4 Public Education

This question will be extending to numerous states as investigations into the corruption surrounding school privatization (aka school choice) expand and become public.

Matt Huffman claims he’s protected from testifying about school vouchers. How far does privilege extend in Ohio? Matt Huffman's effort to avoid testifying about school vouchers puts a spotlight on Ohio privilege law, beyond the legislature.

Far right legal teams are attacking student rights and school policy through establishing legal precedent via a "theocratic veto." Read about it in Robert Rigby's ! Maybe even attend next week's hearings!

'Student Rights vs. Theocracy: What will be a Lawsuit's Impact on School Policy' Is a “Theocratic Veto” coming to Virginia?In a case (see below) brought this year in Fairfax County Circuit Court by America First Legal, Donald Trump’s former aide Stephen Miller and Virginia’s current Attorney General Jason Miyares try to establish a right to sue about and invalidate any l...

Workers get it done! These folks stayed late to hear the vote of Fairfax County School Board declaring Fairfax Educators Unions as the sole bargaining agent for both bargaining units in FCPS. Now they will establish bargaining teams and negotiate a contract for the first time in 47 years!

Rest in power Bernice Reagon. May your voice go on forever.

Tonight! Are You in one of the 21 school districts in Virginia with school board races this November? Meet with reps from 4 Public Education, We the People for Education, and Red, Wine, & Blue to strategize and organize! e-mail [email protected]

Don't steer clear of the third rail of education! Read Vanessa Hall's where she explores the history of school boundary changes and how Fairfax County growth affects us all.

A “Brief” History of Boundary Change My most recent blog, Essential Boundary Policy for a New Century, identified some “interesting” school boundaries in our area. Any rational person would look at those boundaries and wonder how they came to be. Of course, those non-contiguous, gerrymandered boundaries are a developer’s dime a d...

CONGRATULATIONS to Sandy Anderson elected as the Fairfax County School Board Vice Chair!

There is perhaps no issue that raises as much angst and concern among large numbers of parents as school assignment changes. Most often those changes are brought on by increases or decreases in student numbers. Just recently elementary schools were being closed in Franklin County Virginia due to drops in enrollment, and tonight, July 11, Fairfax County School Board is hearing the updates to boundary policy 8130. In part, it is simply time to update a policy that was put in place many years before the development that has changed skylines and population numbers. However, it is is important to recognize that Fairfax's need to change is affected by extreme overcrowding in many parts of the county. The article below reports on the effects of overcrowding on schools. We would do well to keep the reasons in mind as we move forward. https://drsheilajohnson.medium.com/impact-of-overcrowding-in-american-schools-on-student-performance-b4603ea97d70 #:~:text=Overcrowding%20occurs%20in%2015%20percent,to%2050%20percent%20experience%20overcrowding.

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Fairfax County is long overdue for a new school boundary policy. Learn more how the School Board intends to deal with overcrowding and long bus rides while ensuring community involvement and fairness about Check out the from Vanessa Hall

Essential Boundary Policy for a New Century It Is Time For Some Real Change: After months of debate, the Fairfax County School Board is finalizing a comprehensive overhaul of the county’s current boundary policy which was originally adopted in 1986 and last revised in May of 2013, despite 5-year review requirements.

Candidate Trump has spoken out on several key Education issues recently. We at 4 Public Education will be responding. From his flippant "Education, we will just cut it in half" to his patriotic teacher certification idea, thoughtful Americans will need to exert their influence.
https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meetthepressblog/trump-calls-certifying-patriotic-teachers-cutting-funds-schools-teachi-rcna67836?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR39Xp9zfI7U_lxkbcxn555WbckamEDCsyc_bSzbJi10pVPCi4_622p9yVQ_aem_l1hHOzyUpzedkwWYhwCYZA

Trump calls for certifying 'patriotic' teachers, cutting funds to schools teaching CRT In his campaign's new education platform, the former president offers a litany of policies aimed right at the GOP base.

Conservatives Go to War -- Against Each Other -- Over School Vouchers School choice advocates are intent on expanding the availability of vouchers to fund private education at the expense of public schools, but rural residents of these targeted states are putting up some of the strongest resistance.

Why Florida is experiencing a teacher shortage - Gulfshore Business At the halfway point of the 2023-24 school year, the Florida Education Association reported that there were still 4,096 advertised instructional vacancies in Florida K-12 public schools. In Southwest Florida, Collier County had 174 advertised instructional vacancies, Lee County had 260 and Charlotte...

The numbers just keep going up. The de-professionalization of teaching marches on. Do we really want teachers to be unprepared semi-volunteers?

