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Fairfax County Public Schools celebrated environmental projects, student achievements, renovated facilities and community events during the week of April 28, even as a projected $150 million funding shortfall raised the prospect of cuts to programs, staffing and class sizes.

Earth Day activities included a long-running composting effort at Marshall Road Elementary School. Since January 2023, students have diverted an estimated 300 gallons of lunch waste into compost each week, totaling nearly 30 tons.

PTA President Monica Nuno developed the program after parent volunteers noticed how much food was being discarded during lunch. Garden educator Christene Hendon secured a grant from the Amazon Web Services Northern Virginia Community Fund to cover the initiative’s first-year composting contract.

John R. Lewis High School AVID students marked Earth Day with a trip to Shenandoah National Park. A grant obtained by AVID coordinator and social studies teacher Skyler Verloop allowed students to learn about National Park Service careers from a botanist, interpretive ranger, volunteer coordinator, police officer and communications specialist responsible for radio networks.

Students also hiked to several overlooks. Many had never visited Shenandoah before.

At Clearview Elementary School, kindergarten teacher and certified Virginia master naturalist Jeanne Lukas-Ross has helped lead Get2Green and Eco Club activities. After observing weaker fine-motor skills among younger children and increased use of electronic devices, she sought more opportunities for students to work with natural materials. Clearview students in kindergarten through third grade now attend an outdoor learning class each week.

Centreville Elementary School sixth grader Aditya earned a place on the United States team for the Pan American Junior Badminton Championship in Guatemala this July. The 2023 Junior National Champion will compete in boys’ doubles and mixed doubles.

Three school-system robotics teams also competed in the FIRST World Championship in Houston during spring break, finishing with a combined 23-10 record.

Madison High School ranked 11th among 75 teams in its Robotics Competition division, while Woodson High School placed 28th among 75. Oakton High School finished 11th among 64 teams in its Tech Challenge division. The overall events included 600 Robotics Competition teams across eight divisions and 256 Tech Challenge teams across four divisions.

Madison senior Nick Abbott called the championship one of his most rewarding experiences, highlighting the chance to see the team’s work succeed while competing with students from around the world.

Community discussions and a major school expansion

The final Community Conversations of the 2024-25 school year took place at Mount Eagle and Mason Crest elementary schools. Topics included boundary changes, start times, safety, the academic calendar, artificial intelligence tutoring, challenges affecting multilingual learners and equity in math-course offerings. A new round of meetings is planned for the fall.

Oak Hill Elementary School held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for an expansion of more than 26,000 square feet. The project added classrooms, art rooms, spaces for Early Childhood Class-Based and Preschool Autism Classroom programs, a secure entrance vestibule and an outdoor classroom.

Renovations also covered existing classrooms, the library, kitchen and café, gym, music room, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. Voter-approved bond referendums from 2019 and 2021 funded the work.

At an All-County Principals meeting at the Willow Oaks Administrative Center, administrators discussed leadership during uncertain periods, a draft division scorecard and the effects of collective bargaining on planning for the next school year.

Winter champions honored

Education leaders recognized the following winter 2025 championship teams and National Concert Band Festival ensembles:

• Lake Braddock Secondary School gymnastics.
• Chantilly High School boys’ swim and dive.
• South County High School girls’ indoor track and field.
• West Springfield High School boys’ indoor track and field.
• South Lakes High School boys’ basketball.
• Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Scholastic Bowl.
• Chantilly High School speech.
• Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Symphonic Wind Ensemble.
• West Springfield High School Wind Symphony.
• Cooper Middle School Symphonic Band.

An update on Goal 5 of the 2023-30 Strategic Plan outlined efforts to prepare students for life after high school. Progress is measured through on-time graduation, dropout prevention and whether graduates leave with diplomas and clear postsecondary plans.

During 2023-24, 94.58% of students graduated on time, up from a 94.06% baseline. The dropout rate was 3.81%, compared with a 5% baseline.

Among seniors in the Class of 2024, 87% planned to attend college, 7% intended to work or enlist and 5% expected to pursue other education.

Planned strategies include individual graduation plans, consultations for multilingual learners, accessible credit recovery and targeted resources for schools with higher dropout rates or other risk factors.

Additional measures include on-time graduation resource teachers, counselors for newly arrived multilingual students, attendance initiatives and transition assistance for students with Individualized Education Programs. The division also plans to expand awareness of credit accommodations for students with IEPs or 504 plans.

