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The Honorable Joan E. Wodiska, ChairmanSubmitted June 6, 2011

Falls Church City School Board Work Plan: Final Report July 1, 2010-June 14, 2010As Chair of the School Board, I am proud to report that the School Boardexceeded goals, and is significantly ahead of schedule, leaving the schooldistrict strong and well-prepared for the future.

In a year of ongoing economic adversity, challenged by aging facilities, declininglocal revenues, and the retirement of the Superintendent, the 2010-2011 schoolyear presented the Falls Church City School Board with unprecedented,complicated, and politically difficult challenges. As the Class of 2011 looks back ontheir accomplishments, so too does the School Board to determine if we met thehigh expectations of our taxpayers, our parents, our staff, our students, andourselves. The School Board’s to-do list was long, and some many have evensuggested overly ambitious, but thanks to the dedication and perseverance of theBoard members, school staff, and our amazingly supportive community, the SchoolBoard 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 FallsChurch.One City Council member may have said it best, “This is the hardest workingSchool Board.” In deed, the School Board ended the 2010-2011 school year well-ahead of schedule and achieved several significant accomplishments for the City’spublic schools.First, from a standpoint of managing our schools, the School Board hired a newSuperintendent,Dr. Toni Jones, passed the FY 2012 budget, and approved a newfacilities plan. All three activities are tremendous achievements in their own right.However, the School Board also invested in our infrastructure, breaking ground onsignificant school renovation and expansion projects and competing for andwinning a subsidized construction award to save city residents millions, $60 millionto be exact from the original placeholder price tag. For the students, the SchoolBoard prioritized the expansion of school breakfast to all school buildings for thefirst time in the City’s history, and was honored when our efforts to make schoolmeals healthy and available to all were recognized with a prestigious nationalaward. The Board also planned for the future, laying the groundwork to offer on-line learning opportunities by developing a public-private partnership withMilestone Communicationsto support e-learning and wireless access in studenthomes. Finally, taking a lesson from these difficult economic times, the Board tooka first-bold step forward to create a revenue sharing agreement between theSchool 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 worktogether as a team after writing, signing, and subscribing to a first ever SchoolBoard Civility Code of Conduct. There is always more to do, but looking back overthe year, the School Board is proud of our accomplishments, vision, hard work,1

creativity, and perseverance and honored to serve the people of the City of FallsChurch.Below is the twelve-month progress update on the Falls Church City School Board’s18-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 December2011.

Completed

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Active Scheduled for the future Administrative &Ongoing

Falls Church City School Board Work PlanFinal Report for 2010-2011 School Year

ItemProgressSuperintendent Search

Develop process and timeline to find a new superintendent

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Devise process to engage public and gather input

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Retain outside services to assist in nationwide search

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Interview candidates, narrow the field, and make a final decision.

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Determine new evaluation instrument aligned to work plan, strategic plan,along side a new timeline aligned to new organizational dates andavailability of performance dataClean up, organize, and memorialize school district practice in all applicablepolicies, regulations, and handbooks

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Ensure high-quality school buildings capable for supporting educational goals andmeeting growing student population

Finalize a long-term facilities plan by January 2011

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Continue to work with City Council and the Planning Commission to explorecost effective options to meet growing long-term school facility needs andsignificantly reform and improve the CIP process

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Evaluate the feasibility, funding instruments, and sites to address schoolfacility needs, in collaboration with City Council

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All policies related to facilities are reviewed and revised as necessary

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Provide every student with a rigorous, world-class education

Evaluate 2010 student goals; set new goals for 2011 to ensure that everystudent has at least a year’s worth of growth for a year of school; holddistrict accountable for results; and where necessary develop improvementplans

(PendingSOL results; TopRanked inChallenge Index)

Finalize and use a data system to track individual student’s academicprogress 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 basedremediation to support student learningDevelop e-learning and dual enrollment opportunities for high schoolstudents 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 quarterlyreports to the SB, and make the necessary adjustments to finalizeimplementation of PYP by Fall 2011.

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Assess value of MYP program for our overall educational objectives, and theoptions the IBO will allow FCCPS to engage in to have a successfulimplementation of the program.

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Research and evaluate use of existing school time and develop SchoolBoard statement to reflect consensus of the board to extend learning time.Receive and review report from Director of Special Education and StudentServices

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Develop a responsible budget to ensure the independence and ongoing excellence inour schools

Devise legislative plan to support budget needs and lessen financialpressures on district

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Create a unified City/School Board budget calendar

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Sustain our community’s commitment to educational excellence andcontinue practice to keep budget cuts away from the classroom and ensurethat all classes of employees are treated fairly, while looking for greaterefficiencies and savings with the City

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Conduct work in a transparent manner that engages all stakeholders

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Continue to foster solid working relationship with City Council and City Staff Review, evaluate, and refocus investments to support high expectations forstaff, students, and ensure that struggling students are provided with moretime to improve learning

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Develop a multi-year funding formula to stabilize funding for operations andcapital needs and obtain commitment from City Council for formula