Daily News
The Virginia Daily Education News is a daily update (Monday through Friday) of education news throughout Virginia. Links are created to various newspapers throughout the state. Questions or comments regarding the Virginia Education News should be sent to gina@vsba.org.
Friday, May 17
Portsmouth board wrestles with 7% cut to schools
Total city funding to the schools next year will fall to $47.3 million from $53.7 million. And while the City Council approved a budget that included $1.3 million more than the city manager initially proposed, it wasn't enough to cover all of the division's greatest needs.
students paint portraits for Rwandans
Portraits created by local students have traveled more than 7,000 miles to Rwanda, where they were given as gifts to the children who inspired them.
Board puts school bond on ballot
Fairfax moves forward with TIFIA application advertisement Fairfax County voters will be asked to authorize funding for school construction this fall.
Student fees rise and fall in Carroll
cost of meals is going up, but some fees for classes and extracurricular activities are going down or going away.
New health care plan for LCPS employees: how does it stack up?
Part-time employees in the Loudoun County Public School system breathed a sigh of relief when they were grandfathered past a new policy that provides no health benefits for employees working under 20 hours a week.
Former Campbell County teacher to serve 4 months in jail
A former Campbell County teacher must serve four months behind bars after pleading no contest to charges that she had a sexual relationship with a student.
WJC Schools hires new chief financial officer
A new chief financial officer will join the WJC Schools administration before the school year ends.
Distance from family too much for Bridges
Each morning, Randy Bridges emails his father.
Teachers dominate hearing on school budget cuts
Wish list includes pay raises, rebalanced workloads
Opponents targeting Del. Comstock's record on education
Comstock] considered this an ill-advised provision that threatened to bust Virginia's budget,” Falconer said. “This expansion without the right to proper state controls could crowd out spending for K-12 education, college and infrastructure spending ...
Thursday, May 16
Stafford schools chief submits resignation
Stafford School Board members appeared shocked Tuesday night after Superintendent Randy Bridges announced his resignation, a year before his contract was slated to end.
Va. Beach elementary schools phase out letter grades
School leaders say the new grades - Advanced Proficient, Proficient, Developing Proficiency or Novice - promote the idea that learning doesn't end with a report card
Woodlawn staff says goodbye to school
Preparations for the closing of Woodlawn School have been going on for several weeks.
Community service ordered for father who mistakenly brought gun to daughter’s school
A Chesterfield County father charged with openly carrying a handgun into his daughter’s elementary school while picking her up will have the offense dismissed if he completes 100 hours of community service and stays out of trouble for a year.
Wanted: School board applicants, especially in Lynchburg's District III
The one applicant for Albert Billingsly’s District III school board seat has dropped out, city officials confirmed at a public hearing during Lynchburg City Council’s meeting Tuesday evening.
Middleburg community developing charter in effort to save elementary school
The original edifice of Middleburg Elementary School is more than 100 years old. The cafeteria doubles as an auditorium and the art room is a converted garage with no running water. The school has a capacity of 137; currently, 59 students attend the school.
Zaval named Teacher of the Year
Midlothian Middle School teacher Tracey Zaval had no reason to think she’d need to write a speech on Thursday, May 9.
Schools Urge Fairfax Board to Keep Instructional Coaches
More than a dozen of the 40 speakers who addressed the school board Tuesday night in a public hearing about Fairfax County Public Schools' budget spoke about the role coaches play in the day to day lives of teachers and students, including their help ...
School Board chooses new middle school principal
The Goochland County School Board last night voted unanimously to appoint Jennifer M. Smith as principal of Goochland Middle School.
Next Amherst superintendent known for work with Staunton schools
Amherst County’s next superintendent is a man who came into an earlier post with “a lot of good ideas,” according to a former colleague.
Retirement has come not once, but twice for Roanoke assistant superintendent
Vella Wright, whose decision was announced during a school board meeting Tuesday, retired in 2006 but returned in 2007 to serve as assistant superintendent.
Two nominations made for Franklin school board
During a public hearing Monday night, Franklin City Council accepted two nominations put forth for School Board seats.
Henrico schools won’t sell old laptops
There won’t be any danger this year of a repeat of the 2005 laptop mayhem in Henrico County. School officials said this week they won’t be offering old computers for sale when the high school computers are replaced this summer.
Poet visits Goochland High School
Poet John Blake encourages students’ efforts
Former VB school employee sex charges move forward
Sex charges against a former Virginia Beach Public Schools employee were certified to a grand jury Tuesday. Patience Perez is facing indecent liberties by a custodian charges after police said she had a sexual relationship with a ...
New superintendent gets warm welcome
It worked with the Virginia School Board Association to advertise the job. The board ultimately decided to interview seven candidates. Taylor said the decision was a “tough one.” Current superintendent Robin Crowder informed the school board members of ...
Wednesday, May 15
IOW elected official: ‘Save the Confederate money, the South will rise again’
His comments weren’t taken well by school superintendent Katrise Perera, who after hearing Bailey’s comments, left the meeting.
Home schooling on the rise in Virginia
Across the United States, a growing number of parents like Wilson have chosen home schooling as an alternative to public schools. In Virginia, the number of home-schoolers has increased by more than 50 percent over the past decade, according to the ...
Parents upset over Roanoke students’ drinking during Europe trip
Patrick Henry High School did not adequately vet a group that took students to Europe, they said.
