- Alright.
I'd like to call the meeting
to Prince William County school
board to order.
This meeting and the Prince
William County school board is
being conducted electronically
under the Virginia code
2.237082.
And under the authority granted
by the general assembly on
April 22nd, 2020 through the
amendment 28 to house bill 29,
which permits a school board
to meet electronically during
the pendency of the current
state of emergency for the
purpose of transacting,
such business as a statutorily
required or necessary to
continue operations of the
Prince William County public
schools and the discharge
of its lawful purposes,
duties and responsibilities.
Next will be the approval
of the closed session agenda
motions, in order, Mr.
chairman, Ms. Williams.
- I moved to the Prince William
County school board approve
the closed session agenda as recommended.
- I have a second.
Ms. seconds.
Any discussion as seeing
no discussion, please vote
for those at home, is Jesse.
How do you vote?
- Yes.
- Ms. Jessie
Ms. Ralston.
Ms. Ralston's not here.
Ms. Jackson, how do you vote?
- She voted.
- She voted yes.
Seven yes, one absent motion passes.
Moving on to the motion to
enter closed session emotions in
order, Mr. chairman, Ms. Williams.
- Move that pursuant to Virginia.
Code two dot two dash three seven one one.
The Prince William County school
board enter closed session
for the following reasons, one
to discuss with, with staff,
the appointment transfer,
release assignment and
promotion of specific employees.
And to evaluate the performance
of the ombudsman under re VA
code two dot two dash three
seven one one a one and two to
receive a confidential report
from the ombudsman under VA
code two dot two dash three
seven one one eight one seven
and eight and three to consult
with division counsel and
staff regarding specific personnel
and student legal matters
requiring the provision of
legal advice and actual or
probable litigation under VA
code two dot two dash three
seven one one eight one two
seven and eight and four to
receive information to and
discuss with division counsel,
the payment of legal fees
and costs for specific legal
matters and actual or probable
the litigation requiring the
advice of VA of counsel under
VA code two dot two dash three
seven one one eight seven eight and,
and five to receive information
and discuss with staff and
legal counsel.
The acquisition of real
property for school sites,
where in discussions open
we're in discussions and open
session would adversely affect
the bargaining position or
negotiating strategy of the school board,
and which matters require
the provision of legal advice
under VA code two dot two
dash three seven one one eight
three and eight and six to
discuss the performance and
evaluation of the division
superintendent in order to
establish mutually agreed upon
annual performance goals for
the 2020, 2021 school year
as provided by regulation.
211- evaluation.
- Of the superintendent
under VA code 2.2-3
seven one one a one and
seven to dispense with the
attendance of the super
attendant under VA code 222,
that 1-69 as needed.
- Outstanding.
Ms. Williams. do we have a second Ms.
Wall seconds.
Any discussion as seeing there's
no discussion, please vote.
Ms. Jesse, how do you vote?
- Yes.
- Ms. Jessie
- Ms. Jackson.
She's seven.
Yes, one absent motion passes.
We will now enter close session
and return in approximately
one hour.
Thank you.
Welcome back to open session.
All we are returning open session now,
and we have a number of action items.
If the board members would
refresh by hitting F five,
you will see 8.010203 and zero four.
And then we will take those.
We have to do them one by one, Mr.
McGall and miss, okay, great.
Fine, okay.
Emotion is in order on the
closed session, action item 8.01.
Ms. Williams.
- Thank you, Mr. chairman,
I moved to the Prince William
County school board approve
the appointments and releases
of specific employees as
presented in closed session.
- Do you have a second?
I have a second by Ms. wall.
Any discussion as seeing no discussion,
I asked board members and please vote.
Ms. Jesse, how do you vote?
- Yes. -
Ms. Jessie
The vote is seven yes.
One absent and the motion
passes, moving on a motion.
Action item 8.02, Ms. Williams.
- Thank you, Mr. chairman,
I moved at the Prince William
County school board approve
the performance evaluation
and 20 2021 school year annual
goals of the ombudsman as
presented in closed session.
- Do you have a second?
Ms. seconds, any discussion
as seeing no discussion,
please vote.
Ms. Jesse, how do you vote?
- Yes.
Ms. Jessie votes yes, the vote is seven.
- Yes.
- One absent motion passes moving on 8.03.
Ms. motions in order, Ms. Williams.
- Thank you, Mr. chairman, I
moved at the school friends,
William County school board
approve the payment of legal
bills for outside counsel,
counsel as presented in closed
session and authorized by VA
code two 20 two.one dash eight two.
- Do I have a second?
Ms. wall seconds.
Any discussion as seeing no discussion,
I would ask the board
members to please vote.
Ms. Jesse, how do you vote?
- Yes.
- Ms. Jesse votes yes.
Vote is seven yes.
One absent motion.
Seven yes, one absent motion passes.
Moving on 8.04, Ms. Williams.
- Thank you, Mr. chairman,
I moved at the Prince William
County school board approved
the superintendent's annual
goals for the 20 2021 school
year as presented in closed session.
- Do you have a second,
Ms. Zargarpur seconds.
Any discussion as seeing no
discussion asked the board
members to please vote?
Ms. Jesse, how do you vote?
- Yes.
- Ms. Jessie votes yes.
The motion is seven yes.
One absent motion passes, and
just for everyone at home, Ms.
Ralston was unable to attend
this evening for personal
reasons.
And so that is why you're
hearing the one absent moving on
to close session certification
9.01, a motion is an order.
Mr. Williams.
- Thank you, Mr. chairman,
I move that pursuant to Virginia
code two dot two dash three
seven one two.
The closed session of the Prince
William County school board
meeting of September 2nd, 2020,
be certified by adopting
the following resolution.
Now therefore be it resolved
at the front soon County school
board here by certifies that
to the best of each member's
knowledge, one only
public business matters.
Lawfully exempted from open
meeting requirements were
discussed in the closed
session meeting to which the
certification resolution
applies and to only such public
business matters as were
identified in the motion convening,
the close meeting were heard
and discussed or considered by
the school board.
- Do I have a second?
Ms. seconds.
Any discussion as seeing no discussion,
I would ask the board to please vote, Ms.
Jesse, how do you vote?
- Yes.
- Ms. Jessie votes yes, the vote,
the motion passes seven zero one, absent.
Okay, thank you for all of that.
I would like to call now the
meeting of the Prince William
County school board to order
the purpose of the meeting.
The meeting of the Prince
William County school board is
being conducted electronically
under the Virginia code
2.2370 8.2.
And the authority granted by
the general on April 22nd, 2020
through amendment 28 to house bill 29,
which permits the school board
to meet electronically during
the pendency of the current
state of emergency for the
purpose of transacting,
such business as is statutorily
required or necessary to
continue operations of the
Prince William County public
schools and the discharge
of its lawful purposes,
duties and responsibilities.
Next we'll do the pledge of allegiance.
We have tonight Caroline Silva,
who is our school board rep
attending our first meeting of
the school year.
She is a rising senior
at Hilton high school.
She will lead us in the
pledge of allegiance.
Flag is right there.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America and
to the Republic for which it
stands one nation under God,
indivisible with Liberty
and justice for all.
Thank you, Ms. silva.
Next we'll move to the
approval of the agenda. 12.01.
Ms. Williams.
- Thank you, Mr. chairman,
I moved to the principal
County school board approve the
public meeting agenda as recommended.
- Do you have a second, Ms. wall seconds.
Any discussion seeing no discussion?
I would ask the board members
to please vote, Ms. Jesse,
how do you vote?
- Yes.
- Ms. Jesse votes yes.
Seven yes, one absent, motion passed.
- Great, do I have to repeat that?
Okay, I'm going to cause
you spoken to the mic.
Everyone can hear that again.
I'll just say the motion
passed next to the adoption.
The consent agenda emotion
is an order, Ms. Williams.
- Thank you, Mr. chairman,
I moved at the Princeton County
school board approved the
public meeting consent
agenda as recommended.
- Do I have a second?
Ms. Darla, pour seconds.
Any discussion as seeing no discussion,
I would ask the board
members to please vote.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Ms. Jesse, how do you vote?
- Yes.
- Ms. Jessie votes yes.
Seven yes, one absent, motion passed.
- And that voice that you're
hearing for those at home is B
Simpson,
our new clerk of the Prince
William County school board.
And so we'd like to congratulate Ms.
Simpson on her first meeting
as the clerk of the Prince
William County school board,
and doing a fantastic job.
Thank you so much, thank you.
Next, we'll be moving on to
citizen comments and I will,
I'll read this due to the
COVID-19 state of emergency and
legal restrictions on the
school board's authority to
conduct its meetings
through electronic means.
Unlike other public bodies
meeting electronically under more
expansive authority,
all discussions at this
meeting by board members,
staff citizens must be
limited to agenda items.
Citizens may speak on an
agenda item for two minutes.
When the board is able to
resume regular meetings without
the virtual participation
permitted during the state of
emergency expanded citizen,
common time will be,
will be resumed as provided by
policy one 34 in the interim
citizen.
Common time has been reinstated
on a limited basis in order
to allow public comment,
both in person and through
electronic means during the state
of emergency those citizens
who have signed up in advance
with the school board clerk via
email no later than 4:00 PM.
Wednesday,
September 2nd, 2020 may address
the school board in person
or virtually on agenda items.
There is one speakers sign
up to speak here in person,
and to have signed up to speak virtually.
Jason, would you like to
do the virtual ones first?
- Yes, chairman.
Let's see if we can do the
virtual one because only one of
the two are actually.
- Okay, so we'll do the virtual one.
And if the second one shows
up after the live in person,
we'll come back to that,
so you just let us know.
Go ahead, Mr. Stevens, I'll let you.
- Anderson Rebecca Anderson.
You can go ahead and unmute yourself.
Can you hear me?
- Yes, we can.
- Hi, my name is Rebecca Anderson
and I would like to speak on
just two things this evening.
Over the past few weeks,
I've expressed concerns via
email about students' inability
to change their names in a zoom meeting.
I understand why the setting
was originally made so that
students don't change their
names to something like stinky
Mitt Bart's in the middle
of live instruction.
I also greatly appreciate that
in the return to learn packet
today, parents were given
directions for how to update their
child's preferred name, using parent view,
but I still have a few concerns.
What if there is a transgender
student whose parent refuses
to use their correct pronouns and name?
Is there a way for a student
to discreetly handle this
without having to do so during class,
on the first day of school,
what if there's a student who
does not wish to use their
display, their legal last name,
can a student handle this
without having a parent to
intervene on their behalf?
What if there is a registered
sex offender living in a house
where a student is accessing
their live instruction?
Should we even be displaying
student names at all too?
As we get closer to our
first day of school,
we see an increasing spike
in COVID-19 cases in school
systems that are open before us.
I am concerned that having more
than 1600 students plus the
corresponding educators and
staff in the buildings will
result in even more
hotspots in our County.
And at worst will result in
dead teachers and students while
teachers of our most educationally
vulnerable students are
in person.
They're also expected to
teach a group of students
virtually, why are we bringing
students into the building?
If we aren't able to fully serve them?
The in-person have been
through the end 95 fit test,
which involved wearing a mask
and having a bitter liquid
spray at them, if they tasted the liquid,
they failed the fit test.
Even teachers who fail the
test are expected to teach in
person on Tuesday for the
education and safety of all
students and educators.
I urge you to move to 100%
virtual start and reevaluate best
practices for student
names on zoom, thank you.
- Anything further, Mr. Stephens, Jason,
that's all I have on my side, okay, great.
And I think the
first one we have here
speaking this evening,
we'll I'll call Maggie Hansford.
- I'm me take off my masks
since I'm the only speaker welcome.
She's been very kind
to me today, all right.
Good evening, chair, Lateef
and school board members.
My name is Maggie Hansford
and my addresses on file.
I'm coming to you as a PWA
president with my ongoing
concerns with the divisions
returned to school plan.
I want to share the past three weeks.
PWA has helped supply members
with technology needed for
their virtual classrooMs.
we've supplied keyboards,
monitors, printers,
and other useful
technology for our members.
I hear from members daily
about the concerns regarding
inadequate PPE,
excessive workloads and how
site based management is causing
safety inequities across the district.
I've been copied on many
of the emails you all have
received, so I know that you
all are aware of these issues.
No educator was given a choice
to virtually teach or teach
in person educators were
asked to fill out a disability
form, and with that,
the division determined if
the employee was provided,
the accommodation of virtual teaching,
many members are reporting to
have to do both virtual and in
person.
And we all know our special
education staff has been tasked
to complete a year's worth of
work in three weeks to address
our members concerns.
I asked the board to encourage
our superintendent to work
closely with PWA
throughout the school year.
I have not met with Dr. Walt since July.
At that time, he agreed in August meeting,
but that meeting never occurred.
His staff recently reached
out to me about a bimonthly
meeting, but the first meeting
offered would take place.
At the end of September after school,
the school year had already
begun and far too late to make
any meaningful changes.
I am disappointed that he
doesn't see PWA as a valued
stakeholder in our county's
educational system.
PWA represents thousands of
employees and his refusal to
work with leadership is a
refusal to give these employees a
voice.
I thank board members who have
continued to meet with me and
meet with our members.
As we navigate the beginning
of this extraordinary year,
PWA remains confident in
our members and committed,
and we are committed to the
ability that to provide a high
quality for every child
in Prince William County.
We look forward to working
closely with our board in
division to ensure this
year is safe, equitable,
and accessible as possible, thank you.
And I want to give a shout
out to miss Huebner for being
here tonight.
- Thanks, thank you, miss Hannah.
Thank you, miss Hansard.
