Prince William County Public Schools

Select this link to view the agenda on the Electronic School Board webpage.

Select this link to view the School Board meeting on PWCS-TV.

Annual Organizational Meeting

The School Board took the following actions at its annual organizational meeting:

• Mrs. Lillie G. Jessie, Occoquan District, was elected Vice Chairman of the Prince William County School Board for 2016;
• Mrs. Deborah Urban was appointed clerk of the Prince William County School Board for 2016 and Mrs. B Simpson was appointed as deputy clerk;
• The School Board will require that the clerk and deputy clerk furnish a corporate surety bond of $10,000 conditioned upon the faithful performance and discharge of their duties, premium for such bonds to be paid by the School Board;
• The location of regular School Board meetings was established as the Edward L. Kelly Leadership Center, 14715 Bristow Road, Manassas, Virginia, on the first and third Wednesdays of the months of January through June and September through December. Closed Session meetings shall convene at 6 p.m. and public meetings shall convene at 7 p.m.;
• Ms. Rae E. Darlington, Deputy Superintendent, was appointed designee of the Division Superintendent to attend meetings of the School Board in the absence or inability of the Superintendent to attend; and
• The Board approved membership in professional organizations and the appointment of representatives.

Regular Public School Board Meeting

The School Board Approved:

• February as Career and Technical Education Month and National Black History Month;
• March as National Athletic Training Month;
• February 1-5 as National School Counseling Week;
• April 17-23 as National Environmental Education Week and National Foreign Language Week;
• The change order to the Pepco Energy Services contract for the design and installation of energy saving equipment at Mountain View Elementary School;
• The Fifth Affiliation Agreement with George Mason University and the Governor's School @ Innovation Park;
• The increase in FY 2016 revenue and expense budget by $1,850 for donations from Lockheed Martin to the Governor's School @ Innovation Park;
• The increase in FY 2016 budget and appropriation for The Governor's School @ Innovation Park fund for the purchase of education technology. The school must first submit payments for the qualifying equipment purchases and then file a reimbursement request with VDOE;
• The resolution authorizing the Superintendent of Schools to submit all reports and other necessary filings for the receipts of Impact Aid and to provide all assurances otherwise required by the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994;
• The payrolls for November; and
• The School Board meeting minutes for December 16.

Citizens' Comment Time:

Citizens addressed the School Board on the following topics:

• Sustainable renewable technology course offered at Battlefield High School;
• Boundary attendance for the "Ferlazzo" elementary school;
• Extra half-hour added to the teacher workday and teacher salaries;
• National Athletic Training Month and trainers;
• Closing school on Election Day;
• National Foreign Language Week and foreign exchange students;
• PWEA survey and teacher workload; and
• Bus drivers' salaries.

• Dr. Matthew Cartlidge, supervisor of Planning, reported the recommendations prepared by the "Ferlazzo" elementary school Boundary Planning Committee for the school opening in September 2016.
• Ms. Carol Bass, supervisor of World Languages, gave a report and recommendations from the World Languages Textbook Adoption Committee.
• Mr. John Gilberto of the public accounting firm Cherry Bekaert LLP, presented the results of a financial audit of the School Division's FY 2015 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. Cherry Bekaert LLP gave an unqualified clean audit report and answered questions from the Board members.

Superintendent's Time:

Dr. Steven L. Walts, Superintendent of Schools, welcomed the new Chairman Ryan Sawyers and School Board members. He shared highlights of some of what the School Board, teachers, administrators, students, parents, and staff have achieved together in the last ten years. See PowerPoint.

In addition, he announced the following:

• Minnieville Elementary School is one of only 46 schools in Virginia to be recognized as a Title I Distinguished School for meeting all state and federal accountability requirements for two consecutive years and achieving SOL pass rates at the 60th percentile or higher for reading and mathematics. Congratulations to the Minnieville teachers, support staff, administrators, and students and their families on their outstanding work.
• The kickoff for a new civic engagement program funded by a $23,000 grant from The Community Foundation of Northern Virginia, through SPARK. It will teach students how government works, and how to change public policy.
• An $85,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Education will fund a "Project Graduation" Academic Year Academy. It will help provide remedial instruction and assessment opportunities for students at risk of not meeting Virginia diploma requirements.
• Thirty-one outstanding teachers have been nominated for Teacher of the Year Awards, and three principals have been nominated as Principal of the Year. Please see our website for their names and schools.
• Thirteen teachers have just earned National Board Certification or re-certification.
• James Madison University School of Music honored: Battlefield High School Director of Bands, Greg Oaks, with the Outstanding Cooperating Teacher Award for his record of excellence in mentoring JMU music student teachers. Also, Hylton High School Choral Director, Thomas Tutwiler, earned the Outstanding Music Educator Award for his sustained leadership in music education, and excellence in music teaching.
• A final reminder for parents that the Student Services Office is hosting the annual Parent Summit on Saturday, January 9 at Hylton High School, from 8 to 11 a.m. This event was called the "best ever" by many parents who participated last year.
• Dr. Walts congratulated Mrs. Jessie on her appointment as Vice Chairman of the School Board. He also thanked Mrs. Satterwhite for her service as Vice Chairman over the past year.

The following topics where raised by School Board members for Board discussion and possible action:

• Mr. Ryan Sawyers, Chairman, discussed a reorganization chart. With the many new School Board members and recent changes, it would be necessary to communicate these changes with an up-to-date organization chart.
• Mr. Justin Wilks, Potomac District, spoke about the 30-minute contract extension to the teacher's workday. He stated that he wanted to open this issue for discussion at a public meeting or have it placed forward for a vote. Mr. Wilks would like to repeal the contract extension.
• Ms. Raulston discussed possible formation of a Policy Committee and updating/reviewing policies with the School Board's input.

To see full discussions by the School Board, view the meeting on PWCS-TV.

Volume 11, Number 9 - Publication date: January 11, 2016