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Dear Community Members,

Fourth quarter of the school year, here we come! This time of year holds promise and pressure as students, families, and staff seek achieving year-long goals! 

Among upcoming community commitments filling my calendar, there are two significant goals I want to complete by the end of June: that the School Board adopt a revised calendar policy and a new policy on the use of AI. Parents have overwhelmingly relayed that the school calendar must improve; and parents want clear guidelines on how AI and technology are used to benefit their children’s education. We need clarity soon to plan for the next school year. See my detailed updates further below. 

Budget development work continues through April. I share ​ below, but I want to highlight here: for the second consecutive year, the County Executive of the Fairfax government has proposed removing funding for a youth gang-prevention program that operates in our 25 middle schools - the middle school after school program (MSASP). 

When kids are left without safe places and interesting things to do, they can make poor and even dangerous choices. I’ve seen it across Hunter Mill. Recently, on the last school day before spring break, an hour after the early release (a challenge of our calendar I’m trying to address), there was a serious altercation at a Reston shopping center involving two middle school students and throngs of peers watching. 

Is this the Fairfax County we want for our kids and community? Kids loitering at shopping centers, causing commotions?

Relatedly, I saw this article about federal spending by age group. Unsurprisingly, by far most federal dollars are spent on retirees - six times more than on youth.  We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. If we don’t take care of our kids and community, who will? Our county officials must unite in investing in the youth of this county. It’s not enough to fund the bare minimum and then cut some more. Solutions can be found. You have a role in this, too. Please show up and speak up at public budget hearings in April to tell County funders what kind of Fairfax and public schools you expect. The dates are April 14, 15, and 16, beginning late afternoon. More details and registration info are here.

School Board Updates and Recent Work

Policy Work: Calendar and AI

About improving the school year calendar: I am taking action towards initial relief in the next school year (SY 26-27), by seeking to add more five-day school weeks. 

Ideally, the School Board has policies that clearly direct the Superintendent to operate the schools on a schedule, providing ample time for planning by all. At the same time, the Superintendent also can approach the Board with solutions when there are challenges to be addressed in real time, outside of the policy review cycle of five years. 

Neither of the above has happened to satisfaction at this time, but improvement is needed now. 

As the next school year draws nearer, my goal is to offer solutions with the least disruption possible for students, families, and educators starting this fall.

The three proposed action steps that would be effective for SY 26-27 are:

1. Schedule Monday, October 12, 2026, as a student instructional​ day (Indigenous People’s Day, currently a student holiday).  
2. Have no more than four (4) early release days per school year.  
3. Schedule Veterans Day annually as a student instructional day (currently a student holiday).  

The School Board will vote publicly on these at its Thursday, April 9 scheduled Regular Meeting. 

If adopted, there will be two more full five-day school weeks in the first quarter of school! This will help children regulate to the instructional schedule at the start of the year, setting them up for success at school. 

Then, the Board and the Superintendent must finish the needed work to remedy the situation: adopt a clear policy (Board), and revisit the outyear calendars beginning with SY 27-28 (Superintendent). My goal as Governance Committee Chair is to have the calendar policy finalized as soon as possible, prior to the end of this current school year. Then, with the revised calendar policy in place, my desire is that the Superintendent seek further changes for SY 26-27, if possible and with minimal disruption, to further remedy the inconsistent schedule that still remains. This may not be very possible. However, if the elementary school early release days are capped at four by the Board on April 9, this will already create a less fractured calendar for the whole of SY 26-27.     

Regarding the AI policy: Board Members will next take up discussion on this at the April 14 Governance Committee, which I chair. Please see this short video with my thoughts on this new, developing policy. Thanks to the many parents, educators, students, and advocates who have informed my thinking and understanding about how technology is used with instruction.