To the Editor
The schools in the Mount Vernon and Lee communities are scheduled to receive $150 million worth of renovations and facility improvements over the next five years. There are a number of options that have been discussed in the context of the Capital Improvement Plan adopted in January 2015. We need to have the community's input on the direction that the school system will take.
Beginning Thursday, March 19, Fairfax County Public School staff will begin the first of four community engagements at our area middle schools to discuss the options for school facility improvements and new programming. These meetings will provide all residents in the Mount Vernon and Lee regions the opportunity to hear from school staff about projected enrollment growth, school renovation/new construction needs, student programming needs and possible solutions to these needs. More information is available about these meetings at www.fcps.edu on the front page under Region 3 Facilities Meetings. The meetings will start at 7 p.m. on the following dates and locations:
Thursday, March 19 at Twain Middle School
Monday, March 23 at Sandburg Middle School
Wednesday, April 8 at Hayfield Secondary School
Wednesday, April 15 at Whitman Middle School
The agenda for each of the meetings will be the same; presenting draft guiding principles for decision making, providing overviews of current and projected enrollments, facility needs, program plans and a timeline for any future actions and securing detailed community feedback. The key to this process is community participation. We need you to attend to share your ideas, concerns and experiences with our staff. It is important that school staff better understand our communities’ values and needs. As your School Board members, we have shared these values with staff many times. It is important for you to do so as well, so they can better support our community’s beliefs and commitment to ensuring the highest quality education for every child. Also, these meetings are the beginning of a longer process that will result in changes to many of our schools and programs.
We look forward to seeing you at one of the above meetings.
Dan Storck
Mount Vernon District Member
Fairfax County School Board
Tamara Derenak Kaufax
Chairman and Lee District Representative
Fairfax County School Board