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Mason District Community,

As we wrap up the first half of the school year, I would like to thank the Mason District community for their engagement in the nearly two-year boundary review process. Your input will continue to be vital as several considerations for our community have been delayed until January of 2027. 

The past week has been challenging for many families due to the school closures resulting from the weather. We encourage residents to clear their sidewalks to facilitate safe walk routes for our students and look forward to the reopening of schools for students tomorrow.

During the January 22, 2026 School Board Meeting, the Superintendent presented the FY 2027 Proposed Budget which will be discussed in greater detail by the Board at the February 10th Work Session. Please review the proposed budget and share any feedback and comments using this feedback form.

The process to establishing a new elementary AAP Center at North Springfield Elementary School begins with two community meetings this week. Several Mason District schools may be affected – see below for more information.

I value input from the Mason District community and will address questions or concerns via email at rjanderson@fcps.edu or by scheduling a phone call with Ms. Coffey, at cmcoffey@fcps.edu.

In this issue:

Mason Moments

National Merit Commended Scholars

Eight hundred six FCPS students have been named National Merit Commended Scholars by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). Congratulations to the following Mason District students recognized as National Merit Commended Scholars:

• Annandale High School: Tyler Miller, Jasmin Dinh, Khyber Zaheer
• Falls Church High School: Eloise Gibson, Sagar Kapadia, Alexander Neff, Darren Nong
• Justice High School: Chloe Bernasconi and Bluebell Linden
• Marshall High School: Caden Mitchell
• TJHSST: Mayeda Alom, Clinton Morimoto, Isabella Pikner, Diana Prudius, Nayel Rehman, Brian Sanchez Saavedra, Yihao Wang

Justice Scholastic Bowl Team

Shout out to the Justice High School Scholastic Bowl Team and Coach Tim Kao!

The team was one question away from qualifying for regionals, ultimately finishing 4th place in the National District. Watch the team compete on TV on the April 4th edition of It's Academic!

Sing for Smiles

Mason District resident and Woodson High School student Rekha Thirumlai founded the nonprofit Sing for Smiles. Rekha and COO Abraham Coulibaly organize visits to senior citizens, bringing joy through the power of song. Their incredible work was recently featured on ABC7 News. Well done, Rehka and Abraham!

School Board Work Updates

FCPS Boundary Updates: Mason District Impacts and Transportation

After nearly two years of study, the FCPS School Board approved several boundary adjustments at the January 22, 2026 meeting. While I supported the overall plan, I continue to have several concerns:

• Transportation: Students choosing to remain at their current schools under the grandfathering provision of the Boundary Policy 8130 currently have no guaranteed FCPS transportation. This would mean that only families/students with private transportation will be able to access this option, limiting opportunity.
• Overcrowding Relief: The Superintendent’s plan does not sufficiently address capacity issues at Glasgow MS, Parklawn ES and failed to include any relief for Weyanoke ES which is currently at 105% capacity with nine trailers. Additional solutions are needed to provide meaningful relief to those sites.  
• Process Failures: While the boundary review included many community meetings, options for Glasgow MS and Bren Mar Park were not introduced in a manner consistent with the presentation of scenarios 1-4.  Moreover, changes were not reflected in the Explorer Tool in a timely manner which caused much confusion.

Impacts to Mason District Schools:

• Parklawn ES:  Three Student Planning Areas (SPAs) will be reassigned from Parklawn ES which will decrease the capacity from 138% to 124% (99% to 89% when including modulars/trailers).
• SPA 6127 will attend Belvedere ES
• SPAs 7214 and 7216 will attend Columbia ES

• Glasgow MS:  One Student Planning Area (SPA) will be reassigned from Glasgow MS. When combined with the students shifting to the Poe MS AAP Center, the capacity utilization will is expected to decrease from 117% to 107% (102% to 94% when including modulars).
• SPA 6014 will attend Poe MS and Falls Church HS and will eliminate the Mason Crest split feeder. Note that the capacity utilization data listed for Falls Church HS do not include the increased square footage created by the current renovation.

One-Year Review

Several Mason District schools have been flagged for additional review and recommendations are expected by January 2027. Schools included are Beech Tree ES, Belvedere ES, Bren Mar Park ES, and Glasgow MS.

VHSL Eligibility

Students who transfer under the grandfathering policy may face specific rules affecting athletic eligibility for the Virginia High School League (VHSL). Families should review FCPS and VHSL guidelines to understand potential impacts on sports participation before making transfer decisions.

"Grandfathering" and Policy 8130

School Board Policy 8130 allows for phasing (aka grandfathering) for elementary students in their last two years and all current middle and high school students. These students will have the option to remain at their current schools. See the exact language below.

Elementary Schools: When a boundary adjustment occurs at the elementary school level, attendance in the new school boundary shall be mandatory for rising K-3 students in schools with a K-5 grade configuration; and for rising K-4 students in schools with a K-6 grade level configuration. Currently enrolled students in grades 4-5 in schools with a K-5 configuration, and in grades 5-6 in schools with a K-6 configuration shall be given the option to remain at the school or attend the school in the new boundary. 

Middle Schools: When a boundary adjustment occurs at the middle school level, attendance in the new school boundary shall be mandatory for incoming 6th grade students in schools with a 6-8 grade configuration and for incoming 7th grade students in schools with a 7-8 grade level configuration. Currently enrolled students Policy 8130.8 Page 5 shall be given the option to remain at the school or attend the school in the new boundary. 

