Vote out the FCPS school board

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a link to the governor. I just sent my letter.

https://governor.virginia.gov/constituent-services/communicating-with-the-governors-office/

I'll be sending the letter if they apply for the waiver. I don't want school to start in August.

I also don't like the use of snow days to try to accomplish something that they didn't ask the parents about. Too many changes.

[Anonymous]

I support a waiver, but to close for BS reasons just to get there is NOT OK.

As I have said on discussions about using snow days, it shouldn't be a contest to use ALL of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If you have ANY issue you are concerned about, would you like a say in it, or would you like the school board and superintendent to decide for you, with little to no input?

I strongly suspect that if this were put to a vote that you would lose. Most people in Fairfax would prefer to start school before Labor Day.

Nobody I know in real life does...

I would - but not this year. Families have already made plans and jerking them around now is inconsiderate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can give you proof of them not listening to community input they solicited on certain matters.

I would like to see a poll on this, and not a self-selecting online poll, but a true unbiased poll.

You know what I would like to see? A top-to-bottom independent audit of FCPS headquarters. I want to know the duties and salary of every third assistant to the deputy superintendent, etc. I want to know exactly how many consultants are being paid to study sleeping kids and August start dates and their connections to the people who hired them. I want PROOF that FCPS surveyed staff as to earlier start times, because at least two employees posted on this forum that they did not.

I don't know how many of you remember the big ruckus several years ago when FCPS threatened band and full-day kindergarten if they didn't get all the money they asked for. At the time, I was told, off the record, that FCPS floated red herrings all the time to rile up parents, and that neither of those programs had ever been in danger. The source was a highly placed FCPS government official. Since then, I've regarded Gatehouse and the board with skepticism at best. I can't believe no one questions anything they do, outside of online message boards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can give you proof of them not listening to community input they solicited on certain matters.

I would like to see a poll on this, and not a self-selecting online poll, but a true unbiased poll.

You know what I would like to see? A top-to-bottom independent audit of FCPS headquarters. I want to know the duties and salary of every third assistant to the deputy superintendent, etc. I want to know exactly how many consultants are being paid to study sleeping kids and August start dates and their connections to the people who hired them. I want PROOF that FCPS surveyed staff as to earlier start times, because at least two employees posted on this forum that they did not.

I don't know how many of you remember the big ruckus several years ago when FCPS threatened band and full-day kindergarten if they didn't get all the money they asked for. At the time, I was told, off the record, that FCPS floated red herrings all the time to rile up parents, and that neither of those programs had ever been in danger. The source was a highly placed FCPS government official. Since then, I've regarded Gatehouse and the board with skepticism at best. I can't believe no one questions anything they do, outside of online message boards.

My experience with Gatehouse has been very positive. When my DC was in MS, we had an issue with his IEP services and the person in charge of MS for his issue across the county came to his IEP meeting (and had a few other meetings with the MS) and helped set the record straight, educated personnel at the MS on his type of issues and basically said that everything we were requesting was reasonable and appropriate. It is definitely worth it to have people knowledgable and more specialized at the "corporate level" to ensure fidelity and good practices across the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I support a waiver, but to close for BS reasons just to get there is NOT OK.

As I have said on discussions about using snow days, it shouldn't be a contest to use ALL of them.

+100 If that's what was done, it was incredibly sleazy and disingenuous. Kind of disappointing behavior from the folks running the school who are supposed to be educating our kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's a link to the governor. I just sent my letter.

https://governor.virginia.gov/constituent-services/communicating-with-the-governors-office/

I'll be sending the letter if they apply for the waiver. I don't want school to start in August.

I also don't like the use of snow days to try to accomplish something that they didn't ask the parents about. Too many changes.[/quote]

+1

[Anonymous]

Is this just one crazy pp?

[Anonymous]

A top-to-bottom independent audit of FCPS headquarters

Agree. I think some SB members agree, as well. But, they voted it down. I think Schultz was for it--so you can bet that Strauss and Smith were against it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can give you proof of them not listening to community input they solicited on certain matters.

I would like to see a poll on this, and not a self-selecting online poll, but a true unbiased poll.

You know what I would like to see? A top-to-bottom independent audit of FCPS headquarters. I want to know the duties and salary of every third assistant to the deputy superintendent, etc. I want to know exactly how many consultants are being paid to study sleeping kids and August start dates and their connections to the people who hired them. I want PROOF that FCPS surveyed staff as to earlier start times, because at least two employees posted on this forum that they did not.

I don't know how many of you remember the big ruckus several years ago when FCPS threatened band and full-day kindergarten if they didn't get all the money they asked for. At the time, I was told, off the record, that FCPS floated red herrings all the time to rile up parents, and that neither of those programs had ever been in danger. The source was a highly placed FCPS government official. Since then, I've regarded Gatehouse and the board with skepticism at best. I can't believe no one questions anything they do, outside of online message boards.

My experience with Gatehouse has been very positive. When my DC was in MS, we had an issue with his IEP services and the person in charge of MS for his issue across the county came to his IEP meeting (and had a few other meetings with the MS) and helped set the record straight, educated personnel at the MS on his type of issues and basically said that everything we were requesting was reasonable and appropriate. It is definitely worth it to have people knowledgable and more specialized at the "corporate level" to ensure fidelity and good practices across the county.

I'm the PP who suggested the audit. We had exactly the opposite problem with a 504 plan. The FCPS rep (at the elementary level) argued against my DD obtaining a 504, and she, unlike the rest of the committee, had no experience with this particular child. Fortunately I had a ream of doctors' notes, and the 504 was finally granted. Just another thing that left a bad taste in my mouth when it comes to Gatehouse.

[Anonymous]

crap - I have a 504 plan meeting next week. My child's teacher thinks it would be a good idea, but the spec ed coordinator at the school doesn't think she needs it. If it has to go through the higher ups, I'm screwed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I support a waiver, but to close for BS reasons just to get there is NOT OK.

As I have said on discussions about using snow days, it shouldn't be a contest to use ALL of them.

+100 If that's what was done, it was incredibly sleazy and disingenuous. Kind of disappointing behavior from the folks running the school who are supposed to be educating our kids.

Are we talking about the closure today? Because your kids are supposed to be in school today. FCPS is open today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are we talking about the closure today? Because your kids are supposed to be in school today. FCPS is open today.

Ah HA! PROOF of the conspiracy. They had conspired to cancel school using the fig leaf of a "snow day" to qualify for the waiver, but then people on here called them on the CONSPIRACY and emailed the Board and the GOVERNOR about how we should be allowed to start before Labor Day which is what they WANTED so they CONSPIRED to use the weather machine to not make as much snow to make us look CRAZY for thinking there is a CONSPIRACY, but in FACT they just proved it's existence.

(sorry, when I tried to paste the letters I cut out from the magazines, the formatting got all weird)

[Anonymous]

Vote for the new name SB candidates. I'm gonna run to make sure we're more transparent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are we talking about the closure today? Because your kids are supposed to be in school today. FCPS is open today.

Ah HA! PROOF of the conspiracy. They had conspired to cancel school using the fig leaf of a "snow day" to qualify for the waiver, but then people on here called them on the CONSPIRACY and emailed the Board and the GOVERNOR about how we should be allowed to start before Labor Day which is what they WANTED so they CONSPIRED to use the weather machine to not make as much snow to make us look CRAZY for thinking there is a CONSPIRACY, but in FACT they just proved it's existence.

(sorry, when I tried to paste the letters I cut out from the magazines, the formatting got all weird)

Ms. Garza, don't you have some schedules to work on?