That will be the end of
citizen, common time,
correct me no further, okay.
Next we'll move to 15.01
legislative priorities, Mr.
Gilfoyle or Dr. waltz rather Dr. waltz,
would you like to introduce
our legislative priorities?
We, we can go right to
Mr. gilfoyle please.
- Thank you, sir is good
evening chairman Lateef
and school board members.
If I could ask for the presentation
to please be brought up.
Thank you.
We can go ahead and advance
to the next slide please.
So this evening I'm also
joined by Mr. Jim council,
our representative in
Richmond, he is here with me.
He's joining us from Richmond
and he'll be here as well to
help me present this.
So as it may seem amazing that
we're already in September
and we're already thinking about January,
but what we're talking about
this evening, our hours,
your school board priorities
for the January session of the
general assembly.
Of course,
there is a special session of
the assembly going on right
now as we speak.
But this evening,
I'm here to address the board's
priorities for the January
session.
I'm not going to go through
these in great detail as they
have been provided to you in
writing a couple of times on
the summer, and they are on board docs in,
in detail for your review as well.
This evening they're presented to you.
And then next week they will
be placed on the consent agenda
for your approval so that we
can move forward with preparing
these you've likely
recognize many of these.
They are very, very similar to last year,
our top 10 areas of
focus and thematically.
They really come down to a
couple of different things.
One is enhanced funding
flexibilities for our school
division, as well as funding.
Generally, of course,
we were on a great track in
January to meet many of these
goals.
And then of course COBIT hit
and derail a lot of these
priorities that we had had
great traction with our
delegation with here
locally and enrichment.
So we'll continue to focus on those again,
this coming January,
we also will have a number
of priorities focused on
increased flexibility for
multiple pathways for students
beyond the college pathway,
allowing additional flexibilities
for our students in terms
of their needs,
as well as the accreditation
standards and ensuring that
those are equitable for all schools.
So if you could please to the next slide
As is our tradition every year,
we also have a number of
other areas where we have
statements of support or
opposition of the school board.
Here are the main areas of
focus, again, very high level.
And just some of the highlights
in each of those areas that
full in-depth our on board docs.
If you want to read them in
detail, again, one of the areas,
our conduct and discipline,
which is again about local
flexibility and ensuring that our
school administrators have
the flexibilities necessary
opposing unfunded mandates
is always a big challenge in
terms of the things that come
out of Richmond and ensuring
that even the best idea that
making sure that those are
funded.
We also want to continue to
look at increased funding for
our teachers and supporting them,
especially in their
professional development.
Of course, this year,
we don't know where we'll be
in January and we continue to
have challenges related to
COVID-19 and that is beyond
funding.
It's also things like statutory
requirements that require
certain things to be done in person.
So we're asking that we
support all bills that provide
relief to statutory
requirements such as that.
And then additionally,
we continued to need
instructional technology support.
As we all know, given COVID
where we are right now,
we need additional state
support to ensure that every
household has equal access to
broadband or wireless access.
And we really need that to
be a state wide initiative.
And then of course supporting
the Virginia star program,
which Prince William County
administers on behalf of the
entire state and we continue to do so.
The other areas are on school
board governance and ensuring
that the school board has the
authority local authority that
it needs to operate.
And then lastly was one
that we added last year,
which is around supporting
bills that contribute to the
school division's efforts to
conserve energy and natural
resources, so those are in
a nutshell real quick, the,
the high level areas of
additional areas of support and
oppositions, if we could please
advance to the next slide.
So the next steps after
the board approves,
these is that we will,
as we traditionally do share
these with the board of County
supervisors,
we then produce our legislative
priorities publication that
we use when we do visits.
And this year we may or may
not be able to do in person
visits, but we'll work with Mr. counsel
to set up virtual visits if we need to.
And Mr. council continues even now
during this session to work with
our delegates on those key
issues and make sure they're
informed of the
information that they need.
And as again,
Mr counsel is here with us
this evening and so advanced to
the next slide.
So that's just in a nutshell
is our legislative priorities
for present presentation for this.
- Evening, so thank you,
Dr. lateef, Mr. Stevens,
can you put everyone's pictures
back up so I can see them?
Is there any questions
here by folks on the diets,
Ms. Williams?
- Thank you, Mr. gilfoyle,
one of my favorite times a year,
I just have a question
for Mr. counsel, if,
if there's anything that the
board should be updated with
the current session and,
and an expectation of
the session in January,
you don't have to provide
us that information now,
but if we could get a summary,
I think that would be great.
Considering we have a mixed
board of old and new board
members,
so that we could kind of be a
little bit more prepared for
January,
or be thinking about that
in a timeframe of January.
And I'm asking,
because I know that this is an
unusual year and we probably
won't hear from you until
we get close to January,
but you are inside scoop, so,
and you do a fantastic job.
I'm added of representing
us down in Richmond and very
appreciative of your service, sir.
- Yes.
- Ms. Williams. can you hear me?
Okay, first of all,
Dr. lateef, let me say,
I regret that I'm not
there physically tonight.
I had planned to be,
but PE played tennis last
Wednesday with someone who laid a
tested positive.
So I'm entertaining myself for
two weeks and spending a lot
of time on, on legislation,
but I have no symptoms.
So all things are good
at this point, excellent.
If you, if you like Ms. Williams ad,
I would like to give you maybe
a two minute update on the
things we are most concentrating
on in Richmond right now.
- I would love that, sir.
I'm always a fan of hearing
what's going on in Richmond.
- Yeah.
In addition to the normal
bills that on my summary,
if you have had a chance to see that,
and I'll note that about 20
or 25 bills in education,
this special session and things,
I would describe it as chaotic
enrichment at the moment.
Just for example, with some 25 bills,
a house he had is not even married yet.
And it seems like the only
group moving any legislation is
Senate ed and Senate finance.
The two big things we
lobbyist together have been
concentrating.
One is number one across the
board and decrease in ADM.
And we had hoped to get
something through that would hold
the school divisions harmless
on that, but unfortunately,
a bill to that effect was
defeated in Senate finance today.
So that look is not good,
but even more dollars involved
while we understood that K-12
would be untouched in the special session,
the governor has a budget
amendment in that would adjust the
sales taxes, that school division Sharon,
by about $189 million over the biennium.
And that would represent across
the board 95.2 million to
school divisions for the current year,
which translates to about
5.5 million to Prince William
schools.
So we are very much concentrating
on trying to get that
money restored the areas
of as a $490 million of
unappropriated funding,
just sitting there.
And that's what we're trying
to target all the lobbyists
from the school divisions,
so working hard on that,
and this is an issue where
we've been able to really work
closely with the VA lobbyist,
who has spent a lot of
time with, to speak on it.
And I spent a lot of
time talking with both,
both delegatory his office and
also the house appropriations
say a person for education.
So I'm not saying yet I'm optimistic.
We can get that current
year 95.2 million restored,
but I will let you know that
we're primarily concentrating
on that and working
hard on it at the time.
- Thank you, Mr. counselor,
one follow up question.
Do you have any update on
delegate rooMs. school,
lunch funding?
I know that was in a committee.
I think appropriations.
- Again,
house education did not meet
at all that bill was referred
to house appropriations
and it was voted out of
appropriations, I think unanimously.
- Wonderful, thank you, Mr. counsel,
I look forward to further.
- I will tell you that I've
been advised by Prince William
staff, that that will
probably cause Prince William,
maybe one and a half
million dollars a year,
but I've taken no position on the bill.
- Thank you again, I appreciate that.
- Any other questions?
- Okay.
- Outstanding, Mr. counsel.
Thank you for everything
you do down there.
Mr. gilfoyle look forward to
working with you all this fall.
Mr. council, I have a quick question.
Are there any indication about
what next year's budget's
going to look like at the state level,
Except for what I mentioned
about the sales tax.
I don't get any real indications of a,
have a second year of the
biennium as it relates to K12 will
be impacted.
You know,
I think everybody's taking a
close look and actually opening
that even the sales tax
picture will improve.
And in addition, by the
way to the 497 million,
they're sitting down on findings
as about 90 million in the,
what was the grain machine,
the slot machine money that
is donated a dedicated to Kobe
and could be used in education,
and then the governor has,
I think,
left about $1 billion in care
money that he can use at his
discretion, but beyond that, Dr. Leticia,
I don't have any real insight
on what else may change food
second year of the biennium.
- Okay, well thank you very much.
And please keep us up to
date on where we are on that.
- Yes, sir.
Matt, anything further to add?
- No, I'll be working
with you, Mr. chairman
on the logistics of our
joint meeting that we hold
typically with the County
board of supervisors.
We usually do that that week
around Thanksgiving and well,
I'll work with you on the
logistics of that shortly, okay.
- I think we should feed them well,
this time they've been kind
this summer, so thank you.
- Thank you, Mr. Guilfoyle.
Okay, great.
We're going to move on to 16.01,
which is the proposed
sale of VP S a bonds fall
of 2020 Mr. Wallingford, Dr. waltz,
do you have any comments on this first?
And then I'll let you turn it over.
- Yes.
- That's good, we can go
straight, straight to Ms.
Mr. Wallingford, are you with us.
- Chairman Lateef members
of the board and Dr. waltz.
I'm presenting you with a
resolution that we do every year,
this items for information,
and it's the sale of debt that
we will make in a scheduled
currently in October for
just a little bit over 50,
$115 million.
And just a piece of good news.
That's actually a reduction
of about $6 million.
It's associated to efficiency
from our facilities folks in
their construction efforts
and some favorable bids.
So that number is down by $6 million.
Thank you.
- Mr. Wallingford,
last year's sale of bonds brought
in a record interest rate,
a record, low interest rate for us.
What is your anticipation
of this year's bond sale?
- The markets are as good this
year as they were last year.
My expectation is that we'll have a,
a true interest cost of a sub 3%,
which is historically an outstanding rate.
- And then just, it may
be a stupid question,
but on bond sales, can we, we
can't refinance those, right?
Those are all.
- No doctor Dr. Leticia.
It's not correct, we refund
bonds on an annual basis,
re refunded, last year we
refunded the year before.
This will be the first year
in several years that we're
looking at actually not
doing any refundings,
the analysis in order to issue
those refundings is done by
County staff and our financial
advisors, who are we both,
both work with and it's looking right now,
like we won't have any of those this year.
- Wonderful.
Anybody else have any questions
or concerns on the sale of
bonds?
And then next week we'll be
on for action or do we vote on
it?
We don't really vote on it.
It's just information.
- Just information, right?
Okay.
Outstanding, I'm missing no
further discussion on this.
We will move next to 17.01
sustainability initiative status
update.
Dr. waltz.
- I will go.
- Mr Ciarochi please.
Mr. ciarochi, welcome.
Take it from there.
- Good evening.
Chairman Lateef members
of the board, Dr. waltz.
It is my pleasure tonight to
bring you an update from our
energy management department
on our path to sustainability
earlier this summer, you as
a board passed a resolution,
taking us to the next step in
being able to really focus,
not only with new construction,
but with our whole operations
aspect and how we should
embrace sustainability from
operations to construction to
the way that we do instructional
methods within our schools.
So it's my pleasure this
evening to introduce to you
Mr. Brian Gorham,
who was our coordinator for
energy management to provide you
with an overview of,
of each of the items within
your resolution and the path and
the possibilities that we
have in moving forward this
evening, so I'll turn
it over to Mr. Gorham.
- Thank you, sir.
Good evening.
Chairman Lateef, members of
the school board and Dr. waltz.
I saw your picture on June 10th as
Mr. ciarochi said you issued
the sustainability initiative,
outlining your strategy to
improve the carbon footprint in
Prince William County schools
and reduce our dependency on
fossil fuels.
This important and broad
ranging set of goals will also
enhance the performance of
energy consuming systems while
increasing awareness and
literacy for sustainability.
You requested at that time
and update with a timeline for
deliverables within 90 days.
And tonight I am happy to
provide you with that update.
Next slide please, Jason.
And the next slide, please, sir.
Thank you.
The goals you have outlined
are important to the future of
the school division,
developing a longterm strategy,
focused on resiliency and a
steadfast determination to
minimize our impact on the
environment is critical to the
health, safety and success
of not only this generation,
but the many generations to follow.
Next slide, please.
Jason success will be earned
through the development of a
network of stakeholders,
engaging cooperatively to
achieve the common goal for the
common good.
During the last 90 days,
I've communicated with nearly
all departments in Prince
William County schools
from student learning to
transportation,
risk management and beyond
our staff are unified in their
commitment to seeing to the
success of this initiative.
Next slide please, Jason.
And now we will step through
each item in the initiative
design and construction standards.
Through various tools,
we will develop the requested
standards and options for the
design of projects with net
zero impact a portion of the
funds allocated to the initiative
for consulting services
will be used to evaluate a
series of design standards
consistent with other successful
net zero projects while
informing a strategy of
balancing CIP funding.
The next available opportunity
to update our design with
these newly implemented
standards would be the ACO Kwon
elementary school replacement
scheduled to begin
construction in 2023.
Next slide, please.
These design criteria that
you see on the screen are an
example of those that we will
ask a third party consultant
to review against our current
elementary school prototype.
So we may budget appropriately in the CIP.
Next slide please.
Additionally,
we feel it is very important
to implement elements of these
design standards into our
existing buildings where possible
one of the greatest opportunities
available in our existing
infrastructure is performing
lighting upgrades,
lighting accounts for about
30% of electrical consumption
and expense replacement yields,
a 60% savings of that cost.
