School Board Liaison

Karen Keys-Gamarra

Staff Liaison

Kim Amenabar, Equity & Closing Opportunity Gaps Manager, Chief Academic Office

Committee Purpose

This committee advocates for students who are underserved by identifying, reviewing, and assessing issues affecting minority student academic achievement within the policies, curriculum, practices, and procedures of FCPS. The committee’s responsibilities also include:

• Making appropriate recommendations to the School Board.
• Reviewing strategies and proposing solutions for factors that contribute to gaps in access and opportunity.
• Evaluating progress toward goals set by the School Board for closing the achievement gap.
• Ensuring outreach to parents and guardians about resources available through FCPS.

Parent Advocacy Handbook

The Parent Advocacy Handbook is available online.

Dr. Bussey Memorial Equity Award

Dr. Lawrence Bussey was a founding member of the FCPS Minority Student Achievement Oversight Committee (MSAOC). This award honors the legacy of Dr. Bussey by celebrating the efforts and impact of those who work to redress inequitable systems and practices in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).

2022 - 23 Committee Charge

Determine how FCPS is implementing an equity policy plan; creating greater avenues to close opportunity gaps; and eliminate discrimination and harassment of targeted groups, including those based on race/ethnicity, gender and gender identity, national origin, students with disabilities and religion.

General Meetings

Regular meetings of the Committee are open to the public. Public comment during a meeting is limited to the first fifteen minutes of the meeting. Each speaker presenting public comments shall be allowed three minutes. Persons wishing to present public comments during a Committee meeting must provide advance notice by contacting Kim Amenabar, the FCPS staff liaison.

Meetings are held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Gatehouse Administration Center in room 5055, on the following dates:

Date	Documents
September 14, 2022	September Minutes
October 12, 2022	October Minutes
November 9, 2022	November Minutes
December 7, 2022	December Minutes
January 11, 2023	January Minutes
February 8, 2023	February Minutes
March 8, 2023	March Minutes
April 12, 2023	April Minutes
May 10, 2023
June 14, 2023

2022 - 23 Membership

School Board Member Representatives

Maryam BenOmram, At-Large (Omeish)
James Bensinger, At-Large (Sizemore Heizer)
Laverne Henson, At-Large (Keys-Gamarra)
Victoria Long, Braddock District
Heather Murphy Capps, Dranesville District
Vacant, Hunter Mill District
Kenny White, Lee District
Edward Osborne, Mason District
Shellie McKinney, Mount Vernon District
Robert Perez, Providence District
Robert Shaw, Springfield District
Aicha Janan, Sully District
Shanthi Ashok, Student Representative
Andrea-Grace Mukuna, Student Representative

Organization and Community Representatives

Margot Dickey, Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) Advisory Committee
Ducchi Quan, Asian Educators Association
George Becerra, Community Representative
Guru Nagaraja, Dream Foundation
Nelly Samaniego, United Hands of America
Shawn Frank, Fairfax Alliance for Black School Educators (FASBE)
Elizabeth Rodriguez, Fairfax City School Board
Vacant, Fairfax County Council of Parent and Teacher Associations (FCCPTA)
Zobia Bashir, Family and Early Childhood Programs (FECEP)/Head Start Parent Representative
Micheline Lavalle, Hispanic Educators Association
Tabitha Temple, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

FCPS Staff Representatives

Lynette Henry, At-Large
Emmanuel Bonhomme, Department of School Improvement & Support
Stefan Mascol, Department of Student Services
Laura Mondragon, Fairfax Association of Elementary School Principals (FAESP)
Alfonso Smith, High School Principals Association (HSPA)
Monika Vereb, Middle School Principals Association (MSPA)
Vacant, Office of the Superintendent
Cheronda Farrish, Region 1
Kimberly Kardelis, Region 2
LaRonda Peterson, Region 3
Pamela Simpkins, Region 4
Dana Walker, Region 5

Annual Reports

• 2021-22 (PDF)
• 2020-21
• 2019-20 (PDF)