Prince William County Public Schools

School Board Meeting March 2, 2016

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.

The School Board Approved:

• March as Brain Injury Awareness Month;
• The debt refunding for the spring 2016 VPSA Stand Alone Bond refunding;
• Documents necessary or convenient for the construction and/or operation of the proposed "Alternative Education" school and "Potomac Shores" elementary school;
• Documents necessary or convenient for the construction and/or operation of school additions to Belmont, Henderson, and Neabsco Elementary Schools and Lake Ridge Middle School;
• Funding to the Potomac Club Condominium Unit Owners Association for an ingress/egress easement to access Ann Ludwig School;
• May 4 as International Bike to School Day;
• Space usage agreement between the Governor's School @ Innovation Park and George Mason University;
• Payrolls for the month of January;
• School Board meeting minutes of February 17;
• The appointments of Mr. Don Shaw to represent Chairman Sawyers and Ms. Gabrielle Goggin to represent the Neabsco District for SEAC for a two year term; and
• Naming of the "Ferlazzo" elementary school in honor of Kyle R. Wilson with Godwin Middle School being renamed Dr. George M. Hampton Middle School.

  Citizens' Comment Time:

  Citizens addressed the Board on the following topics:

• Students spoke about their experience in the culinary program at Patriot High School;
• Suggested names for the new elementary school in Woodbridge;
• Teacher contracts and recruitment;
• PWCS teacher survey;
• Required supervision at student activities after work hours; and
• PWCS budget funding.

  Superintendent's Time: Dr. Walts, Superintendent of Schools, opted to forego his comment time and said that his comments (below) will be placed on the PWCS website.

• The Office of Student Services will host a conversation for parents and students on recovering from difficult events that take a serious toll on their lives. Experts will be on hand to help navigate grief and stress, and provide resources offering family safety and support, now and whenever they are needed. The date is Thursday, March 17 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Battlefield High School.
• March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. Prince William County Public Schools is a leader in concussion awareness training. Our model of mandatory parent and athlete training in this area has been implemented in many other school divisions across the state. There is a video titled "Chloe's Story," about the experience of one of our own student athletes that is incorporated in our concussion training. Citizens can watch this compelling video on the PWCS YouTube site.
• Congratulations to seven-year-old Lewis Ross Brown, IV, a Bel Air Elementary student, who is the youngest person on record to be inducted into the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. He is interested in becoming an environmental toxicologist, following in the footsteps of his parents, Lewis and Shamira Brown.
• Woodbridge High School has received an invitation for its choral group to perform at the Kennedy Center on the Millennium Stage on Wednesday, April 20. Congratulations to these outstanding vocalists who earned this invitation because of their reputation for excellence.
• A reminder to high school students who are looking for summer jobs. The School Division will hold two job fairs. The first will be on Tuesday, March 8, at Potomac High School, and the second on Thursday, March 10, at Stonewall Jackson High School. Students must complete an online application before the job fair and bring a copy of that application with them. Visit the Human Resources webpage at pwcs.edu.
• The Virginia Department of Education recently released a statement regarding student achievement on AP exams. PWCS students continue to exceed both the state and national percentages of seniors earning qualifying scores on one or more advanced exams.
• Dr. Walts attended several School of Excellence celebrations recently. Special congratulations to Gar-Field High School and King and Pattie Elementary Schools. He visited River Oaks Elementary School to celebrate the school's contributions to the annual United Way campaign. For eight years in a row, 100 percent of River Oaks employees have contributed to the United Way.
• Dr. Walts also extended his sympathy to the family of Prince William County Police Officer Ashley Guindon, and wishes for a speedy and full recovery for Officers Jesse Hempen and David McKeown. Our hearts and prayers are with these families and the entire police department.

The following topic was raised by School Board members for Board discussion and possible action:

Mr. Gil Trenum, Brentsville District, talked to the Board members about the formation of an infrastructure task force. Mr. Trenum suggested that the Board discuss and possibly vote on this topic at the next Board meeting.

Volume 11, Number 12 - Publication date: March 7, 2016