk Appreciation Week, and the recent GIVE Day program. Additionally, the board received a comprehensive Mid-Year Update on the Strategic Plan, focusing on Investing in our People section. One of the main topics of discussion was the proposal to move the start times for the Secondary Campus later. The board reviewed recent research and considered the potential benefits and challenges of such a change. The meeting also included an update on the ongoing Collective Bargaining discussions and a Q&A session on the FY24 Budget.

The Meridian High School student services team invited Juniors and their families to the annual Junior College Information Night. The evening covered how to build a balanced college list, the contents of a college application, tasks to complete to apply, and more.

The Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School administrators, 6th-grade team, encore team leader, specialists, and counseling team held their annual RISING 6TH GRADE INFORMATION NIGHT. This session covered transitioning to middle school, 6th-grade expectations, registration overview, and supports and services.

The Meridian High School counseling team hosted the "Rising 9th Grade Parent Information Night."  Families had the opportunity to meet the school counseling team, understand VDOE diploma options, learn what information is reported on a high school transcript, course offerings for 9th grade, student supports, and transitions, and how to finalize registering for classes for the 23-24 school year.

The Falls Church School Board held a Special Meeting and Public Hearing to allow four persons interested in filling a vacancy on the Board following the resignation of Phil Reitinger to express why they should be considered. Those who spoke were Jerrod Anderson, Bethany Henderson, Amie Murphy, and Tahir Qamar. The Board will make a final decision on February 2nd. During the monthly Work Session portion of the meeting, the Board received an update on the Equity work ongoing in the schools and an overview of student performance – successes and areas needing improvement. The Board also held its first Budget Work Session, where answers were provided to 16 questions board members submitted following last week's Superintendent's proposed budget presentation.

The Falls Church School Board unanimously re-elected Chair Laura Downs and Vice-Chair Tate Gould to serve in those identical posts for the 2023 term. Superintendent Peter Noonan presented his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24.  For the fifth consecutive year, the budget remains within the City Council guidance – this year, it is initially set at 4.2%, down from last year's 8.4% due to inflationary headwinds.

Welcome to the MHS Curriculum Overview Night You will be hearing from our CTLs (Curriculum Teacher Leaders) and Sustainability Coordinator to discuss course sequences, course curriculum, graduation requirements, and an overview of the course selection process and timeline.  Questions were taken at the end of the presentation.

December 16, 2023 The Meridian High Chamber Singers descended on Falls Church City Public Schools Central Office as the Winter Break was about to begin. They shared six acapella holiday selections under the direction of Ms. Jamie Samples.

The Falls Church School Board celebrated engaged parents, doubled down on anti-hate, and took a deep dive into the amazing results of ESOL growth rates. Plus, a two-term Board member announces his upcoming resignation.

Superintendent Peter Noonan presented a first look at the Fiscal Year 2024 FCCPS projected budget revenues, expenditures, and staff requests before the annual joint Budget Work Session of the School Board and City Council. Dr. Noonan says staff compensation will remain the key priority for the coming year. "We believe the best school division in Virginia should have the best-paid staff." City Manager Wyatt Shields announced the General Government is projecting organic revenue growth for the coming year of 4.2%, one-half of last year's original 8.4% projected increase.  Last night's meeting was the kick-off to the Falls Church budget-building season, with many updates and adjustments to be made before the revenue and spending plans are finalized. Next Up: City Council will vote on this year's Budget Guidance on December 12th, and Superintendent Noonan will present his annual Proposed Budget to the School Board on January 10th.

Falls Church School Board Considers Calendars, Start Times, and Enrollment Projections During a combined Work Session and Regular Meeting for November, the Falls Church School Board took one more look at proposed school calendars for the coming two years before they come up for approval in December.  The Board also received a presentation on challenges the division would face if school day start times were pushed to later in the morning.  And with the annual budget-building work set to begin next month, the Board reviewed the latest Enrollment Projections from UVA's Weldon Cooper Center.

