Report: Virginia Chronically Underfunds Schools
Dear Providence District Families,
I hope you are having a wonderful summer break!
Last week, I enjoyed attending the Summer Graduation Ceremony at Marshall High School, where some of our Providence District seniors received their diplomas. Graduations and other special celebrations are an excellent reminder of the limitless potential of our students in Fairfax County Public Schools.
Congratulations also to our athletes in FCPS who spent last week trying out for fall sports. I look forward to cheering you on this year!
Can you believe that the first day of school is less than three weeks away? This newsletter includes information about a recent report on Virginia’s inadequate public school funding formula, an update on Virginia’s proposed math standards, as well as a checklist for families getting ready for the first day of school on August 21st.
In service,
Karl Frisch
Vice Chair and Providence Representative
Fairfax County School Board
Providence District Families Newsletter
Monday, August 7, 2023
This installment of the Providence District Families Newsletter includes important updates on the following subjects:
Report on Virginia Chronically Underfunding School
Summer Graduation Ceremony
First Day of School - August 21
For Families of Young Children
How to Register for Kindergarten
How To Support Your Kindergartener
Back To School To Do List
New To FCPS, Be Sure Your Child is Registered
Update Immunizations and Records
Save the Date: Back To School Nights
Free and Reduced-Price Meal Applications Available
Summer Meals
Before & After-School Child Care (SACC Enrollment)
School Supplies for Kids in Need
Proposed 2023 Virginia Mathematics Standards of Learning
Free Artificial Intelligence (AI) Youth Summit for Students on August 12th
Northern Virginia Community College Helps High Schoolers “Aim High”
Providence District’s Free Outdoor Concert Series
Characteristics and Needs of Twice Exceptional (2e) Learners
Upcoming School Board Meetings
Report: Virginia Chronically Underfunds Public School
A few weeks ago, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) in Richmond released a noteworthy report on the way Virginia funds public schools. Some of the Commission's findings include:
- Virginia’s funding formula for schools has been underfunding the state’s contribution to FCPS by hundreds of millions of dollars.
- Virginia school divisions receive less K–12 funding per student than the 50-state average, the regional average, and three of Virginia’s five bordering states.
- School divisions in other states receive 14 percent more per student than school divisions in Virginia, on average, after normalizing for differences in cost of labor among states.
- This equates to about $1,900 more per student than Virginia.
- Virginia’s constitution indicates the Commonwealth has a fundamental legal obligation to fund its K–12 public education system.
This thorough report proves that in order to stay competitive, Fairfax County Public Schools, one of the nation’s ten largest school systems, Virginia must provide increased funding. For more information, I encourage you to read the full JLARC report.
Summer Graduation Ceremony
Congratulations to our summer graduates! I was incredibly grateful to attend this event and was proud to celebrate with seniors and their families representing nearly all our Providence District high schools. I commend our graduates for their hard-work and wish them well in their future endeavors.
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First Day of School - August 21
Mark your calendars if you haven’t already! Monday, August 21, is the first day of school. Get a jump on planning for the year ahead by consulting the School Year 2023-24 calendar.
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For Families with Young Children
How to Register for Kindergarten
If your child will be five years old by September 30 and has not been registered for kindergarten yet, check out this easy-to-follow process.
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How To Support Your Kindergartener
Kindergarten Year at a Glance – Find out what your kindergartener will learn throughout the year.
Back To School To Do List
New To FCPS, Be Sure Your Child is Registered
Update Immunizations and Records
Immunizations help protect students from serious diseases and are required for public school entry. Many children missed their well check-ups and their recommended childhood vaccinations during recent years because of disruptions from COVID-19. It is critical to catch up to keep children healthy and ready for school.
While COVID-19 vaccinations are not required, many other immunizations are. Check with your student’s healthcare providers now to make sure they are up to date on their immunizations.
Visit the Fairfax County Health Department website for a list of clinics or contact your family’s healthcare provider. Appointments are required for most clinics.
Remember to request documentation of your child’s immunizations to provide to their school. Get more information on immunization requirements and the necessary documentation to share with your child’s school.
Free and Reduced-Price Meal Applications Available
According to the Centers for Disease Control, eating breakfast at school is associated with better attendance rates, fewer missed school days, and better test scores. Students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals receive breakfast and lunch at school at no cost.
As of October 31, 2022, approximately 34% of students in FCPS qualify for free and reduced-price meals. Families in FCPS that are earning less than 185% of the poverty level can receive meals for their students at no cost.
Families should complete the application before the start of each school year. Approved applications may also qualify students for additional benefits. View the criteria and apply on the Free and Reduced-Price Meals webpage. Families should reach out to their schools with questions or for assistance.
Some schools participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). All students enrolled at these schools will be offered breakfast and lunch each day at no charge. Households with students attending these schools will not be required to submit a meal application form for their students to receive meals at no charge. Each household with students attending these schools will receive communication about the CEP, including contact information for any questions. Check the list of schools participating in the CEP.
Families and students from other schools who would like to apply for free and reduced-price meals may view eligibility guidelines on our website.
Summer Meals
Summer meals will continue to be available at select locations through Friday, August 11. Visit the Summer Meals webpage for details.
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Before & After-School Child Care (SACC Enrollment)
Fairfax County’s School Age Child Care (SACC) program offers before- and after-school care for children attending kindergarten through sixth grade in most Fairfax County public elementary schools and Fairfax County community centers. SACC is currently enrolling for the 2023-24 school year. Visit the Fairfax County SACC website for registration information.
