Just for further consideration, at one point Dale said the school board doesn't "rubber stamp" what he wants, but he puts out what the school board is asking him for. He also mentioned he thinks the school board should be nine members instead of 12 so they can more efficiently come to a consensus.

Also, that comment isn't meant to be construed as criticism or support. It's just additional information that Dale provided during the interview that wasn't in the article that I thought people might be interested to hear.

and if you had bothered to ask Tina Hone, Kay Kory, Sandy Evans or others, they would have disputed that and almost every other statement made by Jack in your puff piece.

This profile isn't journalism. It's propaganda. Shame on Patch for publishing such one-sided nonsense.

I didn't think anyone here was upset about it, but I wanted to make it clear as to why I added the information. :) Thanks KB.

Here's Steve's website http://stubanforschoolboard.com/

Janet – As the parent of two children with disabilities, I’m focused on promoting positive outcomes for ALL students. My expertise is in special education, and I’ve been fighting for years to get these students the attention they deserve. For example, did you know that students with disabilities – who comprise 14% of the total population – make up 44% of all the discipline cases before the FCPS Hearings Office? Data from the Hearings Office indicates that a student with a disability has a 5 times greater chance of being subjected to suspension and reassignment than a general education student. Dale and the School Board refuse to acknowledge this glaringly disproportionate treatment of students with disabilities. It's been the elephant in the room in all the School Board discussions on discipline, and I hope you’ll support candidates who will be more responsive on this and other issues which impact our most at-risk students.

Sheree Brown-Kaplan
Candidate, Fairfax County School Board At-Large

Janet, I agree with your comments above ...relative to the Superintendents' huberious. However, after almost a decade advocating on behalf of twice exceptional learners, which resulted in the FCPS focus on this issue and partnership of Instructional Services and Special Services, I have on numerious occasions found Louise Epstein to be knowledgable of twice exceptional learners and aware of the importance of ensuring schools meet their needs. Unlike some at TJ, Mrs. Epstein understands the struggling learner and the challenges both they and their parents face in dealing with schools. Although the disrict has made progress, increased awareness and identification of this the largest group of underidentified disabled learners, we need to support school board members who we can count on to support additonal changes. Both Sheree Brown-Kapaln and Louise Epstein will ...For that reason I will vote for Sheree and if I lived in her District, Epstein would have my vote. ======

Dale has NO positive achievements. He demoralized parents, students, and teachers and devastated our schools through reckless discipline and curriculum development policies and incoherent fiscal management. He can't leave too soon for my taste. I suspect Dale is putting in his papers now to 1/ undercut the campaigns of school board candidates who strongly oppose him and 2/ to avoid being fired by the new Board. His (few) public appearances and brief conversations with parents show an inarticulate, insensitive, and obtuse administrator. It's easy to say what we need - we need just the opposite. I suppose we could do worse but I don't know how - well, maybe, actually, we could hire another 'seasoned administrator' in the likeness of a Dale. We need someone with a proven track record from business, the military, or education who makes their living by working deftly with people from all walks of life, who can articulate a vision, and is skilled in leading others to successful outcomes.

Here is Sheree's website to find out more about her platform www.brownkaplan4schoolboard.com.

Dear Janet: Thank you for your comments. I want to suggest that you please consider Louise Epstein for your district's Board seat. Louise is a co-founder of Fairgrade and worked diligently for a number of years, together with other advocates, to finally get FCPS to jettison its needlessly discriminatory grading policy that harmed our children. She has also worked tirelessly on numerous other issues on our children's behalf for over a decade. Her opponent in the race, while by all appearances very nice at a personal level, has nonetheless, substantively, been one of Jack Dale's key enablers. Thankfully, we are blessed with a slate of candidates from both parties that includes many intelligent people with moral courage. While I do not know all of the candidates personally, I do know the following individuals -- who are from across the political spectrum -- and I know that they will continue to demonstrate empirically based decision making and, most importantly, drive, guts and genuine community outreach: sitting Board members Sandy Evans and Patty Reed, and candidates Megan McLaughlin, Elizabeth Schultz, Louise Epstein and Steve Stuban. There are other excellent candidates as well. And at least one of the sitting Board members will generally do the right thing, even if he has not typically been a proactive leader like sitting Board member Tina Hone, who unfortunately is not running for re-election.