During the Falls Church School Board October Work Session, FCCPS Legislative Representative Lilla Wise, presented a draft of the school division's Legislative Priorities in preparation for the upcoming Virginia General Assembly session. Rebecca Sharp, Executive Director of Special Services, and nine FCCPS Special Services Support Staff provided a detailed review of the amazing array of Special Services provided to students at FCCPS. With the annual budget-building work on the horizon, Superintendent Peter Noonan reviewed the City & Schools Revenue Sharing approach and principals. The Board then discussed a response drafted by Board Member Dr. David Ortiz as the Board's public comment to the Virginia Department of Education's proposed 2022 Model Policies on the treatment of transgender and nonbinary students in public schools. The comment reiterates and expands on the position made in last month's Joint Statement of the Board and Superintendent on the matter that "we believe all students deserve a community that promotes inclusion and celebrates authenticity and assure you that FCCPS will maintain consistency with settled law and our adopted nondiscrimination and anti-harassment policies."

The Board, on a 6-1 vote, finalized its months-long work of refining and tweaking its Policy CC - School Calendar, which establishes guidelines for building future academic calendars. The policy requires starting two weeks before Labor Day beginning next August and ending ideally no later than June 10, with most breaks scheduled around federal holidays. Fall, Winter, and Spring Breaks remain unchanged. Calendar adoption this December will include TWO academic years, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. In December 2023, the School Board will adopt a calendar for the 2025-2026 academic year and then continue to adopt one calendar annually, each December.

The Falls Church School Board received a much anticipated, detailed presentation on student performance data for the past academic year. Chief Academic Officer William Bates and Dr. Peter Weilenmann, Director of Assessment and Accountability, presented results in three buckets; International Baccalaureate, Standardized Assessments (SOLs), and Whole Child Data. There were lots to celebrate as well as opportunities for growth identified. The Board also continued its months-long work of refining and tweaking its proposed Policy CC, establishing guidelines for building an academic calendar. The policy includes starting two weeks before Labor Day and ending no later than June 10, with most breaks scheduled around federal holidays. The policy also calls on the Superintendent to adopt a regulation that instructs staff to refrain from scheduling exams and special events on religious holidays. Look for an update to the draft Policy CC, including last night's tweaks, and a draft of the Superintendent's Regulation in the coming days. The School Board is scheduled to vote on Policy CC during its October 11 meeting. The Board continues to receive feedback from the community. You can email the School Board.

The Falls Church School Board approves the First Reading of a new policy that codifies the development of future school calendars. In addition, the School Board received a presentation of results and analysis of the Employee Climate Survey administered last Spring. It also approved resolutions recognizing September as National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and October as Falls Church City School Board Bullying Prevention Month.

On August 24, 2022, Falls Church City Public Schools Superintendent Peter Noonan hosted a Welcome Back to School webcast. He shared some exciting things happening this coming year and some considerations.

NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, the first 15 minutes of the meeting are not available. During its August Work Session, the Falls Church School Board received the latest update on CDC and VDH Guidelines. In short, there will be no changes from the end of the previous school year.  No vaccination requirements for sports, nor distancing or masking rules as COVID becomes endemic. The Board also continued its discussion of codifying the school calendar process, reviewed two sample calendars, and is expected to consider the First Reading of a new policy at its next meeting on September 13th.  If approved, comments on the draft will be received before final approval.

During its August Regular Meeting, the Falls Church School Board appointed Ms. Karim Daugherty as Principal of Oak Street Elementary.  The Board also continued its discussion of codifying the school calendar process. Board members appeared to settle on a two-week-before-Labor-Day start date beginning in 2023, but other issues remain unresolved, and public input is still being sought. Editors Note: This meeting included a Closed Meeting and interruptions due to technical difficulties.  All have been edited out of this to provide the listener with a seamless experience.  No meeting content or discussions were removed.

During its June Work Session, the Falls Church School Board continued its discussion on developing a policy to guide the annual task of School Calendar creation.  They are working on a draft policy and continue to seek your input.  The board also received an in-depth briefing on School Safety & Security at FCCPS in light of the recent school tragedies in our country.

Historically, the final School Board Meeting of the school year is a time of celebration. This year was exceedingly so - with a bit of 'History-Making' thrown in for good measure. Coaches and student-athletes, student board and committee representatives, Choral, Band, and Theatrical Arts members all were congratulated in the School Board Spotlight. And with athletes and supporters of Meridian Girls Wrestling looking on (above), the Board also approved a Resolution calling on the Virginia High School League to sanction girls wrestling as a sport! They are the first Board in Virginia to approve such a document, but probably not the last. Today, the Resolution will be sent, not only to the VHSL, but to the Governor, local lawmakers, and every school superintendent in Virginia urging them to do the same!