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School Supplies for Kids in Need
It’s the time of year when Educate Fairfax, a non-profit to help students and the FCPS community, begins collecting funds for school supply kits, so every student can start the next school year strong with the tools they need to be successful. Educate Fairfax donates 2,000 to 4,000 kits to students annually.
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Proposed 2023 Virginia Mathematics Standards of Learning
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has proposed new mathematics standards to be taught at every grade level. The public comment period for the proposed 2023 Virginia Mathematics Standards of Learning (SOL) is open through August 11. See the information below to learn more about the proposed mathematics standards and how to share your input.
The Family Resource Center is held a webinar for “Understanding the Proposed 2023 Virginia Mathematics Standards of Learning.” Please use the below links, to watch a recording of the webinar, and feel free to share the links if you know someone who might find them helpful:
Additional Resources:
Opportunities to Provide Public Comment:
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Virtual Public Hearing: You can share your input at tonight’s final virtual public hearing at 6:30pm. Pre-registration is required. Registrants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the public hearing. Speakers will have 3 minutes to speak and are asked to submit copies of their comments electronically for the Board of Education. Please use the links below to register or learn more at this webpage.
Online Public Comment: You can also share written comments here at the Online Public Comment Form. The public comment period ends August 11, 2023.
Free Artificial Intelligence (AI) Youth Summit for Students on August 12th
Are you interested in attending a professional-level summit covering the field of Computer Science and AI and meeting pioneering authorities in the AI ecosystem, including leaders covering AI's intersections with fields from Government to Healthcare for free? If so, don’t miss our next big AI summit this summer!
We are hosting our third in-person AI summit on August 12th, 2023 at Capitol One Hall (7750 Capital One Tower Rd, Tysons, VA 22102), open to all students from grades 6-12 to attend at no cost! Younger students are also welcome by emailing aisummits@girlscomputingleague.org.
The summit provides a significant opportunity for local Northern Virginia students to be inspired by AI leaders around the nation.
Some of our notable speakers include FCPS Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid, an associate judge in the DC court, industry leaders from Amazon, NVIDIA, and Capital One, and outstanding professors from the top universities in the country.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and Opening Keynotes begin at 9:00 a.m. A complimentary boxed lunch will be provided to all attendees and guests.
To register for the summit, view the schedule or learn more information, click on this link: Girls Computing League website. You can also contact aisummits@girlscomputingleague.org if you require any further information.
Girls Computing League is a nationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to empowering, educating, and inspiring students to delve into the field of STEM.
So proud of Sully District student Brian Zhou, a rising senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and the Chief Executive Officer of Girls Computing League (GCL) for organizing this summit! GCL was founded by former FCPS student Kavya Kopparapu who is also the current President.
Northern Virginia Community College Helps High Schoolers “Aim High”
In partnership with Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) and the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC), representing over 460 of the region’s technology companies, announced a new workforce initiative. Called “Aim High,” the initiative will connect Fairfax County high school students with area technology companies to prepare them for future careers by giving them real-world experience with technology-related jobs. As many as 500 FCPS high school students will be matched with participating NVTC member companies during the 2023-2024 academic year. Learn more about “Aim High” via NOVA's May 25 press release.
Providence District’s Free Outdoor Concert Series
Providence Presents is brought to you by the Providence District Office and Fairfax County Parks in partnership with Mosaic. The family fun filled concert series is available in two locations. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and picnic blankets. Mosaic Live will be held on Strawberry Lane at Mosaic District Saturday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. through August 19. Nottoway Nights will be at Nottoway Park (9601 Courthouse Road, Vienna) on Thursday evenings from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. through August 24.
For more information about the Providence Presents Summer Concert Series, please visit bit.ly/ProvidencePresents. To volunteer for the event, contact the Providence District Office at Providence@fairfaxcounty.gov.
Below is a list of upcoming concerts in the Providence District. Read here or click on the image below for more for more information,
Characteristics and Needs of Twice-Exceptional (2e) Learners
Twice-exceptional (2e) learners are students who have the ability to think, reason, and problem-solve at very high levels, and they also have special education needs. 2e students’ learning and behavior profiles are often complex, with strengths and needs occurring on a continuum. Join Nonye Oladimeji, FCPS AAP Twice Exceptional Specialist, for a webinar on Tuesday, September 19 at 10am to learn more about the characteristics of twice exceptional learners (register here).
Webinar Highlights:
- What does it mean to be twice-exceptional (2e)?
- What are the characteristics of twice-exceptional learners?
- How to identify and support twice exceptional students.
Upcoming School Board Meetings
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Tuesday, August 29 - Work Session
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Thursday, August 31 - Regular Meeting
Visit the community participation webpage to sign up to speak at a regular meeting. Visit BoardDocs for more meeting logistics, agendas, and handouts. Please note, times and topics are subject to change.
Interested in School Board action items? Sign up to get an update on School Board votes the morning after the School Board meeting.
The work sessions and regular meetings will be broadcast live on Channel 99 (Verizon channel 11) and the FCPS website. Both will be recorded for future viewing and posted to the FCPS School Board YouTube channel.
For Spanish speakers, watch recorded School Board meetings or to watch live during the Regular Meetings on YouTube, you may visit the FCPS en Espanol YouTube channel.
The views contained within this newsletter reflect the views of the individual school board member who is the publisher of this newsletter and may not reflect the views of the Fairfax County School Board.
© Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia
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