Prince William County Public Schools

School Board Meeting of April 7, 2021

View the agenda on the Electronic School Board webpage.

Watch the School Board meeting on PWCS-TV.

The School Board Approved:

• The award of a contract for the 13th High School offsite improvements to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder (PDF), Finley Asphalt & Sealing, Inc., in the total amount of $839,406;
• The award of a contract for the C.D. Hylton High School renovation to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder (PDF), Taft Construction, Inc., in the total amount of $32,375,000;
• The award of a contract for the Osbourn Park High School window replacement and renovation to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder (PDF), Alta Vista Consultants, in the total amount of $2,785,324;
• The award of a contract for the Parkside Middle School renovation to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder (PDF), Taft Construction, Inc., in the total amount of $14,197,000;
• The award of a contract for the Unity Reed High School window replacement and renovation to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder (PDF), Nichols Contracting, Inc., in the total amount of $3,153,274;
• The Preschool Program Enrollment Criteria (PDF) for the 2021-22 school year;
• The resolution (PDF) requesting that the Prince William Board of County Supervisors transfer $16,500,000 in proffer funds in support of the Prince William County Public Schools land acquisition needs, to include the 14th High School, an elementary school in the Occoquan/Woodbridge area, and other future schools identified in the Capital Improvements Program (CIP);
• February 2021 payrolls (PDF) in the amount of $61,272,981.19;
• The Work Session minutes (PDF) for March 10, 2021;
• The School Board Meeting minutes (PDF) for March 17, 2021; and
• The School Board Meeting minutes (PDF) for March 24, 2021.

Student Matters:

• Hybrid learning survey responses from students

Superintendent's Time:

Presented by Deputy Superintendent, Keith Imon, on behalf of Dr. Walts:

• I appreciate the opportunity to update the School Board, staff members, parents, students, and community members on the important work occurring during this pandemic.
• I have good news to share regarding vaccinations for a number of our students. During the month of April, Prince William County Public Schools will be partnering with Novant UVA and the Prince William Health District to support the effort to vaccinate our students 16 years and older who qualify as a student with a disability or those who have an underlying health condition. The school Division has reached out to the parents and guardians of students who may qualify. We are thankful for the partnerships that have made vaccinations available to our staff members, and now to this group of students.
• During the pandemic, we continue our important efforts to ensure that equity is embedded in all of the work that we do. Faith Thompson, a first-grade teacher at Yorkshire Elementary School, serves as a model for this critical work. Ms. Thompson is working with Bookworm Central and SPARK, the education foundation for PWCS, to provide a program that teaches diversity and inclusion using stories. The program is now being used in 117 classrooms in seven schools. Check out the video for more information.
• PWCS is currently offering digital tools bootcamps for parents, beginning tonight and continuing through the beginning of May. These informative classes are very helpful for parents, in light of the virtual learning taking place due to the pandemic. The tools being covered in these bootcamps include Canvas, Zoom, Nearpod, Flipgrid, Padlet, and Adobe Spark. The classes are available in multiple languages, and parents are encouraged to sign up through the parents' tab on the PWCS website at www.pwcs.edu.
• Although the pandemic has caused a majority of our teaching and learning to occur virtually, I am very proud to share that PWCS has managed to continue offering our robotics program this school year. Check out the video on how this program has flourished during the pandemic.
• The week before Spring Break, I had the opportunity to visit Enterprise Elementary School and Vaughan Elementary School to talk to students and staff, and to participate in a video to be used for our Outstanding Educators ceremony, as well as our Retirees Ceremony. Both events are being held virtually this year as a result of the COVID-19 social gathering limit required by the state due to the pandemic. The Outstanding Educators Ceremony will be aired for the first time on April 27, and the Retiree Ceremony will be aired May 11. Both will be streamed live on pwcstv.com or can be viewed on Comcast Channel 18 or Verizon Fios Channel 36. Both events will be available for viewing on-demand on pwcstv.com after they are first aired.
• Because of the pandemic, Virginia Code and authority granted by the General Assembly has permitted our School Board agenda topics to be limited. Because of this limitation, we have temporarily suspended Board resolutions to recognize and honor various observances. However, I do think it is important to mention these observances. This week is National Library Week and National Assistant Principals Week. I appreciate our many library media employees and assistant principals who work so hard to provide critical resources and support to our students and staff.
• As many of you saw when you arrived at the Kelly Leadership Center this evening, we have hundreds of blue pinwheels lining the walkways outside. These have been placed as part of the "Pinwheels for Prevention" campaign that is held each April to recognize Child Abuse Prevention Month. These pinwheels are a visible show of support for keeping children in our PWCS community safe. Working together, we can create positive family situations and prevent child abuse.
• April also includes the following important observances - World Autism Month, Month of the Military Child, and National Occupational Therapy Month.
• Thank you and stay safe and healthy.

Board Matters:

• Update on the Prince William County Racial and Social Justice Commission
• Superintendent's Advisory Council on Equity update report (PDF) including the Equity Scorecard (PDF)