SB 🧵:

"Computer-led instruction is replacing teacher-led instruction at a critical stage of children's development."

Community speakers speak forcefully in favor of reducing the use of screen-based learning in elementary schools. Mark Spooner raises troubling allegations that the SB held a closed mtg in February of 2025 (in violation of open mtg rules), to secretly add a second staffer for each SB member at a cost to taxpayers of more than $100k per staffer. share.google/3GnV1o6Xso35BL…

SB 🧵:

"Our data privacy policy has not been updated since 2015. The last review was 11 years ago."

The student rep calls for FCPS to update its outdated student privacy protections in light of vastly changed technological threats to student data. The SB votes to name the new Western high school: "Skyview High School"

The name fits into a theme w the school offering specialized course options in aerospace sciences, AI, & advanced technology & innovation.

SB Mtg 🧵:

During community participation, many community members ask Dr. Reid to delay the adoption of AI in schools, highlighting a recent Brookings report finding that the risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits share.google/O8CqMz1RAscMd2… "The juice is not worth the squeeze."

Mr. McElveen says he will oppose the boundary changes proposed tonight as largely ineffectual, relative to the amount of time & resources spent, as Dr. Reid presents a scaled-down series of proposed boundary changes.

SB Mtg 🧵:

"The structure of the day & week is so inconsistent, my students have stopped asking why they have the day off. The joke at the HS is because it's Tuesday."

Dad challenges FCPS's incoherent calendar, & the severe disruption to learning from so many random days off. "Lunch tables are limited to 4 students per table.. our kids are not able to play w friends in separate classes..students at lunch have been left to sit alone. I walked in to find my 1st grade daughter crying..When we've talked to school admin. about these policies, we've been told that it's for the students' safety."

Deer Park ES mom challenges school's bizarre refusal to repeal COVID era lunch & recess policies.

"Students have experienced frustration with the weapons detection system leading to unexcused absences & tardys"

SB Mtg 🧵: the new student rep. flags how chaotic FCPS's process has been for implementing metal detector screening at high schools. Earlier, community participation speakers expressed outrage over the news that Centreville HS staff facilitated two students' abortions w/o notifying parents.

Other speakers spoke in support of FCPS's policies on trans students.

SB Mtg 🧵:

The mtg starts late due to a lack of a quorum, as multiple board members play hooky.

After pleading with Kyle McDaniel to drive in, Karl Frisch begins the mtg hoping that Mr. McDaniel is on his way. Karl Frisch's 18-month tenure as Chair of the SB ends w Mr. Frisch asserting success on transparency, the CBA, & academic & environmental goals.

During his tenure, the FCPS budget continued to expand exponentially, as FCPS spent vast sums on items unrelated to academic outcomes.

SB Mtg 🧵Politicians Galore.

Seemingly every area politician shows up to attend the meeting, as the school board issues proclamations honoring the late Cong. Connolly & former SB member Janie Strauss. "Some of the people on this SB who want to spend this $ on a 1-time bonus wanted to indefinitely postpone my budget amendments to make sure our kids are safe. I find that reprehensible.."

@mateodunne_sb expresses ire at a proposal to use $11 million to give employees 1-time bonuses, while scuttling, due to cost, Dunne's proposals at the last mtg for increased security.

SB 🧵

"SB members quietly created new staff..totalling $1.5 million. Meanwhile FCPS leadership announced reductions to the no. of special ed. leads in ES & the no. of adv. academic resource teachers.."

Stephanie Lundquist Aurora calls for an independent audit of FCPS spending. "Bad things happen in the bathrooms.."

@MateoDunne argues for various budget amendments incl. adding security personnel at MS & HS.

Ms. Meren seeks to suspend the rules & cut off all debate, to stop any change to the (lousy) budget deal negotiated w the teachers union.

SB Mtg 🧵:

The SB votes to amend the SRR to have the Chief Equity Office study the "disproportionality" of punishments dispensed when a student has a weapon or commits an assault.

The timing of this equity measure, so soon after the recent stabbing, is head scratching.
"Voting down a motion you haven't even given the time..to discuss w the motion makers.. & then voting for a motion that we never discussed publicly is poor public policy."

Ms. Meren criticizes the SB for voting down a motion complying w VA law restricting cellphones & voting instead for a less stringent measure.

SB Mtg 🧵:

For the second meeting in a row, embattled budget chair, Kyle McDaniel, attends the meeting remotely. bizjournals.com/washington/new… The school board announces that the next student representative will be Faith MeKonen, a South County HS junior.

SB Mtg 🧵:

Budget Chair Kyle McDaniel, who is currently being sued for allegedly embezzling funds to use on strip clubs & vacations, logs in remotely.

Only in a broken system lacking accountability, like FCPS, would this be met with complete indifference wusa9.com/article/news/l… The SB passes a relatively small budget adjustment as part of the 3rd quarter budget review, using funds from a vaping class action settlement to fund additional security equipment.