Nice to see the Republicans, like Ms. Saltus, promoting their candidates.

Unfortunately, interviewing Ms. Nellenbach has made clear that her experience is limited to her local school's PTA.

Dan is a past chair of the School Board who voted AGAINST extending Dale's contract. While not a table pounder, Dan can be counted on to bring a breadth of knowledge and conciliatory, behind the scenes, leadership to the many contentious issues that the School Board will face during the next 4 years.

Dan's appreciation for the challenges faced by a school system that is majority minority is unmatched among this Fall's crop of candidates. At the same time, Dan has been far more lenient with Nardas King and her completely disproportionate rate of suspensions than she has been with her students. It's past time for her to move on.

Dan has been endorsed by both teacher's union and Fairfax Zero Tolerance Reform.

On the whole, Mount Vernon is very lucky that Dan chose to seek re-election.

Your comment begs the question of how do you back up your claim that Mr. Storck has a better understanding of the community. What do you base that statement on? He's certainly not a minority, as a white male. As far as resourxing the gap, do you mean throwing money at it? That clearly has not worked in the last few years. As a Hispanic myself I am not only quite tuned-in to our communiy's issues, but have also worked directly with it within the schools, as wells as outside, for the last several years. I have personally witnessed the failure of the SB policies to the very same communities that they claim to care the most about. Results speak louder than words, look at the statistics on drop outs alone, and you get a very clear picture.

I've answered your question. You just don't like the answer.

No Republican has offered a coherent solution yet.

Didn't you know, John, that Liz Bradsher changed parties to the Democratic side? I guess that blows away your argument that Republicans refused to fund those efforts when you are referring specifically to her, wouldn't it?

south county liz (cause that's the only thing she ever cared about) was elected as a Republican.

She tried to change her stripes but withdrew her application to join FCDC when she figured out that she would be rejected.

Democrats let Jim Webb join but not Liz. How bad is that?

Republians had the chance to endorse Steve and refused to do so.
Too late to claim credit for his ideas.

Lolitas has only mentioned vague generalities.

But we're talking about Dan and Nellenbach.

Dan's the choice in Mount Vernon.

I've seen Dan Storck and his opponent in two different fora.

That's more than enough to make clear that Dan is by far the better alternative.

FCPS used to be at the top of public school systems, not anymore! Your claim that the Republican party is trying to destroy our school system is completely bogus! Is that why teachers unions endorsed several of the candidates on our ticket? I hardly believe that teachers would vote against their own interests, as well as their students. Our candidates are advocating for teachers' compensations and resources in the classroom, and NOT in the Fairfax "Taj Mahal", sorry, the FCPS Gathouse facility, to make it possible for them to do the outstanding job that all of them do! The issue is NOT with our teachers, it is with the FCPS administration. Your claim that Ms. Nellenbach is only concerned with "white schools" is completely bogus as well. She is the PTA president of Stratford elementary, which is not a white school last time I checked. Additionally in her role of leader in the school community she has reached out to minorities and different schools within our cluster, as has Lolita, a Hispanic herself. You can check all of our candidates platforms and proposals online at the links provided, and you will find out facts and not the ultra-partisan party line that you are selling here in your comments, Janet.

Ok - tyrad - have one. My comment about "white" was in direct response to yours "What do you base that statement on? He's certainly not a minority, as a white male" That it is silly to think that individuals will only advocate for their "race" and that if that was the case - then let's apply that to your supported candidate Ms. Nellenback. WAS A REFERENCE TO YOUR REMARK!
And yes - I will stand by my statements that the Republican party and candidates that seek their support has as their main platform in 2011 - to undermind the public school system.. Rant and rave all you want - but facts are facts

ok - Don't know how to reply to a reply? The below statement is directed back to a Ms. Saltus - see below.

