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Mason District Community,
Since the start of school, there have been several vehicular accidents in Fairfax County involving students traveling to and from schools, including a fatality. Please speak with your students about the importance of being vigilant when walking, biking or driving to school. The School Board continues its advocacy to the Board of Supervisors to provide personnel that foster visible traffic calming measures to enhance student safety.
As we settle into the rhythm of the new school year, your active participation remains vital in shaping decisions and priorities that impact the Mason District community. If you have not yet done so, please reach out to your child’s teachers to discuss ways to support your child for a successful school year. Please also take this time to complete the documents required by the schools including ParentVue Access, Free and Reduced Meals Application and forms such as Family Life Education Opt-out, Digital Consent, etc.
I also urge you to continue to share your feedback on upcoming Board agenda items and work session topics - your voice matters!
Below you will find details for upcoming boundary meetings as well as updates on athletic facility naming rights, early FY 2028 budget planning, and high school programmatic options.
I value input from the Mason District community and will address questions or concerns via email at rjanderson@fcps.edu or by scheduling a phone call with Ms. Coffey at cmcoffey@fcps.edu.
In this issue:
Feedback Needed
Executive Limitation #9
The Strategic Plan Goals are the primary factors used by the School Board to evaluate progress and achievement in Fairfax County Public Schools, however, the Board is also responsible for monitoring the operations of the school system.
The thirteen (13) Executive Limitations reflect the School Board's guardrails for how the Superintendent is to achieve division goals. Executive Limitations serve as a measure of accountability for the Superintendent and are reviewed annually through monitoring reports to ensure compliance and progress.
At the September 24, 2026 Regular School Board Meeting, the Board will receive the report and vote to approve Executive Limitation (EL) - 9: Instructional Program.
Executive Limitation 9 (EL-9) requires the Superintendent to maintain a rigorous, equitable, and consistent instructional program aligned with state standards and the division's Strategic Plan. It mandates research-backed, inclusive teaching practices, data-informed progress tracking, and active family involvement to support whole-child development and prepare every student for success beyond graduation.
I invite you to share your thoughts and feedback prior to next week’s vote.
Community Meetings
Beech Tree / Belvedere / Glasgow Boundary Meetings
Monday, September 28, 2026 - 6:00 p.m. - Falls Church High School
Staff will present NEW boundary scenarios for Boundary Study #4 (which includes Beech Tree ES, Belvedere ES, and Glasgow MS). The updated scenarios will reflect feedback received during community meetings as well as feedback from the Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee (BRAC).
The Boundary Explorer Tool is expected to be updated prior to the community meeting. Please be sure to attend and provide your feedback to inform the Superintendent’s recommendations for the Board’s approval. This meeting will also include scenarios for several other school communities that are not in the Mason District.
Monday, October 5, 2026 - 6:00 p.m. - Glasgow Middle School
This meeting has been planned to focus specifically on the Glasgow, Beech Tree, and Belvedere portion of the larger Study #4.
Both of these meetings are an opportunity to share feedback, but this second meeting is only for the Belvedere/Beech Tree/Glasgow/Justice communities.
Additional information about Study #4 can be found on the website. Meeting materials will be posted prior to the scheduled meetings.
Bren Mar Park Boundary Meeting
Reminder: September 23, 2026 - 6:00 p.m. - Edison High School
Staff will present revised scenarios for community review and feedback to help inform the Superintendent's recommendations for the Board's approval.
Language interpretation and childcare are available and should be requested using the registration forms.
Additional information about the Bren Mar Park Feeder Schools Study can be found on the website. Meeting materials will be posted prior to the scheduled meeting.
Bailey's Upper Traffic Garden
I was pleased to participate in the ribbon-cutting for the Traffic Garden at Bailey's Upper ES earlier this month. This VDOT grant-funded space has transformed underused asphalt into a safe and engaging space for students to build pedestrian and biking skills.
National Merit Semifinalists
Three Mason District high school students are among the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Corporation semifinalists.
Congratulations to:
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Nattha Poolchuay from Annandale High School
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Cybil Jayson from Falls Church High School
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James Lee from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Naming Rights
At the September 8, 2026 Work Session, staff presented a proposal to the Board to explore naming of athletic facilities: FCPS Naming Rights Program: Framework, Timeline, and Risk Management.
The concerns I raised regarding the proposal include:
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Creating Inequity: Avoid adding another source of systemic inequity. Significant disparities already exist related to high school gate receipts, student parking fees and fundraising.