The numbers shown in this slide
reflect a scenario where all
existing lights are replaced
almost simultaneously,
but in one project,
it's more practical to think
of this as a bigger project
that might take multiple phases, however,
their significant savings
has shown when done.
And we believe in this project.
Next slide, please.
There's one before that.
Okay, on your slide decks,
you were offered a slide that
has high performance building
design as well.
We are excited to build on our
existing foundation of lead
design standards,
which have been a part of our
construction design portfolio.
For many years.
We'll incorporate feedback
from the advisory council while
balancing the needs and
resources included in the CIP.
We understand that it is
critical that we not only enhance
sustainability and net zero efforts,
but that we do so in such a
way that makes the process
itself resilient and sustainable.
Next slide, please.
Power purchasing agreements are
impactful tools to implement
solar energy into the portfolio
of Prince William County
schools.
This summer,
we identified several different
procurement options to
participate in PBAs and
anticipate some additional due
diligence as we move toward
developing our strategy.
Next slide, please.
I would there's the missing slides.
So we'll jump back to that, as I said,
that is a slide referencing
our desire to build on our
existing foundation of lead.
We are as an example,
pursuing lead silver for Rosemount Lewis.
Next slide, please.
Our electric bus grant update.
I'd like to thank you all for
approving the easement for the
charging station this
evening, thank you very much.
Thank you to Ms. McGowan
for all our hard work
with dominion energy and
actually making that happen,
it's not an easy process.
The grant opportunity awarded
to PWCs for two electric buses
and the charging station provides
us a valuable opportunity
to begin understanding not only
the environmental impacts of
this technology, but also the operational.
So it's a great first step.
It's a pilot and gets us in the door.
Next slide, please.
We have provided some background
information per request of
our 919 bus fleet and the
implications of replacing that
fleet with electric buses.
We've provided you some
background information and as you
can see,
an electric bus costs nearly
300% more than a conventional
diesel bus.
We do however plan to continue
to monitor this technology,
taking advantage of a dissonant,
additional grants when possible,
and we see those coming,
not necessarily in this legislative year,
hopefully they earned a place
in future legislative years.
The curve of electric buses is
similar to that of led and we
do expect the cost to come down over time.
Next slide please.
As directed,
we have begun the process of
developing the superintendent's
advisory council on sustainability.
We ask that you begin please,
considering the candidates
that you would nominate to
participate in this committee.
Our goal is to complete
appointments in October to highlight
some major milestones in the
coming year would be that by
December,
we would have the council come
back to you and present goals
and objectives, and then the
first opportunity to begin,
including that how put of
this work group will be in our
2021, 22 CIP season.
Next slide, please.
We have had preliminary discussions,
our County counterparts.
There's a strong desire to work together.
They've got a lot of people
they're very interested in
cooperating and collaborating,
so I see great opportunity,
a lot of familiar names that
are still on staff that we've
worked with over the course of years,
but we can definitely build
on that collaboration.
And I think there's a lot of value there.
Next slide, please.
As you are aware,
the office of student learning
has been highly focused on
the return to learning and
the virtual educational
environment for the new
school year, however, Mr.
Bassett and I have been in communication,
we both look forward to the
collaboration resuming in the
fall, probably about the mid
period of the first quarter.
And we look forward to beginning
to develop those resources
and support the insurance,
that environmental literacy
and project based learning
opportunities are established.
Next slide, Jason,
in addition to working
with student learning,
we have been working with the
office of accountability on
those initial steps of developing
strategic goals need to be
able to measure the success of
those environmental literacy
pieces and sustainability literacy pieces.
So we'll be developing measurable
standards for inclusion of
sustainability into the strategic plan.
Next slide please.
A sustainability study funding
will be used to hire an
independent third party
sustainability consultant that can
help organizational management
and transparency to the
superintendent's advisory council.
This resource will aid in
developing work groups and we'll
work to satisfy the varying
requests of the initiative.
Next slide please.
Oh, we definitely plan to work
with schools and expand our
recycling efforts and take
additional measures to reduce
waste, next slide, please.
Many of our waste reduction
goals and our strategies
initially,
and then ultimately will be to
exceed the current statewide
recycling efforts as a,
as a baseline and benchmark
for us to strive toward
next slide,
please management of the
initiative will change the
organizational structure of
the current energy management
division.
The energy conservation
program has historically been
focused on fiscal stewardship
and energy resource
conservation.
Next slide, please.
Evolving the existing team
of energy management to
add sustainability will create
a multifaceted group capable
of addressing the requirements
of the initiative and
maintaining the existing
demands, as always.
Our goal will be to maintain
transparency while setting the
stage for success of the school
division for years to come.
And the last slide please
wanted to highlight some of the
milestones we have on our
pathway to sustainability in this
school year,
we do as explained plan to
establish the superintendent's
advisory council on sustainability.
We will also implement strategy
for initial PPA packages
in the coming year.
We plan to be able to adopt
standards for high performance
building design.
We would like to create
division wide standards for
environmental literacy and
the 2021 and 22 school years,
2022 through 2023, as explained,
we plan to consider construction
alternatives for the first
net zero school I'm with you.
I won't do it on like
a 20, 50 we're setting
a very lofty goal,
but we are striving to align
with the Commonwealth of
Virginia goal for carbon neutrality.
Thank you.
You guys did this in
maybe less than 90 days.
We can't thank you enough.
I think the whole board and
I think the County understood
this was probably one
of the most, you know,
aggressive energy agendas or
initiatives that any council or
a County authority has
ever sort of passed.
And for you all to put
this together, Dr. waltz,
thank you for having these
guys in the midst of a pandemic
and I, and I recognize,
and as you can point it
out at the end of our vote,
this is going to be
challenging in 90 days,
but you delivered,
I think on time and under budget
again with this, thank you
Chairman Lateef, members of the board.
We've got great employees
and we certainly have a great
team and our energy management, and again,
I echo your sentiments, fantastic job.
Yeah, we have a couple of
questions from the board members.
If y'all don't mind, I'll
start with Ms. Williams first.
- Thank you.
I want to echo the superintendent
in chairman's comments,
but I've been on the
board for a little while.
So I would like to know,
I know that we already had a
fantastic energy management
program to which I think we
stole you from wherever was
managing that.
Or you came on board or maybe
you were already with us.
Okay, yes.
So yes, as long, long time ago.
So I know that you're fantastic
in this area and this is
your area of expertise and
you've done a great job.
I just want to know,
like when it comes to
the led replacements,
we were sort of already doing that.
Am I understanding that
correctly within the division?
Can you tell me a little bit
more about the difference
between what we're doing and
what this initiative entails?
- So we're currently doing
it through our seven and 14
renovation program, sorry.
We're currently doing it through
the seven and 14 renovation
program.
We haven't adopted it as a
wholesale project that would
otherwise pursue some
mechanism for funding.
There are options where
private industry is willing to
contribute, you know, to that funding.
And they're called performance contracts.
We've done them before.
That could be the fastest
mechanism to get us these savings,
but we have not been able to
just bite that whole thing yet.
- I Appreciate that clarity,
cause I didn't want someone to be like,
they didn't do anything
new, we've already do.
We're already doing that, but
I knew there was more to it.
So that's why I'm asking these questions.
And then if you could, and
when it comes to the literacy,
I know that it,
we had a literacy program
when we were doing the energy
conservation, could you
expand a little bit on, and,
and I know you don't have every
store, every single detail.
I'm not asking that,
but could you expand on sort
of what we're doing now and a
little bit more detail of
where we hope to go with that?
- Yes, so we develop the energy challenge,
which this year will be on canvas.
It will be a tool available
to all teachers through canvas
to do, it has historically again,
been focused on some of
these project based learning
components that are more
of the monetary savings,
turning out the lights,
being able to go through
an audit of school.
And it's been developed
around that strategy.
We'd like to broaden that strategy,
but then with the contributions from CTE,
from student learning, you know,
make that more part of the
curriculum and the day so that
people have more exposure
to that rather than just a
opportunity for a small
club or group in a school to
participate, make it much
more broadly defined.
- Thank you.
As a former seventh grade
founding member of the ecology
club at Lakeridge middle
school, I'm really no, I'm just,
I'm really excited about this
and I'm really excited about
you incorporating CTE in,
because I remember a few years
ago we had a student come
from one of our Western end high schools.
I can't think of who it was.
May have been unity right now
who did like a thermal imaging
project, that was right.
It was fascinating.
I would also encourage you maybe
to reach out because we are
a part of the governor's school and every,
they have their innovation project.
- Yes.
- So they may be a good resource to,
I'm just throwing that out
there because some of the things
they do within, in conservation
and energy management,
sometimes the students
come up with are amazing.
And that's another way
to continue to partner.
And then my,
I think that's it other than
to just say thank you, oh,
I had one more question,
I knew what it was.
So with the dominion pilot bus program,
which I'm really excited
about that we were selected to
participate in that because
if folks don't know,
that's actually a tremendous
honor to be able to
participate, everybody
did not get to do that.
Is there any hope in the future?
And of course I'm not holding you to this.
This is like crystal ball question.
And maybe this is what they
do because I haven't read the
grant for charging stations, is, is,
is there any way that in
the future maybe that we can
consider like solar charging
stations or is that something
that Dominion's like, no, we
give you the power and then no,
I mean, I just, I don't know.
So you don't have to answer
that right now if you don't know
either, but I just, as
we're talking about that,
I thought that might be interesting.
- Well, it'll have a
solar component to it.
That'll charge some batteries and in turn,
they actually want to be able
to use that battery power
during the summer, I think,
but they do wish to expand the
capacity of that over time.
And so this pilot gives them
the opportunity to review that
data,
see how much costs it'll take
to actually do that and fully
deploy that, I see that
definitely in the near term.
- Thank you, and again,
congratulations for all of
the hard work that all of you,
Mr. shook your team and your team.
I'm sorry, I just like that.
I forgot your name, I apologize.
Pandemic brain, but I'm sorry, Mr.
Gorman, thank you Mr.
Gorman.
Just a little bit,
but I can't applaud you enough
for all the hard work and
effort that you're putting
into this and all the
coordination,
especially now that we've
had to transfer from being in
building,
to being online and then
eventually we're going back and
building so that's extra work,
but I am extremely proud of
our division and all the work
that you've done.
- Thank you, you're welcome.
Facility services is
honored to participate, Ms.
- Ah, thank you so much
for your presentation.
This is making me very happy.
I do have a couple of questions
about the electric buses.
Sure.
If you happen to know you've
got an average annual fuel cost
for diesel is 7,000 per bus.
Do you know what it costs to charge a,
what it would cost with
the electric buses?
- I don't know that yet, okay.
Once we get this running and
we'll be able to ascertain what
it does and how many miles
we can get on those charges.
And I think we're developing
a spreadsheet already.
We're really excited
to, I'm trying to think,
how can we input the numbers early,
but we're almost there December.
We think we'll get our deliveries
and begin to start that
process.
- And can I get a ride on one of those?
Like when you get one, I want to,
I want to get a ride on one of those maps.
We can have a school board
meeting on the bus, yes, yes.
- No, absolutely.
When these buses arrive,
I know we'll be working with
our communications department
about a rollout,
as far as where the
buses are gonna be used,
how they're gonna be used,
but we've had numerous schools
inquire about how they could
get a tour of the bus with their students.
So we're going to be using
this bus in between routes.
I know, taking it to schools
to be able to demonstrate the
effectiveness and efficiency
to our students as well.
So yes.
- Then the last, Oh gosh, it
was just went out of my, Oh no.
It's, it's related to
buses in a different way.
You know,
you talked a little bit about
a partnership between the
County government and schools.
I re this is more toward the
County government because
they're the ones who build other stuff,
but they also approve
communities to be built.
I really think we need to be
looking at more sidewalks,
more bike pads, more walking
pads, things like that.
I know a couple of the, the
one, the Rosemont school,
that was one that had a lot
of really cool community
connections, and I think,
I think we need to be working
more on those things as well,
because that's the
ultimate green, isn't it?
- We had some in our conversations
with them this summer,
they're still defining what
their vision I'm so sorry.
They're still defining what
their vision looks like for
their sustainability initiative.
And I think they spoke just
to that point, you know,
community walkability,
watershed protection,
environmental stewardship as a whole.
So they are definitely
working in that direction.
Ms. Jesse.
- Hi, first of all, I've
been with this program for quite some time
and you guys have
done a phenomenal job and
your, all the new initiatives,
I'm very pleased to see the
new initiatives that you have,
the advisory council, I think
that's a wonderful idea.
And also the net zero,
because we've been receiving
a lot of concern and parent
groups that have come and
met with some of them to talk
about this concept and all item.
I want you to know there was
some type of compensation or
recognition of schools who,
whose energy use was commendable,
is that still in place?
- Yes,
ma'am $1,800 a year for those
schools that participate in
that energy challenge, and again,
this will be on canvas this year,
so they can modify their
program in any way,
but we still will return that
portion of savings to the
school.
And then there's a stipend
for the teacher who was in
charge.
- Did we have any this year?
- Yes, we are up to,
and it varies a little bit
between 50 to 60 schools
participate on an annual basis.
Thank you, yes, ma'am Ms. Jewell.
- Thank you for your presentation
was very, very interesting.
I had a question just about the elect,
the average electric bus
cost, I think you said it,
but the cost is quite high right now,
but do you have an idea of how, I mean,
has it been coming down and I mean,
what did it used to be more
expensive and now it's coming
down in cost and is that something
we'll just look at in the
future when it becomes more
economically feasible for us to
do.
- It's kind of a part a
and part B and I'll let Mr.
