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Fairfax County Public Schools opened its doors to federal workers and contractors considering a move into public education, one of several major developments Superintendent Michelle Reid highlighted during the week of Feb. 24, 2025.
The school division also reported thousands of career credentials earned by students, celebrated a principal’s regional leadership award and continued discussions about school boundaries, literacy, inclusion and academic achievement.
FCPS hosted a Job Information Fair Wednesday at the Willow Oaks Administrative Center for federal employees and contractors interested in changing careers. Chief Human Resources Officer William Solomon and his team provided information about positions in teaching, finance, security, human resources, transportation, food service and facilities.
The event came as families and school officials discussed the effects of federal government downsizing during a Quad 4 Family Vision Group meeting at Springfield Estates Elementary School. The meeting also covered the comprehensive boundary review, reading intervention, elementary literacy, recent executive orders, immigration, middle school start times and instructional standards.
Principal honored for Hughes Middle turnaround
Hughes Middle School Principal Herman Mizell received a 2025 Northern Virginia Leadership Award in the education category from Leadership Fairfax.
Mizell arrived at Hughes in 2023 with more than 16 years of school administration experience. Leadership Fairfax credited him with improving staff morale and student engagement, addressing safety concerns and renewing community pride within his first year.
Reid also joined Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay and other county leaders in the 2025 State of the County video. The presentation reviewed recent work involving education, public safety, the environment, affordable housing, economic development and equity, along with county goals for 2025 and beyond.
School visits spotlight instruction and support
Reid began Tuesday at Burke School, a nontraditional program serving elementary and middle school students who receive special education services primarily related to emotional or behavioral needs.
She observed third graders in Essie Carter’s class studying long vowel sounds through the Benchmark Advance literacy curriculum. Fourth graders in Zoe Volz’s music class explored medieval music and examined how historical periods shape melody, while eighth graders attended Richard Guertin’s civics class.
During the visit, Reid met instructional assistant Angelia Peoples, who joined FCPS as a school bus attendant in 2001. After six years in transportation, Peoples worked at several elementary schools before joining Burke. She said her personal experiences help her connect with children and families facing difficult circumstances, and she continues commuting from Washington, D.C., because of that commitment.
Reid later visited Kings Park Elementary School, led by Principal Dotty Lin and Assistant Principals Maura Donahue and Anna Kaplan. Kings Park is the division’s only school serving children from preschool through third grade; students then attend Kings Glen Elementary for grades four through six.
At Kings Park, Reid watched second-grade teachers plan a Benchmark Advance lesson. She also visited mathematics lessons led by third-grade teachers Olga Holliday, Jill Onorato and Maricel Estrera, along with a first-grade reading lesson taught by Maureen Dougherty.
At Marshall High School on Thursday, students in Samantha Phelps’ World Geography class conducted a simulation of international climate negotiations. Each student represented a country studied during the year and advocated for its particular policies and needs. The exercise was designed to develop an understanding of diplomacy, global perspectives and environmental challenges.
Academic goals take center stage
At Thursday’s School Board meeting, Reid presented an update on the Academic Growth and Excellence goal in the division’s 2023-30 Strategic Plan.
The highlighted measures call for students to read at grade level by third grade, complete Algebra 1 by eighth grade and successfully finish advanced high school coursework.
Reading proficiency by the end of third grade is considered an important transition point because students begin using reading to learn material across subjects. Reid noted that grade-level reading is also associated with access to advanced classes, on-time graduation and college enrollment.
Completing Algebra 1 by eighth grade can give students greater access to advanced high school mathematics and science courses. It has also been associated with stronger mathematics and language arts test scores and better middle school attendance.
Advanced high school options in FCPS include Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Dual Enrollment classes, courses carrying an additional 1.0 weight, and Career and Technical Education programs leading to completer status.
During the meeting’s Academic Matters presentation, Reid highlighted CTE offerings such as Teachers for Tomorrow, residential construction, student auto sales, firefighting, summer enrichment programs and online courses. Other fields include business and information technology, family and consumer sciences, health and medical sciences, marketing, technology and engineering, trades and industrial education, and JROTC.
FCPS students earned 14,323 industry credentials during the 2023-24 school year. The division valued those credentials at more than $740,000.
Reid also thanked custodians, bus drivers, bus attendants, food and nutrition employees, crossing guards and the FCPS weather team for their work during recent severe weather.
Literacy data show a sharp rise at Lees Corner
Lees Corner Elementary School reported that 86% of its third graders were performing at or above grade level in winter iReady testing, compared with 62% in the fall.
Principal VaRonica Sloan attributed the gains to several years of systematic phonics instruction, staff training in the Science of Reading and focused planning around the Benchmark Advance curriculum. Reading specialist Brittany Poole has supported that work with the school’s instructional team and general and special education teachers.
Lees Corner is in its second year of offering a dedicated 30-minute literacy block in addition to regular language arts instruction. The block targets phonics, vocabulary and comprehension while providing intervention or enrichment according to student needs.
Teachers use iReady, Virginia Language and Literacy Screening System and Lexia results to adjust student groups after each testing period. The school allows teachers to adapt lessons to their students while maintaining the curriculum’s central principles.
Boundary review committee studies enrollment
The Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee met Friday evening to examine student enrollment projections, review school programs and discuss comments gathered during recent virtual and in-person community meetings.
The committee includes parents, caregivers or community members from each of the division’s 24 high school pyramids. School administrators, teachers, operational employees and other community representatives also participate.
Earlier in the week, the All-County Principals Meeting focused largely on universal design for learning and inclusive practices as schools moved into the second half of the academic year.
FCPS also promoted its Become Unskippable campaign, which gives families guidance for discussing difficult subjects with teenagers, including the dangers of fentanyl. The initiative is part of the school division’s opioid education and prevention work.
Celebrations honor Black history and local diversity
Carter G. Woodson High School hosted an FCPS Black History Month celebration Wednesday evening featuring history, reflection and community stories. Students read from Black Communities of Fairfax: A History, sharing accounts of Black history in Fairfax County.
Chief Equity Officer Nardos King described the inaugural event as an opportunity to recognize community contributions, celebrate Black excellence and reinforce commitments to equity and inclusion.
On Saturday morning, Reid attended the Fairfax County NAACP Black History Month Celebration and Gospel Explosion Concert at Harvest Assembly Baptist Church in Alexandria. Fairfax Education Association President Leslie Houston spoke about education, advocacy and community empowerment.
Reid later attended the Heritage Day Celebration at Falls Church High School, where food and student performances showcased the community’s diversity. A Falls Church student named Margaret helped organize and present the event.