FCPS Board Meeting Summary
November 2021
The regular meeting of the School Board was held at 6:30 p.m. (closed session) and 7:30 p.m. (open session) on Monday, November 1, 2021 in the School Board Room at the Walker-Grant Center, 210 Ferdinand Street, Fredericksburg, VA.
Character Education Spotlight
Character Education Spotlight: The Preschool Center prepared a video spotlighting the word Responsibility.
Optimist Student of the Month
Christian Hamm, James Monroe High School, received recognition as the Optimist Student of the Month.
National School Bus Safety Week and School Bus Transportation Appreciation Day
National School Bus Safety Week, designed to promote school bus safety, and School Bus Transportation Employees Appreciation Day, which were in October, were recognized. Employees in the transportation department were thanked for their hard work and dedication to keeping students safe as they were transported to and from school.
Family Engagement in Schools
Family engagement in Schools Month was recognized.
National Custodian Day
National School Custodian Day was celebrated on October 2nd. The FCPS custodial team was recognized and thanked for their hard work and dedication to keeping the facilities clean and safe for staff and students.
School Psychology Week
November 8 - 12, 2021 is National School Psychologist Week. The theme for 2021 is "Let's Get in Gear". Fredericksburg City Public Schools Psychologists and Interns were recognized for their work with FCPS students and families.
American Education Week
American Education Week will be November 15 - 19, 2021. This week, first observed December 4 - 10, 1921, is observed in "all communities annually for the purpose of informing the public of the accomplishments and needs of the public schools and to secure the cooperation and support of the public in meeting those needs".
School Board members were recognized for their noble work and were presented with small tokens of appreciation.
VSBA Academy Awards
School Board members and the Superintendent also received recognition for obtaining VSBA Academy Awards for their dedication, time, and hard work in improving boardmanship skills through attending VSBA meetings, conferences, board development and training, and active involvement in the association. Based on the number of academy points Board members received awards in Achievement (Ms. Kay), Excellence (Ms. Boyd, Mrs. Rehm, and Mr. Bailey), Honor (Mrs. Pomeroy), or Distinction (Ms. Holmes and Dr. Catlett).
Jay Hicks addressed the School Board regarding the PTA Association and Walker-Grant Middle School, the mask mandate, and the lack of notification parents received regarding the school divisions mandate that athletes had to be vaccinated to participate in sports.
The School Board approved the following items under the Consent Agenda.
Appointment of Advisory Committees - Special Education, Career and Technical Education, and School Health Advisory Board
Extra-Curricular Activities for 2021 - 20222
Quarterly Supplemental Appropriations
Health & Safety Update
Dr. Eberhardt provided a Health update. He shared the Virginia Health Department and the Virginia Department of Education were collaborating to support COVID testing in Virginia schools through VISTA. FCPS had been assigned a vendor for screening tests. The screening test were not required, 270 home tests had been received. Booster shots for school staff was currently available. He reminded everyone that any student participating in sports had to be fully vaccinated by November 8th. There are medical and religious exemptions.
Career & Technical Education (CTE) Programs
Dr. Bumbrey provided an overview of the CTE programs. She shared new courses that were being offered at JMHS and possible future courses. The necessary resources for the CTE program were continued regional collaboration, laboratory space for nursing, culinary arts, and barbering.
CTE presentation - Board Update November 2021 (boarddocs.com)
Fall Assessment Overview
Ms. Miller provided an overview of the fall assessment. She identified reading growth for grades K-12, math growth for grades K-11, and information for end of course fall writing.
Fall Assessment Overview presentation - Fall Assessment Overview (boarddocs.com)
Monthly Financial Report
Ms. Brody presented the monthly financial report for the month ending August 2021.
Total Operating Fund Revenues:
FY22 Budget: $50,518,133.30 (YTD 22%)
FY22 Actual: $11,065,353.91
Total Operating Fund Expenditures:
FY22 Budget: $50,518,133.00 (YTD 22%)
FY22 Actual: $11,110,633.76
Special Revenue Fund Revenues:
FY22 Budget: $5,670,116.00 (YTD 11%)
FY22 Actual: $631,907.71
Special Revenue Fund Expenditures:
FY22 Budget: $5,745,116.00 (YTD 21%)
FY22 Actual: $1,186,115.21
The Monthly Financial Report may be viewed at the following link: Fredericksburg City Public Schools Monthly Financial Update (boarddocs.com)
Middle School Update
Dr. Eberhardt shared that the city and the school division had several meetings with First Choice to begin moving forward on developing the interim agreement. Skanska, the PPEA consultant, had been involved in all meetings and attorneys for the school division, the city, and First Choice, were working on a draft agreement. There was discussion of a possible joint City Council/School Board meeting in December.
Legislative Priorities
There will be a discussion at the December School Board meeting.
Request for Proposal (RFP) for FCC Category 2 Services
Fredericksburg City Public Schools is requesting proposals for E-rate eligible Category Two equipment, 5- year extended support, and installation services to replace existing components in five schools. Proposals are requested for the make/model specified or equivalent and any required related components for the proposed solution. Installation services must be included in the proposed solution for consideration in the evaluation. In accordance with E-rate rules, proposals for equivalent and compatible equipment will be considered; Fredericksburg City Public Schools will be the arbiter of whether the proposed solution is functionally and technically equivalent to the requested solution. Should additional components be required for successful installation, configuration, and activation of the proposed solution, they must be included as part of the cost proposal.
RFP - DRAFT 2022-2023 Fredericksburg C2 Service Specifications.pdf (boarddocs.com)
Next Meeting Dates
School Board meetings are held at the Walker-Grant Center.
- Regular School Board Meeting: December 6, 2021- 6:30 Closed Session/7:30 Open Session
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Fredericksburg City School Board
Fredericksburg City School Board Contact
National Custodian Day
National Custodian Day was October 2. Custodians were also recognized and thanked for their dedication and hard work at keeping the facilities clean and safe for students and staff.