The teachers unions endorsed Storck

not Nellnbach

Shrill

I will tell you what schools that are not "white" I am reaching out to work out with as the liason for Ms. Nellenbach and our other candidates: Riverside, Woodley Hills, Woodlawn and Washington Mill, to name a few currently working on our outreach within our District; many others in Lee and Braddock Districts where minority populations are high as well. I haven't even seen a single Democratic candidate hand-out literature in different languages, our candidates all have, and are reaching out accross the Black, Hispanic and Asian minorties. You should see the faces of Hispanic parents that light up at Back to School Nights when our candidates and myself address them in their native language, provide them with informative literature in their native language, and show them how to get involved in the schools and the electoral process to let their voices be heard and represented. Name one of your candidates that has done that. I haven't seen anyone, anywhere in the County so far.

You mean they didn't, right John? True, while they didn't endorse Nellenbach, they did endorse Elizabeth Schultz, Louise Epstein, Dr. Lolita Mancheno (both unions endorsed her) and Steve Stuban, to mention a few. Again, mudslinging Republican candidates simply because of their party endorsement is not only absurd,but a completely uneducated way to vote for a candidate.

thank you for pointing out the typo, I corrected the comment

the teachers endorsed Dan not Nellenbach.

I've engaged in no mudslinging.

Dan is the better choice.

You want facts, Janet? Read up and tell me Dan Storck has done a wonderful job,
http://www.northernvirginiamag.com/education/education-features/2011/09/26/ditching-the-diploma/comment-page-1/#comment-39621

The minority gap is very well addressed with facts and statistics of dropout rates and such across NoVA, and the fact also is no one in the current SB has addressed the issue properly, in specific where Hispanics are concerned. I'm still waiting for someone to name one democratic candidate that has reached out to the Hispanic community, how and where.

Q: There has been discussion about a two tier instructional program to include eliminating Honors classes. What is your position on eliminating Honors courses?

Steve Stuban’s Answer, Part 1:
A three tier instructional program best serves the divergent academic needs of every student. Presenting this mix of Standard, Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) course offerings allows students the opportunity to develop a balanced course of study that meets the level of challenge and rigor by subject that is appropriate to each student. Moreover, the School Board's assertion that limiting offerings to a two tier system as a means to increase minority students’ participation in AP courses is not supported by data, plus neglects to consider the impact on other students.

The recent row over FCPS’s strategy to enhance minority student enrollment in AP courses by limiting course selections or eliminating certain Honors courses for all students has made it abundantly clear that our community will not accept FCPS staff’s short term, ill-conceived fixes and strategies that do not take all students’ interests into account. If the goal is to enhance minority participation in APs, a range of other strategies could have been considered to not only increase AP enrollment, but to also ensure retention and successful completion of AP courses by all students.

Steve Stuban’s Answer, Part 2:
First, school policies governing AP courses could be restructured to offer “open enrollment” to maximize overall participation, and special outreach efforts should be made to encourage minorities. AP enrollment criteria are often a restrictive barrier for minority or disadvantaged students. Schools typically screen student admission based on transcripts, grade point averages, teacher recommendations, specialized placement testing and the like. An open enrollment policy would raise the gate so that minority or disadvantaged students with drive and commitment in a particular subject could self select a more rigorous course offering.

In addition, providing a safety net of support to all enrolled students is critical for course retention; awareness of these resources could encourage minority, as well as overall, enrollment. Not all students, particularly underrepresented minority students, will be confident that they can handle the rigor of these courses, and having a strong support system in place will give a level of confidence. Not all students have parents, older siblings or peers who can provide tutoring assistance, and many students do not have the financial means to hire private tutors. Remedial help should be available to all students.

