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July 9th Meeting Recap: Honoring Outstanding FCPS Employees, Approving Calendars, and Special Olympics
Dear Neighbors,
On Thursday, we had one of our final meetings of the year (video | agenda), where we covered a range of items including celebrating outstanding employees, electing new leadership for our board, reviewing our FY26 budget, and more.
We also welcomed our new Student Representative, Mr. Newt Shosteck, who joined us for his first meeting. In his opening remarks, he shared:
“Like many things in life, I know change in this county takes time; but I also know that the process of change outlasts any one person, or any one term, and I hope that if nothing else, I will be able to leave this role knowing that I served as a catalyst for change.”
I take this hope to heart. You can hear more remarks from our new Student Representative, and I am looking forward to collaborating with him on important issues, including student mental health.
Also at this meeting, I was happy to support a number of Board proclamations, including recognizing our amazing FCPS employees, including Principal Lindsey Kearns from Lake Braddock Secondary School, School Counselor Cori Lonnett from Bonnie Brae Elementary School, and Woodson Food Services Warehouse Supervisor Kevin Brown.
We also reviewed and approved the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 school year calendars, which were updated in accordance with our new calendar policy. (You can find the 2026-2027 calendar here).
This Thursday, we’ll have our final Board meeting until we adjourn for a brief recess until the new school year. The agenda is packed–including voting on new math textbooks, educational technology directives, Community Advisory Committee charges, and more.
As always, I welcome your inputs and questions on every issue before the board, and those that you feel I should bring forward. You can email me at Braddock@fcps.edu. You are also welcome to attend School Board meetings and register to share your thoughts with us during community participation.
Yours In Service,
Tom Dannan
Braddock District Representative
At this meeting
Approving 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 School Year Calendars
Last month, we approved a new calendar policy that prioritizes instructional continuity, and last week, Dr. Reid shared results from a recent community survey that showed, among other things, strong preferences for a 2-week Winter Break and a 1-week Spring Break.
Based on this new policy and the community feedback–which came at the request of the Board–the Superintendent updated the 2027-2028 calendar and provided a 2028-2029 calendar for Board approval.
 I voted to adopt these calendars because I believe they fall within the policy we approved last month, and because I recognize they prioritize instructional continuity while being balanced with sufficient professional work time and respect for diversity of cultural and religious observances.
In my remarks and questions to Dr. Reid, I asked about the time spent on professional development and planning time–reiterating that while I completely understand the importance of this time, I’ve also heard numerous comments from teachers that this time could be more efficiently utilized.
I want to extend my appreciation to the dozens of Braddock residents who reached out about this topic; I recognize this was a matter of trying to balance sometimes competing interests, and I’m hopeful these new calendars do that. You can view the approved calendars on BoardDocs.
Honoring the 2026 FCPS Outstanding Employees
The Board recognized a number of FCPS staff who have continuously displayed their commitment to education, supporting students, and overall excellence of their community. I’m proud to say that of the exceptional staff recognized, three serve in the Braddock District.
The Outstanding New Principal award recognizes a distinguished educator and extraordinary leader who is within their first three years as principal, and was awarded to Lindsey Kearns, Lake Braddock Secondary School.
The Outstanding School-Based Professional Employee award recognizes an operational and/or non-instructional school-based employee who serves in a curriculum support or student support capacity and has made unique and exceptional contributions to FCPS. This was awarded to School Counselor Cori Lonnett from Bonnie Brae Elementary School.
Finally, the award for Outstanding Nonschool-Based Operational Employee recognizes a nonschool-based operational employee who has made unique and exceptional contributions to FCPS. Congratulations to Kevin Brown, Warehouse Distribution Supervisor, Woodson Food Services Warehouse, Chief Operating Office.
Thank you once again to these incredible educators and staff for their dedication to hard work, and all that they do for our students and community.
