Prince William County Public Schools

School Board Meeting January 3, 2018

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

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

Annual Organizational Meeting:
The School Board took the following actions at its annual organizational meeting:
• Mrs. Lillie Jessie, Occoquan District, was re-elected as Vice Chairman of the Prince William County School Board for 2018;
• Mrs. Deborah H. Urban was appointed clerk of the Prince William County School Board for 2018 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. A few adjustments will be made to accommodate spring break, graduation, the Virginia School Boards Association's Annual Convention, and winter break;
• Mr. Keith Imon, 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 National African American History Month and National Career and Technical Education Month;
• February 5-9 as National School Counseling Week;
• The 2018 Internal Audit Plan;
• The contract to Taft Construction, Inc., for the construction of a western bus operations center;
• Deletion of Policy 406.01, "Inspections";
• The increase to the School Operating Fund budget due to new revenues received after the approval of the budget and receipt of donations;
• The increase to FY2018 budget and appropriation for The Governor's School @ Innovation Park for donations from Lockheed Martin;
• Internship participation agreement with George Mason University for joint educational programs involving the College of Health and Human Services;
• Revision of Policy 648.01, "Activity Participation Before Testing Days";
• The resolution authorizing the Superintendent of Schools to submit all reports and other necessary filings for the receipt of Impact Aid and to provide all assurances otherwise required by the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994;
• Payrolls for November; and
• School Board meeting minutes for December 13.

Student Matters:
• Kate Arnold, Student Representative, spoke about having student town hall meetings starting in February and to meet in alternating districts. Ms. Arnold suggested meeting on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, to not interfere with regular School Board meetings. This schedule would allow for the School Board member of that district to be in attendance. She also stated that this plan is flexible and open for input from each School Board member. Ms. Arnold also congratulated Ricky Slade, a senior from Hylton High School, who signed to play football for Penn State University when he graduates.
• Zaki Panjsheeri, Alternate Student Representative, reminded students that budget season is here and wanted to encourage students to speak to their School Board representative about school and educational concerns. Mr. Panjsherri said that a World-Class education is not cheap and wants students to take an active role in their education. He also mentioned his support for CTE.

Citizens' Comments:
Citizens addressed the School Board on the following topics:
• CIP and Woodbridge High School;
• Special needs students and safety;
• Substance abuse education; and
• School attendance boundaries and transportation.

Staff Presentation Topics:
• Elementary School attendance area recommendations for 2018-19 school year for Montclair, Neabsco, and Wilson Elementary Schools.
• A PowerPoint to show achievement data of the preschool programs was presented and discussed with the School Board.

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

• On behalf of the administrative leadership team and all our employees, I offer congratulations to Mrs. Jessie on her reappointment as Vice Chairman of the School Board.
• Registration starts tomorrow for the spring session of our online high school program, Virtual High School @ PWCS. This opportunity offers flexibility, low teacher-student ratio, and an alternative to traditional classroom instruction. Students can earn full credit in a semester-length course, working with highly qualified instructors. Registration information is available on the Virtual High School section of the PWCS website.
• Congratulations to the 29 teachers and two principals who have been nominated for the Teacher and Principal of the Year Awards. Please see our website announcement for their names and schools. They will be honored at a School Board reception on Tuesday, January 30, at Colgan High School.
• A final reminder for parents and guardians that the annual Parent Summit will be held on Saturday, January 6, from 8 to 11:30 a.m., at Hylton High School. The Summit event was called the "best-ever" by those who participated last year. It's a great opportunity for parents of high school students to learn about graduation requirements, scholarships, financial aid, college admission, and much more. Go to your high school webpage, or to the College and Career Planning webpage to register.
• On January 6, don't miss the performance of the All-County High School Bands. It takes place at 2 p.m. at Osbourn Park High School.
• Earlier this evening, Dr. Matthew Cartlidge gave a presentation on a proposed boundary adjustment that will affect attendance areas for Montclair, Neabsco, and Wilson Elementary Schools. A reminder that the School Board will hold a public hearing on that topic, Wednesday, January 17. The hearing will be at 7 p.m. in this room, just prior to the School Board's regular public meeting.
• In closing, I welcome everyone back from the holiday break, and extend best wishes for the New Year.

Volume 13, Number 9 - Publication date: January 9, 2018