May 13 Board Meeting Preview

Tonight's meeting starts at 6:30pm with recognitions for some of LCPS's very best teachers. Some are visiting international faculty... teachers from other countries who come here for three years. Others have joined the elite ranks of their profession with national board certification. I look forward to hearing about their accomplishments and recognitions and applauding them with the rest of the board.

Following public comment, the Superintendent's report and Board member comments we'll consider final passage of new rules for "Selection and Review of Library Media Center Instructional Materials," which is primarily an overhaul of the procedures under which materials (including library books) can be challenged by parents. This is in the wake of the And Tango Makes Three controversy of a few months ago.

After that we'll receive a report on a $2.4 Million left over from seven school construction projects. The funds will be returned to the County. These are for schools that opened between 2003 and 2005.

If those numbers grab your attention, you'll be interested in the 3rd quarter financial review that projects an end-of-year surplus of $9.3 Million, or about 1.3% of the operating budget. I know that some folks will say the budget was over-funded. My own perspective is that 1.3% is pretty accurate, and good fiscal management.

Finally, one last item, an issue of easements regarding the new Stewart Weller Elementary School in Ashburn.

Download full agenda information: Agenda & Addedum (PDF)

LCPS Graduation Speakers

It's graduation time again, I plan to attend several events this year. I received this years' graduation speakers list earlier this week, it's a very interesting group.

Briar Woods High School: Brett Fuller, Chaplain of the Washington Redskins

Broad Run High School: Patton Oswalt, 1987 BRHS Graduate – Actor, writer, voiceover artist and professional comedian. (Voice of Remy in the movie Ratatouille)

Dominion High School: Michael Bukva, Student-selected faculty speaker, Government Teacher.

Freedom High School: James Thrash, Wide receiver for the Washington Redskins.

Heritage High School: Rick “Doc” Walker. Former Redskin player and current sports commentator.

Loudoun County High School: Steve Coll, CEO, The New America Foundation. Pulitzer prize winning writer and former managing editor of the Washington Post.

Loudoun Valley School: Pending – Original speaker has been deployed for 6 mo., Sponsor and class officers currently looking for a replacement.

Park View High School: Phillip Clyde Bernier, 2001 PVHS Graduate. Member of the winning team on ABC’s Dance War

Potomac Falls High School: Frank Wolf, Congressman. 10th District, VA.

Stone Bridge High School: Grant Harris, SBHS Graduate. CEO of Gstar Wear and a Management Consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton.

Academy of Science, Dr. Kevin Moses, Associate Director for Science and Training for the Janelia Farm Research Campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Monroe Technology Center, Aneesh P. Chopra, Secretary of Technology for the Commonwealth of Virginia

Mercer Middle School Overflows

See the front page of the LCPS website today and you'll see a sign of the growth that we aren't keeping up with...

Mercer Middle School to Overflow New Students to Stone Hill in 2008-2009 School Year

The bottom line:

Students who seek registration for Mercer Middle School after the last day of school this year (June 17th) will be assigned to Stone Hill Middle School beginning with the 2008-2009 school year.

Stone Hill MS is 13 miles from Mercer MS.

Week of May 5, 2008

Feliz Cinco de Mayo, everyone! I'm late in getting this out today. Here is my planned schedule this week:

Monday:
Potomac Falls PTSO, 7pm (left early)
Special Education Advisory Committee(arrived late)

Tuesday:
Legislative Policy Committee, 6pm

• Uniform Complaint policy for parents and students
• Tobacco use policy
• High school credits for Middle School students

Wednesday:
Potowmack ES PTA, 7pm

Thursday:
Joint School Board/Board of Supervisors Committee, 4pm in Leesburg
Horizon Elementary Chorus, 6pm
PFHS Guitar Concert, 7pm

Friday:
Potomac Falls HS vs. Broad Run HS athletics, 6pm

Saturday:
Sterling/Potomac Communities Outreach, Seneca Ridge MS, 8AM
For the Love of Loudoun Arts, sponsored by Northern Virginia Community Foundation, National Conference Center, 2pm

Following Fairfax?

Some days, I feel like Fairfax County's little brother. Whenever I, or someone else, want a change to LCPS policy or practice, the question comes up: How does Fairfax do it? When we look at the budget the perennial opening questions are "How much is Fairfax paying its teachers?" and "How much is the Fairfax budget/tax rate changing?" Nobody asks this about Prince William, Faquier or Clark counties who we also share borders with.

