Prince William County Public Schools

School Board Meeting November 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:

• The new course offerings for inclusion in the High School Course Catalog for 2017‒18 school year:
  • Software Engineering (PLTW);
  • AICE Physical Education;
  • IGCSE Global Perspectives;
  • Advanced Physical Education Lifeguard and Water Safety Instruction;
  • Plumbing I;
  • Plumbing II;
• The dual enrollment agreement with Northern Virginia Community College for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning classes;
• A development Impact Statement to Prince William County concerning the impact to the School Division of the proposed Kline Property rezoning development of 400 residential units;
• A waterline easement to Prince William Service Authority at Ashland Elementary School;
• The payrolls for September 2016;
• The School Board meeting minutes for October 19;
• The reappointment of Mr. Corey Holeman to represent the Occoquan District on the Safe Schools Advisory Council; and
• Hiring an outside consultant for parliamentary training for the entire School Board.

Policies and Regulations:

Revision of Policy 403.10, "Hazardous Materials" - first reading (No action is required on first readings).

Citizens' Comment Time:

Citizens addressed the School Board on the following topics:

• Beville Elementary School students' trip to the White House;
• NJROTC program at Potomac High School;
• Policy 060, "Nondiscrimination and Commitment to Equity";
• Tobacco free schools; and
• Teacher absenteeism.

Presentations and Discussions on the Following Topics:

• The annual Strategic Plan report provides information on the School Division's performance on the measures identified in the plan. Click here to view the presentation to the School Board.
• The FY 2017 First Quarter budget review.
• The School Board discussed appointing a student representative on the School Board.
• Adopting a code of ethics for Board members.

Superintendent's Time:

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

• Eleanor Wren Sigrest, a 13-year old eighth-grader who attends Benton Middle School, won the Broadcom MASTERS, a national middle school STEM competition, and a $25,000 prize for Leadership and Innovation. Her research was on cold gas rockets. Eleanor has been involved in the School Division's robotics program since elementary school and now mentors students at her former school.
• Congratulations to the 2016 Youth Salute Leaders in their respective schools. Youth Salute winner Mari Emma Beatty from Osbourn Park High School and runner-up Kelly Isbell from Battlefield High School recently attended the Town Meeting of Tomorrow in St. Louis. The awards were presented by the Prince William County Council on Youth Leadership.
• Two teams of Stonewall Middle School students will be competing in the first qualification round of the CyberPatriot competition on November 12 at George Mason University. CyberPatriot is a national youth cyber defense competition which is sponsored by numerous technology companies. Stonewall Middle School is the first middle school in PWCS to participate in this competition.
• Two high schools brought home awards from the Virginia High School Theatre Festival:
  • Woodbridge High School students won a Best Music Award for their production of "Return to the Forbidden Planet." Senior Fatima Dyfan earned an All Star Cast Award. Senior Christian Ellis won first place in the "On the Spot Play Writing Competition."
  • Patriot High School students performed their One Act play, "Disney's High School Musical," and junior Carleigh Hopkins won a Best Actress award.
• The public is invited to an important meeting on the proposed site for the 13^th high school on November 9. This meeting will be held in the auditorium of Stonewall Jackson High School from 7 to 9 p.m.

Volume 12, Number 5 - Publication date: November 3, 2016

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.