Education Archives - Read. Think. Act.

Formed Families Forward on Your Need to Know

(February 20, 2019) Catherine Read interviews Kelly Henderson and Dee Robinson-Rutkowski of Formed Families Forward (FFF). Their organization is dedicated to supporting foster, kinship and adoptive families of children and youth with disabilities and special needs. They serve families, educators and child welfare professionals in the Northern Virginia area.

Formed Families Forward is a non-profit supported through a federal grant, established to assist adoptive and foster families navigate the complicated world of acquiring services to support children with special needs. Studies show that youth in foster and kinship care are at a higher risk of having disabilities, and therefore requiring special education services. In addition to medical needs, many of these children have suffered emotional trauma from being in an unstable environment, and need extra support to recover and become healthy and whole.

Dee came to Formed Families Forward after she and her husband adopted their two sons through the foster care system. They faced many challenges and had some very rocky years, especially during middle school. She became connected to FFF after meeting Kelly through her Middle School PTA. Dee is thankful to have had someone to help her navigate the system so that they could access the much needed resources to help her sons. It helped to ease their burden, and put her boys and their family on a path to wellness.

In addition to connecting families with the resources that they need, FFF also runs support groups for both students and parents. These groups are very important because families can connect with one another, and understand that they are not alone. FFF also conducts one on one consultations, so individual families can make sure that they understand how to find the support and resources that they need for their children, and get what their children need to thrive at school and at home.

As the organization evolves, Kelly and Dee note that they are working on different initiatives to meet their clients’ needs. They are just finishing up the production of a webinar focused on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and the impacts and effects that this has on children as they age. They also have programming focused on ADD and ADHD, which is one of the most common diagnoses that children in foster and adoptive care face. In addition to helping families understand how to establish classroom accommodations, there are many things that parents can do with children at home to help manage symptoms.

In addition, there is a growing movement recognizing how trauma can affect children, and have an impact on their ability to learn and fully participate in the classroom. Trauma Informed Community Networks are being established in Fairfax County for the first time. These networks are designed to help educators and service providers better understand the obstacles and challenges faced by students who have suffered from traumatic events at a young age, and help coordinate efforts in supporting these children.

Formed Families Forward is sponsoring their annual event on April 27^th called Spring Forward Family Fun Day, which will be held on the Science and Technology Campus of George Mason University in Manassas. This year’s theme is Navigating Systems to Build Stronger Families. While parents, educators and caregivers enjoy presentations by experts on education and support of foster, adoptive and kinship families, children ages 4 and above will be able to access experiential learning at GMU’s outdoor learning program called “The EDGE”. More details about the day, along with information about how to purchase tickets, can be found on their website

by Rachel Simon

Abrar Omeish and GIVE on Your Need to Know

(February 13, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Abrar Omeish, co-founder of GIVE Youth (Growth and Inspiration through Volunteering and Education) about her organization she founded, and her candidacy for the FCPS School Board.

Omeish and her friends came up with the concept of GIVE when they were in high school at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax. They identified a need in the community amongst low-income students who could not afford expensive tutors and academic prep courses to help them stay competitive when it came to applying to colleges. Additionally, they saw that many of these students did not have role models or mentors to look up to.

Omeish and her contemporaries founded GIVE in 2010, with the mission of promoting civic engagement and giving back to the community. Their goal is to invest in the next generation by striving to provide opportunities to those who seek them in the fields of education, empowerment and leadership. The program gives teens the opportunity to serve as mentors to young children, provides resources to underprivileged students, and promotes the importance of an enthusiastic attitude toward learning.

Starting in the basement of her parents’ home, Omeish and her friends organized and planned the launch of their first tutoring and mentoring site at the Mason District Government Center. Since that time, they have grown GIVE to over 20 centers throughout the county. What is truly remarkable about GIVE is that it continues to be run solely by students. They have various work groups that focus on different aspects of their organization, such as web development, fundraising, volunteer mobilization, student engagement and parent outreach.

Abrar Omeish GIVE FCPS GIVE focuses on pairing high school students with elementary school children, with the goal of developing relationships, inspiring younger students and helping to create continuity in the lives of the younger children. Many times, these young children do not have many strong role models in their life, so having an older student who gets to know them can be enough encouragement that helps them believe in themselves and have success in the classroom. Omeish notes that the high school students learn through the experience of teaching, and they get as much as the younger kids do out of the entire experience.