During a Special Meeting Tuesday night, the Falls Church School Board drafted a statement committing to add gun safety items to its legislative priorities. It also calls on State and National legislators to add the following "to protect our schools, students, and staff: barring the purchase of high capacity magazines; maintaining red flag laws; implementing mandatory waiting periods; enforcing universal background checks; requiring safe storage of guns and ammunition; banning ownership of assault weapons; mandating new handguns sold in the state have childproofing; adopting regulations on gun parts, and allowing local jurisdictions to make their own gun laws."

The Falls Church School Board opened its meeting with a moment of silence for the victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting.  Dr. Noonan has issued a statement regarding the horrific events of yesterday. During the meeting, the Board received two highly anticipated reports to guide the division's work both in the near term and out several years. K-12 Insight presented the results of the FCCPS Climate Survey of students taken just prior to Spring Break. Dr. Noonan then presented details of the new five-year, 2022-2027 FCCPS Strategic Plan. The plan focuses on five areas of work: IB Infused Teaching & Learning, Wellness, Equity & Belonging, Resource Management & Continuous Improvement, Communication & Engagement, and Investing in Our People. The meeting also included further discussion on codifying the school calendar process and an update on Collective Bargaining.

Congratulations to all Staff Recognized at the Celebration of Excellence Thursday, May 12, 2022 FCEF Teach of the Year - Jennifer Jayson (Meridian Math Teacher) Professional Specialist of the Year: Jennifer Fessenden (PreK - 12 Math Coordinator) Support Staff Employee of the Year- Academic:  Alane O’Neill (OSE Technology Aide) Support Staff Employee of the Year- Operations: Sindy Morel (Assistant Director of Food Services) All nominees receive two courtesy tickets to the FCEF Gala & Auction, courtesy of the Steve & Nancy Sprague Teacher Leadership Fund, and the overall winner receives a prize of $1500, funded by the Foundation.

During its Regular Monthly meeting in May, the Falls Church School Board approved the division's budget for the 2022-2023 school year.  The Budget focuses on employee compensation, working conditions, and investments in our schools. They celebrated the career of Marc Robarge, who is retiring this year, and congratulated him and his students for the moving Memory Project (see video below). The Board also commended the Robotics Meridian Team and Scholastic Bowl team on their seasons.

In this episode: Superintendent’s Update Updates on Spring Assessments #HandleWithCare COVID Reminders & Information FCCPS COVID by the Numbers

In this meeting – Collective Bargaining Update CIA Data Presentation Update  School Calendar Process Quarterly Budget Report

In this issue: Superintendent’s Update Information about Autism Awareness Month COVID Reminders & Information FCCPS COVID by the Numbers

At its Regular Meeting for April, the Falls Church School Board with a series of celebrations – for the conclusion of the 2-year IB Evaluation, the incredibly successful Meridian Girls Basketball season, and honoring former board member Lawrence Webb for his years of service to the Falls Church community. The Board then approved the creation of a committee to develop a Collective Bargaining Resolution Agreement for the Board's consideration later this Spring.

Falls Church School Board Chair Laura Downs and Superintendent Peter Noonan presented the Board's FY23 Advertised Budget before the Falls Church City Council last night. Among the items included: Employee Compensation Step increase for eligible employees Recovery step from FY 2021 for eligible employees Cost of Living increase of 2.25 percent $3,000/yr stipend for National Board Certified Teachers One-time $1,000 bonus for staff at the end of their salary lane. $15/hour minimum wage effective March 1, 2022 Working Conditions Career and Technical Education, Math, Science teachers School Nurse and Psychologist Secondary Campus Parent Liaison

In the final episode of our Women's History Month series, student Coral Rankin interviews Holly Manson and Julie Lu of Botanologica.

During its March Work Session, the Falls Church School Board unanimously approved a 25-year lease agreement with Sun Tribe Solar to construct a 65,000 square foot solar photovoltaic energy system for Meridian High School. It received a presentation on the $10 million grant awarded to the City of Falls Church and Virginia Tech to analyze traffic congestion and pedestrian safety concerns and apply technologies to solve them. Other discussions included a request for an Easement for the West Falls development, a demographer for the city and school, and answers to questions about the collective bargaining process.

