Subject: 2023 FCSB State and Federal Legislative Program
Staff Contact: Michael Molloy, Director of Government Relations
Meeting Category: Final Action
School Board Action Required: Approval
Ignite Link: Goal 4, Resource Stewardship
Problem Statement:
Fairfax County Public Schools is both directly and indirectly impacted by policy and budget decisions made by local, state, and federal officials. As such, it is critical that FCPS provide input to policymakers as they debate various policy options, sharing the possible programmatic and financial impacts of legislative and policy actions.
Summary/Background (Key Points):
The School Board annually adopts a legislative program and legislative priorities to inform local, state, and federal public officials and others of its positions on legislative policy and budget issues of potential importance to Fairfax County Public School students, teachers, staff, parents, and the broader Fairfax community. The program contains the School Board’s positions on state and federal issues of both current and ongoing significance.
The Fairfax County School Board’s 2023 State and Federal Legislative Program includes additions, deletions, and formatting changes from the Board’s 2022 legislative positions. These changes and updates are intended to adjust position statements to reflect actions taken over the past year by state and federal governments; to reflect the Board’s current approaches to policy debates and issues; and to clarify and simplify existing position language where appropriate.
The Board discussed recommended changes to the State and Federal Legislative Program at a Legislation work session on October 4th. Additional edits to the draft presented at the Work Session have been made to reflect the Board’s discussion at the Work Session, including updating the Board’s state and federal priorities and the Board’s joint legislative position with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. All changes from the Board’s 2022 State and Federal Legislative Program are documented in the included Changes Table, with modifications made after the Board’s Work Session specifically highlighted.
Recommendation:
That the Board adopt the 2023 Fairfax County School Board State and Federal Legislative Program and Priorities
Attachments:
2023-FCSB-ScheduledForAdoption-LegislativeProgram.pdf
2023-FCSB-ScheduledForAdoption-ChangesTable.pdf
Board Member Proposed Amendments:
1. I move to amend the main motion by adding "while preserving current requirements for parent/guardian involvement, partnership, and consent to IEPs" to Section S. Special Education, number 4 to read:
4) The FCSB supports adherence to language in IDEA asking states to minimize the number of additional rules, regulations, and policies imposed upon local school divisions above and beyond the requirements already imposed by IDEA, while preserving current requirements for parent/guardian involvement, partnership, and consent to IEPs. (Cohen/Sizemore Heizer)