Thursday, May 17, 2012
Michele Menapace, a parent advocate, questions some of the school board's budget decisions
In testimony to the Fairfax County School Board on May 15, I expressed concern that our school system has a serious credibility problem. Yes, it's easy to dismiss such a comment as out-of-touch or not consistent with the remarkable successes of our students and teachers. But ask yourself ... Do you think it's credible to approve a monitoring report (from the Department of Communications and Community Outreach) that asserts FCPS has 100% fulfillment on FOIA requests? On March 22, I asked for the details of Undelivered Orders for 2010 and 2011 to see why FCPS is spending more than 2% of its operating budget on purchases in the final two months of the fiscal year. I have sent three followups and, as of May 15, don't have that information to …
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Former School Board Member Brad Center (Lee) says school systems shouldn't wait to tackle tech advances in K through 12 instruction
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Wednesday, May 16
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to serve eight years as a School Board member in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). It was a great opportunity, but the pace of the work rarely gave me the opportunity to sit down and think about the important trends in education in a more philosophical manner. There was always the “Crisis De Jour” – something or some group that needed immediate attention. It is only now, since leaving the Board that I have had a chance to really reflect on the things I learned. During my tenure at FCPS, I observed a number of emerging trends in K-12 education – with special attention to those involving technology and the changing workplace. As we all know, technological advances have exploded over the last …
Airports Authority is building new subway line through McLean and Tysons Corner
The U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General released a report Tuesday that is highly critical of how the little-known but powerful and rich Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) manages itself. The Airports Authority is an independent quasi-government agency that manages Reagan National and Dulles airports, oversees the construction of the new Silver Metro line, manages the Dulles Toll Road and has its own police force that patrols the Toll Road. The airports authority has 1,400 employes and a $2 billion budget, The Washington Post reported. The 18-page interim report was requested by Rep. Fran Wolf (R-Va) and Rep. Tom Latham (R-Iowa). A copy of the report accompanies this story. Rob Jackson, outgoing president of …
Friday, May 11, 2012
Rachael's entry was selected from close to two dozen nominations.
It's hard raising one child, nevermind five. But that's what the 2012 "Best Mom in Fairfax County" is doing. Her daughter, Rachael, called her "amazing." Rachael's entry was randomly chosen from almost two dozen that Patch received. Rachael and her mother won a $50 gift card and, of course, bragging rights. See all the entries here. Congratulations and Happy Mother's Day!
We Hear to Tell
Several McLean neighbors met Prince Harry this week. Yes, the Prince Harry who is third in line to the British throne. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell presented Prince Harry with the Distinguished Humanitarian Leadership award from the Atlantic Council. Mika Brzezinski, who grew up in McLean, hosted the Atlantic Council's honors program with her Morning Joe partner Joe Scarborough. The guest list also included McLean neighbors Zbigniew Brzezinski, Mika's dad, and former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), who is chairman of the Council. This was the prince's first official visit to Washington and it lasted maybe 24 hours. But back to the neighbors. U.S. News reported that Powell said at the presentation: "Apart from recognizing …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Will Obama's announcement hurt his chances to carry Virginia in 2012 as he did in 2008?
Facing pressure to take a stand, President Barack Obama on Wednesday said he supports same-sex marriage. In an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts, Obama (D) described his “evolution” on the issue through talks with friends, and reflection on military personnel and members of his own staff who, he said, “are not able to commit themselves in a marriage,” adding that “at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.” Excerpts of the interview are scheduled to appear on ABC’s World News with Diane Sawyer on Wednesday evening. The full interview is scheduled to appear on ABC’s Good Morning America on Thursday morning. …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Please share your memories
World War II began with a surprise attack on Poland on Sept. 1, 1939. Then Holland, Denmark, Belgium, France and finally Russia. By 1942, Europe from the Pyrenees to the outskirts of Moscow was veiled in four dark years of ruthless German occupation. Only England withstood the Nazi onslaught. The United States declared war on Germany the day after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Jim Mason sat in the downtown McLean Starbucks and remembered, May 8, 1945, the day the war ended in Europe. "I remember hearing the president talk on the radio worldwide," he said. "It was very exciting. ... When he said the war was over our family was hooting and hollering ... you got goosebumps. At the time, Mason was 6 years old and surrounded…
Saturday, May 5, 2012
For a chance to win a $50 gift certificate, upload a photo of your mom and a note about why she rocks.
This contest is now closed and we'll be notifying our winner shortly! Poets write about them. Strong men cry in their presence. We honor them each year with a special day punctuated by hearts and flowers, and perhaps even breakfast in bed. Don't just settle for all the customary ways to celebrate how awesome your mom is. Instead, upload a photograph of her to this article and write a caption telling us what's so great about the moms of Fairfax County. Next Friday, May 11 at noon, we'll randomly pick a winner and call her the "Best Mom of Fairfax County." Now that's a gift. But if that's not enough, we'll also award you a $50 gift certificate to spend any way you want on mom. (C'mon, dads, if your kids can't upload a photo of your …
Saturday, April 21, 2012
It's free. It's easy. You can do it yourself
Recently several neighbors have asked how to share information with the rest of the neighbors. One of the great things about McLean Patch, you can do that yourself. It's free. It's easy. You get to say exactly what you want to say. We're here to help if there's a problem. Patch sites are designed in a way that is easy for the neighbors to post their own announcements and calendar items. The announcement will go out with the newletter delivered early every morning. Follow this video tutorial by another Patch Editor Carlos Villatoro to see how to do this, step by step. If you want to just skip the video and get started right now, go to the top of the front page to the News tab. Choose Announcements, and look for that green button labeled "…
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Some say the new penalty for offenders is too much.
Beginning in July, Virginia will enforce a new drunken-driving penalty that requires first-time offenders to install ignition devices in their cars that will test the their blood alcohol level before the cars will start. The Washington Post has reported that the new requirement — the toughest in the region — will affect more than 18,000 people and has sparked a debate between groups fighting against drunk driving and people representing offenders. The new law will affect people arrested for drunken-driving offenses, regardless of the level of their blood alcohol concentration. That means it affects people who are only slightly above the legal limit. Speak Out: Should first-time drunken-driving offenders be required to use ignition devices…
Michele Menapace
8:39 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
I could not agree more with Greg's solution in the Baldridge Performance program. Just reading the MoCo schools' budget was an amazing experience--honest assessment, alignment of resources clearly tied to performance and meaningful outcomes, no excuses, acknowledgment of shortfalls. In short, transparent and accountable. Thank you, Greg, for reminding us of this. more ›