July 20, 2021, VSBA Conference on Education
Join hundreds of school division leaders from across Virginia at the 35th Annual VSBA Conference on Education. We are pleased to have Governor Ralph Northam in attendance, with our afternoon keynote presentation from the Aldrin Foundation! There will also be a time for…
Lacking teachers, Fairfax delays summer school for hundreds of students with disabilities
A few days before summer school was supposed to start, roughly 1,200 Fairfax County students with special needs and their parents received emails telling them the school system hasn’t found enough teachers for them. The summer program was supposed to start on Monday, but…
Governance via Zoom is coming to an end in Virginia. Should it?
For more than a year, policymakers across Virginia have been able to log on and conduct public business from whatever room, or car, they happen to be in. But public bodies will have to transition back to in-person meetings after June 30, the expiration date of the state of…
Supreme Court won’t revive school’s transgender bathroom ban
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a Virginia school board’s appeal to reinstate its transgender bathroom ban, handing a victory to transgender rights groups and a former high school student who fought in court for six years to overturn the ban. After learning that the…
School board approves stipends, incentive plan
The Southampton County School Board voted June 14 to give pandemic stipends to all employees who have worked for the school division during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has impacted the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years. The school board also voted to institute the…
Kaine, Collins reintroduce bipartisan bill to address national teacher and principal shortages
U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Susan Collins (R-ME), members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, recently reintroduced the Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals (PREP) Act to address teacher and principal shortages…
Premier high school in Northern Virginia accepts more blacks and Hispanics, fewer Asians
A premier public high school in Northern Virginia has dramatically increased the number of Black and Hispanic students offered admission under a new application system that some Asian American parents say discriminates against their children. On Wednesday, Thomas Jefferson…
Petersburg City Public Schools honor employees years of service
At Petersburg High School on June 24, Petersburg City Public School’s honored the 19 teachers that retired from the 2021 school year and the 2020 school year. “Last year, the pandemic delayed our retirees of their recognition program at the time of their retirement…
School upgrade challenges reemerge after covid hiatus
After a year-long pause brought on by the pandemic, discussions on what to do about Halifax County High School are back on the front burner. A joint committee of the Halifax County School Board and Board of Supervisors is set to convene Thursday, July 8 at the HCHS…
‘This is just the beginning’: After tumultuous virtual year, RPS projects 85% graduation rate – a 14 percentage point increase from last year
Richmond Public Schools ranked as the school system with the lowest graduation rate in Virginia three times in the past three years. But now, following a tumultuous virtual year amid the coronavirus pandemic, RPS anticipates a 14 percentage point boost in its graduation rate…
New school facility stays on track a year after construction start
The Mecklenburg County Middle/High School facility continues to remain on track for completion next year. Current Progress includes: Steel erection is in progress; first floor of Administration is complete. Decking continues in Middle School classrooms. Second deck slab has been…
Webinar, August 4, 2021: What We Have Here is a Failure to Communicate
Often, communication issues within the board or between the board and superintendent are not problems, but rather are indications there are governance issues that need to be examined and strengthened. Learn how to analyze common “Communication issues” in order to identify.…