Salem School Board revises rules on student contacts
The school board clarified when and how staff and volunteers may use social media.
Bedford County teachers demand apology for 'crybabies' remark
Supervisors chairman defends Bedford County's budget decisions, said he won't apologize for having the lowest real estate tax rate in the region.
Roanoke School Board delays several capital improvement projects
The board also found out that longtime Roanoke educator Vella Wright is retiring.
Richmond School Board resuscitates school closures plan
The talk of closing schools in Richmond is back on -- and there’s a third school on the list.
Tuesday, May 14
Blacks, Hispanics underrepresented in gifted programs
Tim Kaine ordered a study on the number of minority students in gifted education programs operated by the state's public schools. “Virginia is proud of both the high standards of our educational system and the wealth of diversity in our communities ...
Franklin County School Board chairman resigns after budget vote
Ed Jamison quit the Franklin County School Board after it axed middle school sports, saving about $104,000.
Council balks at funding request
The majority of Fredericksburg City Council on Monday supported giving city and school employees a 3 percent raise but not implementing one percent of it until January.
School division to see 22.9-percent increase in insurance rates
The school division's employees will see more of their checks going toward health care as a result of a 22.9-percent increase in monthly rates by their insurer, Optima Health. Many employees will see as much as $70 a month more of their payche
Student Fires Police Officer's Handgun On Northern Virginia School ...
Students continue to file out of Perry Hall High School Monday ... Students evacuate Perry Hall High School after a student was shot and ...
Only two candidates have applied for three open Albemarle School Board seats ...
Only two candidates, both incumbents, have filed for the three open seats on the Albemarle County School Board so far this campaign season. Seats for the Samuel Miller, Jack Jouett and Rio districts are up for election this year. Incumbents Pam ...
Officials say trophies were accidentally thrown out at Beach high school
“We have a really big tradition of state champions, so it's just crazy to hear that,” said Maddy Humphrey, a junior at the school. According to a spokesperson for Virginia Beach Public Schools, the girls' soccer coach noticed some trophies were missing ...
Newport News law to limit length of hotel stay
Nearly 200 Newport News Public Schools students are living in ... of homeless children and youth through Project HOPE-Virginia, said she is ...
Space comes to students through NASA specimens
Students in Martinsville City Schools’ Science, Engineering, Math & Aerospace Academy (SEMAA) program got a glimpse of the moon up close recently.
Norfolk tax hike may come up short for school costs
Two pennies, two schools. That’s how Mayor Paul Fraim has promoted a real estate tax increase, which could now be as high as 4 cents, in part to help fund the simultaneous construction of four new schools.
Carroll pulls plug on virtual school
statewide option is ending, but local students will still be able to take classes online. Only five of the academy's 350 students are from Carroll.
WJC School Board to review school lunch evaluation tool
A tool to evaluate school lunch options developed as part of the Strategic Plan and focused on keeping menu options healthy and diverse will be reviewed Tuesday night by the WJC School Board.
Jack Dale Released from Hospital, Expected Back in June
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Jack Dale was released from the hospital Sunday after emergency heart surgery May 7. FCPS spokesman John ...
Warren County Schools request money to purchase 23-acre middle school site
In order to keep moving toward a 2016 opening for Warren County's new middle school, the Board of Supervisors must appropriate funds for the school board to purchase the property chosen for the school.
Albemarle County Schools Learning Resources Available for Public ...
Albemarle County Schools Learning Resources Available for Public - NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville, VA News, Sports and Weather. Member ...
Monday, May 13
Amherst School Board names new superintendent
Ratliff took a new position as superintendent of Washington County Public Schools on July 1. According to a biography provided by school board member Beth Gamble, Nichols currently is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Virginia.
Southwest Virginia helping more kids graduate
They'll help them access resources they need so they can focus on education. Superintendent of Bristol, Virginia schools Mark Lineburg tells us with a graduation rate of 83.6-percent they need this help. Over the past 7-months, Communities in Schools ...
Fighting Childhood Obesity One School Cafeteria at a Time
At Buckingham County Primary & Elementary Schools in Virginia, they built the school and the cafeteria to try to promote healthy eating.
Partnership provides meals for students
Partnership provides meals for student
A lawsuit naming the Appomattox County School Board as a defendant in a case of bus bullying has been moved to Lynchburg Circuit Court and has dropped more than $23 million from its requested judgment.
Virginia Board of Education president to visit ... - Fauquier Now
David Foster will bring “Listening Tour” to Kettle Run High School on Thursday, May 167.
Hundreds of homeless kids on Virginia Peninsula
The number of homeless students across the state has nearly doubled in recent years from 9,898 in 2006-07 to 17,940 in 2011-12, according to data collected by Project HOPE – Virginia, a collaboration between the Virginia Department of Education and the ...
Va. school to reconsider policy after 2 boys suspended for pretending pencils ...
Suffolk school officials will reconsider a policy that resulted in two second-grade boys being suspended for pointing pencils and making gun noises. The Virginian-Pilot reports (http://bit.ly/Yy0EoK) that the school board decided ...
Fairfax student heads to college at 16
When Andrianna Ayiotis begins classes as a 16-year-old freshman at the University of Southern California next fall, the Fairfax County schools student won’t yet have her driver’s license.