Fairfax County Public Schools My FCPS Community Summer 2014 Editor s Note: The full online version of My FCPS Community can be found at http://www.fcps.edu/cco/pubs/myfcps/community/2014_05/index.shtml. Donate Now to Collect for Kids to Help Students With Back to School Needs This Fall Did you know that there are more than 47,000 students in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) who are eligible to receive free and reduced-priced meals? You can help these students start school this fall on a level playing field by participating in Collect for Kids. Collect for Kids is a consortium of not-for-profit, for-profit, and government providing an efficient way for people to provide FCPS students with the school supplies necessary to succeed in school. You can donate in three simple ways: cash, backpacks, and calculators. Cash: At the Collect for Kids website you will find three ways to donate cash, (1) online, (2) in person, (3) via our affiliated partners. Backpacks and calculators: Collection sites for backpack and calculator donations include Apple Federal Credit Union and Northwest Federal Credit Union branches. Collect for Kids uses your donations to provide each of the students in need with a new backpack filled with quality school supplies from an FCPS approved list. Learn more about Collect for Kids from a program fact sheet, found at http://collectforkids.org/wpcontent/uploads/2013/04/collectforkids_fact-sheet_generic_ef.pdf, or at www.collectforkids.org. FCPS Recognizes Business and Community Partners at Annual Celebrate Partnerships Event Fairfax County Public Schools honored business and community partners for their contributions to students and schools at the 2014 Celebrate Partnerships event, held May 29 at the Mason Inn at George Mason University in conjunction with the Fairfax County Office of Public Private Partnerships. The Bruce Oliver Leadership Award was also presented. This award honors Fairfax County Public Schools staff members and businesspeople who are directly involved in partnerships. Honorees have been chosen by their peers as exceptional leaders, committed to improving student achievement.
The winners were: Community Partner of the Year McLean Project for the Arts. Business Partner of the Year Bechtel. Blue Ribbon Outstanding Event Award Annandale High School Pyramid "Back to School Resource Fair." Blue Ribbon Mentoring Program Award Bonnie Brae Elementary School. Blue Ribbon Workforce Development Award Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce, Youth and Education Committee. Bruce Oliver Business Leadership Award Dan Parris, former interim deputy superintendent, Fairfax County Public Schools (School-based winner); and Charles Britt, Northern Virginia Community College - SySTEMic Solutions (Business/Community winner). More information is available online at http://www.fcps.edu/cco/bcp/awards/archive/2014/celebrate.shtml, or contact Jay Garant at 571-423- 1225 or jay.garant@fcps.edu. Cool Schools: Fire and Emergency Medical Sciences Students Practice Real- World Skills in Donated Ambulance Fire and emergency medical sciences students (EMS) at Falls Church Academy are practicing their newly learned skills on a 2003 Freightliner ambulance, recently donated by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. Falls Church Academy is one of six high school academies in Fairfax County Public Schools. Having an ambulance onsite will enable students to practice what they learn in a real world environment. Students learn the principles of emergency response and firefighting while observing and interacting with a variety of patients with varying degrees of injury or disease. Classroom, laboratory, and faculty-supervised clinical settings are provided to offer the most accurate simulations possible. The curriculum offers education in ambulance operations, anatomy and physiology, chemistry and the physics of fire, communication, extrication, hazardous materials, legal and ethical issues, personal safety, and pharmacology rescue. Students can earn certifications in FEMA Incident Management, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), blood borne pathogens, Hazardous Materials Awareness, and Emergency Medical Technician. Students of fire and EMS can pursue a career as a firefighter, EMT, paramedic, fire inspector, or flight medic, and continue their studies at several local colleges and universities, including the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, George Washington University, and Northern Virginia Community College. Currently, 49 high school students are enrolled in the program, the majority of whom will continue their studies to become paramedics or to pursue other medical professions. The fire and emergency medical sciences program was first offered at Falls Church Academy in 2004 and is the only one of its kind in FCPS. More than 300 students have completed the course since it was introduced. Of those, approximately 160 have earned their emergency medical technician certification, approximately 125 have become career or volunteer fire and rescue personnel, and approximately 100 are employed in other health and medical professions. 2