Additionally, the more experienced Board members help to mentor the new board members by teaching them how to run the organization. They also lift each other up during the college application process, and help one another by reading essays and giving feedback. GIVE aims to build community in a variety of ways.

In the second segment of the show Catherine speaks with Abrar about her run for at-large member of the Fairfax County School Board. She is passionate about creating a school system that offers equity and inclusion in education for all students, no matter where they live or what their ability is. Her idea of targeted universalism, where teachers prepare for the hardest case scenario, will create an environment where all students can achieve success.

As Omeish matriculated through the FCPS school system, she noticed the inequities that exist for low-income students. As a student, she worked to close the achievement gap through her founding of GIVE. Her run for school board is an extension of this philosophy, and she is excited to launch her campaign. She strongly believes that the diversity in Fairfax is one of its greatest strengths, and she would like to see more representation in both the teaching and administrative staff, as well as amongst the school board members. She strives to draw on her experience to move these issues forward, while also inspiring and standing up for children.

by Rachel Simon

Successful Children & Youth Policy Team (SCYPT)

(Oct. 22, 2018) Catherine Read sits down with Megan McLaughlin (Braddock District) and Tamara Denerak-Kaufax (Lee District) of the FCPS School Board. Their wide-ranging discussion covers a variety of topics, but focuses on the work being done by the Successful Children and Youth Policy Team (SCYPT). This joint effort of the Board of Supervisors and the School Board, established in 2013, utilizes a collaborative approach to ensure that children and youth in Fairfax County thrive and reach their fullest potential.

Prior to 2013, the Board of Supervisors and the School Board operated virtually independent of one another, even though there was often overlap in the services that were being delivered. SCYPT was created to bring these two organizations together, and look at services that need to be delivered in a more strategic way. This ensures efficiency in the operations for both agencies. The collaborative approach allows them to be align objectives and initiatives, as well as work together in forming strategic plans and think about shared goals.

Over the past 10 years Fairfax County has seen big changes in demographics. There are pockets of deep poverty in certain regions, which pose challenges to teachers and administrators. FCPS has the goal of offering a world-class education to all students, no matter where they live in the county. In order to do this, the county recognizes that certain needs must be met. For example, children are not able to thrive if they are hungry, or do not have access to medical care. Therefore, part of the SCYTPT program is to identify what the needs are and think about how services are delivered to students and families.

The SCYPT committee is comprised of 2 School Board Members, 2 Board of Supervisors members, local police and community representatives as well as Fairfax County government employees. The committee covers a range of issues, including early childcare and school readiness, racial and social equity, access to mental health resources, attendance policies and the prospect of expanding the use of community schools. They have been very busy since the committee was formed in May of 2013.

Pre-Kindergarten Initiatives

Beginning with some of the youngest students, SCYPT has taken a multi-pronged approach to early childcare and school readiness. They have successfully cut the wait time for student’s access to Pre-K in half. In the last six years FCPS has opened 30 new pre-K classrooms, and they continue to look for any opportunity that they have to expand. They know that for every $1 invested in high quality Pre-K, they can save $10-15 later on the child’s education.

Currently there are 3 ways for Pre-K to be delivered. Students can attend center-based programming in schools funded by Head Start or the Virginia Pre-K initiative, through licensed in-home daycare providers who receive strong support and guidance from the county to ensure that these children are ready for Kindergarten, and private preschool for families who are able to afford this.

For students who are not able to access the centers or in-home programs, FCPS has established a free 3-week “Bridge to Kindergarten” program offered in August of each year, which gives students an introduction to school and a basic education on how to thrive in a Kindergarten classroom.

Attendance and Discipline

McLaughlin and Derenak-Koufax both agree that it is important to look at creative ways to solve problems. They continually are looking to other jurisdictions for success stories, and to see if those practices can be replicated in Fairfax. One initiative regarding attendance and discipline reform revolves around Restorative Justice practices. Having alternative accountability in place for students, that recognizes some of the challenge that they face and inspires the students to improve and do better, is just one of the areas that is being worked on. Allowing students some space to learn from their mistakes, without facing automatic suspension, can go a long way in making them better students and citizens. It has been documented that students of color are disproportionately disciplined in a harsh way.

Social Services and Mental Health

When considering social services related issues, SCYPT aims to have a wrap-around approach to delivering care. Over the past few years there have been a record-number of cases of students reporting higher levels of stress and anxiety, leading to an uptick in attempted suicides. FCPS is addressing this through a new behavioral health model that employs a multi-pronged approach to this challenge.

