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Health & Fitness

School Board Matters

Looking ahead after a busy start of the 2012-13 school year.

It's hard to believe it's October, a full month into the new school year.  My visits to back-to-school nights were great fun, with large crowds of supportive parents, energetic students and dedicated teachers. There is nothing quite like the creative energy of a new school year! 

The family-school connection, so evident at back-to-school nights, is the foundation of academic success. That's why the school board has decided to focus on family support at our upcoming Education Summit. Please join us Saturday, October 20, from 8 am to noon, at Woodson H.S., for an inspirational and practical program on parent involvement. Our guest speaker will be national expert and Harvard professor Dr. Ronald Ferguson, to be followed by interactive workshops on motivating your student, structuring your home for academic success and strategies for busy parents.

As I make the rounds of PTA meetings this fall and winter, I hope to meet many more parents and teachers. I know that there are several new initiatives this year, especially at the elementary level, and I will be listening to find out how schools are adjusting. New elementary report cards, online math textbooks and a new teacher evaluation system are keeping educators and families very busy. School board members are aware of the challenges and we are working with FCPS leadership to make sure the changes are not only manageable, but are working in the best interests of our children.

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I will also be talking about next year's budget. After five years of unprecedented growth in enrollment and funding that has not kept pace, our school system has been doing more with less long enough. While we continue to lead the nation in almost every category of academic success, we know we can not continue to provide a world-class education for every child, close our achievement gaps and support our professional educators with insufficient resources. The school board has begun an in-depth look at the FY 2013 budget, and it's very important we reach out to the community as we plan. More to come!

Thanks for reading! Please keep in touch.

Find out what's happening in Restonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

Pat Hynes

Vice Chair and Hunter Mill Representative, Fairfax County School Board

pmhynes@fcps.edu

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