Schools

Strauss Seeks Another Term on FCPS School Board

Strauss says FCPS must work toward the future of schools and education

Janie Strauss, a member of the Fairfax County Public Schools School Board, said she hopes to continue to help motivate children in local public schools by continuing her position on the school board.

Strauss has served as the Dranesville district representative on the school board since 1995, and served as an at-large representative from 1991-1993. She will be up for election again this fall.

“My interest from the beginning has always been how to capture children’s passions,” she said. She said she is focused on how to push children forward and motivate them to want to be problem solvers and give back to their communities.

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Strauss is the current board chair of Country Day School in McLean, the chair of The Cappies program, a former teacher and former school and county PTA president. She has had four of her own children graduate from Fairfax County schools.

Because of her work with Country Day School and The Cappies, Strauss said her connections to students in the county span many age groups and interests.

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Of top concern for Strauss is the need for schools to change along with the changes happening in the world, she said. She said FCPS must work to understand what’s going to work in the future, especially knowing that revenue in the future will likely be constrained. She said Fairfax County needs to continue to have world-class schools, and they cannot use the excuse that there isn’t enough money.

Strauss said the issue is not getting people to comprehend that schools need to move forward—but it is figuring out how to move schools forward. She said technology has been a powerful tool for education and FCPS has made great strides in teaching technology, learning about new technologies and using it administratively.

Often the technology students have available to them at home surpasses what the school is able to provide, she said. She said FCPS should find a way for students to use their own computers and devices and help provide devices for students who don’t have access to them.

The county has had a demographic shift in recent years, and Strauss said she finds Herndon in particular to be exciting because it reflects the world. “And this is a strength in our schools,” she said. She said the demographics of Herndon High School align directly with all of Fairfax County’s demographics.

Strauss said she believes FCPS needs to move away from too many fact-based standardized tests, though they will always be needed on some level. She said the testing FCPS uses should not narrow the curriculum.

Strauss said she is proud of the fact that she has helped lead FCPS through two recessions without having to cut from the curriculum. She said in the rough years the board has been able to continue to keep the curriculum on track without taking away from it, and student achievement is continuing to rise.

This past year the FCPS school board was able to find room in the budget for raises for teachers, implementing full-day kindergarten in all schools, cut fees for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests, and also found some funding for summer school for the county’s neediest students.

One of Strauss’ top budget priorities for next year is reversing the increases in class size that the county has experienced in the last few years, getting back to the pre-recession levels for class sizes. “We will have to continue to budget extremely carefully,” she said.

Strauss said on the issue of discipline, which has been a hot button issue in the county this year, when students get into serious trouble such as drugs, gangs or assaults, state code requires schools to take action.

She said FCPS must to make sure that students are not out of school too long, and a student’s education is not too badly interrupted. She said schools should also be making good use of Saturday schools and restorative justice programs, and every incident should be treated on a case-by-case basis.

Strauss said parents should be called into the situation as soon as possible, though in cases of trying to get rumors or other similar information from students, sometimes students need to be questioned and the situation needs to be investigated to find out how serious it may be.

Next year the board will monitor changes made in the hearing process, Strauss said. She said children need to be put back into school quickly and they need counselors or social workers to help make sure they’re staying on track and are OK.

Strauss said she would also like to see Fairfax County schools allow for more collaboration in teaching, including teaching across subject matter and grade levels. She said countries like Finland, Singapore and South Korea teach very differently from American schools.


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