Prince William County Public Schools

School Board Meeting of November 6, 2019

View the agenda on the Electronic School Board webpage.
Watch the School Board meeting on PWCS-TV.

Positively PWCS:

Each School Board meeting begins with presentations about the good things that our schools are accomplishing. These presentations are intended to focus on how we are preparing our students academically and socially for success in college and careers.

• AJ Phillips, director of information technology, Timothy Cruz, coordinator for instructional technology, and Amy Kramer, social studies teacher at Battlefield High School, shared how students are using Minecraft in the classroom.

The School Board Approved:

• Additions to 2020 Legislative Priorities;
• November 18-22, 2019, as "American Education Week (PDF)";
• Deletion of Policy 262, "School Census (PDF)";
• December 9-15, 2019, as "Computer Science Education Week (PDF)";
• November 20, 2019, as "Education Support Professionals Day (PDF)";
• December 2-6, 2019, as "Inclusive Schools Week (PDF)";
• November 18-22, 2019, as "International Education Week (PDF)";
• Memorandum of Understanding (PDF) for Sister School Partnerships Between Select Schools of Prince William County Public Schools and Laurel International Corporation and authorize the Superintendent of Schools to enter into the same on behalf of the School Board;
• November 2019, as "National Apprenticeship Month (PDF)";
• New Course Offerings for 2020-21 (PDF) school year;
• September 2019 Payrolls (PDF) in the amount of $60,134,270.13;
• School Board Meeting Minutes for October 16, 2019;
• Revision of Policy 124, "Student Representative(s) to the School Board";
• Appoint Ben Kim from Stonewall Jackson High School and Tahera Hamidi from Freedom High School as student representatives to the Prince William County School Board and appoint Eliana Black from Hylton High School as the alternate student representative to the School Board for the 2019-20 school year; and
• Neabsco District appointment of Monique Raulston to the Superintendent's Advisory Council on Equity for a term effective November 1, 2019, through June 30, 2021.

Citizens addressed the School Board on the following topics:

• "Be Kind" signs;
• Resignation of head football coach at Woodbridge High School;
• School leadership hiring practices;
• Associate Superintendent;
• Prince William County Public Schools Strategic Plan;
• Staffing at Signal Hill Elementary School; and
• Woodbridge High School Director of Student Activities.

Staff Presentation Topics:

• Strategic Plan Report (PDF)
• Report to the School Board on the School Board/County Joint CIP Committee
• VSBA Academy Awards

Superintendent's Time:

• Last month I shared that we now have 12 schools in PWCS recognized as Purple Star schools for being military-friendly schools by demonstrating a major commitment to students and families connected to our nation's military. Since that time, one more school has been added, bringing our total to 13. Congratulations to Parkside Middle School for earning the Purple Star designation.
• Erin Merrill, U.S. history and civics teacher and social studies department chair at Pennington Traditional School, has been selected as the Virginia Middle School Association Master in the Middle Awards Teacher of the Year. This is Merrill's seventh year teaching in Prince William County Public Schools. Congratulations to Ms. Merrill.
• LoriAnn Pawlik, current assistant principal at Kerrydale Elementary and former STEM teacher at Penn Elementary School, has been recognized with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching for the state of Virginia. The recognition comes with a $10,000 unrestricted award from the National Science Foundation.
• Natalia Ayala-Torres, a senior at Woodbridge High School, recently served on a panel for the SpeakUp Congressional Briefing. Natalia was invited to share her first-hand perspective on the role of technology in supporting a variety of learning experiences. I met Natalia just before the Homecoming Parade and had a chance to visit with her about this amazing experience.
• The Virginia Department of Education has awarded PWCS a total of $48,637 from the 2019 School Security Equipment Grant program for the installation of school security equipment for Dale City, Enterprise, and Kerrydale Elementary Schools. Since 2013, PWCS has received more than $422,000 in grant funds from VDOE for security upgrades in schools across the Division.
• Mike Pullum, art teacher at Forest Park High School, has been awarded the 2019 Kaiser Permanente Thriving Schools Honor Roll award for his work with the Kaiser Permanente Youth in Action program. Mr. Pullum is one of only 16 Honor Roll awardees in the country.
• The Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) has recognized PWCS for excellence in budget presentation with the Meritorious Budget Award for the 2019-20 budget year. The award is given to divisions who recognize the importance of presenting a quality, easy-to-understand budget internally and to the community. In sharing the award with us, Molly Barrie, director of recognition programs for ASBO, said "the district has been participating in the MBA program for 23 years, a true reflection of the district's commitment to fiscal integrity." Congratulations to John Wallingford, Lisa Thorne, Kathleen Addison, and the finance staff for this outstanding recognition.
• In closing, I would like to recognize Battlefield High School, who was recently honored by Four Diamonds at Penn State Children's Hospital, for raising almost $48,000 through the school's Mini-THON. The money raised supports life-saving research and world-class care for kids and families fighting childhood cancer.

Policies:

First Readings-No action is required on first readings.

• Revision of Policy 810 (PDF), "Facilities Planning"