April 26, 2021
NewsDaily NewsApril 26, 2021

New Collective Bargaining Service
In association with Haney Phinyowattanachip PLLC, VSBA is pleased to offer services related to the collective bargaining process. Services would be tailored to the specific circumstances of each school division and may include providing input on the required and recommended…

April 28, 2021-2021 VSBA Title IX Best Practices in Training & Compliance
With claims of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct hitting newsstands everywhere, Title IX coordinators and other senior staff need to be confident in their knowledge and enforcement of their divisions’ policies. Prevention and thorough investigations are the best ways to…

Virginia Mathematics Pathways Initiative
The Virginia Mathematics Pathways Initiative (VMPI) is a joint initiative of the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) to consider how to modernize and…

Hanover named ‘Best Community for Music Education’
For the ninth year in a row, Hanover County Public Schools received national recognition for its musical education program. The National Association of Music Merchants Foundation, or NAMM, named Hanover County as a “Best Community for Music Education,” according to a…

SEC brings bucket truck to school
Following Southside Electric Cooperative’s (SEC) winter ice storm restoration, Toni Russell Baker’s class at Prince Edward County Elementary School (PECES) sent a drawing to the cooperative to thank the link workers for their hard work, long hours and dedication. On…

Four days, in-person education: School officials assess first week back
At the end of the first predominantly in-person school week for Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) in more than a year, administrators are taking stock of how far they’ve come and how far they have left to go. All of the county’s schools began a four-day in-person schedule on…

Williamsburg-JCC students returning to 4 days in classrooms per week as number of students in quarantine continues to rise
Students in Williamsburg-James City County Schools who returned to school buildings for two days a week earlier this year will receive four days of in-person learning from May 3. Details of the increase in time students will spend in schools were given to the school board Tuesday…

Chesterfield school system anticipating challenges for next year, including restoring relationships among students and staff
Chesterfield County Public Schools is anticipating welcoming back students who by August will not have stepped foot in a school building in 17 months or never at all because of the coronavirus pandemic. With the upcoming school year comes challenges as the district will…

Best Buddies program helps high school students maintain connection during pandemic
Connor Garwood, 17, always enjoyed meeting a classmate in the Best Buddies program a few times a month at his Virginia high school. But when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the pair — and dozens of other students in the program — had to find a new plan. It was a big change…

Virginia elementary students catching up but many older students still failing, state data show
More school districts say their elementary school students are on track in reading and math than in fall, according to data presented Thursday to the Virginia Board of Education. But most districts also say they still have more middle and high school students failing two or more…

Virginia High School Rededicates to John Lewis, Dropping Confederate Name
A Virginia high school was rededicated in honor of the late Rep. John Lewis, replacing the name of a Confederate general to celebrate a civil rights icon. The Fairfax County Public Schools campus in Springfield is now John R. Lewis High School after a ribbon-cutting ceremony…

Northern Virginia schools promise normal fall, but differ on how to treat remote learners
A wave of Northern Virginia school systems are vowing that fall instruction will closely approximate pre-pandemic learning — promising five days a week of in-person school, with teachers physically present, and everything guided by traditional bell schedules. But…

Albemarle County Public Schools details its cultural responsiveness teaching training
Virginia’s teachers will soon be evaluated by a new standard: cultural competency. It’s something that Albemarle County Public Schools has required for years. Albemarle County Public Schools began its culturally responsive teaching certification in 2016. Teachers and…

George Wythe senior continues to press Richmond School Board on resolution: ‘I want to see action, I don’t want to hear anything else’
A George Wythe High School senior is continuing to press the Richmond School Board to rescind a resolution some school and city officials say could ultimately delay the replacement of the aging, inadequate building in Richmond’s South Side. On Friday afternoon, Corey…

MCPS officials scale back proposed pay raises
The Montgomery County School Board agreed to provide teachers and other employees an average 3% raise, down from the average 3.5% raise that was proposed earlier this year. The adjusted plan was presented by the school district’s administration just a day after the county…

Henrico County Public Schools announces outdoor June graduation schedule
Henrico County Public Schools will have in-person graduation ceremonies come June, the district announced Friday afternoon. Ceremonies will take place at the Richmond Raceway for the county’s nine comprehensive high schools and two advanced career education centers…

First Annual VSBA Student Essay Contest, Deadline May 1
The Virginia School Boards Association is holding a personal essay/speaking contest where the winner will have an opportunity to present before an audience of more than 300 school board members and administrators at the 2021 Virtual VSBA Conference on Education held July 20…

2021 Budget Workshop, May 6, 2021
Join us for the VSBA’s Budget Training workshop to learn more about the importance of The Board’s Role in Developing the School Budget. In this virtual workshop, based on member requests, board members will learn their role in the budget process and how it relates to the…