The regular meeting of the School Board was held on Monday, August 2, 2021 in the School Board Room of the Walker-Grant Center, 210 Ferdinand Street, Fredericksburg, VA.

The minutes of the July 12, 2021 meeting were approved.

The Fredericksburg City Public School Board and Superintendent received recognition for becoming a VSBA Master Board. They are the third school governance team in Virginia to earn the designation of a Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) Master Board. The Team attended four sessions totaling over twenty-four hours of professional development beginning in April and concluding on June 24. “To become a Master Board takes a commitment of time and energy, and a willingness to learn about good board governance practices,” said VSBA Executive Director Gina Patterson. “As only the third board in the state to achieve this honor I would like to congratulate the Fredericksburg City Governance Team for this great accomplishment.”

Full VSBA News Release

Board members Elizabeth Rehm and Jennifer Boyd each provided definitions and examples of the word patience.

Comments from Mrs. Rehm included the following: "The definition of patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. According to Joyce Mayer, patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting

Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in your mind. It is said that one of the hardest tests in life is having the patience to wait for the right moment. Patience is the pause that helps us get our thoughts back in order and our feelings under control. It gives us the persistence to carryout things that will lead us to our long term goals and help us realize that success comes to those who keep trying."

Comments from Ms. Boyd included the following: "What does patience look like? The ability to endure difficult circumstances. May involve perseverance in the face of delay. Tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect or anger. Forbearance when under strain. She also shared a map representing country-level estimates of patience.

Dr. Duffy shared information regarding Ceili Leahy Day of Service. This Day of Service was established by her parents John and Leslie Leahy Ceili to honor their daughter. The first event was held in the Fall of 2016 and has grown to 936 volunteers with 589 city school students participating. Day of Service will be held in the Fall of 2021 and students from Stafford High School will join in this year, COVID protocols will be followed, and permission slips for each venue will be required.

The Board voted to approve the following:

• Appoint the superintendent to a term of 4 years beginning July 2,2021 and ending June 30, 2025
• Personnel Items
• A one bonus for 12-month employees
• Entering into a Technical Audit Memorandum of Understanding for School Facilities in Partnership with Fredericksburg City
• Proposed Policy Revisions
• Revised 2021 - 2022 School Calendar

The Board received updates on the following:

• The Clerk announced that school division policies could be found on BoardDocs and a hard copy was available in the Clerk's Office. She also shared that as policies were updated they were emailed to staff and schools were encouraged to update their manual if they had one.
• Summer Programs
• School Improvement Plans
• Innovation
• Monthly Financial Report
• Dr. Eberhardt gave an update on the new middle school
• Investment Grade Audit for Energy Performance
• Back-to-School Presentation
• Revision to Policy BDD - Electronic Participation in Meetings from Remote Locations

The City Council/School Board Working Group had a meeting on July 27, 2021. They received an update on the new middle school.

Upcoming VSBA Webinars:

• August 4th: What We Have Here is a Failure to Communicate
• Library Moves & Tech Services

School Board Meeting:

Regular School Board Meeting- September 13, 2021- 6:30 Closed Session/7:30 Open Session