Prince William County Public Schools

School Board Meeting June 21, 2017

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:

• The agreement with Manassas City Public Schools and Manassas Park City Schools for their students to participate in several PWCS programs for the 2017-18 school year;
• The School Board Chairman signing documents pertaining to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to receive appropriate Federal funding;
• Authorization to the Superintendent and supervisor of Purchasing to award summer contracts to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder(s) and approve change orders from June 22 through September 6;
• The FY 2017 encumbrances and unencumbered balances, and increasing the FY 2018 fund budgets by these amounts. These amounts will be provided to the School Board as soon as possible after June 30;
• Memorandum of Agreement with the Woodbridge Lions Club and SPARK, the Education Foundation for services to students of Prince William County Public Schools;
• The Milestone Communications deed of lease agreement for a telecommunication tower located at Freedom High School;
• September 8 as International Literacy Day;
• September 10-16 as National Arts in Education Week;
• October 22-28 as National Chemistry Week;
• October 8-14 National Earth Science Week;
• The naming of the Stadium at Osbourn Park High School to Nemerow Field at Al Crow Stadium, in honor of Larry Nemerow;
• The annual student tuition rates and fees for FY 2018;
• The payrolls for May;
• The School Board meeting minutes for May 3 and 31, and June 7;
• The appointment of individuals to the Career and Technical Education Advisory Council;
• Revisions and changes to Policies:
  • 744, "Short-Term Suspension of Students";
  • 745, "Long-Term Suspension or Expulsion of Students, Readmission, and Exclusion/Admission";
  • 747, "Office of Student Management and Alternative Programs"; and
  • 060, "Nondiscrimination and Commitment to Equity."

Citizen's Comments:Citizens addressed the School Board on Policy 060, "Nondiscrimination and Commitment to Equity."

Presentations and discussion on the following topics:

• Fred M. Lynn Middle School's corrective action plan update;
• Fiscal Year 2017 budget report.

Superintendent's Time:

Dr. Steven L. Walts, Superintendent of Schools, made the following announcements:

• Congratulations to Maddie Kramer, a graduating senior at Battlefield High School, and daughter of staff member Amy Kramer. Maddie won first place in Virginia for the InvestWrite Essay Competition. This is the second consecutive year that the state winner of InvestWrite has been a Battlefield student.
• Congratulations also to Faadil Mohammed, rising sophomore at Osbourn Park High School, on winning first place in the Gaithersburg Book Festival short story contest for high school students.
• Two schools recently received exciting grants. The Laura Bush Foundation awarded Potomac View Elementary School a grant of $6,665 to purchase new books and other resources for the school library. Congratulations to Leslie Rhodenhizer, who applied for this grant. And Sudley Elementary School received a grant from Lowe's for $4,200 to create an outdoor classroom.
• Teachers, staff, and volunteers, including an Eagle Scout, at four high schools literally put their backs into creating certified wildlife habitats. See our website for details. The projects were possible through a partnership with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the Environmental Protection Agency.
• To students and parents, please make time to read during the summer months. Read to your children and encourage them to read. The summer reading list is posted on school websites and in all Prince William County libraries.
• All students entering the sixth grade in Prince William County Public Schools this fall must present proof that they have had a tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis T-dap booster shot within the past five years. By state law, without proof of this immunization or an exemption on file, children will not be able to enroll in school for the 2017-18 school year.
• The class of 2017 earned almost $57 million in scholarships. This amount marks an $18 million increase over the class of 2016. In total, 1,564 scholarships were earned by 630 students.
• There are two important dates on college fairs that parents can put on their calendars. The first will be at Osbourn Park High School on September 25 and the second will be held at Freedom High School on October 12. Details will be provided later this summer on the School Division website.
• Keep the news flowing from the School Division throughout the summer. To stay informed, download the PWCS mobile app, sign up for ENews, and be sure your email account is current in Parent Portal.
• For the 12^th year in a row, Dr. Walts completed his school visits - this year to all of our 100 schools and education centers. He also attended two Schools of Excellence celebrations and two high school graduations.
• Dr. Walts thanked the School Board, employees, parents, and guardians, and students for all their support this year. He also thanked our elected officials, business partners, and the community for supporting Prince William County Public Schools. He wished everyone a safe and enjoyable summer and looks forward to students returning on August 28 for the start of another great school year.

Volume 12, Number 19 - Publication Date: June 22, 2017

School Board Meeting Information:

Individuals who wish to address the School Board under Citizens' Time should notify the Board Clerk in writing at P.O. Box 389, Manassas, VA 20108; by phone at 703-791-8709; or by email at pwcsclerk@pwcs.edu prior to noon on the day of the Board meeting and will be placed on the list of speakers. Or, individuals may also sign onto the list of speakers maintained at the entrance to the School Board meeting room at the beginning of a regular Board meeting, but prior to 6:55 p.m. on the evening of the meeting. Please provide your name, address, phone number, and topic you would like to speak about. Any deviation from these procedures shall be at the discretion of the Chairman. All speakers must provide the School Board Clerk with their address and phone number in order to verify their residency and permit the Clerk to contact them if necessary. Upon request, the Clerk will not release to the public the address and phone number of the speaker.