Mental health services are delivered in the school by increasing the number of substance abuse counselors, health advisors and contracting with outside providers to help deliver care and to keep students healthy and ready to learn. Programs directed at students are designed to assist them in identifying signs of depression in their friends, and ensure that they know where to turn if that does happen. Additionally, a crisis text line was established so that teens can easily and anonymously access support when they most need it

The school system now runs a Mental Health and Wellness Conference as a resource for students, families and school personnel. The school system is also working side by side with PTA’s to help make sure that they are meeting the ever-changing needs of the community. This wrap-around approach to social services is intentionally designed to meet the students and families where they are and deliver services in a timely and efficient manner.

Community Schools

McLaughlin and Denerak-Kaufax acknowledge that due to the great diversity of our school system, that the same approach will not be effective in every community. Therefore, they look to other jurisdictions and models to see if successful best practices can be employed in Fairfax. One of those models is the use of community schools. A community school can be defined as both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources. Its integrated focus on academics, youth development, family support, health and social services and community development leads to improved student learning, stronger families and healthier communities.

This year, FCPS and SCYPT is piloting this model in two schools, Mt. Vernon Woods Elementary School and Whitman Middle School, two of the schools in FCPS that are faced with the highest rates of poverty and face some of the biggest challenges. A high percentage of students in these schools are living in poverty and also qualify for ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages), which pose great challenges to teachers and administrators.

The idea behind this type of approach is that the school and the county would bring wrap-around social services to the families via the school, in order to ensure that they are meeting the needs of these families, as opposed to asking the families to find these services out in the community. It is a shift in mindset, and the work of SCYPT is to bring together the county resources and use them strategically in partnership with the school to make them accessible to children and families.

United Community Ministries is slated to manage the program, and each of the schools will have a community organizer assigned to them. The school system recognizes that the greatest opportunity for upward mobility is through public education. For the most vulnerable students, who are living in poverty and don’t have a strong support network, a community school can offer them the things that they might not be able to find at home. Both McLaughlin and Derenak-Kaufax are excited about this new endeavor and are eager to see positive outcomes in these schools that can be replicated elsewhere in the county.

by Rachel Simon

Rachna Sizemore Heizer – Ability Focused Inclusion

(Aug. 20, 2018) Catherine Read sits down with inclusion advocate Rachna Sizemore Heizer, about her experience and desire to change the conversation around disabilities to focus on “ability-based inclusion”. Rachna is an attorney by trade, but after her son Jake’s autism diagnosis she became an advocate for inclusion in the education system. She did this not only for her son, but also for the thousands of other students who share their struggle. As Jake has grown up, and Rachna has gotten more involved in this movement, she now strives to broaden her message and make disability a part of the conversation about diversity in the United States.

Rachna’s main observation when she began this journey with Jake is that there was quite a bit of talk about inclusion, but not much action. She had to fight on a daily basis to have her son looked at as someone with potential. Her main criticism is that the educators he worked with, although well intentioned, worked to make him fit into a mold that he was never going to squeeze into. His limited verbal skills caused his abilities to be overlooked. Jake is incredibly talented in the musical arena, so much so that he could pick up a guitar and play any song by ear. He also has a sharp memory and can catalogue information easily in his mind.

A more productive approach would be to allow teachers to have the flexibility to nurture these talents, interests and skills in order to help children grow and learn in their own ways. Rachna’s ultimate goal is to have educators focus on creating productive citizens in our society, as opposed to having children with special needs trying to fit in the box that we have created for neurotypical students. Today, one in six Americans are disabled. By looking for opportunities to engage everyone, and play to their strengths, society as a whole will benefit.

After years of working in the advocacy arena training employers,consulting with educators, and speaking at conferences, Rachna feels that the blind spot in our society is that we do not view individuals with disabilities as a part of the whole. Collectively, we still view a disability as a physical limitation, while completely ignoring those with intellectual, social and emotional challenges. Instead of tying to better understand these conditions, society simply labels the behaviors as “weird” or “odd”. Heizer points out that is one of the main reasons why there is such a high unemployment, and underemployment rate amongst those with disabilities. She strongly believes that if we are able to break down barriers and increase understanding of one another, then we can open up more opportunities where everyone can thrive.

As for underemployment, Rachna has much to say. She points to the example of the job of grocery bagging, which is a common job appropriated to disabled individuals. She points out that there is nothing wrong with having people bag groceries, but often times this is the only opportunity afforded to them. Employers need to understand that many of these individuals are capable of doing much more complex work, and can be real assets to an organization if given the opportunity.