Why Florida is experiencing a teacher shortage - Gulfshore Business At the halfway point of the 2023-24 school year, the Florida Education Association reported that there were still 4,096 advertised instructional vacancies in Florida K-12 public schools. In Southwest Florida, Collier County had 174 advertised instructional vacancies, Lee County had 260 and Charlotte...

Check out Marianne Burke's where she shares a 4 Public Education initiative to work with partners to ensure that School Board Members elected in 2024 truly care about students, families, and public schools.

Let’s Elect Good School Board Members in 2024! Historically, school board elections have received little attention from voters, but recently extremists have begun trying to take over public school boards. Now we realize the importance of electing good school board members who prioritize the students and support public schools rather than further...

In most schools I know of, it's a bit dated to teach the 10 commandments. They already teach the western civilization rules in context alongside the Code of Ur-Nammu, the oldest written laws of civilization. Maybe illiterate politicians should let historians teach legal history. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/19/us/louisiana-ten-commandments-classrooms.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR34A_Y51GVGN0tMqXPyzQ6lu5n6_sqdUPnpkcLj77tF1r_Jr9iIZZ12uRY_aem_ZmFrZWR1bW15MTZieXRlcw

Louisiana Requires All Public Classrooms to Display Ten Commandments A law signed by Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday makes the state the only one with such a mandate. Critics have vowed to mount a constitutional challenge.

Visit our Back-to-School Guide for book collections and more ways to prepare students for the school year ahead. https://bit.ly/3VyV0FN

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news/blackafrican-american-historical-marker-project-unveils-first-marker-submitted-students

Black/African American Historical Marker Project Unveils First Marker Submitted by Students | News Center In a significant step towards acknowledging the contributions of African Americans, we unveiled the first Black/African American Historical Project marker dedicated to civil rights activist Lillian Blackwell at Oakton High School on June 1.

https://virginiamercury.com/2024/06/18/us-judge-in-kentucky-blocks-biden-title-ix-rules-says-s*x-gender-identity-not-the-same-thing/?emci=2bc299d0-f82c-ef11-86d2-6045bdd9e096&emdi=1737d408-672d-ef11-86d2-6045bdd9e096&ceid=34232

US judge in Kentucky blocks Biden Title IX rules, says 's*x,' 'gender identity' not the same thing • Virginia Mercury Federal judge blocks new Title IX rules, including those aimed at protecting LGBTQ+ students from discrimination in K-12 schools, sides with Republican attorneys general in several states — including Virginia.

The Virginia Literacy Act means that the state will be teaching the Science of Reading using state-approved "evidence-based" materials. What does this mean for the average student, parent, or educator? Cheryl Binkley will explain why so many have united around literacy, and why we should maintain some skepticism.

Uniting Virginia through Literacy Choosing a Reading Curriculum that Works In 2022 the Virginia legislature passed The Virginia Literacy Act, often referred to as VLA. It was sponsored by such unlikely co-sponsors as lead Senate Democrats Louise Lucas from Portsmouth and Jennifer McClellan, and Siobhan Dunnavant, Republican firebran...

Most college application deadlines have passed, so now it is time for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). A simplified form was rolled out 10 days ago, but frustration is high among parents. Vanessa Hall is a parent of a high school senior who will walk you through the basics and identify pitfalls to avoid for new FAFSA filers. Good luck!

Frustrating Financial Aid: A Family Guide to the New FAFSA Like many parents of high school seniors, my family has been knee deep in college applications since October. My son managed to meet all of the deadlines to request transcripts, request recommendations, and apply to colleges, but now we are in the next step: submitting financial aid forms. In fact,....

Just a quick reminder to join 4 Public Education for Marianne Burke's webinar on how education legislation is developed in Virginia. She has some really good information for you to clarify this complicated process. Tonight, 1/8/23 at 6PM. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rcOyprT8iHtEHrFqdo3I2N5syo9IYXXkF?fbclid=IwAR3FpY_Xv9NcKu_UgliKZk1cczv0-4dLT_QimkRpOqEeQ_Y4LGmmIaHwSeE #/registration

Where are books being banned?

Over 40% of all book bans this year occurred in school districts in Florida, followed by Texas, Missouri, Utah, and Pennsylvania. 🔎 👉 Is your state on the list? Click to read the full report to know the facts and help protect the right to read!

4 Public Education rings in the new year in 2024 with new leadership after a busy 2023 of working hard to support public schools.
But, our work is not done. We need to remain vigilant because our public education system remains vulnerable.

New Year, New Leadership at 4PE 2023 was a busy year for 4 Public Education. In addition to our presence at school board meetings, key education events, and a robust on-line presence, we also elected new officers. We would like to introduce: Cheryl Binkley, our President, and Vanessa Hall, our Vice President. Cheryl Binkley is a r...