High Schools: When a boundary adjustment occurs at the high school level, attendance in the new school boundary shall be mandatory for incoming 9th grade students. Rising 10-12 graders shall be given the option to remain at their current school or attend the school in the new boundary.

Transportation

There remain many questions about whether transportation will be provided for eligible students opting to remain at their current school as per the policy 8130.  As I shared in the December newsletter, it is my belief that Superintendent Reid’s recommendation that transportation only be provided based on new boundaries does not meet the equity commitment which FCPS has made to our community.

Furthermore, such a recommendation would be inconsistent with existing policies and practices - We cannot create more opportunity gaps for students. During the January 22nd meeting, Superintendent Reid confirmed that staff is working on updating data to present a new transportation recommendation to the Board in the near future.

I remain committed to seeking a transportation solution that balances fiduciary responsibility with our core mission of providing equitable access to education and will continue to present the difficult questions necessary to protect the interests of all families affected by these changes. 

Student Transfer Process

Families interested in exploring this option should visit the Student Transfer Information webpage to learn about timelines, types of requests, and how school capacity affects the available options.

FY 2027 Proposed Budget

The FY 2027 Proposed Budget was presented to the Board at the January 22, 2026 School Board Meeting. The FY 2027 Proposed Budget totals $4.1 billion, a net increase of $197.0 million or 5.0% over the FY26 Approved Budget. The superintendent is requesting an additional $138.4 million, or 5.1% over, the FY 2026 transfer from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. 

The Superintendent's budget proposal includes the following:  

• Fairfax Education Unions (FEU) Compensation Adjustments: $163.0M
• Fairfax County Federation of Principals, Supervisors, & Administrators (FCFPSA) Compensation Adjustments: $17.7M
• Partial Class Size Restoration (in the FY 26 Budget, this was referred to as the Staffing Formula Adjustment for $33M): $17.5M
• Elementary Special Education Department Chair: $9.5M
• Contractual and Recurring Baseline Adjustments: $8.9M
• Advanced Academic Resource Teachers: $6.0M
• Transfers to Other Funds: $4.9M
• Family Liaison Position Conversions: $3.4M
• Student Athletics and Activities Program: $1.9M
• Fine and Performing Arts Stipends: $1.1M
• Certified Athletic Trainers: $0.7M
• K-12 Robotics: $0.3M
• Educator Math Credentialing: $0.1M

Next Steps

Budget Work Sessions: February 10 and 19, 2026.

Budget Public Hearing: February 10, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.

Registration for the public hearing is open until February 6 at 4:30 p.m.

North Springfield Proposed AAP Center

In December, the Board directed the Superintendent to begin the process of proposing a new full-time elementary AAP Center at North Springfield Elementary, beginning in grade 3 for the 2026-2027 school year. Staff has announced two community meetings for families to learn about the proposal, understand its potential impacts, and provide feedback.

• Monday, February 2 at 6:30 p.m.

• Thursday, February 5 at 6:30 p.m.

Families from the following schools have been invited to attend:

Both meetings will be held at North Springfield Elementary School and will have a virtual option available. Interpretation services are available.

Please register HERE if you plan to attend.

Winter Weather Resources FCPS’ website is generally the first place to find out about emergency weather closings. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible, including email, text, social media, the new FCPS mobile app, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated. Be sure to plan for the winter season. Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE, bookmark the FCPS website, and arrange emergency child care if needed. Keep Your Child Warm During Outdoor Activities FCPS staff monitors the weather for low temperatures, wind chill advisories and warnings, and weather advisories that may prevent students from being outside. Please ensure students are dressed appropriately with a warm coat and other cold-weather clothing to comfortably enjoy their time outdoors. View the National Weather Service’s tips on staying safe during cold weather. If you need assistance getting cold-weather clothing for your family, please call Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning (CSP) at 703-222-0880. The staff will assist with challenges including food, shelter, employment, financial assistance, and health. Winter Resources for Families A list of resources has been compiled for students and families in need of assistance while schools are closed for winter weather. Please visit FCPS’ winter resources page for information on academic support, mental health support, and county resources related to food, clothing, housing, and other needs.

Football Investigation

In February 2025, the School Board retained the law firm of Baker McKenzie LLP to conduct a comprehensive, independent investigation of allegations surrounding student athlete transfers and eligibility practices within FCPS. Baker McKenzie recently completed its review and reported its findings and recommendations to the School Board and Superintendent.

Upon consideration of those findings, the School Board and Superintendent have concluded that the football programs at Hayfield Secondary School and Fairfax High School violated VHSL rules in 2024, and efforts to detect and correct those violations were impeded by gaps in FCPS’s systems and processes and actions taken by some members of FCPS staff. We have determined that FCPS can improve its processes for examining and verifying new student registrations and conducting eligibility assessments. FCPS will also benefit from enhancing its training for coaching staff, including volunteers. 

Some of these improvements are already underway. 

• In early 2025, we collaborated with the Virginia High School League to revamp statewide policies and regulations surrounding athletic transfers and eligibility. VHSL’s updated 2025 Rules are available here. May 7, 2025 - Executive Committee Meeting-05-07-2025
• To promote uniform and consistent application of the VHSL transfer rules, FCPS implemented:
  • A platform for centralized collection, review, and processing of athletic transfers (Guardian);
  • First-level review of all athletic transfers and compliance oversight by the Office of Student Activities and Athletics;