Shirkey follow up with
the part B, but the,
the part a is that the
technology is going to have to be
widely accepted first by, you know,
school divisions so that they
can begin to manufacture on a
high degree.
So to that point, I think
then there's a part of, yeah,
so that's the white elephant
in the room, you know,
when you see that it was I think $360,000.
So for us as a school division
to be purchasing those over a
diesel, which is two thirds
less, that's a tough sell.
So we definitely want to
continue to take advantage of any
subsidies,
but just as the electric
vehicles for the consumer market
started at a very high price.
And you're seeing as more being
bought and technologies are
changing, that price is coming down.
Buses.
The concept of the technology
is very similar to the transit
buses.
It's still a unique technology
and obviously the more school
divisions nationally by buses that price.
So we know that the
price will probably not,
we hope not go up incrementally,
but it will start to go down.
But it's a matter of when does that,
when do you have that balance
to where you start really
embracing it.
But right now, for us to continue
after this pilot with two,
we would have to have some
form of subsidy because we
couldn't not afford to buy the
diesel buses that we have to
have in order to provide
transportation to our kids.
So it's a delicate balance,
but that's something that
we're all be watching.
- Thank you for that explanation, Mr.
- Just follow up on the bus question.
Is there a reason we don't
do natural gas with buses?
I mean, a lot of counties divisions,
I mean around the world,
do natural gas with buses.
Is that more, less
expensive than a electric,
more expensive than the diesel?
So it varies year to year.
You know, the electric
price is fairly steady,
but gas prices fluctuate just
like we have natural gas in
our hall and propane,
so it's one of those.
We have to find a balance,
but you also have to be able
to make the investment of the
infrastructure to be
able to provide that gas.
So at this point we have found
that using diesel with the
high efficiency diesel
engines that we're currently
purchasing,
that that's been the best medium
and the electric vehicle is
really the one for us to
begin pursuing because it just
makes sense.
It's just cost is the
biggest challenge right now.
Wonderful, well, can you, I know,
I don't know if you've done this and Mr.
Guilfoyle might be online still,
but I think a press release
on the electric buses and in
what you guys have done.
If we haven't done one of
those already would be a, Oh,
what do we do?
- Yeah.
Did we already do a press
release on that with dominion?
We have,
but I know that we will be
ramping up when we get the,
the delivery date, got
it from the manufacturer,
because we'll want to,
we are going to want to make
a big show of that, fantastic.
And even on this whole presentation,
I don't know if we're putting
this up on the it's all on the
website, I assume.
Right, just like all board documents.
Okay, great.
I'm going to go to, I think Ms. Jackson
had her hand and I'll go to Ms. Williams.
Ms. Jackson, did you have your hand up?
I'm sorry.
- No, my Ms.
Williams asked my
questions earlier and just,
I want to echo the importance
of recruiting students.
And I'm very excited about this.
Thank you for the presentation.
And I'm excited to see what
you have to present in the
future.
- Thank you, Ms. Jackson,
Ms. Williams. I think had her
hand up and then I think that,
should it be it?
- Yeah, I was just going
to take my turn and say,
I of course want to be there
when you do the delivery.
When we get delivery
of the electric buses,
since I still politely ha
hounded all of you to try to get
on board with this, I was
watching the papers about it.
So I'm very excited,
but also any recommendations
as you are boots on the ground
for appointments for councils,
I think, Ooh, excuse me,
would be very helpful for us to the board.
I noticed this, we've had a
small group of people who come,
but if there are some experts
that have come to your
attention, I know that I would
appreciate that information.
And again, thank you for
everything that you've been doing.
This is very, very exciting.
- Mr. jerky.
- Yes.
- Yeah, so just two final remarks.
One,
I would be remiss not to thank
Brian and his entire energy
team for the Herculean
effort that they have done.
Since this has passed.
Not only are they getting ready
as everyone else to return
to learning,
but they have been working
day and night on this,
but I will say this our action
item for you as a board,
we talked about the superintendent's
advisory committee and
each of you will have the
opportunity to nominate someone.
We will be sending you
communication on skill sets and
interests that we believe are
viable to have so that we have
a cohesive group that has
strengths from all areas.
So we'll be provided that to you.
And our goal will be that we'll
come back to you in October,
where you will be able to
approve the folks that you have
dominated for that.
So that information will be
forthcoming and we will give you
some ideas of where to go, but
it's really open to anyone.
It could be a student, it
could be a faculty member.
It could be somebody out in
business and industry it's wide
open, but what gives you that clarity?
- So Elon Musk will be on
this committee then, right?
- He doesn't, he doesn't
pay taxes in our County.
So I don't, we don't really want him.
I'm just joking, I'm just joking.
We'd love to have him
pay taxes in this County.
That would be great.
Just, I I'd be remiss to say I can't.
Thank you both enough, and
Dr. waltz for the enthusiasm,
you all have shown in your
own departments and the
excitement you've shown with
the desire to really make this
happen.
The idea tonight that we
announced a potential first school
that would be net zero in
2022, 23 is just incredible.
And in whatever we, as a board
can do to, to make this work,
we're, we're, we're very excited.
I'll work with you all,
thank you for your,
your hard work this
summer, thank you again.
- Thank you.
Wonderful.
We will move next to 18.01.
And this is an exciting time
for, for us because you know,
geez, Oh man,
it's been a rough last six
months and it's just nice to have
students back in any capacity.
I would like to introduce our
student representatives to
you.
We have two student represent
representative this year in
one alternate, joining
us tonight from the,
at the diocese is student
representative Caroline Solvera.
Caroline is a senior attending
Hilton high school in the
audience tonight.
We also have our student
representative Benjamin Kim Ben is
a senior at unity Reed
high school this year,
and our alternate student representative,
Ashley men manage LaVar,
a senior attending Woodbridge high school.
The representatives will
alternate attending the school
board meetings monthly
and we'll be providing a report
to the school board as they
traditionally do.
We welcome you all and look
forward to working with you this
year, it's truly an honor
to get to work with you all.
So I will now turn it over
to our newest member of our
board, Caroline Silvera for
her comments this evening.
- Thank you so much, can
everybody hear me clearly?
Okay, great.
So my name is Caroline Silvera
like chairman Lateef mentioned before,
and I'm a senior at CD Hilton high school.
I'd first like to start by
thanking the board for having me
here and also to issue
congratulations to my fellow
representatives,
Ben and Ashley for being
appointed to this position,
as well as the student senators
who are not with us tonight,
I'm proud to not only
represent my diverse community,
but also over 90,000
students in the County.
I'm very excited for this position.
I'd also like to mention that
I am involved with the Prince
William County human rights
student leadership council.
So I wanted to issue them a
congratulations on the award
that they just won, they
work really hard for us,
and it's a great
organization besides that.
When I applied to this position last year,
I knew that I wanted to
advocate for equitable learning.
To me, it meant more bilingual
administration, free sat,
prep, and tests,
and also partnership with
community based organizations,
but then COVID hit.
And I kind of had to change
my plans around a little bit,
but COVID also did highlight
the importance of kind of
fixing and equity and learning
and really striving to make
the County more equitable.
I know that the students
that will be most impacted by
online learning,
probably aren't tuning in to
every school board meeting.
So the senators and I have
decided to really make a,
sorry to really work hard
towards closing these gaps in
advocating for students this year.
Additionally,
the other representatives and
I have been meeting virtually
this entire summer to accommodate
these changes and prepare
for the upcoming school year.
We actually had the opportunity
about two weeks ago to meet
with Senator Mark Warner.
And we were able to talk to
him about the effects of COVID
on Prince William County students,
and also how students are
planning to navigate online,
online learning this school year.
It was a great opportunity to
advocate for students at the
federal level.
And we hope that we'll have
more opportunities like this.
Finally,
we were able to meet with the
student senators virtually as
well and discuss their upcoming
goals for this school year.
The student Senate, if you don't know,
is made up of 13 senators from
each of the high schools and
the three student representatives
to the school board.
Most senators were very
interested in equitable learning.
So I'm excited about that.
And we will meet next week to
finalize our group goals and
committees, for this year.
We recognize that our goals
and committees will also be
surrounded and kind of
about technology online,
learning and equity,
contacting your school.
Senator is the most efficient
way to voice any ideas or
concerns on the countywide level.
Finally, to any students
that may be watching.
I want to emphasize that my
role as a student representative
is not to voice my own concerns.
It's to voice your concerns.
Please reach out to myself
in the Senate this year.
We really do want your feedback,
especially on online learning.
I want to hear about how
everything went, the good,
the bad the in between.
We do have a website PWCs
student senate.com that has
updates on our work and all
of the contact information,
including mine.
And then finally shameless
plug to check out our Twitters.
Mine is at Caroline PWCs and
then our Senate one is at peace
WCS, student Senate.
We will be posting live updates as well.
We look forward to hearing
from you and thank you to the
board for listening to me tonight.
- Wonderful, thank you, Ms. Silvera.
We really appreciate your
comments this evening.
Next we'll move on to
1901 superintendents time.
Dr. Stephen, Walt, thank you.
Chairman Lateef and members of the board.
It's hard to believe that school
begins Tuesday for the 2021
school year.
I recognize how difficult
this pandemic has been on our
students and their
families, our staff members,
and obviously the community as a whole,
some of us have lost loved
ones or friends to COVID-19 and
others have experienced the
symptoms to varying degrees.
Our patients has been
tested over and over again.
As we have limited our travel
and state inside our homes,
I have also heard many inspiring
stories from our community
of people supporting one another.
We must continue to work
collaboratively to support one
another and lift each other up.
And I want to give a shout
out for all those community
members that can't stay in
their homes because they're
required to go out and work.
And we have a lot of not only parents,
but students in that position,
the school division has remained
busy since the closure on
March 13th,
serving more than 1 million
meals to students in need.
I want to thank the hundreds
of teachers, administrators,
and support staff for lending
their skills, their opinions,
and their help in preparing
for this school year through
serving on the task forces and on many,
many groups creating the
instructional lessons,
both virtual and in person.
I also would like to thank the
teachers who participated in
our collaborative townhome meetings.
Additionally,
we educated 5,800 students
virtually through our summer
school program in an effort
to prevent the spread of the
virus, our facilities and
custodial staff have been working
diligently to thoroughly clean
our buildings and ensuring
our heating ventilation and
air conditioning units are
appropriately circulating air.
Our health staff has worked
closely with the Prince William
health district to develop a plan,
prioritizing the physical and
social emotional needs of our
students and staff ensuring
safety and belonging as a
foundation for learning the
most recent update we have
received from the Prince
William health district is that
there are no significant
changes to COVID-19 in our local
area, and we continue to
be in the moderate range.
The PPE has been delivered
to all schools for nurses,
special education staff and
other employees and mobile hand
sanitizer stations are being
installed at all schools,
along with clear plastic barriers
in areas where the public
interacts with employees, human resources,
our level associates and
school administrators have been
working with employees
to ensure their roles and
expectations for in person or
virtual teaching are clear.
This includes elementary
librarians and counselors who have
been provided clarifying guidance
on reporting as needed on
Tuesday.
I personally thanked all the
people I saw who were at the
Kelly leadership center in
mid-afternoon for assisting with
the fittings for the end 95 mass.
The operation was both
efficient and impressive.
I have also spoken with each
and every one of our 100
principals over zoom to
hear directly from them,
how their plans for the opening
of school are progressing.
I also talked to each
one of our 18 directors.
I gave each person an opportunity
to talk about things that
are working well and that
they're very pleased with and any
concerns that they might
have to me directly.
I can assure everyone that
our schools are all working
incredibly hard to serve our
students and our families,
whether in person or virtually,
I have seen the great work
they're doing to conduct
drive-throughs where families
get their books, art supplies,
materials, and technology,
and a chance to wave at their teachers,
administrators and support staff.
Schools are conducting virtual
major teacher and return to
learn nights and town hall.
My wife is on a call right now,
a big group at my daughter's high school,
hearing the principal, welcome back.
It is it's an enormous team effort,
and I could not be prouder of
the positive attitude of our
teachers, administrators,
and support staff to make the best, yeah,
these challenging times here
are some additional key things
you need to know for the start of school.
September 8th is the first day
of school for all students.
Most students are virtual only
unless your student's school
has specifically talked to you
about your student attending
in-person students,
attending in person have
been determined based on
instructional need, and as of today,
we will have 1,206 students
attending in person.
On the first day,
our teachers of students
with special needs have been
scheduling individualized
education program meetings and
plan meetings with parents
and guardians and working
diligently to meet the
needs of their students.
I sincerely appreciate the
efforts of all of our staff
members to draft or finalize as of today,
more than 10,677 IEP
canvas will be the primary
platform for delivery of online
instruction, details
about canvas for parents,
including instructional videos
are available on the PWCs
website and instructions
are available in multiple
languages.
Our teachers and other
instructional staff have been
developing lessons through canvas,
which is a common learning management.
- System.
They have.
- And engaged in multiple
training opportunities to deliver
the best possible
instruction to our students.
1,500 parents participated just
yesterday in a canvas parent
pointer session in collaboration
with our English learner
programs and services,
student learning and
instructional technology staff.
On Saturday,
I sent a message to all
special education teachers and
related service providers to
clarify the expectations of
their use of canvas.
I recognize the dual priorities
of by EPS and first day
readiness and a near term heavy
burden for these employees.
I greatly appreciate the
enormous amount of time and the
energy it is taking to be
ready as possible for the first
day of school.
I also understand they're all
dedicated professionals who
want to deliver a world class
education for every child
every day.
The most critical thing for
special education teachers
providing in-person instruction
is to be focused on the
students in front of them
while they are in school.