Throughout the interview, Rachna provides poignant examples of instances where she has encountered challenges and obstacles. As Jake matures, she has her eyes on the future and speaks passionately about the work opportunities that may or may not be available to him. She explains that employers focus a great deal on an individual’s personality and social skills when hiring, as opposed to focusing on weather or not the person can actually perform the necessary tasks of the job at hand. Some employers still have employees fill out personality tests, which greatly discriminate against people who struggle with interpersonal skills. They may, however, be the best person for the actual job that needs to get done.

Heizer is working hard to change the mindset of employers through training and advocacy. She encourages employers to understand how their organizations can benefit from diversifying their workforce, and how they can lead the way in making important changes that can take seed throughout our entire society. Her goal is to reach into the business community and open their minds to what a diverse workforce means. Her trainings include encouraging employers to find ways to be more inclusive, to value workers for what they can bring to the table and to adapt the workforce culture to be more welcoming and understanding.

Rachna closes by speaking about Stephen Hawking. She wonders if Hawking would have achieved all that he did if he was born with a disability? Would people have listened to and valued his genius if he always needed so much assistance, or would he have been relegated to lesser things? Rachna strongly believes we need to value each person for what they CAN do, and is working hard every day to make this a reality. She serves on the boards of the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board and the Fairfax County Special Education PTA, as well as belonging to the ARC of Northern Virginia, the Autism Society of Northern Virginia, and being an appointed member to the FCPS School Board’s Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities. She has also founded the organization Abilities not Disabilities. Rachna can be found on Twitter @RachnaHeizer.

by Rachel Simon

Skylar Johnson – Sew Fly Sky – Kitchen Table Conversations

(August 6, 2018) Catherine Read interviews 11-year-old fashion designer and entrepreneur Skylar Johnson. Skylar recently designed and stitched an outfit for Phyllis Randall, Chairman of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, to wear at her annual State of the County address.

Skylar has been hard at work learning how to sew and design clothing starting at the age of eight, when she first attended an after-school enrichment program through her elementary school. She recalls her first creation as a mint green skirt with a lace overlay. Since then, Skylar has refined her skills, taught herself how to create unique patterns and experimented to find her style, inspired by fashion trends from the 1970’s. Both her Great Aunt and her Great Grandmother were seamstresses, and she thinks her love of sewing may have trickled down to her.

Supervisor Randall learned about Skylar’s talent, and reached out to her to see about designing a special outfit for her State of the County address. After meeting with the Chairman, Skylar explored various ideas and found inspiration in fabrics that she acquired while on a family trip to California. She did not want to stitch a traditional suit, so she looked for inspiration in various fabrics and spiced up a traditional design by creating a beautiful royal purple satin shirt, with buttons up the back, paired with wide-legged, white linen pants. The outfit Skylar crafted was gorgeous, and perfect for the occasion.

Skylar was recently featured in the 10^th anniversary edition of Posh Magazine, as a young student using practical applications of STEAM curriculum who is going places. She encourages kids to follow their dreams, and talks about her clothing brand she has created called “Sew Fly Sky”. She continues to take sewing lessons and strives to learn all she can about the fashion industry.

After that interview was published, she was invited to speak at a local elementary school to younger students about how fashion design is related to the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) curriculum being taught. She walks the young students through the artistic process of creating a design, the mathematics of properly measuring fabric and creating a pattern using a variety of geometric shapes, along with the tools and technology needed to complete a project. She hopes that her talk was inspiring to the students.

Skylar is excited to continue her entrepreneurial journey, but as her mother Danyel Trammell points out, school still comes first. You can find Sklyar on Facebook, Instagram (@sew_fly_sky) or you can contact her directly at [email protected]

by Rachel Simon

Dalia Palchik – FCPS School Board – Your Need to Know

(Aug. 1, 2018) Catherine Read sits down with FCPS Providence District School Board member Dalia Palchik. Dalia speaks candidly about her background as an immigrant coming to this country at the tender age of six, and about her experience as a non-English speaking student in Fairfax County Public Schools, as well as the work she is doing to help all students in the county in her current role as School Board member.

Dalia’s family immigrated to the United States from Argentina In 1992. She, along with her mother and siblings, came to the United States to meet her father who had been working here in Virginia. They were thrilled when they were finally granted citizenship, and had the opportunity to build a better life for themselves in Virginia. As they assimilated to their new country, a new language, and a new life they worked hard to navigate the system and learn a new culture.

