SCAC Minutes
May 20, 2003

Eileen Kugler opened the meeting and introduced Dr. Domenech for updates.

Domenech noted that the national homeland security threat level had just been raised from yellow to orange. FCPS was not changing its field trip policies or making any other changes pursuant to this increase, but FCPS was monitoring the situation and would make any changes indicated by events.

On the FY04 budget, the only change to the budget since the School Board approved its advertised budget were the changes to reduce the number of classes consisting of more than 30 students. These changes will also increase the number of assistant principals and clerical staff members in some elementary schools. Domenech distributed hard copies of a presentation on the budget that had been made to the School Board on May 15 and that described the specific changes.

Paying for these changes has required reprogramming funds previously allocated to changes in Head Start transportation to meet new federal requirements, delaying changes in the contribution structure for the FCPS employee supplementary retirement system (ERFC), and reducing replacement equipment and maintenance funding. Lynn Terhar asked what kinds of maintenance would suffer; Domenech said these would include such areas as materials and equipment used to maintain school facilities. Brenda Zanger Greene asked what transportation Head Start students would have without the funding; Domenech said they would have the same transportation option they have now. Ray Worley asked if the delay in ERFC contributions would put that system in arrears. Domenech said it would not and that that system's funding would not be reduced at all by the delay.

Nell Hurley said that even with these changes some classes may still have more than 30 students. Domenech said his staff would be monitoring class sizes to keep these to a minimum.

Eileen Filler-Corn asked if the federal Head Start transportation requirement was a new unfunded mandate. Domenech said that it was but that the agreement FCPS had reached with the federal Department of Education allowed FCPS to make special transportation unavailable for Head Start but to allow parents to choose the regular school transportation system if they want to do so.

Domenech distributed copies of documents from Gibson Consulting Group, which has been hired by the School Board to audit FCPS for possible areas of cost saving, describing areas that might be audited.

Kugler introduced a panel of FCPS students and former students to discuss their experiences in FCPS schools.

Elaine Filadelfo said she is one of 14 IB diploma candidates at Annandale High. She said being in the full IB program had been a great experience because it integrates all curricular aspects and out-of-class activities, including service. She enjoyed tutoring, which has made her consider a career in education. IB has given her a very well-rounded education. The required 4,000-word essay really helped her improve her writing. Also, the IB classes are very ethnically diverse.

Creshanda Sands loves her AP courses at Hayfield Secondary. She likes debate, orchestra, and Spanish honors and wants to graduate early. If she doesn't graduate early, she will take five AP classes next year as a senior. She is interested in oceanography and astronomy and is strong in math and science. She wrote to NASA when she was younger asking for advice on working there, and NASA told her what types of courses to take and some colleges to apply to. She hopes to land a job at NASA right out of college. She likes music best among extracurricular activities. She would like to see expanded math and science offerings at Hayfield.

Ghazeleh Tabrizi has been in the United States for five years; she knew no English when she arrived but took two years of ESOL classes in high school. She said the ESOL program was excellent; it made students want to learn English and pushed them into learning situations. Being pushed into uncomfortable situations in which they have to learn English makes ESOL students stronger. She wants to be a physician and expects to graduate early from George Mason.

Jimmy Sanabria said that his experience growing up in Culmore, after immigrating from Nicaragua, and going to FCPS schools is that FCPS equals support. Pam Latt--currently his boss at Centreville High--was his fifth grade teacher at Bailey's Elementary. When he was a student at Stuart High, counselors told students what courses to take and what sports to play. Counselors told him to take AP courses. Extracurricular activities and structure were very important to his success. He was impressed by the great effort that many people expended to help him succeed. The ethnic diversity in FCPS helped him later in college. He is now teaching students the way he was taught; he is in his ninth year as a teacher at Centreville High.

Lynn Dysart asked Filadelfo what she would be doing in school from then until graduation. Fidelfo said teachers were still making her work.

Jamie Bradshaw asked Sanabria what he taught. Sanabria said he teaches government and peer mediation and is assistant director of student activities.

Worley asked what the students might have liked to have had done differently during their schooling. Filadelfo wished that she had not worked as hard as she did academically so that she might have had more time for outside activities. Sands and Sanabria both wished that they had taken more AP classes. Tabrizi said she would not have changed anything.

Greene asked what might have made other students more connected and successful. Sands said that the Saturday tutoring program was good but that after-school tutoring would have been helpful for many students. She said that coaches sometimes don't understand that academics come first. Sanabria said that troubled kids can be very successful in Saturday work programs; they need to be in a positive peer group program and have teachers who reach out to them. Tabrizi said that teachers are the key and that teachers who care will figure out how to reach different individuals.

Kugler asked if the kind of hazing that had recently been reported among high school students near Chicago could happen in Fairfax County. Sanabria said he thought it could happen off-campus and that parents seem to have had some responsibility in the reported incident where many participants were drunk. Students need to learn that getting older means not only having more freedom but also having more responsibility, with older kids taking some responsibility for younger kids. Tabrizi and Sands both agreed it could happen off-campus; Sands said that seniors need to take responsibility for deterring such practices. Filadelfo said she had never seen or heard about anything like this incident.

Dysart asked Sands why she wanted to graduate early. Sands said that she wants more challenge and focus on science. She applied to TJHSST but did not get in. She likes the trusting atmosphere there.

Worley asked if schools mirror students' homes. Sands said yes, that learning starts at home. Filadelfo said her father is a physicist and her mother is an ESOL teacher; she was raised to put pressure on herself. Sanabria said that his schools all reached out to parents.

Elisabeth Freed said she lives in Culmore and wanted to know how to get more Hispanic parents to come to PTA meetings. Sanabria suggested she knock on people's doors and invite them.

Worley asked for information on the costs of all unfunded state and federal mandates. He said he had concerns about the ERFC system and would give his concerns to Domenech in writing.

Diane Brody said she thinks that students in trailers are at greater risk for terrorist attacks than are students in buildings.

Filadelfo said that she had enjoyed being the student representative on the Council. She has seen that students really do have an impact on the way FCPS operates and that her opinions are respected.

Suzanne Levy asked if the extra 30 minutes added to the school day for several weeks to make up for days lost to snow had any benefit. Filadelfo said it had not.

Freed said that the EPA had benchmarked energy-efficiency levels in FCPS and asked if there was a report on this. Domenech said we would get her the report.

The meeting was adjourned.