Board Briefs from June 7 meeting of Prince William County School Board

On June 7, 2017, the Prince William County School Board approved:

  The legislative positions for inclusion in the 2018 Virginia School Boards Association Legislative Positions Handbook;
  The purchase of 92.4 acres of land at University Boulevard for the proposed 13th high school;
  The utility easement document for relocation of portable classrooms to meet school opening for the 2017–18 school year;
  The contract award for architectural services on an as-needed basis to: Architecture, Inc.; Blitz Associates, P.A.; Hughes Group Architects; Mosley Architects, PC; and RRMM Lukmire architects;
  The contract award for engineering services on an as-needed basis to: Ascent Engineering Group; Blitz Associates, P.A.: Gauthier Alvarado & Associates; Moseley Architects, PC; Setty & Associates, Ltd; and Strickler Associates, Ltd;
  The documents necessary for construction and operation of an American Disabilities Act compliant pedestrian path at Woodbridge Middle School;
  The FY 2018 liability/property insurance renewal;
  The payrolls for April;
  The School Board meeting minutes for May 17 and May 24;
  The recommended revisions to the 2017–18 “Code of Behavior”;
  The appointment of Selonia Miles (Potomac District) to the Special Education Advisory Committee; and
  The reclassification of school nurses by moving them to the teacher’s salary scale commensurate with how teachers are placed on the scale, that nurses without at least a bachelor’s degree will remain on grade 11, and that the cost of the reclassification for the first year in the amount of $840,160 be funded from the general reserve for the 2017–18 school year.

Policies:

First Reading – no action is required on first readings:

  Policy 744, “Short-Term Suspension of Students”;
  Policy 745, “Long-Term Suspension of Expulsion of Students, Readmission, and Exclusion/Admission”; and
  Policy 747, “Office of Student Management and Alternative Programs.”

Citizens’ Comment Time:

Citizens addressed the School Board on Policy 060, “Nondiscrimination and Commitment to Equity,” and the Engineering and Innovation program at Osbourn Park High School.

Presentations and discussion on the following topics:

  Best Practices presentation on technology innovation at Mountain View Elementary School;
  Update on the progress of the construction of the new Independence Nontraditional School;
  Special Education Advisory Committee annual report;
  2017 energy conservation program progress report; and
  Infrastructure Task Force status update.

Superintendent’s Time:

Dr. Steven L. Walts, Superintendent of Schools, congratulated the following individuals, schools, and departments. Please see the School Division website for details on these achievements.

  Ashley Walsh, who teaches for our Virtual High School, won first-place in a national digital lesson design challenge sponsored by SoftChalk, a developer of tools for eLearning and digital curriculum. Ms. Walsh’s winning lesson introduces students to ancient legends for classes in history and language studies.
  Colgan High School’s Crew Team won a bronze medal at the Scholastic Nationals Regatta. Junior Nicole Michelsen and sophomore Elizabeth Hall were the third-place finishers in the senior double race.
  Woodbridge High School students Celeste Taica, Fatima Dyfan, Brian Bennett, and Potomac High School’s Emmanuel Kikoni, received Cappie nominations for their high school theatre productions. Best wishes to these students at the Cappies Award Gala on June 11 at the Kennedy Center.
  Gainesville Middle School’s Advanced Women’s Choir and Marsteller Middle School’s 8th-Grade Women’s Choir will perform at the Virginia Music Educators Association Conference in the fall. Congratulations to music directors Sherlee Glomb and Julie Phelan. It is a great honor to have our choirs selected two years in a row. Last year, Battlefield and Forest Park were selected to perform.
  Jarrett Lash and Hanhbee Lee, two juniors at the Governor’s School @ Innovation Park, won second place honors in an international science and engineering fair. They designed a new way to capture solar energy by mimicking the natural process of photosynthesis – the way that plants convert sunlight to energy. They competed at Intel ISEF, the world’s largest international pre-college science competition, with about 1800 high school students from more than 75 countries.
  Three Benton Middle School students took first place honors at the Virginia Junior Academy of Science Research Symposium. Eleanor Sigrest won for presenting the best middle school paper in the physical sciences and Best of Symposium Research Award. Eleanor will be inducted as a permanent Fellow in the American Academy for the Advancement of Science at the American Academy of Science Symposium. Delaney Walts and Shan Lateef took first place for presenting the best middle school paper in the life sciences.
  The School of Practical Nursing is ranked number 10 in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This ranking is given by Practical Nursing.org, and is based on how well the program supports graduates and prepares them for a career in nursing. In addition, the school boasts a 95 percent pass rate by students on the National Council Licensure Examination.
  Dr. Walts had the opportunity to attend 11 Schools of Excellence celebrations and six graduation ceremonies. He also attended the Cinderella Ball at the Willard Hotel. This is a Ball for special needs students and wounded warriors.

Volume 12, Number 18 – Publication Date: June 8, 2017

To watch the School Board meeting go to https://pwcstv.com/

School Board Meeting Information:

Individuals who wish to address the School Board under Citizens’ Time should notify the Board Clerk in writing at P.O. Box 389, Manassas, VA 20108; by phone at 703.791.8709; or by email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) prior to noon on the day of the Board meeting and will be placed on the list of speakers. Or, individuals may also sign onto the list of speakers maintained at the entrance to the School Board meeting room at the beginning of a regular Board meeting, but prior to 6:55 p.m. on the evening of the meeting. Please provide your name, address, phone number, and topic you would like to speak about. Any deviation from these procedures shall be at the discretion of the Chairman. All speakers must provide the School Board Clerk with their address and phone number in order to verify their residency and permit the Clerk to contact them if necessary. Upon request, the Clerk will not release to the public the address and phone number of the speaker.