Honoring Community Advisory Committees
The Board honored the members and work that was done by School Board Community Advisory Committees this year. These committees are comprised of representatives from each magisterial district, who voluntarily serve the Board and contribute to decision-making by providing informed guidance and analysis on topics of critical importance to upholding student and staff success and wellbeing.
I want to take a moment to thank all of the Braddock District Representatives who served on Community Advisory Committees for the 2025-2026 school year. I always say that the people who deserve the credit are the ones who are willing to step up to the plate to do the work for their community, and that is you all. Thank You!
2025-2026 Braddock District Community Advisory Committee Representatives
- Advanced Academic Programs Advisory Committee (AAPAC): Sourabh Pawar
- Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee (CTEAC): David Silversmith
- School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC): Rachel Enos
- Minority Student Achievement Oversight Committee (MSAOC): Enis Dogan
- Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities (ACSD): Carolyn Haydon
- Adult and Community Education Advisory (ACEAC): Erin Swiatocha
At the same time, I’ve also been in discussions with my colleagues about how we can maximize the benefits of these residents’ contributions, including through improving collaboration between the various committees and FCPS leadership. To that end, I'll continue to share updates here.
We kicked off the meeting with our annual election of a Chair and Vice Chair. On a flat board like ours, these are very difficult jobs, and I commend my colleagues who were willing to step up and serve our community.
I was happy to support my colleague Ms. Robyn Lady (Dranesville District) for Chair of the Board. Watching Board meetings, prior to being elected, Ms. Lady’s passion for the work and doing it with fidelity really stood out to me. After serving alongside her for a few months, I have experienced first-hand how extremely collaborative and genuine she is. I appreciate how she can find balance in being direct and honest at the same time, while also being very kind; which can often be hard especially during difficult conversations. I think these qualities will serve her very well during her time as Chair.
I also had the pleasure of being able to second the nomination for Mr. Kyle McDaniel (At-Large) for the position of Vice Chair for the 2026-2027 school year. During my short time on the Board, I have truly enjoyed how knowledgeable he is about a number of different topics in regard to policy, how seriously he takes getting it right, and his ability to pay attention to nuance. His experience with the Fairfax County Government gives him a perspective that we can benefit from, and I think these strengths will complement our newly appointed Chair as we continue to do the work for our students.
FY2026 Year-End Review
FCPS Chief Financial Officer Leigh Burden presented on the FY 2026 Year-End Review. You can view the documents from the presentation here on BoardDocs, as well as watch it on YouTube.
We’ll vote to approve the revenue and expenditure adjustments as detailed in the agenda item at our meeting this Thursday, July 16th.
Appointing Members of the Educational Technology Review Committee
As part of our consent agenda, we appointed the members of the newly created Educational Technology Review Committee. These members represent a broad cross-section of educators, parents, principals, leadership staff, subject matter experts, and more.
Essentially, it means that we’ve got a range of views at the table to help inform this work. I’m grateful to our Braddock Representative, Dr. Panos Chatzigiannis, for volunteering to serve and lend his expertise. I enjoyed last week’s Tech Town Hall, where he joined and heard input from a range of parents, educators, and experts.
Their first meeting will be today, July 14th, where they will be establishing norms, gaining a shared understanding of the context, and begin work on items that can be implemented for the coming school year.
I want to extend thanks to my colleague, Karl Frisch (Providence District) for his work to help create this committee earlier this year, and to my colleagues for supporting its establishment.
Academic Matters: Special Olympics at FCPS
 The Academic Matters section discussed at the most recent meeting touched on how our schools have been advancing inclusion through the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools program. FCPS has had a 113% increase in the Special Olympics program since 2024, including Woodson High School. The Special Olympics program aligns perfectly with Goal #2 of the Strategic Plan which is “Safety, support, inclusion, and empowerment."