In this week's episode of our Women's History Month series, student Jack Rifkin interviews Dr. Ansha Shankar, a post-doctorate fellow at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithica, New York.

For this episode in our Women's History Month series, Rachelle Barimany, Chief Financial Officer of Dominion Jewelers is interviewed by Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School student Marisa Sotelino.

At its Regular Meeting for March, the Falls Church School Board received an information presentation on Collective Bargaining. The Virginia General Assembly last year voted to permit local governing bodies to legally bargain with labor unions.  The Board also approved the disposal of an old Prius and installation of new infrastructure to charge the two new electric school buses we are hoping are soon to arrive.

Molly Hermann, owner of The Biscuit Factory is interviewed by Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School student Jillian Sterner.

In this episode, Superintendent Peter Noonan shares the implication of the new CDC COVID-19 guidance on Falls Church City Public Schools.  And the news is really good!

The Falls Church School Board held a Special Meeting to approve a new Policy JA - Public Health and Pandemic Policy.

Virginia State Senator Jennifer B Boysko is interviewed by Meridian High School students C.C. Meade and Grace Tarpgaard.

This week, Superintendent Peter Noonan celebrates the School Board's approval of its proposed budget, the status of the ViSSTA COVID Screening program migration, and an upcoming survey on how our students and staff are managing life's challenges at school and beyond.

The Falls Church School Board unanimously approved a proposed budget for FY2022-23 for submission to the City Manager. Among the items included: Employee Compensation Step increase for eligible employees Recovery step from FY 2021 for eligible employees Cost of Living increase of 2.25 percent $3,000/yr stipend for National Board Certified Teachers One-time $1,000 bonus for staff at the end of their salary lane. $15/hour minimum wage effective March 1, 2022 Working Conditions Career and Technical Education, Math, Science teachers School Nurse and Psychologist Secondary Campus Parent Liaison The Board also received an update on Strategic Plan work and an update on FCCPS COVID response.

During its February Regular Meeting, the Falls Church School Board was itself celebrated during School Board Appreciation Month. It then turned the congratulation light on three teachers for achieving National Board Certification and two others whose certifications were renewed. And in the 'Spotlight,' GIVE Day Ambassadors and organizers were celebrated for another successful service day. The meeting included a Closed Meeting and this audio has been edited to remove the silence during that time.

Falls Church City Public Schools Superintendent Peter Noonah shares his updates for the 23 Week of school.   Included changes to COVID responses, the end of the semester, honoring Black History Month, budget work, School Board meetings, and lots of wonderful activities going on across our schools.

This meeting began with a lengthy closed session.  This file has been edited to eliminate the silence and continues as the Board reconvenes in an open session.  The Falls Church School Board received an update on the Meridian High School Sustainability Academy in its third year.  The Board also held its first Budget Work Session on the FY23 Budget and worked through answers to questions board members submitted about the revenue and spending plan.  Dr. Noonan also updated the community on COVID vaccination rates in the division in the JA Policy Update and Questions agenda item.

As this meeting began with a Closed Meeting, this file has been edited to eliminate the silence.  It begins as School Board members return to the Open Meeting. 

Superintendent Peter Noonan presented his proposed FY 2022-2023 Budget during a live web stream to the Falls Church community on Wednesday, January 19, 2022.

The Falls Church School Board unanimously selected former Vice-Chair, Laura Downs, to serve as Chair, and incoming board member Tate Gould to serve as Vice-Chair for the 2022 term. Superintendent Peter Noonan presented his proposed budget for the 2022-2023 school year.

Final School Board Meeting of 2021 For the last meeting of the calendar year, the Fall Church School Board began by honoring four members who are leaving at the end of the month. Special recognition was given to former Board Chair Dr. Greg Anderson and current Board Chair Shannon Litton for their years of service. Thanks to Edwin B Henderson II and Dr. Sonia Ruiz-Bolaños for serving out interim terms this year. The Board worked through a packed agenda that included approval of the 2022-2023 School Calendar, four new courses at Meridian High School, the five-year Capital Improvements Program, and its Legislative Package.