Covering Annandale, Bailey's Crossroads, Lincolnia, and Seven Corners in Fairfax County, Virginia

Applications accepted for FCPS immersion programs

Online registration for Fairfax County Public Schools’ two-way and partial immersion elementary school foreign language programs opened Jan. 5. Current kindergarten students may apply for the partial-immersion world language program for the 2010-11 school year, which is offered at 12 elementary schools, including Bailey’s Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences in Bailey’s Crossroads. Students … Continued

Samantha Rucker running for school board

The Fairfax County Republican Committee has endorsed former Virginia Assistant Attorney General Samantha Vanterpool Rucker as a candidate for the Mason seat on the Fairfax County school board. Rucker has been a substitute teacher and instructional assistant at Weyanoke Elementary School in Annandale, a Head Start volunteer, a member of the FCPS Minority Student Achievement … Continued

More details emerge on new Lacey school

Fairfax County school officials offered new details of the elementary school to be built on the Lacey site at a Dec. 12 meeting sponsored by the Broyhill Crest Community Association. The Lacey school administration building will be torn down, and construction of the new school is expected to be completed in February 2012, which will … Continued

Democrats endorse Evans for school board

The Mason District Committee of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee endorsed Sandy Evans for the Mason seat on the Fairfax County school board Dec. 7. Evans is a longtime school volunteer and activist who has been a leader on several school system and parent advocacy organizations. Herb Smith, a special education teacher, who was also … Continued

Herb Smith runs for school board

Former special education teacher and political activist Herb Smith has announced his candidacy for the Mason District seat on the Fairfax County school board held by Kaye Kory, who was recently elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. It has not yet been determined when that special election will occur. Smith was a field organizer with … Continued

Major cuts in school funding considered

Brace yourselves for some major cuts in basic school services. The Fairfax County Public Schools budget has a revenue shortfall requiring cuts totaling $162 million and the elimination of more than 1,700 positions. The problem stems from an enrollment increase of more than 7,000 students, a decline in state revenue for the school district, and … Continued

The Lacey School: It’s really happening

If you’re curious about what the new elementary school in the Broyhill Crest neighborhood will look like, see the photo of the brand-new Laurel Hill school in Lorton. The new Annandale school on the Lacey site, scheduled to open for the start of the 2012 school year, will have a similar design as the Laurel … Continued

Progress on Lacey school site

Finally some action on the Lacey school! Fairfax County Public Schools located office space for the school employees at the Lacey Center, smoothing the way for the building to be demolished so construction of a new elementary school on that site can begin. Current plans call for staff moves to begin in December and be … Continued

Fairfax school budget will be “ugly”

Fairfax County Public Schools is facing another tough year, with deep budget cuts likely to result in staff cuts, program eliminations, larger class sizes, transportation cutbacks, and fees for such things as sports participation and AP and IB exams. At a meeting of the Superintendent’s Business and Community Advisory Council Sept. 22, Superintendent Jack Dale … Continued

Lacey school will have geothermal heating

The new school planned for the Lacey Center site in the Broyhill Crest neighborhood will be the first school in Fairfax County with geothermal heating and cooling, says Dean Tistadt, assistant superintendent for the Fairfax County Public Schools’ Department of Facilities and Transportation. With this system, water is piped deep underground to maintain a constant … Continued

Some Annandale HS students will have to transfer

If you or your child plans to attend high school next year, your school might not be the one you had counted on. In spite of strong opposition in the community, the Fairfax County school board voted June 26 to change the attendance area for Annandale High School at the start of the 2010-11 school … Continued

School bond on the ballot

The $232.5 million school bond slated for the Nov. 3 ballot won’t have much new funding for schools serving Annandale residents. That’s because renovation projects in our area were covered by previous bonds, including the construction of a new 36-classroom elementary school on the Lacey site near the intersection of Gallows Road and Wayne Drive … Continued

Students get grade relief

It’s going to be a little easier to get a higher grade point average in Fairfax County schools, now that the school board has approved a new 10-point grading scale. Under the old system, a student needed 94 points on a 100-point scale to get an A. Now, an A is 93 to 100 percent … Continued