Board Buzz

We offer this recap of our school board meetings as part of our commitment to providing timely updates for students, families, staff, and the community.

Meocha Williams, assistant superintendent for Academic Services, shared highlights of June's opening session of 2024 Summer Ignite, which featured hubs for Fine Arts and STEM enrichment with student apprentices working alongside our teachers. She also reviewed data that showed participants' academic growth and progress in reading and math. "We're really intentional about what our students need in the summer," Williams said. Session 2 of Summer Ignite (starting July 29) will be Transition Week, when our schools focus on students entering kindergarten, sixth grade, and ninth grade.

• View the Summer Ignite presentation

Construction Updates

The school board heard from Chief Operating Officer Myron Thompson about the latest construction and renovation projects, including Mary E. Britton Middle School, the Hub for Innovative Learning & Leadership (The HILL), addition of preschool classrooms at Harrison Elementary, and work on the new Rise STEM Academy for Girls.

• View the month's construction report

In the night's lone action item, the board approved a policy change to include mental abuse in the definition of hazing, which will be reflected in the 2024-25 Student Code of Conduct.

Board members also approved multiple items on the consent agenda, including:

• The 2025-26 instructional (academic year) calendar
  
• The issuance of bonds to fund HVAC replacements at several schools and construction of Rise STEM Academy for Girls
  
• A feasibility study to transform Eastside Technical Center's building into a Transportation Administration Center (Eastside Tech is adjacent to the Liberty Road bus garage)
  

The July 22 agenda also contained five written reports, including the Defined Teacher Workday pilot.

Note: After the board's July 8 planning meeting, district officials subsequently confirmed there will be no change in cafeteria meal prices for the 2024-25 school year.

• Skim the July 22 agenda (with PDF attachments) or watch the recorded meeting.
• Read the official minutes, which will be posted later within the agenda of the next board meeting.

The public is welcome to attend planning sessions and action meetings in person at the John D. Price Administration Building, 450 Park Place. (Note: The June and July meetings were virtual.) The monthly action meetings are also livestreamed on the FCPS YouTube channel and the district's Video on Demand service. These videos are archived in a YouTube playlist.

The video series “Murphy’s Minute” features Board Chair Tyler Murphy answering frequently asked questions. Topics include the school board’s roles, responsibilities, service to the community, advocacy, meeting schedules, and decisions that affect our students, schools, and families. Students from several of our secondary schools host the biweekly series, which is on hiatus during summer break.

• The videos are archived on the school board's main webpage and in a YouTube playlist.