Canvas needs can be met
over the next few weeks and
additional support and training
will continue to be made
available.
Additionally,
the PWCs canvas commons now
contains both K-12 virtual,
Virginia and PWCs courses
offering special educators and
English for speakers of other
language specialists also
known as ESR E L access to
a combined total of over 230
courses for their use.
They entire courses or grade
levels can be downloaded into a
teacher's course or teachers
may wish to pick and choose
individual assignments to
best meet the needs of their
students.
Teachers needing assistance
with using the PWCs commons and
canvas should contact the
instructional technology coach at
their school who will
be ready to assist them.
Zoom will be the primary
platform for live instruction
details on using zoom are
available on our PWCs.
- Website.
- To help prepare our
students for virtual learning.
PWCs is distributing more than
44,000 technology devices to
families.
- Due to national supply chain challenges.
Some families at the elementary
school level may be asked to
share device among multiple
students, as soon as
Jason has everybody out.
I guess Jason's out too.
All right, well while we're,
I guess we're not live on TV
either or is our cable still?
Is it okay?
Let's assume cable TV is still
is lucky as Cape is cable TV
still working.
Okay.
Okay, so we're still on.
At least people can access us
through the cable TV network
when we get back on we'll
complete Dr. waltz, his report,
but we'll move on for now.
We will go to where's
Carol's Carol, Carol Carol.
Any objection to us going
to the ombudsman report?
I mean,
I know administration, dr.
Waltz is not on, but I think,
I don't think he'll object.
I mean, we, we covered much of
it anyways earlier, you know,
I mean, if they have any questions Ms.
Sarah Espenosa, we'll
bring her up for 2001,
which is the annual
report of the ombudsman.
If our administration has
questions when they return we'll
we'll bring you back up Sarah.
Oh, I guess.
Can they, can they respond though?
No, okay.
I think air Lucky's telling
me they can still hear us at
home, so we will, so
we'll continue on for now.
And then when they return and
they have the ability to talk,
we, if they need to have
any questions answered,
we'll certainly bring them
back, Ms. Sarah Espinosa.
I'd like to introduce a as well.
She is our ombudsman who was
hired last year and she's
giving her first of her annual
reports for the fiscal year
2020 Ms. Sarah.
- Yeah.
Thank you, Dr. lateef, Dr. waltz
and members of the school board.
Good evening.
And thank you again for the
opportunity to present the PWCs
office of the ombudsman's
first annual report.
As you know,
the office of the ombudsman
was established by the school
board as a resource for
employees, parents, students,
and members of the community
to voluntarily seek
confidential assistance in
resolving division related
concerns, conflicts and issues per policy.
180,
the office of the ombudsman
operates in accordance with the
international ombudsman
associations code of ethics and core
values of confidentiality
impartiality in formality and
independence.
The office of the ombudsman,
which is staffed by myself and Rosa,
Maria Manzini says has two
primary responsibilities.
First we assist individuals
seeking assistance in resolving
division related concerns
by listening, identifying,
and analyzing options,
and where applicable facilitating
informal discussions in
resolutions second and
of equal importance.
We collect data and identify
trends and patterns while
safeguarding the anonymity of
those seeking assistance and
utilize this data to make
quarterly and annual reports.
The purpose of these reports
is to promote organizational
wellness by alerting the school
board and superintendent to
issues that merit further
examination in the hope,
these observations will help
the division identify and
remove obstacles in achieving
the division's mission.
Next slide.
- Okay.
- Between August 5th,
2019 and June 30th, 2020,
the office of the ombudsman
assisted 158 visitors.
That's what we call the
individuals who come to see us.
70% of those visitors
were division employees.
- Do you know where I went out?
Dr. waltz, we can hear you.
If you just mute.
I understand most everyone
is back, excuse me, Sarah.
Sorry to interrupt, Jason
is our members back.
- Yes, chairman.
Let's see if we were here the whole time.
Oh God.
It connects between us and the
boardroom, so we're all here.
And so we were all looking
at each other, but yeah,
we're ready, so, Dr. waltz,
if you don't mind what we're
going to do since we brought
Sarah,
we'll just have her complete
her report and then have you
finish up, is that okay?
That's absolutely fine.
- Okay.
Just thank you.
- Thank you.
So 70% of the visitors during
this time period were division
employees that equates to
about 1% of the employee
population of those visitor employees.
53% of the visitor
employees were teachers.
32% were classified staff
and 15% were administrators.
When visitors meet with
me and express concerns,
I categorize them in accordance
with the international
ombudsman associations,
uniform reporting categories,
many of the visitors to come
to discuss more than one
concern, next slide.
Thank you.
61% of the employee
visitors express concerns in
regard to the supervisory relationship.
So the relationship between a
supervisor and a supervisee,
32% of employee visitors express
concerns that fell into the
category of legal regulatory,
financial, and compliance.
And then you can see the other
category of concerns that
visitors expressed as well.
I should know that it's not
unusual in organizations for the
majority of employee concerns
to be related to supervisory
relationships.
Next slide, in addition to the categories,
the IOA also has subcategories.
I have him, and so I've
categorized the employee,
visitor concerns and
subcategories as well for the
evaluative or supervisory
relationship concerns.
There were two most
frequent subcategories.
The first was respect and treatment,
and that's defined by the
IOA as demonstrations of
inappropriate regard for
people not listening rudeness.
The second was retaliation
or fear of retaliation,
punitive behaviors for previous
actions or comments, again,
this is what the employee
visitors expressing concerns.
As I said,
32% of the employee visitors
also expressed concerns that
fell into the category of
legal regulatory, financial,
and compliance.
And here the most frequent
subcategory of concern was
discrimination or different
treatment compared with others
or exclusion from some benefit
on the basis of a protected
category,
more specifically the majority
of those issues and those
expressing concerns had to do
with the protected category of
race.
Next slide,
in regard to the parent or
community and student visitors,
79% express concerns related
to services and administrative
issues, the most frequent
associated subcategory,
and that is questions, concerns,
or issues or inquiries about
services or administrative
offices,
and the most frequent subcategories
within that category had
to do with behavior of service providers,
responsiveness and
timeliness and retaliation,
or fear of retaliation
for expressing concerns.
Next slide,
additionally of those parent
community and student visitors,
30% express concerns related
to the teacher student
relationships and 30% express
concerns that fell into the
legal regulatory, financial
and compliance category.
Again, the most frequent sub
category in regard to the legal
regulatory financial and
compliance category had to do with
discrimination or different
treatment compared with others
or exclusion from some
benefit on the category of a
protected on the basis
of a protected category.
Next slide per policy, one 80.
It is the ombudsman's
responsibility to also make
recommendations to promote
positive improvement.
And here,
I think it's important to
note that ombudsman generally,
by virtue of the nature of the services,
they provide have an unusual
vantage point from which to
view the organizations they
serve by design ombuds programs
are impartial, confidential,
and serve a small percentage
of the employee and constituent
population as visitors.
So these observations are
not meant to diagnose the
organization.
The ombuds observations are
most appropriately used to alert
the organization to issues in
need of further examination.
And so here are my observations
and meeting with visitors
during the first year,
I heard an identified a theme
related to workplace climate
and culture, more specifically,
a number of employee visitors
assigned to various schools
and offices express concerns
over the manner in which they
were treated by their supervisors,
as well as fears that they
would be retaliated against if
they were to raise specific
concerns specific to their
school or office or involving
leadership while it is
understood.
These observations were limited
in regard to the number of
visitors as a percentage of
the total employee population,
the consistent nature of the
concerns expressed amongst the
visitors appears to merit
further exploration.
It is not within the purview
of the office of the ombudsman
to conduct investigations, so again,
I am reporting about what I'm
hearing in my office based on
these observations and the data
shared in the annual report.
The recommendation is that
you consider a comprehensive
independent study to be conducted,
to assess workplace climate
and employee engagement,
including examining employee
experiences specific to equity
and inclusion such as study.
And the subsequent findings
may be useful and identifying
what, if any specific actions
may be advisable to promote
continued organizational wellness.
And I realized that the pedantic,
the pandemic adds a complexity
to your consideration of this
recommendation.
Thank you for the opportunity
to present the first annual
report and for the privilege
of serving as the PWC S
ombudsman happy, I'm happy
to answer any question.
Next slide.
- Ms. zargarpur,
thank you so much for
your report, I really,
my favorite thing about you
is how inclusive you are
and that inclusive, complete, like it's,
you've got everything in there.
I did have a question about
you in one of your categories.
It's like legal regulatory financial,
and you said the big part was hitting on.
It was, I'm trying to think of what I
Like claims of racism was that it, or so,
so the largest sub category
within that category had to do
with discrimination,
discrimination, sorry, I didn't.
Well, it could be, he couldn't know.
And so of the,
of the people expressing
concern that they were being
treated differently,
the major protected category
they were expressing concern
about was race it, do you have
like a percentage of like,
how much of that, or can
you not speak to that?
So I saw about 1% of the
employee population at Prince
William County,
which was about 111 employees
and 32% express concern
related to legal regulatory,
financial, and compliance.
That's not all of them specifically,
we're talking about discrimination
or there are a couple
other categories in there as well, okay.
That, no, thank you.
- Jason, can I see the
folks at home if possible,
if not, does anybody miss Jesse?
Hi, I want to thank you for the report.
When you were looking at
equity and concerns about the
pandemic,
did you see an increase
during this period of time?
We're about where those concerns
about equity 10 items prior
to, was that an uptick
during the pandemic?
That's my question.
- No, actually it was
throughout the entire year.
- Okay, and when you look at your record,
your recommendation,
which you preview that a little
bit and give me more detail
on that.
- Certainly.
So what I'm recommending is
that you consider undertaking a
comprehensive,
independent study to be
conducted by outside experts to
assess workplace climate
and employee engagement,
and specifically included
within that to look at the
employee experience, as it
relates to equity and inclusion.
When you bring in an outside expert,
they may go about this
and a variety of ways,
but one way people generally
start is with an employee
engagement or a diversity climate survey.
- Okay.
I know that Martin County
and Fairfax County provided a
report to the school board
in conjunction with the NAACP
about discrimination.
Is this what you're considering or is,
would it be that be a separate
item of consideration or does
that align with what your
recommended recommended.
- That is even more expansive
than what I'm recommending?
So I think that those,
the Louden and Fairfax reports
I had to do with not only the
employee experience, but
the student experience.
- Okay, because they looked at schools
in terms of employment
protectives discrimination,
where there discrimination
in terms of their access to
positions our movement up in
the, in, in the organization.
- Those were some of the concerns
expressed, had to do with,
had to do with promotional opportunities.
- Okay, thank you.
And by the way,
you do an excellent job and
you're such a common voice,
but I'm very impressed with
the work that you've done.
And the fact that all
of these people come to,
you says that this position,
I know that Lauren and I were both again,
along with other members of the board,
but I think that this is a
position is proven that this is a
position that was really needed
and you're the right person
for the job, thank you.
- Any, and then I have Ms.
Williams has her hand up.
Okay.
- I just wanted to thank you,
miss Espinosa for all of
your work in this position.
It's been an interesting year
for all of us, but I'm sure,
especially for you for your
first year out the box,
and then welcome to pandemic.
I appreciate your report
and the thoroughness of the
information received from the board.
And I think you exemplify what
it means to have an ombudsman
and a school system.
I'm very appreciative of your
service as I'm sure our school
division is as well.
And then I would just like to, you know,
ask the board to seriously
consider Mrs. Espinosa's
recommendation when it
comes time for us to take
an action item up and maybe
even go broader as some of our
surrounding counties are doing with,
with that recommendation.
But I think that's a good thing
for all of us to chew on in
the interim, so thank
you again, Ms. Espinoza
for your presentation.
- Thank you, miss Espinosa.
We really appreciate it.
Thank you, Dr. waltz.
We'll go back to, to finish your report.
- Thank you so much, chairman
Lateef members of the board,
by the way,
we had an equipment failure
and sometimes that happens and
I'm just thrilled that our great
team has got us back up and
running, so thank you,
our great technology team.
And I'll pick up where I
left off to help prepare our
students for virtual learning.
PWCs is distributing more than
44,000 technology devices to
families due to national
supply chain challenges.
Some families at the elementary
school level may be asked to
share a device among multiple students.
As soon as we receive additional
devices already on order,
we will provide these families.
One for each student canvas
and zoom apps can be used on a
smartphone or a tablet, it preferred,
or if a laptop is not available,
the division is also sponsoring
the cost of Comcast cares
for qualifying families in
need of internet service.
Qualifying families are being
contacted for those in rural
areas of the County,
without the ability to
connect to broadband,
but who has cellular access
schools have limited numbers of
take-home hotspots available.
Wifi has been made available
in 36 parking lot locations
across the County and enlist
is available on our PWCS
website,
parents and guardians needing
technology support should
contact their students
school for additional health
students.
Schedules for elementary school
are available in parent view
now,
and all other schools will
be released on September 4th,
along with courses being
published at levels in canvas.
On that same day,
we encourage families to test
your technology before the
first day of school to
help work out, any issues,
answers to common technology,
support questions are available
from your school or by
visiting PW, cs.edu/help desk.
Be sure to look for communication
from your student or
students, schools,
or schools for further
details on the school year,
including schedules and bell times.
Be sure to check this scoop
email each week and visit the
PWCs website for the most
up to date information
on our return
to learn frequently asked questions.
The us department of
agriculture extended through
December 31st,
the waivers that allow us to
continue serving free meals,
including breakfast and
lunch to all students.