After the vehicle was donated, the FATE (Foundation for Applied Technical Education) board of directors contributed $7,500 to outfit the ambulance with additional equipment necessary to enhance training and educational opportunities for students. FCPS Designated Center of Excellence by Air Force Association's CyberPatriot Program Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has been designated as a Center of Excellence by the Air Force Association s CyberPatriot Program, the nation s largest and fastest-growing youth cyber education program. FCPS is the fifth Center of Excellence named by the CyberPatriot program. It was cited for expanding its cybersecurity program throughout the district and developing a network of mentors and business partners for support. FCPS became involved with the CyberPatriot competition in 2011. The CyberPatriot Team from Marshall Academy, a Governor s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Academy, is a three-time national champion of the CyberPatriot Challenge. The school district is hosting a cybersecurity summer camp for high school students in August at McLean High School and at the Governor's STEM Academy based at Chantilly High School to help expand the program and prepare students to compete in CyberPatriot VII. The Center of Excellence designation is awarded to communities and institutions that provide leadership and support to further the educational experiences of their students through the CyberPatriot program. CyberPatriot commissioner Bernie Skoch praised FCPS for its efforts to involve students in cyber security, saying, FCPS has developed innovative ways to sustain an environment for continued learning in cyber and technology. Fairfax County School Board Approves 2014-15 Budget The Fairfax County School Board has adopted the Fairfax County Public Schools 2014-15 (FY 2015) Approved Budget of $2.5 billion, which includes a delayed salary step increase for all eligible employees and reductions of over $97 million and 720 positions. The FY 2015 budget is an increase of $39.9 million, or 1.6 percent, over the FY 2014 Approved Budget. The budget, which took effect July 1, includes a step increase for all eligible employees that will become effective in November for teachers and instructional assistants. Employees on the unified salary scale will have their step increases delayed four months from their anniversary date or until June 2015. FCPS is projecting an increase of 2,160 students that, combined with changing student demographics, translates to an additional cost of $19.5 million. The total projected enrollment for the school district in FY 2015 is 186,785. Increases in retirement rate costs are estimated to be $38.9 million, and increases in health insurance rates are estimated to be $19.9 million. Budget reductions were focused on protecting the classroom and include central support to schools, professional development, and school-based technology specialists. Reductions to 3
school clerical and custodial staffing were adopted from the State School Efficiency Review, presented to the Board in September 2013. Class size was also increased and needs-based staffing was reduced. FCPS has, in recent years, taken a number of proactive steps to address budget challenges, including aggressively reducing costs and eliminating more than 1,450 positions. With the FY 2015 budget, more than 2,100 positions have been eliminated since FY 2009. Test fees for Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) will continue to be paid for by FCPS. The budget also includes one additional position for each FCPS comprehensive high school to provide in-school suspension support to students. The Board passed two amendments to the original budget motion, including the following: Reducing the debt service requirement for Gatehouse Administration Center by $0.3 million, based on projected savings from refunding current bonds to add two additional preschool classes at a cost of $0.2 million and increase the funding for the Early Literacy Program and HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) by $0.1 million. Reducing the funding for out of school support as a result of the savings projected from the addition of in-school suspension support at high schools by $0.2 million and eliminating the inschool suspension support position at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology by 0.5 to increase the staffing reserve by 3.0 positions, with the priority being the neediest schools and schools with chronically large class sizes most impacted by staffing formula changes. "The Board was committed to giving a salary increase to employees this year, as we realize the importance of fairly compensating our school-based and support staff members and of staying competitive in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, explained School Board Chair Ilryong Moon. Additionally, we were faced with the challenge of dealing with the ongoing structural deficit, he continued. We appreciate the Board of Supervisors efforts to increase the transfer this year although we remain disappointed that the board did not fully fund our transfer request. We are committed to continuing the cooperative, collaborative