Today's question is: how does Fairfax grade its students? And if Fairfax changes its grading policies, should Loudoun do the same? I wrote about this back in February in a post called What Should a B Be? in response to another Washington Post story on the grading and I don't have anything new to add to the coversation today except that I'm interested, I'm paying attention, I'm trying to judge how much interest there is among Loudoun parents.

In reading today's article here was the most fascinating paragraph:

Meetings at McLean High and Langley High each drew more than 100 parents. Meetings are scheduled at Centreville High, Herndon High and South County Secondary in the next few weeks. A presentation in Korean is scheduled for May 2 in Tysons Corner.

LCPS also holds meetings in schools around the County to make them more accessible to parents (the recent meetings about Math Investigations come to mind). I also advocate holding our Board meetings in high schools around Loudoun on occasion but that's a topic for another day.

When reading the paragraph, did you notice that the first two meetings in Fairfax were at Langley and McLean High Schools, the two wealthiest schools in Fairfax? They're next door to each other, they provide no geographic diversity. Why? Is their influence disproportionate due to their wealth? Is their interest in this issue disproportionate due to their wealth?

The other thing that struck me was: Presentations in languages other than English are a fantastic idea. But Korean? Is this of more interest to Korean parents than Latinos who outnumber Koreans dramatically? This fascinates me. Still, it's a good reminder that Spanish is not the only language besides English spoken in our students' homes. Not by a long shot.

Just some thoughts on a Sunday night. Discuss.

Food Allergy meeting report

The turnout was huge for a simple committee meeting last night, but then the topic was very big in its own right.

The meeting led with an introduction to the experience of being the parent of a child with a life-threatening food allergy by Loudoun Allergy Network (LAN) president Maria Hardy. There was a presentation by LAN's advising board certified allergist, Dr. Trivedi. Then Assistant Superintendent for Support Services Jeff Platenberg and Student Health Services Coordinator Kathy Sturgeon gave the LCPS side of the story.

Many key LCPS folks including Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Sharon Ackerman, Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Services Dr. Mary Kealy, Supervisor of Elementary Education Dr. Mike Martin, Director of Student Services Anne Lewis, the senior nursing staff and several elementary principals. Thanks to Blue Ridge District Representative Priscilla Godfrey for devoting her meeting this subject and leading the Q&A. Broad Run District Representative Bob Ohneiser also attended and had insightful questions and answers.

Dozens of parents (and some kids) were there, more than at any committee meeting I've ever attended. As I characterized it to the parents last night, the meeting was neither the beginning nor the end of the communication between parents and LCPS on the matter of food allergy safety. It was however a very important milestone and demonstrated to everyone in the room that it is a topic of is great interest from parents and LCPS employees at all levels.

I hope that the excellent presentation made by Ms. Sturgeon will also get wide distribution. Many people would be surprised to learn that every school-based staff member receives food allergy safety training and that many procedures are in place to ensure the safety of each child.

The Loudoun Allergy Network expressed a desire for new policies regarding food safety during and after the meeting. Mrs. Godfrey asked LAN to continue their research into best practices and report back to the committee at a future date. I hope that LCPS elementary principals will pay special attention to the benefits of the healthy snacks policies implemented by Belmont Station and Hamilton Elementary Schools and consider implementing them in their own schools for the benefit of all children.

Special Education Public Hearing

This morning's Washington Post includes a story titled Parents of Special-Ed Students Oppose Changing Consent Rule profiling controversy surrounding one proposed change in Virginia's Special Education rules.

Currently, school systems must obtain parental consent before eliminating such services as speech or occupational health therapy. But the state Department of Education is proposing that schools be allowed to suspend them without such consent. If a parent objects, the service would be maintained until the matter is settled through dispute resolution.

The Loudoun School Board has not taken a position on the proposals. I have asked that the Board be briefed on the proposed changes at its May 13th meeting.

As mentioned in the story, there will be a public hearing where the State Board of Education will hear comment on the proposed changes at Freedom HS on Wednesday, May 15th from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Registration for those wishing to speak begins at 6 p.m. on the night of the hearing.

Additional information, including a link to the proposed changes, is available here.

The rest is from an email I received yesterday:

Individuals seeking to speak will be allotted three minutes each unless the number of speakers requires the Chair to reallocate the time available to ensure that as many individuals as possible may speak. Speakers are urged to provide written copies of their comments. Interpreters for the deaf will be provided.

Those wishing to provide written comments may either submit them during a public hearing or submit them as follows:
• E-mail to ReviseSpedRegs@doe.virginia.go
• FAX to (804) 786-8520
• Mail to Special Education Regulations Revision Process
Office of Dispute Resolution and Administrative Services
Virginia Department of Education
P.O. Box 2120
Richmond, Virginia 23218-2120