Steve Stubans Answer, Part 3:
Moreover, such assistance should be offered from the onset to facilitate achievement, not just once a student falters. Support groups, study teams, summer study skills courses (particularly targeting minority or first time AP enrollees to review textbook usage, note taking, test taking strategies, time management and the like), Saturday review sessions (e.g., to grade practice AP tests and edit individualized writing exercises), study hall sessions during school hours staffed by AP teachers, and peer mentors to enrolled students would help all students achieve, and would improve minority retention as well.

Moreover, school policies governing schedule changes could also be restructured to enhance AP student retention. For instance, all students would have to wait until the fourth week of the course (or submit a request to the teacher) to withdraw from an AP course. This allows a settling-in period where some of the measures I have noted (such as peer tutoring and mentoring, online aids, study hall sessions staffed by AP teachers, etc.) could bear fruit. In addition, a student who withdraws from an AP course might nonetheless be a good candidate for an Honors course in that subject, thereby providing an opportunity for him or her to excel in an offering that is more rigorous than the Standard class.

Steve Stuban’s Answer, Part 4:
Further, partnering with parents and students prior to eighth grade, to offer early academic planning and advising, would be advantageous to all students. Promoting public awareness about the AP program and its link to a successful transition to post-secondary educational studies needs to be highlighted in the local media, school publications, course catalogues, career fairs, Curriculum/AP Program Orientation and Information Sessions, and Minority Recruitment Events. In addition, giving recognition to minority “alumni” of AP courses and publicizing their testimonials of the impact on their college achievements would be helpful. Special outreach to minority families may also be helpful – e.g., translating brochures into appropriate languages and offering families a small group Q&A session after a Course Registration Information Session (such as to a Korean or Hispanic Parents Support Group).

Steve Stuban’s Answer, Part 5:
AP teachers, currently enrolled students and AP course alumni in college (especially minority student role models) need to actively recruit students for AP courses. This could be done through personal invitations to minority students who could meet the challenge of the more rigorous courses. In addition, AP teachers could speak (if they do not already do so) to students in Honors courses to share experiences and provide encouragement to take an AP course. At a minimum, parents and students need to understand the sequence or progression of courses so that students follow an academic plan with a strong preparational foundation via Honors courses as well as completion of any prerequisites for AP courses.

I agree. Steve has my vote! One point thought, both AP and IB courses are currently "open enrollment" and have been for many years. Please let Steve know that...

At any Regular Board meeting you can make a public comment to share your thoughts with the Board and request they take and action. In addition you can email them all at once @: schoolboardmembers@fcps.edu
I have spent many hours in lour local schools for many years and I certainly understand your frustration. The chair of the MSAC said they had reduced the Gap... I haven't reviewed the recent scores... However, I've seen effort and improvement... you are aware of course that the Hispanic scores are not the lowest. I have advocated tirelessly on these issues, being and old teacher who had wonderful teachers, but improvement is slow and the flow of additional children at risk seems to continue to increase... MVHS has around 40 percent free and reduced lunch students... a correlate to low academic achievement for many complex social reasons. After over two decades I can say the schools try... Woodley Hills for one has improved their student academic achievement...but is at risk I undrstand.
Who is going to sponsor the Q and A ... I'd really like that... let's invite at large candidates too... OK

I'm not certain that it's the school board who doesn't want them, Chris...but, whoever they opposed are, I am fairly certian it has to do with the fact that honors courses do nothing to boost FCPS' ratings/rankings, whereas AP courses do. Therefore, if you take away honors-level courses, you force students seeking a more challenging level to choose the AP option, as it is the only alternative to the "regular" course...thereby boosting your rank (or "status"). Appearances are always more important than the best interests of children, don't you know? Oh, never mind - I forgot - high schoolers are not children.

"the other Janet" - thanks so much for sharing your perspective! I have to admit that when I first heard of the "online PE" offering, it seemed like an oxymoron to me. However, reading your post helped me to look at it in a different way. I bet there are many students out there who would truly benefit from a format other than the standard classroom setting. I plan to look into the online offerings and, if the opportunity presents itself, will be sure to promote them.