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Meeting Recap: New School Board Chair and Vice Chair Elected (July 9, 2026)
Dear Neighbor,
Last week, at the Fairfax County School Board’s regular meeting on Thursday, July 9 (agenda | video), the Board discussed and advanced several key priorities that reflect our continued commitment to academic excellence, equity, and innovation across the school division.
During the meeting, the Board also elected its new chair and vice chair, approved the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school year calendars, and adopted a resolution supporting a new tool to help address school maintenance and renovation needs. Additionally, we reviewed the Superintendent’s annual Emergency Succession monitoring report, received the Superintendent’s preliminary boundary recommendation for Skyview High School, and reviewed the FY 2026 Year-End Budget Review.
The Board also received an Academic Matters presentation highlighting the continued growth and success of FCPS’ Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools program, recognized the recipients of the 2026 Outstanding Employee Awards and the members of the Fairfax County School Board Community Advisory Committees.
As always, I invite you to learn more about the various topics discussed during these meetings by reviewing the updates below. You are also welcome to attend School Board meetings (schedule) and register to share your thoughts with us during community participation (sign-up).
In service,
Karl Frisch
Providence District Representative
Fairfax County School Board
Table of Contents:
Election of New School Board Chair and Vice Chair
Video | Meeting Materials
The Board confirmed its leadership for the 2026-27 school year, electing Robyn Lady (Dranesville District) as chair and Kyle McDaniel (At-Large) as vice chair.
 
I was proud to nominate Ms. Lady for chair, a lifelong educator, proud FCPS parent, and a graduate of Madison High School, who brings more than 30 years of experience in public education to the role. After joining FCPS as a school counselor at Marshall High School, Ms. Lady later served at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and McLean High School. She retired from FCPS after 15 years as director of Student Services at Chantilly High School, where she led a comprehensive student support program addressing academic, social-emotional, and career development needs.
Ms. Lady served as vice chair during the 2025-26 school year and previously as Governance Committee chair, overseeing successful revisions to the school division’s grading policy. She has also served on the board’s Audit Committee and the Comprehensive Planning and Development Committee. Additionally, Ms. Lady has served as the School Board liaison to the School Health Advisory Committee, the City of Fairfax School Board, and the Fairfax County Athletic Council.
She holds degrees from the College of William and Mary, the University of Virginia, and George Mason University. A Herndon resident and an avid fan of the Washington Nationals, Commanders, and Capitals, she also enjoys golf, volunteering at church, and spending time with her wife Stephanie, their children, and their dogs, Macy and Caia.
Mr. McDaniel has been a Fairfax County resident for more than two decades. Prior to joining the Board, he founded and operated two family businesses and later transitioned to aviation during the COVID-19 pandemic. An Airline Transport Pilot, he has also worked to expand career pathways by partnering with secondary and post-secondary institutions to introduce students to aviation careers.
During the 2025-26 school year, Mr. McDaniel served as chair of the Comprehensive Planning and Development Committee, vice chair of the Budget Committee, a member of the Audit Committee and Administration Committee, and one of the board’s liaisons to the Fairfax County Planning Commission. He has previously served as Budget Committee chair, a member of the Governance Committee, and the board’s liaison to the Fairfax County Park Authority and the Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee.
Mr. McDaniel is a graduate of George Mason University and American University, where he studied public administration, public finance, and state and local government. He lives in Fairfax County with his wife and their two daughters, both of whom are FCPS students.
As part of the annual organizational meeting, the Board also completed its required organizational business, including confirming key administrative appointments and signing authorities, appointing the Superintendent’s designees and Clerk of the Board, approving financial and legal appointments, and taking other routine actions necessary to support the effective governance and operation of Fairfax County Public Schools during the upcoming year.
Election of Chair - Motion: Frisch, Second: St. John-Cunning / Board Majority Approved
Election of Vice Chair - Motion: Dixit, Second: Dannan / Board Majority Approved
Annual Organizational Items Main Motion: McDaniel, Second: S. Anderson / Vote: Yes 11, No 0
2027-28 and 2028-29 School Year Calendars Approved
Video | Meeting Materials
Having previously approved the 2026-27 school year calendar, the Board approved calendars for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years, providing families and staff with calendars three years in advance. These calendars were developed following revisions to School Board Policy 1344 that prioritized instructional continuity through five-day school weeks. They were also informed by community engagement, including surveys completed by more than 33,000 parents and caregivers and more than 14,000 staff members, as well as feedback gathered during community meetings.
The approved calendars maintain 180 instructional days and 15 professional workdays for staff while emphasizing instructional continuity, balanced academic quarters, and additional full five-day instructional weeks. The 2027-28 school year will begin on August 23, 2027, and conclude on June 14, 2028, while the 2028-29 school year will begin on August 21, 2028, and end on June 15, 2029. Both calendars preserve the Board’s commitment to a full two-week winter break, a full week of spring break, alignment with Board policy, and the continued advance publication of three years of approved school calendars to help families plan ahead.
In addition to the calendars covering the next three school years, available here, the Board approved its regular meeting and work session schedule for the 2026-27 school year, which is available here.
Motion: McDaniel, Second: Dixit / Vote: Yes 10, No 1
Board Supports New Tool to Support School Maintenance and Renovations
Video | Meeting Materials
The Board unanimously approved a resolution I was proud to second asking Fairfax County to evaluate a new tool authorized by the General Assembly that could help finance school construction and modernization. The resolution does not raise taxes or commit the County to pursuing a new revenue source. Instead, it begins the process of studying whether a dedicated funding source for school facilities could help address our growing deferred maintenance backlog, aging buildings, and rising construction costs while protecting the County’s AAA bond rating.