Dalia entered school speaking no English, and received ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) services. She is thankful for her wonderful teachers, and for having the opportunity to come to this country. As her family settled in and adjusted to life in America, it was Dalia who learned how to navigate the ins and outs of the school system and help her parents understand the culture of the school, how it all worked, and how to access opportunities. She felt as if she were the parent in their relationship at the time. Dalia eventually went on to graduate from the prestigious Thomas Jefferson High School, and earned a scholarship to Tufts University, where she majored in International Affairs. Professionally, she traveled all over the world to help organizations tackle the big issues of poverty and hunger.

After a long stint away from home, Dalia returned to Fairfax County, and looked around at the ever growing diverse community here in Fairfax had an epiphany about how she could make an impact.As she is fluent in 4 languages (English, Spanish, French and Italian), Dalia became language teacher and eventually ran for School Board, in the hopes of giving all kids the same excellent opportunities that she had as a child. She strongly believes that all children in Fairfax should have access to a world-class education, no matter where you live or what your family circumstances are.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is the 10th largest school system in the country, with almost 190,000 students walking though the doors every day. It is a culturally rich and diverse community, with a socioeconomically diverse student body. There are 48 Title 1 schools in FCPS, and Dalia mentions that it is important to understand the challenges and hurdles that these students face. She believes it is imperitive to put policies in place to make sure that these students are able to succeed. The One Fairfax policy that was recently adopted by both the School Board and the Board of Supervisors, is designed to look broadly from community services to education, to address the needs of our most vulnerable residents. Its purpose is to intentionally, comprehensively and systematically break down barriers that are creating gaps in opportunity (quote website).

As a foreign language teacher herself, Dalia spoke passionately with Catherine about the importance of teaching languages to students in FCPS, especially the elementary students. As our children are being raised in a global economy, these skills are becoming more and more important. Currently, there are only 17 language immersion programs being offered in Fairfax County, where half of the school day (math and science) is taught in the target language. Dalia notes that there are specific challenges to maintaining these World Language programs, with recruitment and retainment of staff as one of the largest obstacles, but she would like to see increased access so more students can take advantage of these programs. FCPS is also looking into dual immersion programs in certain schools where there is a majority Spanish speaking population. There are currently 25 elementary schools that fit the profile for these programs.

Dalia is also very excited about a new position that is being created this year, the Family and Student Ombudsman, to help students and families better navigate the school system. Armando Peri, a former principal, will serve as a chief problem-solver, who can review cases and help advocate for students who are experiencing issues from diversity challenges to special needs. The goal of this position is to bring parties together to come up with viable and effective solutions. Dalia continues to look for opportunities to help solve problems and bring students, teachers and parents together to make positive changes for the FCPS school system.

by Rachel Simon

Krista Gauthier – Sliding Doors Squared

(July 18, 2018) Catherine Read speaks with Krista Gauthier who is the founder of Sliding Doors Squared, an enrichment program for children with dyslexia. Studies have shown that children with dyslexia excel in STEM related curriculum and careers, so Gathier’s program focuses on reading tutoring and STEM enrichment to help these students excel. Unfortunately, many dyslexic students go undiagnosed, and because they have a barrier to learning how to read they are not encouraged to explore and engage with other content. Sliding Doors Squared is designed to help these students realize their potential.

Gauthier has a background in teaching, so when her daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia she was thrown into a whole new world in the education subculture. She quickly learned that there are not many resources for parents of children who have dyslexia. If a child is diagnosed, it is very expensive to seek the necessary early intervention to keep students on track. One year ago, Gauthier embarked on a journey to bring much needed resources to the community. Together with her daughter’s reading tutor Joyce Maryanopolis, they founded Sliding Doors Squared (SD2). This program is currently offered at St. Bernadette Catholic School in Springfield as an after-school program, and they are looking to expand to another location in the Reston/Herndon area this year.

Gauthier shares that 15-20% of the general population live with dyslexia, and 30-40% of engineers and scientists are dyslexic. She also notes that 48% of the prison population is identified as dyslexic. She believes if students are identified early and taught how to read in a way that their brain can process properly, then the students can move on and excel in school. The STEM aspect of the Sliding Doors program is designed to introduce kids to subjects like robotics and engineering. It also includes opportunities to meet area scientists on their monthly Science Saturdays field trips, many who have dyslexia themselves. This allows the students to see themselves in their role models, and understand first hand that they can achieve and succeed despite their challenges.

