Schools

Electric School Bus Deliveries Delayed by Vendor to Manassas

By Caitlyn Meisner
Photo by PonerMass via Pexels

At a recent Manassas City School Board meeting, Craig Gfeller, deputy superintendent of MCPS, said the district will continue to use electric school buses, but is experiencing delays in receiving them from the manufacturer.

MCPS began using three electric school buses in the 2023-2024 school year, bringing the total to 67 buses in the fleet. Those buses drove a combined total of 23,555 miles in transporting students of all ages to and from school and field trips. Gfeller said the plan is to phase in another three buses this school year, then an additional six in the 2025-26 school year.

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Manassas School Board Candidate Forum Tonight

By Uriah Kiser

The event will be held at 9118 Wharton Court and live-streamed. All Manassas School Board candidates, including Zella Jones, Suzanne Seaberg, Allie Forkell, Dayna Miles, Maidy Whitesell, Diana Brown, Javanese Hailey, and Christina Brooks, have been invited.

Democrats endorse Seaberg (incumbent), Jones, and Brown. Republicans endorse Forkell, Miles, Whitsell, and Hailey. Brooks (incumbent) is running as an independent.

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Prince William Schools Reports Significant Increase in On-Time Graduation, Decline in Dropout rate

By Uriah Kiser
Photo: Prince William County Public Schools

Prince William County Public Schools: “The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has shared the Prince William County Public Schools’ preliminary on-time graduation and dropout rates for the 2023-24 school year, citing remarkable progress throughout the division.

The preliminary on-time graduation rate for the 2023-24 school year is 94.3%, a 2.6% increase over the previous school year, and the English learners’ on-time graduation rate is 80.6%, a 9.6% increase over the year prior. The overall dropout rate decreased by 2.7% and the English learners’ dropout rate decreased by 9.6%.”

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School Board Members Vote Down Monthly Attendance Reports

By Caitlyn Meisner
Sara Brescia defending her position on monthly attendance reports to her fellow School Board members on Aug. 13, 2024.

Manassas City Public School Board members did not approve a resolution to require monthly attendance reports be made public in a 4-2 vote Tuesday.

The issue of attendance at MCPS was born from a meeting on Oct. 10, 2023, where Chevese Thomas, executive director of student services, gave a 36-slide presentation on attendance. Board Member Sara Brescia expressed concerns and presented this resolution to the Board in February, but the discussion was postponed to this meeting, the first of the 2024-2025 school year.

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Manassas City Schools Launches New Website, App For 2024-25 School Year

By Caitlyn Meisner

Manassas City Public Schools has launched a website and a mobile app for the start of the 2024-2025 school year.

The first day of the new year was Monday, and the launch was presented to the Manassas School Board on Tuesday at their first regular meeting of the school year. Almeta Radford, director of public communications for MCPS, showcased the new website and app to the board.

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First Week Fiasco: Stafford Schools’ Transportation Problems Continue, System Fails Thousands of Students

By Kelly Sienkowski
Photo: Stafford County Public Schools

Stafford County Schools is still working to resolve a transportation crisis.

On Monday, the first school day for kindergarten, 6th, and 9th-grade students, parents learned that some 3,000 children would not have bus transportation to school. All Stafford County students were scheduled to return to classes the following day, and the problems continued, with about 1,000 students still without a bus to carry them to school.

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Costs Balloon for Drew Middle School Replacement

By Uriah Kiser

The Stafford County School Board met on Tuesday, August 6, to discuss several significant capital improvement projects, focusing on school replacements, renovations, and new facilities. Acting Stafford County Public Schools Superintendent Chris Fulmer led the discussion, emphasizing the early stages of these projects and the need for careful planning.

One of the main topics was the replacement of Drew Middle School. The projected costs for this project have increased from the previously approved $96 million to an estimated $115 to $120 million. Fulmer noted that the increase is due to the higher square footage required, land costs, and off-site improvements requested by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). “We’re anticipating having an architect on board in November,” Fulmer said, adding that the planning and design schedules are compressed due to the immediate needs of the school division.

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Stafford County Parents Push for Responsive, Long-Term Superintendent

By Uriah Kiser
Stafford County School Board Chair Maureen Siegmund

The Stafford County School Board has provided a detailed timeline for its search for a new school division superintendent. During a recent board meeting, the consulting firm JG Consulting, hired to assist with the search, presented the timeline and key milestones.

The search is currently in the community engagement phase. JG Consulting has conducted meetings with various groups within Stafford County, both internally and externally, to gather input on the leadership qualities desired in the next superintendent.

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Last-Minute Bus Route Delays Leave Stafford Parents Scrambling as School Year Begins

By Uriah Kiser

With some students returning to class tomorrow, parents in Stafford County are expressing frustration and concern as some students have yet to be assigned bus routes for the upcoming school year. In a letter sent to families, Karim Johnson, the Executive Director of Transportation Services, acknowledged the delay and apologized for the oversight, assuring parents that his team was working diligently to resolve the issue.

The first day of school for kindergarten, 6th, and 9th grade students is tomorrow, Monday, August 12, 2024. All other students will return to school on Tuesday, August 13, 2024. Johnson emphasized that the transportation team works around the clock to ensure all students receive their bus assignments by Monday evening.

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