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Our Monthly School Board News
Message from Ilryong Moon
It's great to be serving again, my sixth term, on the Fairfax County School Board. I welcome you all to our monthly newsletter and thank all of you for the warm welcome and encouraging words you've shared with me since the start of the year.
As an immigrant from a working-class family in post-war South Korea, I cherish everything that public schools did for me. I look forward to continuing my work on the School Board, ensuring our children grow into happy and successful adults.
I'd like to draw everyone's attention to one of the most important issues we face every year -- ensuring our Superintendent has the budget she needs to operate our school system effectively and for our teachers to deliver, to our students, the best education. I'm pleased to announce our School Board has now approved her proposed budget to send to the County Executive.
This year, the budget focuses on excellence and competitive compensation. Our students deserve the very best teachers preparing them for their glorious futures. To attract top talent, we must have the resources to recruit and retain the best educators. We are building a culture to deliver careers in education that are fulfilling and draw into Fairfax County our best college graduates, not only in education and the core subjects but also those who possess career, technical, and trade skills for our ever-expanding course catalog of Career and Technical Education offerings.
I urge you to watch the School Board meetings and Dr. Reid's presentations, in particular, to learn about our schools' priorities for the upcoming year. I will be working with my School Board colleagues and our County Board of Supervisors to ensure our school system is fully funded and remains not only the best in Virginia, but recognized around the Country as a model for other systems to follow.
Please follow all of the School Board and Board of Supervisors budget activities. Once we have our final budget from the County Board of Supervisors, participate in the public hearings to make your thoughts known regarding what's important to you that we bring into our schools.
I also welcome Chris Lewis, who will be working closely with me as my Staff Aide and helping with community engagement, as well as fielding questions and comments directed to me and ensuring that your questions are answered.
To read more about me, visit my Web page or to connect with me, use the link at the bottom of the page labeled Contact: Ilryong Moon.
All the best,
Ilryong Moon
Upcoming School Board Meetings
- March 7, 7pm - Regular School Board Meeting
- March 19, 10:30am - Work Session, Strategic Plan Goal 5
- March 21, 7pm - Regular School Board Meeting
All public School Board meetings (above) are broadcast live and available to the public on several platforms:
If you miss the live broadcast of any School Board Meeting or Work Session, you can also watch archived broadcasts:
Dates and plans are always subject to change. To ensure you have the most up-to-date information, please review the latest version of the 2023-2024 School Board Annual Work Calendar.
Fiscal Year 2025 Adopted Budget Focuses on Educational Excellence and Competitive Compensation
Last week, our School Board adopted Dr. Reid's proposed budget and it will now be sent to our County Executive where he'll continue working with the Board of Supervisors to determine the final budget for Fairfax County Public Schools.
Dr. Reid's now-adopted budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 focuses on excellence and providing students an equitable education in an inclusive and respectful environment, where access, opportunity, and achievement are available to all.
The budget also prioritizes competitive compensation to attract and retain a world-class workforce.
The FY 2025 Proposed Budget totals $3.8 billion, an increase of $301.8 million, or 8.6%, over the FY 2024 Approved Budget. Nearly 86% of the budget is focused on instruction. Key highlights include:
- Supporting students academically by maintaining existing class size formulas and providing necessary support to all students.
- Retaining and attracting world-class educators with a 6% market scale adjustment.
- Strengthening student well-being outside of the classroom with expanded athletics offerings, additional athletic trainers, and enhanced stipends for fine and performing arts.
- Continuing initiatives including expansion of inclusive preschool, adoption of green initiatives, and funding assistant director of student activities positions previously funded with ESSER III.
Special education daily contract extensions, funding for the safety and security screening program, and late buses to support academics and activities at middle schools are several of the priorities to be addressed at the end of FY 2024.
Here are some links you'll find useful to stay engaged with the budget process:
School Board Citizen Advisory Committees
Community members interested in serving on School Board Citizen Advisory Committees can contact School Board Members expressing interest at any time. Advisory Committee appointments generally are for one school year and begin in September and continue through June.
If you'd like to know more, visit the School Board Committees page and review the list of citizen advisory committees and their missions. If you would like to serve, please reach out to me or to your Magisterial District School Board member to express interest.
And finally...
Happy Lunar New Year of the Dragon
Stay In Touch / Connected
I encourage all of us to stay connected with our elected officials. As one of your At-Large School Board Members, I work on your behalf to ensure our students have the best educational outcomes!
If you're unsure how to engage with other elected officials, here are two resources to help you find your elected representatives and stay informed of the Board of Supervisors public meeting schedule (especially while we continue to work through the budget process -- we need your input):
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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