Most of the people who run the programming with Sliding Doors are volunteers. They must be trained in the evidence-based reading curriculum, and commit to a 2 year program with their students. Many of the volunteers are teachers themselves, who benefit from understanding how dyslexic children learn, which can improve how they approach student with similar challenges in their own classrooms.

Another key element of the Sliding Doors program includes networking opportunities for parents. As a parent herself, Gauthier realized how few opportunities there were to meet and speak with other parents, along with how difficult it was to seek out resources. As part of the Science Saturday programming, Sliding Doors often offers programming geared towards parents where they can attend workshops, learn about advocacy, or listen to speakers who can help them learn about how to best support their children.

by Rachel Simon

Ryan McElveen – FCPS School Board

(June 18, 2018) Catherine Read interviews Ryan McElveen, At-Large member of the Fairfax County School Board. FCPS is the tenth largest school district in the nation, and Ryan has served on the board since 2011. While he is not serving on the school board, he works at the Brookings Institution, where he is a senior administrator at the John L. Thornton China Center. He welcomes the opportunity to have FCPS serve as a national leader on a variety of issues such as non-discrimination, gun violence prevention and dress code changes.

Dress Code

In the first segment, Catherine discusses with McElveen the proposed changes to the FCPS dress code. The board is concerned that the current language used in the dress code policy has led to too many instances of body shaming for young female students. The board overwhelmingly voted to strike language from the code that “banned outfits with low necklines that show cleavage” and outfits deemed “sexually provocative”. Over the years many female students shared instances where they have been singled out and embarrassed by teachers or administrators. The revised policy is designed to avoid these problems. McElveen agrees that teacher training will be critical to successful implementation of the revised code.

McElveen shares a short story about his own alma mater, Marshall High School. Over the years, during graduation, the boys and girls would wear crimson red gowns and the girls would wear blue ones. In an effort to unify the student body, the high school recently shifted to having everyone wear the same robe that incorporated both colors on the robe. In large and small ways, the schools are moving closer to a gender-neutral approach.

Healthy Food and Nutrition Services

Ryan has worked with various groups over the past seven years to move different issues forward. He was thrilled to work with the group Real Food for Kids to help improve healthy food options in FCPS cafeterias. Hand in hand with the division’s new Food and Nutrition Director Rodney Taylor, there have been a variety of new and exciting additions. Salad bars are being rolled out to all 141 elementary schools, giving children more options for healthy fruits and vegetables on a daily basis.

The Summer Meals for Kids Program is a new initiative that will offer free lunch to any student at certain FCPS schools every day throughout the summer. Additionally, any adult over the age of 18 can eat a healthy meal for only $2 cost. Considering that many students, especially in our Title 1 schools, get their only meal through the school lunch program during the school year, this is a critical program to help the most vulnerable in the community.

Facilities

Shortage of facilities at FCPS is always a hot topic of conversation. McElveen shares some insights into why so many FCPS students are housed in trailers. For many years now, the Capital Improvement Budget of FCPS has been underfunded, in order to meet the other obligations of running the school system. As a result, FCPS is now on a 37 year replacement cycle (a 25 year replacement cycle is optimal). He shares that the board has successfully advocated for adding $25 million to the fund, they are still short $275 million to bring the fund up to standards. This means that students and teachers are working in outdated classrooms and labs, or are taking classes in trailers. In January of 2018 McElveen tweeted that “the number of FCPS students that attend classes in trailers each day is on par with the entire student population of Arlington County or Richmond. That is a travesty, it is an embarrassment and it is unacceptable”.

The root cause of this problem is funding. This year is the first year in a long time that the Board of Supervisors fully funded the school budget request. Because of the Dillon rule, counties such as Fairfax have limited options to raise revenue on their own. Therefore, they rely on the County (property taxes), the State (state tax revenue), and the Federal government (federal grant dollars), to round out the budget. A recent ballot initiative to raise money through a “Meals Tax” in Fairfax failed. Even though most neighboring jurisdictions currently assess this fee on restaurant meals (Washington, DC, Arlington, Alexandria, along with the cities of Falls Church and Fairfax, and the towns of Vienna and Herndon), the business community and the chamber of commerce ran a brutal campaign to block this initiative.