This doesn't change our
operation extensively,
but does allow more PWCs
students to be served without
having to pre qualify for
free or reduced status or pay.
In addition to breakfast and
lunch with 56 schools where
families can also receive
dinners and snacks for to seven
days a week on Mondays and Thursdays,
a special return to learn
packet has been activated in
online registration in parent
view this special online
packet replaces.
Many of the forms traditionally
signed in person the first
week of school,
including items such as the
emergency contact information.
Also for security,
all PWCs zoom and canvas
student accounts are locked from
allowing students to change
their names, however,
if a student has the preferred first name,
parents and guardians can
update it at any time that
preferred name in parent view,
either in the app or the web browser,
if they don't have a preferred
name, no action is required.
I appreciate your patience and support.
As we work through this difficult time,
I am confident working collaboratively.
We can make the 2021 school
year a fantastic year.
Now I would like to conclude
my remarks this evening with a
video that will help showcase
what our virtual school will
look like, run videos.
- To prepare for this school year,
Covington Harper elementary
school offered an inside look at
their virtual learning plan
to prepare for the upcoming
school year.
Our PLC team has been working
collaboratively day in,
day out to come up with strategies.
And we've used the modules at
the office of student learning
have provided for us so that
we can meet the needs of all
the learners.
- Closely with the math
department, as I'm a math teacher,
they have given us pacing
guides throughout the past few
years, and this year is no different.
They have provided us with a
pacing guide that is virtual.
Now it's on campus with all kinds of say,
if we all can manipulate it
to our liking and to make sure
that our Senate veins.
- I'm really excited
about the canvas platform,
because students do not
need to leave canvas at all.
We can do live lessons virtually
when you and your child log
in to the canvas platform.
Our school team or ITC has
helped us prepare a landing page
for the student.
So they will be able to log
in through their clever and
three 65 accounts click on the canvas app.
And it will take them right
to the learning page that they
need to begin with, for the day.
- A typical day for a student
could look like waking up,
getting a nice breakfast stretching,
and then looking at their day's task.
They will have different zoom
sessions throughout the day
off for math and ELA,
sometimes science and
maybe Virginia studies.
So they should be prepared for that.
With our breakout sessions in zoom,
we are able to pull in
the ESOL teacher polling,
the special education
teacher, the gifted teacher,
and allow them to run that
breakout session from our main
site.
- On my fifth grade team,
there are four teachers and
we will strategically have the
schedule.
Each of the four teachers
will teach the same lesson.
So that will give you four sessions.
- At the same lesson.
Plus we have two small group
lessons and kind of individual
office hours.
So that's providing six
different opportunities for the
students to learn the same day's material,
the recorded version.
We can always revisit later
in case we have to help them
better understand what they
were doing missing or what they
needed.
- Do, you know, in the regular music room,
we have instruments and recorders
and xylophones and drums
and all those things,
but virtually that's going
to be different, however,
we have been finding virtual instruments,
there's virtual xylophones,
a virtual drum set.
So we found lots of different
ways to still make music
virtually, we have our
voice as a main instrument.
- Wow, that will be amazing.
I'm sure you've heard of
synchronous and asynchronous
asynchronous PARP is that Monday,
the teachers will be meeting,
collaborating all day,
making sure that our lessons are on point,
but the student will be
able to have this leadership
opportunity to say, I
have to get my work done.
We're giving them materials.
We're giving them
assignments on the day off,
but they are going to be working.
- Take it one day at a time and, you know,
encourage your student to
have a set routine each day or
whatever supplies that you need to have.
It's great to have them out ready to go.
So you don't have to go find
them in your house when it's
class time,
it's important for the
student to have a consistent
workspace free from noise.
It doesn't have a busy background.
And our biggest tip would be using.
You have to fire up those
laptops 10 minutes before your
lesson, you use the restroom,
have a snack and be prepared,
ready to go for your teacher.
Kids are resilient and kids
are gonna pick up on the tone
that we set for them.
And I think if we have a positive tone,
they're going to feed off that.
And if we teach them early on that,
there's going to be
mistakes in this process.
And we set them up as
learning opportunities.
We will all see a better
outcome at the end.
- Thank you very much.
Thank you, dr.
Wall, so it was an excellent video.
I think the board all
enjoyed watching that.
Thank you for putting that together.
Next we'll go to 20.02
revision of policy eight
91 renovation, modernization
of facilities, Dr. Walter.
- Good evening again, Dr. lateef,
members of the board, Dr. waltz.
The office of facility services
is proposing the revision of
policy eight 91,
which is primarily just
bringing our policy within the
alignment with our existing practice,
as it relates to the
modernization of our buildings and
excellent, anybody have any questions?
- Okay, thank you, Mr. ciarochi.
Thank you.
We will now move to 20.03,
the appointment of the
clerk of the school.
And so I guess what I should
say is I was a bit premature
because this will make it official.
We haven't recommended action.
And I'm going to ask Ms. lori
Williams to make the motion.
- Feel like student
representative appointment times.
This is so exciting.
So I moved at the Prince William
County school board appoint
a clerk to replace Ms. Debra urban.
And that clerk would be miss B Simpson.
Do I have a second?
A second.
- All right, we have a
number of seconds, Ms.
second, Ms. Jesse.
Second, let's open the
floor for discussion.
- Congratulations, and it has to be.
- Well, we gotta, we gotta vote first.
Oh yeah, oh, I see.
Okay.
- Oh, okay.
Very good, and then, and
who's next, Mr. Wilkes?
I be you're phenomenal.
And I don't think I have to
say anything more publicly.
It's it's an honor to work
with you for all these years.
And I'm very excited
that you'll be the clerk,
the right person for the job.
- How B this is Louie Jessie, you know,
I've known you for a long time.
I've watched you and
working in human resources.
And now as this new position,
I applaud your efforts.
You're such a professional person.
I am elated that you were
selected for this position.
Congratulations.
- Wonderful, Ms. Williams.
- I also would like to the public to know,
and it's definitely worth noting that Ms.
B was our interim clerk of
the school board and has
single-handedly heard it all
of us like cats alone during
this time of pandemic chaos
and has done everything the
clerk and the deputy clerk
would do for the past several
months by herself in coordination.
I'm sure with other staff members,
but really taking on this
tremendous task and doing it as
flawlessly as could possibly
be during a pandemic.
And it is very much appreciative.
I have not ever seen a staff
member or a person step up to
that level in such a short period of time.
Thank you very much, be
appointment well deserved.
I just wanted to offer my
congratulations as well.
I've gotten to know you and
you're your friendly face.
I love seeing you in real life,
but you do so much work behind the scenes,
and I'm so grateful that
you are in this position.
And again, congratulations.
- Ms. Jackson.
- I also want to extend my
congratulations and sincere
gratitude for emailing me
and keeping me updated and
answering all my questions, I'm
excited and congratulations.
- Ms. wall.
- Add my congratulations.
It's been a pleasure to
work with you so far,
my short time on the board,
but I do really appreciate all
of your efforts and the hard
work that you.
- How prompt you are with
requests and answers to questions
and keeping us on calendars
organized and all those other
things, thank you very much.
And we look for,
I look forward to many great
experiences on the board with
you as our board clerk.
- At this point,
I would echo all the statements
by the prior board members.
And I asked the board to please vote.
Ms. Jesse, how do you vote?
- Yes.
- Ms. Jesse votes yes.
- I'm happy to say the vote is seven yes.
- Excellent, we have the vote seven.
Yes, for our new clerk, the Simpson.
Congratulations, Ms. Simpson,
we look forward to working with you.
Thank you very much, excellent.
We're going to move on to
20.04, we have from Mississauga,
porta, Ms. walls, safe schools,
advisory council appointments
for Coles and Gainesville
district emotions in order Ms. wall,
when you want to make the
motion and then that'd be 20.04,
or.
- Yes,
I move that the principal and
County school board approve
the appointment of Jacqueline
Gastone to represent Ms.
Lethal of the Kohl's district
and Chrissy Marie Marie falls
to represent Ms.
Jennifer Wall of the
Gainesville district on the safe
schools advisory council
for a two year term.
- Do I have a second?
Ms. zargarpur seconds.
We'll open the floor for discussion.
Any comments from Ms. wall.
- I'm excited to employ
a point or nominate Ms.
Christie Marie falls
falls to the position.
She's been a strong advocate
for child health and safety in
our community, for a long time.
She works with a number of
coalitions already in the
community.
I think she'll be bring a
great collaborative approach to
the board.
I appreciate so much the
resources and experience that she
has, and I look forward to
working with her on this,
this sport, so I'm very excited about it.
Excellent, Ms. zargarpur
Yes.
Jackie Gaston is a parent of
three children here in Prince
William County,
and her kids have gone
through York Shire elementary
Parkside, middle Osborne
park, high school.
She's a very involved parent
and the PTO on the SAC
committee, that committee,
she is also a teacher.
She's a,
a transition specialist for
alternative programs in Fairfax
County, so she's somebody,
who's got a lot of experience
with all kinds of ages and
stages and has been really
involved in active in her own
community.
And I think this is a great
opportunity for all of us to
have Jackie on this, in this position.
Thank you.
- Excellent.
Please vote, Ms. Jesse, how do you vote?
- Yes.
- Ms. Jesse votes yes.
And the vote is seven yes.
Unanimous motion.
- Motion passes seven yes.
Unanimous we'll move on next
to 20.05 special education
advisory council appointment
for the Gainesville district.
Ms. wall.
- Thank you, Mr. chairman,
I move that the principal and
County school board approve
the appointment of Deborah
tech MP to represent Ms.
Jennifer Wall of the Gainesville
district on the special
education advisory council
for a two year term.
- I have a second.
I will second that discussion Ms. wall.
- Oh yes Ms. zargarpur
comes to us as a teacher in
Prince William County and a
parent of a son with special
needs who is in high school and
has one child who is a graduate
of principal and County
schools, and one who is
currently in, in school.
And I think with,
she brings a wealth of experience
and will be an asset to
this committee because of her
long IX experience with our
schools, but also with the
teacher perspective as well.
So I think she has been an
advocate already within the
Gainesville district for
her own children and others.
She's she's going to be a
great asset to this committee.
- Thank you, Ms. wall, please vote.
Ms. Jesse, how do you vote?
- Yes.
- Ms. Jesse votes yes.
Seven yes.
Jeannie Animas motion passed.
- The motion passes unanimously.
We will move on to board matters.
So we have not had board
matters in months and,
and this is the time where each
board member will speak for
approximately three minutes
about whatever's on their mind.
I mean, everything return to learning.
Okay.
Okay, to what's on the agenda, I guess.
Alright, we will start.
We'll start with Justin Wilk today.
Gosh, it's been so long since this.
And usually it's like a full
on report of like schools.
I visited events that
I went to one sec, Mr.
Wilke, I'm sorry.
I apologize, Carol.
Is there a restriction on what they is?
Do they have to talk about
only what's on the agenda,
like return to learning
issues, that kind of stuff.
Okay.
So just weave that in there
somehow Mr. Wilson, any, but,
so yeah,
I think that just goes to show
the crazy times we're living
in right now, as we prepare
for return to learning.
And so, you know,
the last couple of board
meetings have been very
interesting.
I've received, of course,
all the email correspondence
in relation to a return to
learning.
I've tried responding to
as many people as possible.
I want to thank our central office staff.
The number of meetings I've
had last alone, I met with Ms.
Humira, dr.
Roper, and learned actually
how to write an IEP.
So that was very educational,
just full transparency.
I can see how it could take
some time to write these.
And so, but a very intuitive system.
And I was excited to learn
about the program, the platform.
So that was a very good
professional development session had
number of meetings with Mr.
Wallingford and calls about
the appropriate ordering of PPE
and other such matters.
And so I just, I want to
thank our division, dr.
Waltz, his entire team, Ms.
Hebner has been phenomenal,
working nonstop to help me
better understand the reopening
of schools, you know,
I think every family is going
to definitely feel this.
These are unconventional times.
We're still trying to figure
out a schedule in my house
between when my wife goes
into forest park to do virtual
learning from her classroom
to when I get to go drive to a
place here and do my job part
time to then when my son's
babysitter comes to help him
put him on a virtual classroom
at Ashland elementary kindergarten
to when the ABA therapist
comes into the house and helps
my sign to when the second
babysitter comes over to help.
So just giving examples that this is,
this looks really weird.
This is definitely going
to impact everyone.
I understand what
everyone is going through.
And like I said, unconventional times,
I want to thank all of our teachers,
our special education teachers
who are going into for
in-person learning on Tuesday.
I want to thank all of our
teachers who are even teaching
virtually and worked on the canvas pages.
I want to thank dr.
Waltz and his team for
listening to me and other board
members,
me being very vocal about helping
delay the canvas pages for
our special education teachers
that are doing in person
learning, so I want to thank you.
The administration has been
very collaborative again.
I definitely want to
thank our administration.
I want to wish our teachers
the best for the reopening of
schools for safe,
sanitary and secure
reopening in our buildings.
And I want to thank all the
virtual teachers who will start
again in unconventional times,
do their best will do their best.
I know because we have outstanding
educators to reach all of
our students in Prince
William County, so again,
thank you to our administration.
Thank you to our many teachers.
And thank you for my colleagues
on the board for all the
great questions and the
discussion over the last couple of
weeks, Ms. wall.
- Thank you, Mr. chairman,
I'm want to start out
with just a brief analogy.
About three years ago,
I went to a cross country event
running a high school cross
country event, and it was really,
really hot day in a very tough race.
And because it was so hot and
the kids had been standing
outside for a long time before the race.
