Schools
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The Manassas City School Board meeting on Tuesday, April 8, opened with a series of uplifting spotlights showcasing the accomplishments of students and staff across the school division.
From regional wrestling champions to student coders designing robots, the evening was filled with celebration, applause, and pride in student success.
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The Manassas City School Board has voted 5-2 against allowing collective bargaining for its employees, following a lengthy presentation and passionate discussion during its April 8, 2025, meeting. The decision came after board members weighed financial considerations and community feedback, including from Manassas City Councilwoman Sonia Vazquez Luna, a union leader who voiced her support for the proposal.
The vote on Resolution R2025-03 was preceded by an in-depth presentation from Associate Superintendent John Gefeller, who outlined the fiscal and operational implications of adopting collective bargaining. Gefeller explained that if approved, the school division would need to add six full-time positions, including a chief negotiating officer, chief legal officer, labor relations coordinator, labor specialist, budget analyst/payroll specialist, and administrative assistant.
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The parents of a third-grade student who brought a loaded handgun to Lee Hill Elementary School have been arrested and charged following a classroom incident that resulted in the weapon discharging inside a backpack.
According to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, Ciara Armstead, 36, and Terrence Carroll, Jr., 34, were each charged on Monday, April 7, with two offenses: one misdemeanor count of recklessly leaving a loaded, unsecured firearm in a manner that endangered a child under the age of 14, and one felony count of willfully or negligently endangering a child while having custody. Both were released on a $5,000 unsecured bond and are scheduled to appear in Spotsylvania County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on April 11.
The Manassas City School Board will vote Tuesday, April 8, 2025, on whether to formally prohibit collective bargaining with employee unions—a decision that could halt a movement launched earlier this year by local educators.
The resolution up for consideration, R2025-03, declares that no official or employee of the school division has the authority to recognize a labor union as a bargaining agent or to enter into collective bargaining agreements. It reaffirms the board’s current stance of non-engagement with employee unions and instead promotes a “meet and confer” model for addressing employee concerns.
Two new elementary schools that could help ease overcrowding in Prince William County won’t open until at least 2026 and 2027, respectively, school officials say.
The Woodbridge Area Elementary School, located across from Marumsco Plaza along Route 1, is now slated to open for the 2026-27 school year, following a series of delays. The civil plan approval process with Prince William County took six extra months due to floodplain considerations.
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Members of the Manassas City Council voiced support for efforts to keep teacher pay competitive with neighboring Prince William County Schools during a joint meeting with the city’s School Board on March 26, 2025—even as the city faces tighter fiscal limitations and a far smaller student population.
The meeting came one day after the School Board adopted its overall budget for the next fiscal year on March 25, which includes $60.9 million in funding for Manassas City Public Schools. While the budget already includes a 5.5% average pay raise for all school employees, School Board members said an additional $1.7 million would allow them to offer a 7% increase—matching the raise announced by Prince William County Schools.