The Honorable Joan E.

Wodiska, Chairman Submitted June 6, 2011 Falls Church City School Board Work Plan: Final Report July 1, 2010-June 14, 2011 As Chair of the School Board, I am proud to report that the School Board exceeded goals, and is significantly ahead of schedule, leaving the school district strong and well-prepared for the future. In a year of ongoing economic adversity, challenged by aging facilities, declining local revenues, and the retirement of the Superintendent, the 2010-2011 school year presented the Falls Church City School Board with unprecedented, complicated, and politically difficult challenges. As the Class of 2011 looks back on their accomplishments, so too does the School Board to determine if we met the high expectations of our taxpayers, our parents, our staff, our students, and ourselves. The School Board s to-do list was long, and some have even suggested overly ambitious, but thanks to the dedication and perseverance of the Board members, school staff, and our amazingly supportive community, the School Board and the community can look back on 2010-2011 with a sense of achievement and commitment to the future of public education in the City of Falls Church. One City Council member may have said it best, This is the hardest working School Board. In deed, the School Board ended the 2010-2011 school year well-ahead of schedule and achieved several significant accomplishments for the City s public schools. First, from a standpoint of managing our schools, the School Board hired a new Superintendent, Dr. Toni Jones, passed the FY 2012 budget, and approved a new facilities plan. All three activities are tremendous achievements in their own right. However, the School Board also invested in our infrastructure, breaking ground on significant school renovation and expansion projects and competing for and winning a subsidized construction award to save city residents millions, $60 million to be exact from the original placeholder price tag. For the students, the School Board prioritized the expansion of school breakfast to all school buildings for the first time in the City s history, and was honored when our efforts to make school meals healthy and available to all were recognized with a prestigious national award. The Board also planned for the future, laying the groundwork to offer on-line learning opportunities by developing a public-private partnership with Milestone Communications to support elearning and wireless access in student homes. Finally, taking a lesson from these difficult economic times, the Board took a first-bold step forward to create a revenue sharing agreement between the School Board and City Council to stabilize the schools funding for years to come. And, on a personal note, I am proud to say, the School Board did all this work together as a team after writing, signing, and subscribing to a first ever School Board Civility Code of Conduct. There is always more to do, but looking back over the year, the School Board is proud of our accomplishments, vision, hard work, creativity, and perseverance and honored to serve the people of the City of Falls Church. Below is the twelve-month progress update on the Falls Church City School Board s 18-Month Work Plan. Approved unanimously by the School Board on August 24, 2010, the Work Plan guides and sets the School Board s agenda through December 2011.

Completed

Active

Scheduled for the future

Administrative & Ongoing

Falls Church City School Board Work Plan Final Report for 2010-2011 School Year
Item Superintendent Search Develop process and timeline to find a new superintendent Devise process to engage public and gather input Retain outside services to assist in nationwide search Interview candidates, narrow the field, and make a final decision. Determine new evaluation instrument aligned to work plan, strategic plan, along side a new timeline aligned to new organizational dates and availability of performance data Clean up, organize, and memorialize school district practice in all applicable policies, regulations, and handbooks Progress

        
(Pending SOL results; Top Ranked in Challenge Index)

Ensure high-quality school buildings capable for supporting educational goals and meeting growing student population Finalize a long-term facilities plan by January 2011 Continue to work with City Council and the Planning Commission to explore cost effective options to meet growing long-term school facility needs and significantly reform and improve the CIP process Evaluate the feasibility, funding instruments, and sites to address school facility needs, in collaboration with City Council All policies related to facilities are reviewed and revised as necessary

Provide every student with a rigorous, world-class education Evaluate 2010 student goals; set new goals for 2011 to ensure that every student has at least a year s worth of growth for a year of school; hold district accountable for results; and where necessary develop improvement plans Finalize and use a data system to track individual student s academic progress by January 2011 (and ensure transparency and access of information for parents)

Use data driven decision making to empower School Board, Superintendent, principals and staff to provide proactive and timely focused evidence based remediation to support student learning Develop e-learning and dual enrollment opportunities for high school students to promote rigor and relevance by Spring 2011 budget process; first offerings to be widely available to all students in Summer 2011. Complete application process, frequently monitor, including quarterly reports to the SB, and make the necessary adjustments to finalize implementation of PYP by Fall 2011. Assess value of MYP program for our overall educational objectives, and the options the IBO will allow FCCPS to engage in to have a successful implementation of the program. Research and evaluate use of existing school time and develop School Board statement to reflect consensus of the board to extend learning time. Receive and review report from Director of Special Education and Student Services

          

Develop a responsible budget to ensure the independence and ongoing excellence in our schools Devise legislative plan to support budget needs and lessen financial pressures on district Create a unified City/School Board budget calendar Sustain our community s commitment to educational excellence and continue practice to keep budget cuts away from the classroom and ensure that all classes of employees are treated fairly, while looking for greater efficiencies and savings with the City Conduct work in a transparent manner that engages all stakeholders Continue to foster solid working relationship with City Council and City Staff Review, evaluate, and refocus investments to support high expectations for staff, students, and ensure that struggling students are provided with more time to improve learning Develop a multi-year funding formula to stabilize funding for operations and capital needs and obtain commitment from City Council for formula Promote Effective School Board Governance Create, sign, and embody a Civility Code of Conduct Ensure that every school board member obtains professional development to build board capacity and support continuous learning and innovation Consider applying for the NSBA Magna School Board Award and VSBA Board of Excellence Awards Agree upon process to evaluate school board s performance on work plan and develop loop for continuous improvement and learning Develop, in consultation with community and staff, plan to write a new district wide strategic plan Clean up, organize, and memorialize School Board practice in policy and bylaws

Improve Board s communication with community Develop and implement communications plan to foster community engagement and awareness at the grassroots and water cooler level on all matters in this work plan by September 2010 Promote awareness about the district s successes through district s new website, including but not limited to IB, students acceptance to college, sport s titles, school meal program, and high school graduation rate All vacancies on advisory boards and committees are filled All policies related to communications are reviewed and revised as necessary

  

Modernize human capital policies to link teacher and administrator evaluations to student performance Keep apprised of VDOE Panel to develop new teacher and administrator evaluation linked to student performance. Receive report on the effectiveness of the current teacher/administrator evaluation instrument to link teacher and administrator evaluations to student performance, how evaluations reflect teamwork to support student goals, and how evaluations are used as a tool to support teacher/administrator and student learning. As necessary in light of reports, revise policies to support student learning.

*All work plan deadlines were December 31, 2011 unless otherwise noted.