There were a lot of runners
who were having a lot of
distress because it was so
hot and such a hard race.
And I've watched with other
parents as a lot, you know,
the first runners started to
come in and cross the finish
line, and there were some
kids who had given their all,
and it wasn't quite enough.
And so I watched a particular
runner collapse about 50 yards
before the closing of the race
and struggle and crawl and
get up and fall and struggle
and crawl and get up and fall
and finally crawl across
the finish line, obviously,
people were standing close by
to receive her at the finish
line, but in that race,
you can't have anybody assist
you across the line if you
want to finish.
And I feel like this is a
good analogy for what we have
experienced in our school
district, this summer,
we are working hard to cross
that finish line, it's not,
it hasn't been easy, and that is,
I know the biggest understatement,
but we have struggled and we
have fallen and we've gotten
back up, and I think
that's true for every,
every person who has been
working so hard on this effort.
So I just want to say I echo Mr. Wilkes,
thanks for everybody from every division,
from every school at every
level behind the scenes who has
been working so hard to make this happen,
will it be perfect?
No, none of us are perfect.
Life is not perfect, life is not fair,
but we will do our best.
And despite the fear and
anxiety that a lot of people are
experiencing right now,
this new time where we're
all a little bit out of our
comfort zones, new ways of
doing things, pandemics,
hopefully only come once
a century or fewer or less
frequently.
If we could say motions are high,
we acknowledge the feelings
of our teachers at a school
board, I mean, we've, we've heard you.
We listen, we're grateful for
your dedication and your work.
We know the finish line is
insight, but it's, it might be,
you know,
it's a struggle to get there
for anyone whose family's been
affected by covered, we
give compassion to you.
We pray for your speedy recovery.
We, we know we're all in
this together and it's,
it's pretty tough.
I also don't want to acknowledge
the larger, larger context.
We do have 92,000 students
whom we are responsible to
educate the realities of
longterm impact of this COVID
pandemic are yet to be seen.
There will be an impact on
learning for distance on
educational gains of distance learning.
The realities is that we will
see a widening of the learning
gap, it will probably get larger.
Those with that with
support will do pretty well.
Those who need more support,
hopefully they'll help them as
well that they may experience
greater setbacks, so make no mistake,
distance learning will widen the gap,
but we'll do our very best to
close it, as soon as we can,
this gap will be even more
pronounced for our sped
population,
which is why we have prioritized
those children to return
back to school as much, as much as we can.
Our mission is to not leave
them behind for our family.
School is a critical part of their lives,
and this is six months or a
year or a year and a half in a
child's life is a very, very long time.
It doesn't seem like that
to adults, but to children.
It is so we will put
our best effort forward,
even if done correctly.
What is the impact of distance
learning on education?
We do not know, but we will do our best.
What is the impact of distance
learning on mental health?
We do not know, but we will do our best,
the impact of all of this
on academic achievement.
We do not know, but we will do our best.
And I know everybody working
together will make a difference
for our children.
Where are we?
Now?
We're a public school division.
We exist to provide broad
educational support to all
students who enroll in our division.
We are essential to the
fabric of our community.
We are essential to the
lives of the children in our
districts.
We have a plan, we are following it.
We will work very hard to
meet everybody's needs.
Are we perfect?
No, we need grace.
We need patients.
We need to work together while
still fulfilling all of our
obligations.
We can do this and I feel great
confidence in our teachers.
I just want to say thank you
one more time for everything
that you have done for our students.
- Thank you, Ms. wall, Ms. Jesse.
Good evening.
I do have one announcement.
There was a town hall meeting
regarding COVID the COVID
crisis and its impact on
the teaching profession.
The panel includes speaker
of the house, Nancy Pelosi,
the president of AFT the
president of the NAACP and other
notables,
civil rights and community
leaders to spokesman represented
students nationwide was
our very own Chloe Presley
ambassador for student voice.
She's an upcoming senior
at Hilton high school.
And she was the first person
that Nancy Pelosi gave a shout
out to saying how
impressed she was with her.
So congratulations code a
quote on a reopening plan.
I have no doubt that everyone
has spent countless hours in
order to prepare for something
we've never seen in our
lifetime and hope to never see, again,
this includes the members
of the superintendent staff.
I've worked at school and
then central office level.
And I know when things need to get done,
we get it done and we
do whatever it takes.
My observations are my own, and,
and in no way diminish the
efforts of our staff at central
office or my colleagues on the board.
I'm a senior member of this
board and I've seen yes and
endured controversies and
concerns from the community.
During my seven year tenure,
I have never received such an
outpouring of concern about
the safety and wellbeing
of students and yes,
staff that our schools, teachers
have always had complaints.
And,
but they have never cried out
to us for help and relief like
they did recently earlier,
when we talked about equity and culture,
I think it's something that
we really need to put on our
radar.
They have never felt that
they have never been,
never felt that there was
such a lack of equity and
concerned about their wellbeings.
I'm talking about teachers,
special education teachers.
Oh, highlight there.
Think the dedication to
learning a students to parents,
especially for special education parents,
do you not need to be?
You do not need to be concerned.
They not only will teach your child.
They loved them.
As one teacher wrote to me
and I tried to read everything
that came.
We are ferociously protective
of special education students.
However,
there is a difference in
opinion opinion in my mind about
their readiness to open
school, September eight,
that required our refresh.
I received phrases such as they
say, we're okay at central,
but tell them we're not okay,
things are not in place.
We are not ready, I am
crying uncontrollably.
And I have to tell you, I, for one,
believe them because they are
afraid to speak out and they
have, and believe in
them, the board, we said,
we would use the word feasible.
These teachers told us
that it wasn't feasible.
And in my opinion, in many essences,
we did not listen to them.
We did give them the two
weeks that they needed,
however we need to move on.
So I feel that our responsibility
now that these people that
I've talked to Wells,
I think you said 10,000 IDPs
opening school is so as a
principal, you know, when I retired,
I walked by your office and
I left with this purple note
book, and I'd say,
principals are overworked.
And that was before the pandemic.
I don't know what it's
like to be a principal now,
but it's just, the work is enormous.
And so now our role is to
monitor the progress has,
is rollout it's to include from the board.
We need to monitor the number
of students receiving programs
at schools, at one point,
I thought there was a lack of
equity with the special ed,
but then I find that people were saying,
there's a lack of equity.
And they're concerned that
some schools have absolutely no
kids coming in, I don't
know what that means.
I ask about it this afternoon
for information on it.
And I'm still asking you to give it to me,
that information because our
responsibility as a board is to
monitor and make sure
these people are state.
We need to monitor outbreaks.
I asked for that in response
in our school, again,
asking for that
information, if we're on a,
these people are in a
very difficult situation.
We need to monitor that we
need monitor and respond to
teachers and individuals on the ground.
Instead of providing I've been at central.
And it's so easy to
say, well, it's central.
We say that they're doing fine.
We need to listen to what these
people are saying out in the
fields, and lastly to principals,
I think you are vulnerable
group because you're everywhere.
If something happens to you,
you're not going to know where
it came from because you're
all over the building and
you're monitoring everything.
But you have a responsibility
to protect the children in
your school,
but you're also in charge of
the staff and you are required
to report any advancement of
staff or children report and be
an advocate for,
for everything that's
going on in your building.
Let us know.
I heard tonight when they on
Boozman said that principals
where I intimidated,
most people think I'm not
intimidated by anything,
but I was intimidated, I
didn't tell if I was unhappy,
I didn't call up to central and say,
I'm unhappy all the time I did the work,
but you've got in this situation.
We're talking about life and death.
You have to report and are our
principals and our teachers
need to let us know, I notice
that you're not there tonight.
You're not there tonight,
probably cause you're trying
to get ready for school,
but I admire you are my,
all the work that has
been done by central.
But the number one concern
is equity and safety of our
teachers, and I believe you,
when you say you are really
tired and principals do whatever
you can to help those
teachers, thank you very much.
- Thank you Ms. Jesse, Ms.
Jackson, I thank you.
I want to take a minute and
thank all Prince William County
staff are working tirelessly,
including the administration
who have answered my many calls
and emails on a personal note.
My boys and I stopped by their
school yesterday to pick up
their virtual learning supplies
and it was various bit of sweet.
They were excited to see their
school, meet their teacher,
but were so sad when we drove away.
I know staff feels the same way.
I know, as a parent,
I am teaching my kids to extend
grace and understanding to
everyone.
Especially during this
time, as we all adjust,
I try to practice what I preach.
I know there is a huge
learning curve for everyone.
Kindness goes a long way.
I trust that everyone who
works in this County is working
extremely hard and has the
kids' best interests at heart.
And I thank them.
The school district has asked
us to email questions by close
of business Friday,
and we have asked them,
including public meetings
to assess and give needed.
They are to keep us updated
so we can act as a board if
needed, I stress again,
the importance of talking
directly with teachers during this
time, their input is invaluable.
I want to thank Senator
Warner and other panelists,
including our wonderful student
representatives for their
time, a few weeks ago,
I was so proud to show a table
with our wonderful student
representatives who advocated
strongly for the needs of our
community during this time.
Thank you to the many parents,
teachers and students who have
met with me since the arch to
talk about returning
Salone and other needs.
I've lost track and
how many zoom meetings,
but I remember the new faces
and thank you for the numerous
emails from teachers and
parents and other community
members.
As we return to alone
this month in September,
we have to remember that this
month is childhood cancer
awareness month for the year 2020.
It is estimated that a little
over 11,000 children under the
age of 15 would be diagnosed
with Chocolat cancer.
This month,
I plan to learn more about
childhood cancer and I encourage
others to do the same because
during this time you could
feel alienated in any way we
can find to connect to people
is important, thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Jackson, Mr.
- Thank you, dr.
Lateef, good evening, everybody.
I'm going to be your glass
half full person tonight.
I am really excited about the
start of the school year, it,
to me, that is new years.
It is always new years.
I'm always excited about
the new experiences,
what we're going to be
learning about just the whole
journey, and that's just me, right?
But this is COVID and this is
really, really hard students.
I know a lot of you are
going to really miss those
experiences that especially
if you're seniors, this is,
this is a lot.
And hopefully we'll get to the springtime.
Maybe things will be different, right?
We're all gonna wear our masks.
We're going to practice washing our hands.
We're going to practice
our social distancing.
We're going to stay home when we're sick,
we're going to take care
of ourselves and others.
We have to do that, this is not normal.
This this whole year is absolutely insane.
And when we're trying to get
back to this school year,
which I'm still excited for,
it's going to look a little different.
Online learning is a challenge.
What we did in the spring is
not what we're going to be
doing this fall, and we're not
going to have zero glitches.
Let's be honest.
We had one in our own board
meeting tonight, right?
So it's going to happen and
we're going to give each other
grace, and we're going
to give each other space.
And I want to make sure that
parents also know that you're
not responsible for educating your child.
Just help them if they
need it a little bit,
reach out to your teachers and
state in communication with
those schools, it's really important.
The other thing I believe
in is the resiliency of our
students.
I know we were worried about
what we're missing with COVID
and what we may not be getting.
But I also really honestly
believe in your resiliency as
people, this, this thing
is going to be formative.
It's going to change you in
the future for the better may
not feel like it, right, but I'm old.
So I know these things kind
of work that way sometimes to
the staff here at the Kelly center,
I know I've asked a bazillion
questions, I've had calls.
I am so appreciative for the
time you have taken behind the
scenes.
These are people who've been
working six and seven days a
week putting in 12 to 16 hours a day.
There are some people I send
an email and I get one back and
I'm just messing around
at midnight or something.
And I still get one
back right away, right?
Miss Hebrew.
Exactly.
You're you're working behind
the scenes and no one knows
what it is that you're
doing, but you're doing it.
And I'm really appreciative to
the principals who have been
working since I don't know
you haven't stopped, right?
It's been since March,
you've been trying to figure
out how to get your community,
all the things that they need.
You've been trying to make
sure all the learning is taking
place, the teaching, the
teachers, the parents,
the students, all those things.
I know it's a lot.
I am very worried about all of
us getting burnt out on some
level, but, but again, glass half full.
This is an unprecedented time,
and this is an opportunity to
see what we can do in these
virtual spaces, but for principals,
thank you for all the work
that you've been doing,
all the dots, you connect,
all the things that you're
trying to do for your school
communities.
Teachers, I hear so much
pain in some of these emails,
so much anxiety, so much worry.
And I know there's a small
number of you who will be going
into the buildings and
I'm worried about it too.
But I also know that
we've got the PPE for you.
We have procedures in place.
Everything that we can
do to keep you safe,
including the air circulation
with the HVAC systeMs.
all of that, they have been
working on this constantly.
I think the buildings are
going to be just fine.
I also want you guys to know teachers.
Some of you have expressed
concern about you.
Haven't gotten all the training on canvas,
but she know what you, you do have.
You have that thing that
makes you a teacher.
You have that thing that
relates with students and you're
going to go in and you're going
to smash it because you know
what?
This is what you do.
This is your job, you're going to go in.
You're going to build those
relationships and you're going
to meet those students where
they are and you're going to
figure it out, and it feels
horrible cause we're planners,
right?
But guess what?
I know you got this, I know
you're going to do this.
And I know you're going to do
it really well to the TAs and
all the support staff.
I know that you guys have been working.
Some of you've been working
all summer long, quietly,
but you're there.
And you just do what the job requires.
And I'm so grateful for that as well.
Glass is half full people,
I really believe that, Oh,
stop laughing, dr.
Lateef, it really is.
It really is the only glasses minor fog.