Any proposal to establish such a funding source would ultimately require approval by Fairfax County voters through a referendum. As construction costs continue to outpace available capital funding, it is essential that we responsibly evaluate every available option to modernize our schools, save taxpayers money by addressing problems before they become more expensive, and continue advocating for the increased state investment our students deserve.
Motion: Dunne, Second: Frisch / Vote: Yes 11, No 0
Superintendent Performance Review
The Board evaluates the Superintendent’s overall success based on the school division’s reasonable progress toward achieving the 2023-2030 Strategic Plan goals and adherence to the 13 Executive Limitations outlined on pages 14-31 of the Board’s Strategic Governance Manual. The Superintendent provides annual monitoring reports to the Board for each Executive Limitation. The Board then votes on whether the provided reports comply with the Executive Limitation. If the report is found to be noncompliant, the Superintendent provides a corrective action memo addressing the Board’s concerns.
Executive Limitation 2: Emergency Succession
Video | Meeting Materials
The Board received the Superintendent’s annual monitoring report for Executive Limitation 2, which ensures that Fairfax County Public Schools has a clear succession plan in place should the Superintendent unexpectedly be unable to serve. Dr. Michelle Reid certified that FCPS is in compliance with the policy and confirmed that designated leaders are prepared to provide continuity of leadership, maintain daily operations, and support the School Board without disruption in the event of an emergency.
Here are my comments from the discussion about the work Dr. Reid has done to ensure potential successors can hit the ground running in the event that she is unable to serve:
The Superintendent’s report designates Chief of Staff Marty Smith as the emergency designee through his retirement on July 31, 2026, with Interim Chief of Staff Dr. Frances Ivey assuming that responsibility beginning August 1. The report also outlines the preparation undertaken to ensure the designee is familiar with School Board governance, Division policies, strategic priorities, and operational procedures, helping ensure uninterrupted leadership and continued focus on student learning. Following the discussion, the Board found that the monitoring report was in compliance with EL-2.
Motion: Dannan, Second: St. John-Cunning / Vote: Yes 10, Absent 1
Preliminary Skyview High School Boundary Recommendation
Video | Meeting Materials
The Superintendent provided the board with a Preliminary Boundary Recommendation for Skyview High School. The recommendation is the result of months of community engagement, including six community meetings, feedback from the Superintendent’s Boundary Advisory Committee, more than 15,000 map comments, and approximately 25,000 users of the interactive Boundary Explorer tool.
The preliminary recommendation proposes creating Skyview High School’s attendance area by reassigning students from the Westfield, Chantilly, and South Lakes pyramids while making targeted middle school boundary adjustments to improve feeder alignment. The Superintendent’s proposal is designed to balance enrollment across several western high schools, with no high school projected to be overutilized, and would affect approximately 2,544 students, including 420 middle school students and 2,124 high school students.
The Board’s presentation marked the beginning of its review of the Superintendent’s recommendation. Community members will have additional opportunities to provide feedback before the Board considers adoption of final attendance boundaries on July 16.
Year-End Budget Review for Financial Year 2026
Video | Meeting Materials
The Board received the FY 2026 Year-End Budget Review from FCPS’s Chief Financial Officer, Leigh Burden, which reported that the School Operating Fund ended the fiscal year with $54.5 million in available funds after accounting for revenue adjustments, expenditure savings, reserves, commitments, and carryover.
Consistent with prior Board direction, the available funds were fully allocated to previously approved priorities, including $28.5 million to support the extension of special education teachers’ contracts by 30 minutes each day and $25.0 million to strengthen the employee healthcare premium stabilization reserve. As a result, no unallocated year-end funds remained.
The Board also reviewed adjustments across the division’s other funds, including school construction, grants, food and nutrition services, employee health benefits, and retirement programs, ensuring budgets accurately reflect year-end revenues, expenditures, and multiyear commitments while maintaining FCPS’ long-term financial stability.
Academic Matters: Special Olympics
Video | Meeting Materials
The Superintendent provided the Board with an Academic Matters presentation on FCPS’ Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools program, which promotes social inclusion by bringing together students with and without disabilities through Unified Sports, inclusive youth leadership opportunities, and whole-school engagement activities.
The Board also reviewed the remarkable growth of the program across the division. Since the beginning of the 2024-25 school year, the number of participating schools has more than doubled from 23 to 49 schools — a 113% increase — including 30 elementary schools, four middle schools, 12 high schools, and three secondary schools.
FCPS also celebrated Bush Hill Elementary School, Woodson High School, and Marshall High School for earning Special Olympics Unified Champion School recognition. The presentation emphasized how whole-school engagement activities promote social inclusion, reduce bullying, develop empathy and understanding among students, and empower students with and without disabilities to lead together.
As part of the presentation, the Superintendent shared the following video with the Board:
Welcoming the Board’s New Student Representative
Video | Meeting Materials
This evening marked the first official Board meeting for our new Student Representative, Newt Shosteck, a rising senior at Hayfield Secondary School. Mr. Shosteck was elected by the countywide Student Advisory Council to serve for the 2026–27 school year, giving FCPS students a direct voice in School Board discussions. In addition to representing students from across the division, he has been active in student leadership and was selected by his peers to serve in th | 