Course audits, counselor training in transcript evaluation and predictive analytics are intended to help identify students who have fallen off track and remove barriers to graduation.

AVID operates in 53 schools

Advancement Through Individual Determination, or AVID, is offered at 53 schools: 25 elementary schools, 13 middle schools, 13 high schools and two secondary schools.

At the elementary level, AVID seeks to develop student agency, relationships, growth mindsets, academic habits and awareness of future opportunities.

The secondary program supports students taking demanding courses, including eighth-grade Algebra, honors, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and dual-enrollment classes. It also emphasizes writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, reading and exposure to college and career options.

Among AVID seniors in the Class of 2024, 78% qualified for free or reduced-price meals, 86% completed at least one AP, IB or dual-enrollment course, and 94% planned to attend a two- or four-year college. Seventy-four percent had enrolled in Algebra 1 by eighth grade.

Music, inclusion and specialized support

The Lees Corner Elementary School Orff Ensemble performed “To Change a Planet” during the Earth Day observances. Orff Schulwerk, developed by composer Carl Orff and educator Gunild Keetman, integrates music, movement, speech and drama.

Music teacher and certified Schulwerk educator Leah Kmetz said the selections focused on protecting the planet and were arranged by participating students.

Bull Run Elementary School concluded its weeklong Inclusive Schools Spirit Week with its first Special Olympics Inclusion Revolution Pep Rally.

The advisory committee for twice-exceptional learners also met at the Gatehouse Administration Center. The division defines twice-exceptional students as those eligible for subject-specific, part-time or full-time Advanced Academic Program services who also have an IEP or 504 plan.

Families, teachers, school administrators and central-office employees reviewed the definition, discussed current programming and revised the committee’s charge to align it with program goals.

A separate boundary-review advisory group examined the review process and before-and-after maps of possible split-feeder boundary adjustments. An update was scheduled to be distributed to employees and families the following Monday.

Hiring, hunger relief and thousands of free books

Hundreds of teacher candidates joined a virtual instructional job fair Saturday, along with Human Resources employees and school administrators.

Falls Church High School held its 20th annual Jaguar 5K and Kids 1 Mile Fun Run in rainy conditions. Superintendent Michelle Reid and Principal Ben Nowak started both races.

Food for Neighbors marked the launch of its 10th food-sorting site at Katherine Johnson Middle School. The organization works with Northern Virginia schools to address food insecurity among middle and high school students. Supplies are provided to school social workers for discreet distribution to students.

The Lorton Community Center hosted a Reading Opens the World event. Created in 2011, the initiative provides books to children in Title I schools, students with disabilities, military-connected children, families and educators.

Organizers have distributed 10 million books since the program began and expected to give away more than 30,000 locally this year. Students could select up to 10 books, while educators could take as many as 50 for their classroom libraries.

$150 million gap puts familiar programs at risk

The week’s celebrations unfolded as county officials prepared to finalize the next budget. Reid said the school division remained underfunded by $150 million and warned that cuts could affect building improvements, teacher recruitment and retention, class sizes, STEM instruction, middle-school athletics, career and technical education, and academy programs.

The county budget was expected to be finalized the following week.

State considers broader career-readiness measures

The Virginia Department of Education opened a public-comment period on proposed changes to the employment portion of its employment, enlistment and enrollment readiness criteria, known as 3E.

The state education board adopted its School Performance and Support Framework in September 2024 without recognizing work-based learning as a measure of readiness for employment. Proposed revisions would count high-quality workplace experiences, a broader range of approved industry credentials and successful completion of approved Career and Technical Education courses.

Officials also proposed updated definitions for four types of high-quality work-based learning:

• Registered apprenticeships.
• Internships.
• Clinical experiences.
• School-based enterprise and entrepreneurship.

School-based businesses and entrepreneurship programs can be particularly valuable for students with disabilities and multilingual learners following nontraditional graduation paths. Such programs allow students to design, operate and expand businesses on a school campus or online.

Public comments were due May 18, ahead of state meetings scheduled for May 20-22. The local division supports recognizing work-based learning because its strategic plan calls for expanded access to career and technical education, specialized courses and apprenticeships.

Reid also said the school system had certified its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, related regulations and applicable rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court and Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. She said existing policies remained consistent with state and federal law and reiterated that the division considers its diversity a strength.