Karen Corbett Sanders's Newsletter
Dear Families,
It is hard to believe that in just a few short weeks, our teachers will return to the schools and our students will be back in the classrooms!
I hope you can use these few weeks to relax, recharge, and spend time with your family before this new year begins.
Tomorrow night's National Night Out is a great opportunity to
reconnect with your neighbors and visit with the men and women who serve our
community as firefighters, police officers and other services that make Fairfax
County a wonderful place for families to live, work and thrive. Check with your
local HOA to find out about events near you.
As we look towards schools re-opening on 28 August, I look forward
to another exciting year and hope to meet many of you at the Back to School
nights. Below you will find a few announcements and dates to keep in mind as we
wrap up the summer and get ready to embark on another exciting year!
Please
remember that the day after school starts, there will be a special election for
the vacant at-large seat on the school board. Please encourage, your
recent graduates and those students that will be 18 by the November election to
register to vote and obtain an absentee ballot if you will be out of Fairfax
County on Election Day.
Date: August 1, 2017
Time: 5:00-8:00 pm
 *For more information about these events, please contact the Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services at 703.704.6700
Free School Physicals for Uninsured Children (pre-K though 6th grade only)
Date: Saturday, August 5, 2017
Time: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Lee Pyramid Resource Fair
Date: Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Time: 2:00-5:00 pm
Mount Vernon Pyramid Resource Fair
Date: Thursday, August 17, 2017
Time: 2:00-6:00 pm
*For more information about these events, please contact the Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services at 703.704.6700
As a
reminder, there is supposed to be a solar eclipse on August 21st. This is
a great opportunity to share a scientific wonder with your students. NASA
provides excellent guidance on how to do this safely. https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety
  
The Fairfax County School Board has voted to provide a 1 percent, one-time bonus to employees on longevity (maximum salary) and hold steps, and a one-year step increase for employees grandfathered at their FY 2017 salary as a result of new teacher and classroom instructional assistant salary scales. The vote was part of a FY 2017 final budget review, and will be effective for FY 2018, which began July 1.
The one-time bonus and one-year step increase will affect nearly 2,800 Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)employees.
As part of the FY 2018 Approved Budget, all eligible employees will receive step increases. New salary scales for teachers, classroom instructional support, and transportation and food service workers were also adopted as part of the FY 2018 budget.
A review by the Superintendent on any future scale changes will be completed prior to the adoption of FY 2019 budget.
The Fairfax County School Board voted that the name of J.E.B Stuart High School be changed no later than the start of the 2019 School Year. The Board directed staff to start the renaming process this fall and that as part of that process—in the spirit of compromise and in recognition of the need to minimize costs as well as the desire for continuity by alumni—that the Stuart community consider “Stuart High School” as the new name. The Board further directed staff to create a mechanism for private funding with the expectation that private funding will pay for a substantial portion of the costs.
“I’ve met with both sides on this issue and it has yielded strong feelings and strong passions,” said Superintendent Scott Brabrand. “Now that the Board has spoken, we will continue to ensure that we follow the process as outlined by the School Board regulation for name changes. We will work to execute the renaming process in a fair, transparent, and expedient manner.
“It is clear that this issue has had an impacted our community and it is my sincere hope that we move forward toward a more unified community. We continue to stay focused on providing the support for every student to succeed.”
Regulation 8170.7
details the process for renaming, including solicitation of new names and voting for a name recommendation. An open community meeting will be held on Saturday, September 9, at 10 a.m. at J.E.B. Stuart High School to gather names for consideration along with the opportunity for presentations and questions and discussion.
Voting for the school name will take place on Saturday, September 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at J.E.B. Stuart High School and, per Regulation 8170.7, will be limited to those participants residing in the school’s attendance area; a weighted point system will be used to determine the top three choices.
After review of the community’s recommendations, the Division Superintendent will formulate a recommendation consisting of one or more of the most popular choices according to community input. The Division Superintendent shall then transmit the recommendation to the School Board for consideration and action.
The deadline for the Division Superintendent to submit a formal recommendation to the School Board shall be three weeks prior to the date scheduled for School Board action.
August 28 - First Day of School
August 29 - Special Election for School Board Member At Large
The next School Board Meeting will be held on September 14, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. at Jackson Middle School. Information about upcoming meetings and agendas can be found here.
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