1. March 11, 2014
7:00 PM
The Alvin York Bandy Administrative
Complex
located at
31 Stafford Avenue
Stafford County School Board
Open Meeting

2. Agenda/Summary of Issues Discussed
 Approval of the March 11, 2014 Personnel Report of Resignations and Appointments
 Approval of recommended inclement weather make-up dates
 Public School Foundations- change from non-profit school to a public school
foundation
 Approval of the Summer School Program Proposal for 2014
 Approval of the High School Athletic Summer Camps for 2014
 Approval of Elementary School Student Redistricting Option #4 in Support of
Widewater Elementary School
 Approval of a Utility Right of Way Easement Between Verizon and Stafford County
Public Schools for the Underground Telephone/Fiber Service Relocation/Extension in
Support of the Rebuild Stafford High School Project
 Approval of the Award of a Multi-Year Supply Contract to Aireco Inc., of 4619 Mine
Road, Fredericksburg, Virginia, for the Supply of HVAC Parts- $75,000
 Approval of an Agreement to Convey a Sanitary Sewer Line Easement between
Richmond American Homes Inc. and Stafford County Public Schools in support of a
Residential Development (Bowling Property) Adjacent to Stafford Elementary School
 Approval of the Recommended Inclement Weather Make-up Day Option(s) for
Implementation During the Current School Year, 2013-2014
 Appointment of an Alternate Board Member to the Finance and Budget Committee

3. School Board Members
 Mrs. Nanette Kidby, Garrisonville District Chair
 Mrs. Cheryl Dombrosky, Clerk of the Board
 Dr. William Symons, Superintendent
 Valerie Cottongim, Public Information Officer
 Holly Hazard, Vice-Chair
 Dana Reinboldt Griffis- Widewater District
 Patricia Healy- Rock Hill District
 Dewayne McOsker, Jr.-George Washington District
 C. Scott Hirons- Falmouth District
 Irene M. Egan- Aquia District
 Over 17 citizens spoke
 9 board members were present at the meeting

4. Key Issues
 School make up days
 Redistricting of the Widewater
Elementary School area
 Salary increases for teachers, bus
drivers, and nurses

5. Citizen Comments (17+ citizens)
Individuals who want to comment are allowed to come up and speak for 3 minutes
max.
 Shetha Reeva (Rockhill Elementary Parent) 1. Make up days on Saturdays or at
end of school year- doesn’t want time added to each day
 Jeffrey Trigger (High School Teacher) 1. Make up days as extended minutes each
day, not adding extra days or Saturday school
 Bonnie Cox (Widewater Elementary School Teacher) 1. Regarding make up days,
her school has done 5,000-7,000 minutes more instructional time than necessary
during the 30 minutes before school and the 20-30 minutes after school, before kids
get picked up by buses or parents.
 Paul Widowski (Teacher) 1. Elementary school redistricting
 Andy Hayes (Gayle Middle School Teacher) 1. Stafford County Schools Improperly
Funded- class size too large, teacher turnover is high, budget cuts lower
opportunities for sports and clubs, average house price in Stafford is $270,000-
$400,000
 Lynn Miller (Brooke Point High School Teacher) 1. Concedes her minutes so Mr.
Hayes can finish
 Theresa Thompson (Stafford Education Association President) 1.Salary increases
need to happen.
 Roger Hall (Parent at Brooke Point High School) 1. Opposed to taking away spring
break
 Suzie Durham (Parent of Widewater Elementary School student) 1. Opposed to
redistricting of the schools

6. Citizen Speaker Credibility
 Each citizen had a direct connection to the
Stafford County Public School System
 Some were nurses, others were teachers,
parents, bus drivers, or students.
 An elementary school girl, Naia Harris, came up
to speak, but I found her opinion credible
because she was coherent, concise, and clear.
 Each person had a relevant opinion and a first-
hand experience with their topic, and I find that to
be credible.

7. Differing Views: Make up Days
Pro-Added Days to
School Year
Anti- Added Days to
School Year
 Only one person was
in favor of adding
days, not minutes to
each school day. She
argued that they were
“adding minutes for
time’s sake” (Shetha
Reeva).
 Six or more people
argued that either that
there was
unaccounted for
minutes during the
school day that
should be accounted
for, or that time should
be added to each day.

8. Follow-up to the Meeting: Make up
Days
 The Stafford County Public School Board decided
against
Saturday school
 They will have full days where early release days
were scheduled on April 18, May 23, June 11 &
12
 They will have fill days on exam days June 11,
12, & 13
 They will have a make up day April 4
 Nothing was mentioned concerning adding
minutes to the school day

9. Overall Thoughts on the Meeting
Parent involvement seemed pretty high as many
parents came and voiced their opinions regarding the
redistricting of the schools in the Aquia region of
Stafford. The parents talked about how their kids did
not want to leave their present schools, and how
detrimental it could be to their lives. Ornstein, Levine,
Vocke, and Gutek (2014) discuss that parent
involvement can promote students good grades,
higher attendance rates, and better attitudes toward
learning (p. 224-225). I would have to agree that after
seeing parents go to these meetings, I do see how it
can have a positive influence on children’s attitudes
toward school because they learn from their parents
that they can at least voice their opinions for changing

10. Reference
Ornstein, A.C., Levine, D.U., Gutek, G.L, & Vocke,
D. E. (2014). Foundations of education. (12th ed.).
Belmont: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.