The program is centered around Unified Sports, which brings students with and without disabilities together, Inclusive Youth Leadership, where students of all abilities take leadership roles in planning and advocacy, and Whole School Engagement, where school-wide campaigns promote inclusion and reduce bullying. With Special Olympics sports such as soccer, basketball, and track offered for every season, and integrating practices during the school day, the accessibility of this program helps cultivate inclusive school cultures throughout the entire school year.
The video presented highlighted Annandale High School, which earned Unified Champion School status and even has an “inclusive revolution week” that involves students, staff, and families for school-wide inclusive culture building. Kudos to Assistant Principal Jae Lee for all he has done in leading the work to make sure all students are set up for success by creating a community where they are safe, supported, and included.
Skyview High School/Western Pyramids Preliminary Boundary Recommendations
Dr. Reid presented preliminary recommendations fort the Skyview High School attendance area, which will draw students from Westfield, Chantilly, and South Lakes. You can view the full presentation on these boundary recommendations on BoardDocs.
When it comes to area-specific topics like this, I typically largely defer to my at-large colleagues and my magisterial district colleagues. However, I recognize that all of us will be asked to vote on these this week, so I have been reading through everything and listening to the comments from members in the community to fully understand the effects of the boundary changes.
I understand that this is no easy task, and that there is not a simple solution, so I appreciate the work of the FCPS staff, including Marty Smith. They have conducted six community meetings, and have referenced 15,000 map comments, 49,000 address searches, and 25,000 unique visitors to the interactive Boundary Explorer tool as data points to come to this preliminary recommendation.
Resolution Supporting 1% Local Option Sales Tax Referendum for Public School Construction, Renovation, and Capital Improvement Projects
Recent actions by the Virginia General Assembly expanded authority, allowing Northern Virginia localities–including Fairfax County–to place a local option sales tax referendum of up to one percent (1%) on the ballot to support school capital investments and public infrastructure.
Fairfax County serves as a major commercial, retail, and hospitality hub for the National Capital Region—generating substantial retail activity from commuters, tourists, and non-residents who would contribute directly to funding FCPS facilities. Establishing a dedicated sales tax revenue stream would significantly lower the division's infrastructure backlog, accelerate the 42-year renovation timeline, and relieve pressure on local real estate property taxpayers.
Implementation of the local option sales tax would require direct voter approval through a ballot referendum during a general election, ensuring that Fairfax County residents have the ultimate authority to determine whether to adopt this dedicated capital funding source. If approved by voters, funds would be strictly utilized to accelerate school renovations, eliminate deferred maintenance backlogs, build modern educational facilities, and directly support the priorities established in the FCPS Capital Improvement Program. You can view the details from the agenda item here on BoardDocs.
I was happy to support this, because it would give voters the chance to directly weigh in on this measure. If eventually passed, this would benefit our students and communities directly every day, and provide a means by which to continuously invest in the future of our communities. Schools are the heart of our communities and our FCPS facilities are not only used by students, but our entire community, and it is our job to ensure that we are providing safe, modern, and well-maintained facilities.
Looking Ahead: July 16 Meeting
Our next, and final Regular Meeting of the school year, is scheduled for Thursday, July 16 at 7:00pm at Luther Jackson Middle School and you can view the full agenda here. These topics were among those introduced as New Business at the most recent meeting.
New Business (for action at our next meeting)
One big item that will be covered is a range of proposed directives around instructional technology. This has been a priority of mine, and I’m continuing to weigh the various proposals and discuss amendments. Central to my thinking is that education should remain a human-centered endeavor, and that technology should be used to support teaching and learning, not replace the essential relationship between students and educators.
All meetings are broadcast live on Channel 99 (Verizon channel 11) and on the FCPS website. Recorded meetings are also posted on the FCPS YouTube channel. You can also visit the community participation webpage to sign up to speak at regular meetings or public hearings.
The views contained within this newsletter reflect the views of the individual school board member who is the publisher of this newsletter and may not reflect the views of the Fairfax County School Board.
© Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia
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