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Commercializing Schools: Enact strict guardrails to avoid transforming schools into corporate billboards.
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Ensuring Community Support: Engage the community in this initiative via a public hearing to form a more comprehensive analysis of benefits and impacts.
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Determining Terms: Establish internal alignment, define non-negotiables, clarify specific assets eligible for naming rights, and outline exactly how the revenue would be distributed and used.
The Board agreed to move forward with a request for information (RFI) while concurrently continuing to ask questions and refine processes and expectations with staff.
VIDEO: Naming Rights Work Session [1:16:39]
FY 2028 Budget Discussion Summary
The Board discussed FY 2028 Budget Priorities at the September 8, 2026 Work Session. This early budget preview provided an opportunity to review the budget development process and begin discussions on Board budget priorities.
Staff reported that FCPS commitments are expected to outpace revenue again in FY 2028, creating a funding deficit closer to FY 2026 ($153.9 M) than FY 2027 ($117.6 M). Anticipating a need for substantial spending cuts, staff presented several hypothetical savings proposals, including reductions in:
- Compensation;
- Class sizes;
- Needs-based staffing;
- Central Office budgets; and
- Staffing related to state Standards of Quality (SOQ).
Of the list presented, I shared my strong advocacy to preserve current needs-based staffing. Budget conversations are only beginning and as such priorities and savings proposals will evolve. I invite you to review the meeting materials and provide your feedback.
School Board Decision Alert
Executive Limitation #8
At the School Board meeting on September 10, 2026, the Board voted 8:3:1 to find the Superintendent in compliance with Executive Limitation #8 (EL-8): Superintendent’s Relationship with the Board.
The Superintendent’s Monitoring Report for EL-8 is available for review. The concerns I raised as well as those I received from Mason residents center around the following topics:
- Misalignment in contract review timelines which usurps the Board’s governance;
- Pre-K and Kindergarten technology rollback;
- Lack of executive guidance on AI policy development;
- Repeated and unresolved requests for transparent reporting of Title I and Title II funds, and the Superintendent’s Closing the Achievement Gap (CAG) funding. Fiscal oversight is a key responsibility of the School Board and lack of transparency hinders the Board’s ability to fulfill one of its primary functions;
- Board event invitation process; and
- Organizational culture and staff communication with the Board.
Ultimately, I was unable to find the Superintendent in compliance with EL-8 based on the report presented.
VIDEO: September 10, 2026 School Board Meeting [4:01:00]
High School Program Options and Transfer Data
The Board directed the Superintendent to:
- recommend program options to increase enrollment at traditional high schools with capacity utilization of less than 85%, prioritizing high schools with enrollment of fewer than 1800 students, by November 12, 2026;
- report on student transfers to include grade levels, schools, and rationale for transfers for the past 5 years by January 31, 2027; and
- Include student transfer data in the annual FCPS Capital Improvement Program (CIP).
I look forward to receiving both of these reports to utilize in ensuring equity in programming and opportunity across the division.
VIDEO: September 10, 2026 School Board Meeting [2:27:36]
Crossing Guard Update
The Fairfax County School Board (FCSB) advocated to the Board of Supervisors (BoS) to return the high school crossing guards which had been eliminated. As the FCSB’s legislative chair, I provided comments during the BoS 9/15/2026 Public Hearing.
VIDEO: Comments at BoS Public Hearing [3:24:10]
As a result of community advocacy, the BoS approved $707,908 from their FY 2026 Carryover Budget Package to restore crossing guards at 10 FCPS high schools for the remainder of this school year. Thank you to everyone who advocated to the Supervisors for this important change.
Two members of the BoS and two School Board members will serve on a joint task force to focus on identifying long-term solutions to pedestrian and traffic safety challenges in FCPS school zones.
Safety Reminder
Please urge your student drivers to slow down and obey posted speed limits, stay alert for students at crosswalks, sidewalks, and bus stops, and put phones and other distractions away.
Remind walkers to use sidewalks (where available) and designated crosswalks whenever possible, look carefully before crossing, and make sure drivers see you before entering the roadway.
It is imperative that students biking or riding scooters wear a properly fitted helmet, follow traffic signs and signals, use bike lanes or designated paths when available, and stay alert for vehicles, pedestrians, and other riders.
We ask the community to be especially attentive around schools, intersections, crosswalks, bus stops, and parking lots, where many different forms of transportation come together and for parents to consider refraining students from using e-bikes and motorized scooters to commute to and from school.
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