process that was established during this budget cycle in future years. The county transfer increased by 3 percent as compared to the FY 2014 Approved Budget. State aid to the school district is estimated to increase; however, Virginia General Assembly has not yet passed a budget for FY 2015. The School Board also voted to appoint members to a joint committee with the Board of Supervisors to work together toward a collaborative budget development process for the FY 2016 budget. In addition, the School Board directed the Superintendent to include employee compensation increases, preferably step increases, in the FY 2016 proposed budget, and in doing so, committed itself to compensation increases. Details are available online at http://www.fcps.edu/news/fy2015.shtml. 4
Foundation for Fairfax County Public Schools Hosts Business Leaders to Gather Support for the Future The Foundation for Fairfax County Public Schools recently hosted business leaders from across Fairfax County to share information on how the success of students translates to the workforce of tomorrow and powers the county s economy. Over 100 business executives attended the kickoff luncheon. The program featured three speakers: Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Karen K. Garza; Tom Davis, director of the government affairs group for Deloitte and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives; and Gerald Gordon, president and chief executive officer of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) and chairman of the Foundation board of directors. Garza noted that FCPS has recently seen sharp increases in the number of students who are eligible for free and reduced price meals an indicator of poverty and students who are enrolled in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), providing the school system with additional challenges. She also mentioned that the district is seeing continued growth in enrollment, and anticipates having 200,000 students by 2020. Our ability to handle growth and changing demographics will require positive action, and we need you to stand with us, Garza told the audience. Davis, former chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, reminded business executives that the Fairfax County business community of the 1970s believed one of the strongest ways to build and support the economy was a strong school system. He stressed that as existing businesses grow and new businesses move to Fairfax County, FCPS must be prepared to supply workers to those businesses, including students who come from challenging circumstances. Gordon told executives that the Foundation offers an opportunity for business leadership that recognizes the connection between a successful school system and local business and economic success. Recently, the Foundation board adopted three strategic funding objectives: support for the curriculum, closing the achievement gap, and capital facilities. Gordon, who has been with the FCEDA since 1983 and has chaired the Foundation for a year, reiterated the challenges facing the school system. He also contrasted workforce growth, predicted by the George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis, with the number of Fairfax County students who don t have access to the Internet at home (12,000). Established in 2010 by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, the Foundation is the strategic advancement arm for the school system. It develops public-private partnerships with businesses, philanthropists, and social leaders to fund and implement major initiatives that support student success. The award-winning Fairfax County Economic Development Authority promotes Fairfax County as a business and technology center. The FCEDA offers site location and business development assistance, and connections with county and state government agencies, to help companies locate and expand in Fairfax County. In addition to its headquarters in Tysons Corner, Fairfax County s largest business district, the FCEDA maintains marketing offices in seven global business centers. For more information, go to http://www.fcpsfoundation.org/. 5
Thirty-One FCPS Seniors Receive $10,000 Scholarships from Greenspring Thirty-one Fairfax County Public Schools seniors have been selected to receive $10,000 scholarships from Greenspring, an independent living apartment community in Springfield. The scholarships come from Greenspring s Scholars Fund; residents, resident clubs, and staff members at Greenspring donate money to the Scholars Fund. Scholarships will go to high school students who have worked in dining services at the retirement community to fund the students education at the college or professional school of their choice. Students must have worked at least 1,000 hours at the community during their junior and senior years of high school, received satisfactory grades, and maintained a disciplinary record free of adverse actions at their high school. Eligible students must be planning to attend college or a professional school full time in the fall of 2014. A complete list of scholarship winners is available at http://commweb.fcps.edu/newsreleases/newsrelease.cfm?newsid=2538. 6