Schools to Expand by $856 Million
Capital Improvement Plan approved, rising enrollment causes concerns about classroom space.
Five more school buildings and renovations for several existing ones may be approved by 2020. The Fairfax County School Board approved the $856 million Capital Improvement Program (CIP) at the Jan. 22 meeting to set priority on the projects the school system wants done in the next five years.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bulova Releases 2015 State of the County Address
Despite a projected shortfall of nearly $100 million facing Fairfax County going into the FY 2016 budget, Board of Supervisors chairman Sharon Bulova remains encouraged by a 2014 that she said was full of accomplishments.
Metro School of Arts Students Present ‘The Last Five Years’
Students of the Metropolitan School of the Arts (MSA) of Alexandria and Lorton will debut their first, student-directed, produced performance on Fri., Jan., 16 at 7:30 p.m., Sat., Jan. 17 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sun., Jan. 18 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at The Atlas Performing Arts Theatre at 1333 H Street., NE, in Washington, D.C.
The $2.4 Billion Question
FCPS Superintendent presents next year’s budget.
Fairfax County Public Schools’ Superintendent Dr. Karen Garza is proposing a $2.4 billion budget for the 2015-16 school year. The proposed Fairfax County Public Schools’ budget includes funds for full-day Mondays, teacher compensation and later high school start times while still finding room for $55.4 million in cuts.
Irresistible? How Karen Garza Creates Change in Fairfax County Schools
Karen Garza is a good listener. And once she’s listened, she is, admittedly, not very patient. “If there's a real issue, I don't think it has to be debated for 10 or 15 years,” Garza said in an interview. “Either we're going to do something about it or not.”
FCPS Chief Karen Garza and Her Previous Life in Texas
“When I hired Karen in 2005,” former Superintendent of Houston Independent School District (HISD) Dr. Abelardo Saavedra said, “the position of chief academic officer had been open several months. I went looking for her. I’d never met her but I’d heard about her. There is a big difference between a mid-sized district and a larger one; the dynamics are completely different. I was taking a risk because she came from a mid-sized one of about 40,000 in Corpus Christi, and ours was much bigger. She adjusted very quickly.”
Fairfax County Public Schools Needing Community’s Help
Superintendent Karen Garza begins and ends her Listening Tour meetings with a plea to those in the room — parents, teachers, employees, unions — to help her achieve what needs to be done for their school system. “I am going to need your help,” she says to audiences who voice concerns about class size, resources for special education, and teacher salaries.
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza Bio
Current Position: Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent
Timeline of Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza’s career in education.
1986-1991: Elementary School Teacher, Yoakum, Texas (1,539 students, 38% white and 50% Latino and spends about $8,000 per pupil).
Cappies Review: Thought-provoking and Inspirational
“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” at Robert E. Lee High School.
R.P. McMurphy has always been the bull goose of wherever she goes. She is the wildest, lustiest, strongest woman in the world and, as long as she’s stuck in this cuckoo’s nest, the craziest too, the unquestioned bull goose loony. But when she finds herself butting heads with Nurse Ratched and his relentless iron fist of control, it’s not just fun and games anymore.
An Essay To Remember
Local educators offer advice on acing independent school admission essays and interviews.
While many are knee-deep in wrapping paper and eggnog, some students are holed up with computer keyboards and books of quotations. In addition to driving to the mall for holiday shopping, some parents are throwing rapid-fire questions at their children to make sure they are fast on their feet.
‘Hour of Code’ at Keene Mill
Elementary school students write lines of code during the school day.
With the increasing demand for software developers in today’s job market, and what some say is a decreasing interest in computer science at the college level, schools around the country and world worked to peak students’ interest in computer science during a weeklong learning initiative called the “Hour of Code.”
Lee High, South Lakes Compete on ‘It’s Academic’
Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield, and South Lakes High School in Reston competed on the 54th season of “It’s Academic.”
Fairfax County Facing More Budget Strain
County Executive and FCPS Superintendent present adverse forecasts.
Days before the traditional loosening of belts for Thanksgiving, Fairfax County officials discussed the need for tightening theirs.
Crestwood Students in Springfield Sponsor Injured Owl
After a week-long “penny drive” fundraiser, Crestwood Elementary School fifth grader Paola Gonzalez finally got to meet her real-live school mascot. The students raised $760 between Nov. 10 and Nov. 14 to sponsor a 1 and a half-year-old barred owl through the Raptor Conservancy of Virginia.
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