SB Mtg 🧵:

SB votes to approve the boundary study scope to alleviate overcrowding at Coates ES & Parklawn ES to include some 35+ schools.

The goal is to get a jump start on boundary changes for these schools prior to the comprehensive boundary review.
The SB votes to get rid of the Family Life Education Curriculum Advisory Committee (FLECAC) & instead make FLE curriculum decisions through an internal FCPS committee subject to public & SB review.

SB Mtg 🧵:

Community speakers call for more transparency & meaningful dialogue in the boundary review process, urging FCPS not to break up communities.

FCPS appears poised to continue its modus operandi of ignoring the community to decide behind closed doors based on equity. "If we want to be the tech center of this nation, we must graduate students w a strong math/science background."

Dr. Reid calls for increased math graduation requirements (e.g., adding math/trig & having 4-yrs of math) in response to news that VA students are last in math scores

SB Mtg 🧵

"Quite honestly, our data usage & data planning has multiplied exponentially."

@FCPSSupt reports increasing FCPS tech use.

Todays WSJ notes educators increasingly question whether the shift towards more tech in school has benefitted learning search.app/y7Ts5oyYTduB9m…

"Schoology... That's a horse that needs to be taken out back & shot."

@MateoDunne notes that Schoology is not being widely used b/c people hate it.

Mr. Dunne also notes the above article & argues that we need to not blindly move forward w tech use where it doesn't aid learning

SB Mtg 🧵:

4 years after the FCPS unions successfully engineered some of the longest school closures in the nation (causing immeasurable damage to students), the SB prepares to ratify FEU's collective bargaining agreement.

The agreement will:
-make it harder to fire bad teachers
-commits $150 million that FCPS doesn't have in its budget,
-grants sick & bereavement leave applicable when roommates are sick/deceased
-gives union reps 50% more paid leave per year for union activities than there are instructional hours in a school year. The school board gives lengthy speeches extolling the agreement as necessary to strengthen our school system.

Missing from the speeches is any real argument that the agreement will benefit student outcomes or any acknowledgement of the funding difficulties given the lack of budgeted $ and the fact that FCPS salaries (when pension $ is included) are already near the top of the market.

"This is at best a demonstration of indifference, at worst a dereliction of duty. Either way it's a betrayal that destroyed the community's confidence in fcps leaders & the credibility thereof."

Community members are sharply critical of FCPS leadership & lack of transparency during Hayfield fiasco. SB 🧵 continued...

Dr. Reid represents compliance w FCPS HR goals, touting collective bargaining efforts, improvements in HR systems, increasing retention rates, & diversity hiring efforts.

SB Mtg 🧵:

Following many plaudits for her performance to date, the SB unanimously votes to extend Dr. Reid's contract until 2028 at a salary of $424k (plus benefits). The SB votes to use $3 million in reserve funds to complete a comprehensive facility condition assessment of all FCPS facilities & buildings, to assist in determining maintenance & renovation needs of aging facilities.

SB Mtg 🧵:

Dr. Reid congratulates Spring Hill Elementary School for being named a National Blue Ribbon School by the US Dept. of Education. doe.virginia.gov/Home/Component… The student rep notes problems with FCPS's grading policy, specifically that:

-classes where the heavy grading emphasis on summative work falls victim to small sample sizes & doesn't reflect student performance
-the liberal retake policy burdens teachers & demotivates students.

SB Mtg 🧵:

"Every single school district needs to be talking about JLARC, b/c imagine how many buses they could buy."

SB Chair Frisch calls for more Richmond $ to be provided to school districts, so those districts can spend the extra $ on electric buses. FCPS has added 105 electric buses using grant $.

Unfortunately, the buses can't be used for double-back routes bc there aren't charging stations all around the district. The grant $ came w no $ at all to build infrastructure & the buses can't be used for field trips or sports bc they can't guarantee the ability to charge them.

SB Mtg 🧵

The SB rejects a motion from @MateoDunne to allocate $8 million towards year end funds for a comprehensive facilities condition assessment of all buildings & facilities & to establish a new renovation queue based on that assessment.

In a surprise move, Mr. Dunne calls for an outside investigation into the allegations re: the Hayfield HS football prgm (allegations of ineligible players, cyberbullying, & more).

Mr. Dunne labels the recent internal investigation "not credible," highlighting that 15 football players came from other districts.

SB Mtg 🧵:

Many grassroots @FairFACTSMatter members in the audience today calling for a halt to proposed boundary policy changes.

Emily VanDerhoff (union leader that fought to keep schools closed indefinitely) loudly booed when voicing support for the boundary policy changes. Mr. Frisch pauses the video testimony of activist Robert Rigby speaking in support of the boundary change policy due to loud booing from the crowd.