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Education Committee
What We Do
The Education Committee monitors the performance, activities, and actions of the elected Fairfax County School Board members, reviews proposals to establish, expand, or reduce County and State-level educational programs, and proposes Federation positions on the annual Fairfax County Public School System budget.
For committee-specific inquires, contact our Chair, listed HERE.
Recent Actions
The Federation’s Education Committee has worked as partners with FCPS to help improve the school system’s operations. We regularly provide input through testimony, regular informal communications, and by serving on a variety of standing and/or temporary committees. Over the past few years we have supported joint operations between FCPS and the County, encouraged more intensive investments in computing technology, pushed for greater strategic thinking, and encouraged our schools to maintain a strong Advanced Academic Program. In Richmond among our other accomplishments we are proud to have helped pass two pieces of long-awaited legislation: (1) In 2019 we helped obtain local control over our school calendar with the passage of SB1005 and HB1652 after almost a decade of advocacy, and (2) In 2020 we helped obtain greater flexibility to fund schools by more closely equalizing the taxing powers of counties with those of cities, through SB 588 and HB 785. In 2022 we have notified FCPS on several significant issues (see below).
Recent Announcements
The Education Committee first meeting of the year will be held in Room 5056 of the FCPS Gatehouse Administrative Center at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 27.
Discussion will include:
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How best should we follow up with the people we have met with over the past couple of years, to improve progress on the issues that we have raised and hold people accountable for acting on issues of importance to the community? This might include invitations for return visits by Chief Technology Officer Gautam Sethi and/or Helen Lloyd, who is the Executive Director with the Office of Communications.
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We are aware of potential shifts in FCPS grading policy, with pilot programs being launched in some schools, including Herndon High School. Should we investigate and/or weigh in on this issue?
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What issues of importance are happening in your part of the County and/or should we be addressing that we have yet to weigh in on?
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An update on progress regarding last year’s legislative package issues, and a discussion of “next steps” and/or new issues to raise in Richmond