And right now, please wear your mask,
wash your hands practices, distancing,
take care of yourself and
others, and for goodness sake,
stay home when you're sick stay
well, and good luck to this,
this school year, Ms.
Lori Williams.
- Thank you, Mr. chairman.
I would like to start by echoing
the same sentiments that my
board members have expressed.
And that is to thank the staff
at every single level for
every single thing that they have done.
I cannot reiterate enough
at the Kelly building.
How on point they've been in
response time and answering
questions,
how much grace did they have
demonstrated in doing their
jobs?
How many times it's been okay
to say we just don't know yet,
which is unprecedented in
this division for so many,
so many things, we just
usually don't answer with that.
And for our principals and for
our teachers and for our TAs
and everyone involved really in,
in educating our Prince
William County families,
because we do so much more
than just for our education for
our student.
I really want to thank everyone
for all of the hard work
that they've put in, and
I can't emphasize enough.
We really do just need to extend
a certain amount of grace.
This is my first year on the board,
just like everyone else's
during a pandemic and hopefully
the last ever.
But we all know that the first
week of school is chaotic and
it's okay to make a ton of
mistakes and people to be
frustrated and deal with
power outages or equipment not
working and things like that.
We're dealing with those issues
instead of students missing
buses and the wrong bus came
and I lost the kindergartener
and they were in another class
and someone brought home my
other book bag and
whatever, I mean, there's,
I can't get in my locker, you name it.
There are always issues with
the first week of school in the
beginning of school and
nothing is ever perfect.
And while our expectations are high,
I think that's because we all care.
We don't talk about it that much,
but that's really where that comes from.
Everyone wants their child to
receive the best education.
Our staff members want to
provide the best education,
our bus drivers and cafeteria workers,
and everyone else want to
provide the best service,
quality of service they possibly can.
And I think it's okay for
everyone to take a deep breath
and, and be okay with, it's
not going to be perfect.
It just isn't, and that's okay.
We're going to have trying
times I know myself.
I think my kids could probably
tell you that if I yelled one
more time,
they may just move out and
live on the roof themselves.
And that's because we're all
under a tremendous amount of
stress.
Every single one of us, our kids too.
But as a Muslim go for just said,
I think that the glass is half
full in the sense that I have
learned so much from it, our
students, my own children,
the student reps, all of the,
any students who tuned in on
zoom calls about mental health
and online resources and canvas, i,
I can't think of you all enough
for giving me the hope in
our future and especially for
updating my sorely old person,
technological skills and being patient.
I think that you have,
as you really demonstrated
what we all know,
and that is that you will
continue to lead the way.
And I am eternally grateful
for you're putting up with all
of us,
non technologically compliant
parents and non knowledgeable
parents, I think this is
an opportunity once again,
to shine and highlight
how awesome you truly are.
I'd like to thank the student
representatives for their
conversation with Senator Warner.
When he came to unity read,
I think it was last Friday.
I have a warped sense of pandemic time,
but when you talk about
the quality of education,
Prince William County schools delivers,
and the way that we will
continue to educate our students,
you demonstrated that beautifully.
And I know that you will
continue to do that.
And it makes me again,
proud to be a Prince William
County school board member.
I just want to follow
up with a few things,
just some questions that I
think need to be asked publicly.
And I,
and I know the division will
continue as they have been to
answer these questions to our
staff and to the members of
the public.
But I think it's important
that I continue to stay the
course, and that is,
I'm just looking for some
further clarity for myself as a
parent,
the expectation and for our
teachers on how to deal with
bias issues as we transform
our education from in-person in
buildings to, in each other's homes.
I think it's always important
to highlight that the free and
reduced lunch application
while we are have received the
USDA waiver are still very,
very critically that they
are completed and filled out.
And if you don't have internet
service or the ability to
fill it out online,
please let your school know
if they aren't providing you
that paper form that is so important.
It impacts our budgets and how, what,
whether a school receives
designation as a title one school,
it it's just super,
hugely important that that
form gets completed for so many
reasons.
But board member thinking of
budgetary reasons next is as
progress.
If we could get further updates
on school budgets and the
schools that have to
provide wifi hotspots.
And if we are going to be
able to reimburse the schools,
I'm going to continue to ask
that question with the hope
that we will eventually
be able to answer it,
because I know that we don't
have that answer right now and
that's okay.
I also want to,
to see if we could get an
update as time goes on on,
if we are able to provide extra
assistance to our title one
schools,
because those are the schools
that have traditionally the
greatest needs,
and it's even more
exacerbated during a pandemic.
And it's really important
that we acknowledge or we,
and talk about that.
I'd like to, yeah,
from my parents that
September 30th has always,
even though a pandemic is our
drop dead date for enrollment
numbers and enrollment
affects our budgets.
So it's really important.
Maybe you get week one and you
decide homeschooling is not
for you, please enroll your
kid as soon as possible.
I know we don't talk about that,
but this is the year to talk
about it because it makes a
difference for the rest
of the calendar year.
So the pandemic may end in December,
but we only have the same
amount of funds after that,
September 30 deadline for
the remainder of the academic
year.
Just so I can say it again.
The enrollment numbers that we
get on September 30th affects
our budget for the remainder
of the academic calendar year,
whether we have more
students or less students,
that's public education funding.
And lastly, well, not lastly,
but next I just want an update
on mental health services
that we're providing for our
students and our teachers.
If we could talk about that
a little bit more at our next
meeting,
I think it's important to
just continuously have that
conversation.
This is a pandemic and it's
stressful for all of us.
And then I also want to let
the public know behind the
scenes, all of us have been training.
So it's the Kelly staff, it's
our teachers as board members.
I know myself,
Ms. wall, Ms. Jackson,
Ms. Jesse,
all of us have been taking
trainings so that we can continue
to educate ourselves on the
current state of school affairs,
what it means to operate school
systems in a pandemic and
how we can best serve
you as public officials.
I am hopeful and excited
about our virtual school start
opening.
I know that it will be
successful because if you make up
your mind for it to be and
allow for the fact that we are
human,
we can be successful because
you can only learn through
failure.
And that is part of the learning process.
That's what we teach our
kids and as parents, well,
not only,
but that is part of the learning
process and as parents or
guardians and adults,
I think it's best if we set
that example for our students to
follow and give them grace
when things don't work out or
they get frustrated and
give ourselves grace.
And then lastly,
I just want to say to my Prince
William County families, my,
my black, African, African
American and persons of color,
family,
people of color families that
I recognize as a member of
that community,
that this is an extraordinarily
hard time when it comes to
our mental health,
that has been the
experience in my household.
And so many households that
are like mine, and I just want,
especially say to all of you, it's okay.
It's okay to have bad days,
it's okay to have good days.
And it's okay to break down.
We have services to help
you during these times,
and please utilize
them, talk to your kids,
reach out to your counselors,
reach out to other people in
your community that are there
to support you, it's,
it's really hard right now
to be a member of those
communities,
but we do have help and there
are allies out there and
please take advantage of
them because the start of the
school years and another layer
of stress that we undertake
in our daily lives, and I think it's,
we're saying a thousand times
take advantage of the mental
health resources that are available.
Our schools have been
doing a very good job.
At least I know mine is as a
parent of communicating that.
And I want to thank all of the
schools for reaching out to
families, to let them know
and our school division,
especially dr.
Waltz for reiterating that
and making that information
publicly and widely available.
I can't tell you how
much I appreciate that.
So I am looking forward to
it a successful school year,
and I will do my annual
embarrassing of my youngest child
and say that he is looking
forward to a successful school
year because he does not
have to wear pants yet.
So with that,
I will close and good luck
everyone on September 8th.
- Thank you, Ms. Williams.
I will wrap up by, you know,
echoing many of the statements
that our board members have
made, and obviously the
challenges we have this year.
I know many of you who've
been watching the meeting are
wondering why we're not talking
about the pandemic the whole
time, but it's a $1.6 billion
operation, 12,000 employees,
91,000 students.
And there are a lot of other
things we have to get done.
And as board members,
we have the responsibility to
manage the fiscal aspects of
this division, I want to
congratulate Dr. waltz
on this energy initiative this evening,
his team Alicia ROCI Brian
Gorman announcing work
towards the first net
zero school in, in 2022,
23 power purchase agreements,
electrifying, the buses are,
I want to congratulate and thank
dominion energy for working
with school divisions across
the state for working towards
electrifying bus fleets and
providing subsidies to do so.
These efforts will result in
longterm savings for the school
division.
This work is for financial savings and,
and at the same time, it's
good for the environment.
And it makes a lot of sense
along those lines of financial
savings, I want to thank Dr. waltz,
Mr. Wallingford, again, on the
bond sale that we announced.
I know this is one of the
boring parts of the meeting,
but last year we had record
interest rates on our sales.
They lead to millions of
dollars in savings this year.
They reduced the need for
borrowing by 6 million by,
by fiscally performing outstanding work,
working with our vendors,
getting better bids.
And all of that makes a real
difference when it comes time
to, you know, building buildings
and those kinds of things,
those savings matter.
And I want to congratulate
the staff and thank them for
doing that.
I want to thank the board of
County supervisors for giving
us $5 million this summer for
buying more computers for our
students, the board of County
supervisors are poised to,
they received another $41
million in cares monies.
They will be discussing dispersing.
Some of that money to
the school divisions.
The board members here have
been in constant communication
with BOC S members.
I speak regularly with
Madam chair Wheeler and,
and other members about where
we need to go and in our
constant needs.
So there's been an open line
of communications there again,
as it is our fiscal
responsibility to make sure we do
everything we can to get the
school division, more money,
to do the things we need to do.
I want to say our new student member,
Caroline Silvera for her
comments this evening,
I can tell you that the board
shares your priorities of,
of sat prep, free sat, prep,
equity in the school division
and bilingual administration.
Those are very important
priorities that the school board
does share.
I want to thank everyone
again for their hard work, Ms.
Huebner, who's here in,
in person and all of our
staff working from home here,
those who came in for closed session,
thank you for everything you do this year.
As the board members pointed
out will be challenging.
You know, will canvas go down?
Yes, it will go down.
We'll zoom go down, yes.
It will go down.
Will there be confusion about
getting online and classes and
where's the teacher, where's the student.
Yes, there will be.
We've had 150 years of
public education in person in
America.
We have yet to achieve what I
think we all want to achieve.
And that's a hundred percent graduation.
It's absolute literacy, and it's,
it is no opportunity gap
and no achievement gap.
We have yet to do that in
150 years of the greatest
democracy on planet earth.
So to do what we want to
do in the next two months,
and with two months of planning
and effort to do online
education and expect to perform
at levels of in person is
going to be challenging.
So as the board members
pointed out earlier, you know,
patients is going to be critical
and together we can only
get this done and together,
I mean parent and teacher,
student, and teacher, parent,
and child administration
and teacher, teacher,
administration,
administration, and everyone,
all of us working together,
we'll get this done.
We will not all, none of us agree.
My wife and I don't agree on everything,
but we do move forward together.
And that's the only way we're
going to accomplish this as
you saw tonight,
and everyone's going to probably
post on some social media
that, Oh, look, the board
went down in their meeting.
Well, that's what happens in technology.
As a physician, my
telehealth visits go down.
My electronic medical records
go down quite regularly.
When you depend on technology,
you should expect these kinds of things.
And so this will not be
easy, so I, you know,
echo the sentiments of my board members.
I want to congratulate
the school division, dr.
Waltz for the wifi capabilities
that they're laying out
there, our work with Comcast,
I want to thank Comcast for
providing free access to online.
Through a program people can apply to,
you can go to our website.
There are many pieces of
information on our FAQ pages,
the there's videos,
and there's going to be
continually updates, dr.
Waltz likes to point out that
we are constantly working on
continuous improvement.
We are constantly working
on continuous improvement.
This administration has
done this every day.
Will it be perfect?
Will it be easy?
No, and it's our teachers included.
They are working really hard.
This is not easy to roll out
these modules as, as again,
pointed out, but we can
only do this together.
My wife and I have a 12th
grader, a 10th grader,
an eighth grader and a fourth grader.
Some of them in transition years,
some of them in very important years,
some of them in years that
are socially so critical,
maybe more than other years.
Are we worried?
- Yes.
Are we scared?
- Yes.
Do I have the same fears
as all of you out there?
Absolutely, am I afraid they're
going to miss out on things.
Yes, will they miss out on things?
Yes,
but it is our job as parents
and students and teachers to
work together.
I will let you know that, you know,
my kids have sort of vowed that
they would never like to see
this happen again in this country.
And it is our students who
will make sure this doesn't
happen again,
that we are never caught as
far behind this far down this
beat in a position where
180,000 Americans have just lost
their lives.
It is our students who led
during some of the pandemic is
Dr. Walton.
The administration pointed out
with news stories throughout
the summer and the pandemic
with kids making, you know,
I'm a, PBE donating computers,
refurbishing computers.
I mean, it's outstanding work.
As Ms. Jesse pointed out,
one of our students spoke
as is one of the leads in a
conversation with me, Nancy Pelosi.
Our students are out
there leading the way.
I'm very proud of that effort.
I think Prince William County
schools does provide a world
class education.
They provide world class
leadership opportunities,
and I think they will,
can continue to do so.
I want to thank the board
members for meeting with Senator
Warner and advocating on behalf
of our school division and
also Dr. waltz meeting
with Senator Warner.
Thank you all.
I want to finish and wrap up
the meeting with just a best of
luck to everyone on September
8th, this will not be easy.
This will be,
I know there's folks out there
who don't agree with the way
we're moving forward,
but we will do this together
and we will succeed together.
Thank you all, have a great night.
This meeting is now adjourned.