Teacher Pay

McElveen was thrilled that the BOS agreed to fully fund the school budget for 2018-2019. One of the most pressing issues that the board is dealing with involves teacher pay. Since the recession of 2018 and several years of pay freezes, FCPS fell far behind its neighboring jurisdictions in teacher pay. It has been a challenge to both recruit and retain teachers, who often leave for higher-paying opportunities. Raising teacher pay, which is included in this budget, will help work toward the goal of improved retention, especially for mid-career teachers. The board continuously evaluates the 5-year retention rate to see how they are doing in this area. After the General Assembly passed the Medicaid Expansion bill this past session, McElveen is excited about the prospect of millions of dollars flowing down from the state coffers to help invest in both students and teachers.

Student Leadership

When McElveen was first elected to the school board, he was 25 years old. He was young and technologically savvy, and used this to his advantage. He quickly recognized that social media was a fantastic tool to reach his constituents, and to obtain real-time feedback. As an At-Large board member in a county with a population of 1.1 million people, it is just not physically possible to meet with every single person that he represents, but he can connect digitally with them. He has witnessed the rise of social media as a key communication tool, and has seen how it can be used to organize and move issues forward.

Today, he sees both parents and students utilizing these same tools to lead on a variety of important issues. Over the past few years there have been many programs on the “chopping block” each year, as the school system looks to balance the budget. When certain programs such as foreign language immersion or music in the elementary schools come up for review, he has seen parents and students come together to testify and organize around saving these very valuable programs.

On the student side, this past year after the Parkland shootings in Florida, students used social media to help organize walk outs and protests, to call attention to the issue of Gun Violence Prevention. McElveen was impressed with how respectful, responsible and productive these demonstrations were. He is very proud of the many FCPS students who have stepped up to speak out for the things that they believe in. He wants to support student leaders so that they can develop the leadership skills that they will need in college and beyond.

Academy Programs

In the final segment, McElveen talks about the academy programs that are thriving at FCPS today. These are hands-on training and learning programs that give students a unique opportunity to take advanced technical and specialized courses that successfully integrate career and academic preparation. These centers include programs for Animal Sciences, Automotive Technology and Collision, Carpentry, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts and HVACR. Other specialized programs include Fashion Design, Theater, Health Informatics, Nursing, Fire and Rescue, and Automotive Dealers. If students are interested in any of these areas, they should speak with their guidance counselor to learn more and find out how they can apply.

You can follow Ryan McElveen on Twitter (@RyanLMcElveen) and on Facebook www.facebook.com/VoteRyanMcElveen

by Rachel Simon

The Phillips Programs – Debbie Alexander

(June 14, 2018) Catherine Read interviews Debbie Alexander, Director of Development for The Phillips Programs. For the past 50 years Phillips has served the needs of individuals with emotional and behavioral problems and their families through education, family support services, community education and advocacy. Phillips is a private non-profit organization that serves the needs of over 500 children and their families in the Washington, DC area across four campuses in Virginia and Maryland. They strive to help children where others could not, by individualizing a plan for each student so they can become independent, young adults.

Alexander shares that children are referred to their program when they are unable to thrive in their school environment. There is no typical profile for a Phillips student, but many have experienced trauma in one form or another. Perhaps they have difficulty communicating or engaging with other students or their teachers, and because of this the student acts out or misbehaves which interferes with the learning cycle. At Phillips, the educators and therapists develop a wholly personalized plan for learning that addresses the obstacles each student faces, and comes up with a plan to overcome the obstacles. With small class sizes of 9 students per classroom, this becomes a realistic goal. Additionally, Phillips runs programs to encourage families to stay together, as the stress of a child with disabilities can often tear families apart. Phillips offers home and community based counseling, behavior consultation and family support.

As the organization has evolved over the past 50 years, Phillips has taken on the role of not only educating their students, but also preparing the students for a world where they can work and become independent. The Career Partners Program was implemented two years ago, and is now thriving. Phillips established a culinary program which includes a commercial kitchen and a vertical garden at their Laurel location, a 3-D design and print program at their Annandale location, and a building trades program at the Fairfax school. The concept is that they are giving their students marketable skills in order to enter the workforce. Alexander specifically highlighted the building trades program, where students just completed their first home that they designed and built all on their own. The home sold for $585,000 and took four years to complete.

As she mentioned earlier in the interview, there is no “typical” student in the Phillips program. Students are generally referred to Phillips by the public school system, if the student struggles to thrive in a mainstream environment. Access to information and resources can be difficult to come by for parents who are looking for help, so the Phillips Program is re-vamping their website to include more information and become more accessible to parents.

