FCPS Superintendent Garza reorganizes administrative structure
 |
| Fairfax County high school pyramids would be divided among five regions. |
Fairfax County
Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza announced plans May 16 to reorganize the system’s
administrative structure. The new system takes effect July 1.
clusters, the new system would group schools into five administrative regions,
with high-achieving schools that serve affluent populations grouped with those
with more diverse student bodies and larger proportions of lower-income
students. Each region would
have a regional assistant superintendent and an “executive principal.”
The Annandale/Mason
area would be in Region 2, the smallest geographically but with the most students. It would include
Annandale, Stuart, and Falls Church high schools, which are in the Mason District
and already connected somewhat via their feeder schools, plus Marshall and McLean
high schools which are farther away and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a
selective school that serves the whole Northern Virginia region.
a total of 44 schools, including all the elementary and middle schools that feed into those high
schools. The
reorganization wouldn’t change attendance boundaries or change the structure
within the pyramids.
Stuart, and Woodson pyramids plus Thomas Jefferson are in Cluster 3. The Falls
Church, Marshall, and Madison pyramids are in Cluster 2. McLean, Langley, and
Herndon are in Cluster 1.
employees May 16, Garza said the new structure “will serve to better align our
system, improve our decision making, and facilitate stronger and more
differentiated support of our schools.”
“Our region is one of two that will get an extra position for an executive principal for school improvement, recognizing the unique challenges that some of the schools in this region face,” Evans said. “The extra focus on help for areas like ours with special needs is an important improvement we’ll see from the restructuring.”
the restructuring is being done following nine months of study, including numerous
surveys, interviews conducted by consultants, input from staff, and evaluations
of how other school systems of similar size are structured.
“There were a number of reasons for considering a new organizational structure
primarily to help us to be more effective and responsive to our schools,” she
said. “I am pleased to report that this new design is also cost effective and
will create significant budgetary savings, once fully implemented.” The savings presumably will come from the reduction of cluster offices and administrators.
COTS has been concerned about the increasing disparity among students and schools between “haves” and “have nots,” with poor and minority children being increasingly isolated in geographic pockets with higher poverty and lower-performing schools. “By taking this step, Dr. Garza has demonstrated she understands that this is one school system for all kids.”
The new
organization chart is more streamlined than the current one. Currently
eight administrators or department heads plus the interim deputy superintendent
report directly to the superintendent.
director of operations, division counsel, chief academic officer, chief of
staff, and chief operating officer. The heads of the new regional offices will
report to the deputy superintendent.
new regional system:
Lakes (36,600 students).
Falls Church, Marshall, McLean, Stuart, and Thomas Jefferson.
students).
Region 3: Edison, Hayfield, Lee, Mount Vernon, and West Potomac (36,200 students).
Lake Braddock, Robinson, South County, and West Springfield (36,200 students).
Fairfax, Westfield, and Woodson (33,000 students).
I like having Annandale HS and Falls Church HS linked since we are in the area that was switched from Annandale to FC a couple of years ago. The grouping also makes sense geographically looking beyond those two schools.
What criteria will be used to determine what are "high-achieving" schools"? Falls Church is very diverse, but also high achieving, doing an excellent job serving its population.