The main message that Alexander wants to share is that the Phillips Program gives hope to children and families, while focusing on the children’s abilities and highlighting their strengths. For example, the 3-D printing program, which operates as a partner of the Youthquest Foundation, is a great fit for students with autism. This type of work is ideally suited for people on the autism spectrum because it includes a number of repetitive tasks. The Youthquest representatives noted that the Phillips students produced the most sophisticated and complex work on the 3-D printer that they had seen to date.

The Phillips program is a non-profit and operates on the donations of its generous benefactors. Each April they hold a gala, and in May they organize a 5K run. Alexander encourages those in the community to support this valuable asset in the community. You can donate online to support some of the most vulnerable children in our community and give them a chance to thrive and grow up to be independent members of society.

by Rachel Simon

Karen Corbett Sanders – FCPS School Board

(June 6, 2018) Catherine Read sits down with Karen Corbett Sanders, Vice Chair of the FCPS School Board, representing the Mt. Vernon district. She represents a diverse district, which stretches from the Potomac River in the east, through the Rt. 1 Corridor, into Springfield and across to the Occoquan River. Some of the schools in her district are amongst the poorest in the county, with poverty rates as high at 90% in some places. These conditions put additional stresses on school personnel, and often require a different approach to ensure that each child in her district is getting an excellent education, no matter what their family background is or where they live.

Karen Corbett Sanders opened the conversation talking about the needs of students who come from some of the most vulnerable communities within her district. She mentions the importance of providing “wrap-around” social services to students, to ensure that they have enough food to eat, clothing to keep them warm, and access to healthcare. In order for students to have the best opportunity to succeed, Corbett Sanders argues that we must invest in a strong support system for both students and their families. She points to literacy as a specific challenge for many families. In order for parents to stay up to date and in tune with their children, let alone be able to help them with homework at night, it is important that all families have access to literacy education. The Literacy Council of Northern Virginia is making great strides in helping parents learn the language skills they need, so they can more fully and equitably participate in the community.

Corbett Sanders is proud of the One Fairfax Policy, adopted by both the Board of Supervisors and the FCPS School Board on July 12, 2016. It is a joint social and racial equity policy that commits the county and schools to intentionally consider equity when making policies or delivering programs and services. It is a written declaration that all citizens deserve an equitable opportunity to succeed if they work hard, regardless of their race, color, gender, nationality, sexual orientation or where they live. One Fairfax is a framework that will be used to consider equity in decision-making and in the development and delivery of future policies, programs and services. It is designed to help county and school leaders look intentionally, comprehensively and systematically at barriers that may be creating gaps in opportunity. Corbett-Sanders states that the adoption of this policy helps those in charge understand that there must be a different approach in a school community that has a 90% poverty rate vs. a school that has a 1.8% poverty rate.

In the second segment of the show Catherine speaks with Karen Corbett Sanders about the program GrandInvolve. This is a unique public-private partnership that puts retired educators in Title I elementary schools to volunteer and help give back to their community. GrandInvolve has been recognized by the Governor as one of the top volunteer organizations in the state, and has had great success here in Fairfax County. The seniors serve as role models for the students, many of whom do not have Grandparents who live in the United States. The seniors bring a fresh, new perspective to the classroom and help support one-on-one learning with students. It is truly a win-win for teachers, students and the senior volunteers.

Another new pilot program that Karen Corbett Sanders mentions involves placing police officers in the school cafeterias, where the officers are helping students in the lunch line, and getting to know them. Often times, children only see police officers in a bad or difficult situation. This type of partnership helps to build relationships and teach children that police officers are really there to help them, not hurt or punish them.

Corbett Sanders is also very proud of a new initiative that is being rolled out to all FCPS students called the Passport to Mt. Vernon. This would allow free access for county students to Mt. Vernon, Gunston Hall, Gum Springs Museum and Woodlawn Plantation. We have such a rich source of history right here in Fairfax County, but our students who are the poorest and most vulnerable do not have access to these sights because they cannot afford the entrance fees. By offering free access, they are hoping to open up doors to those who were otherwise shut out. She also highlights the Bus Pass program, now in its third year. This offers any 7^th-12^th grader a free bus pass for the Connector Bus or the Q Bus in Fairfax City. Free access to public transportation allows students to get around independently after school or during the summer. They can travel locally to go to part time jobs, summer camps or the library. Corbett-Sanders is encouraged by the work being done between county and school board leaders to think outside the box and come up with workable solutions to help our most vulnerable residents.