FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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NEWS BRIEFS F.C. Superintendent Search Progresses, Webb Reports Falls Church School Board chair Lawrence Webb released a letter late last week to the Falls Church community signaling that the School Board search for a permanent new superintendent is nearing completion, and will be finalized before spring break, or by April 8. According to Webb’s statement, a methodological search process began with contracting B.W.P. Associates last fall, following the departure of Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones, for a nationwide search and a month-long survey of local parents, staff and citizens. The search concluded on Feb. 24, Webb stated, with a pool of 38 candidates “representing a wide range of geographic, ethnic and gender diversity” presented to the school board. The board has since “selected and invited several of the top candidates in for personal interviews,” and “we will whittle this group further to our finalists who will then meet with a 13-member stakeholder panel that the board approved last Tuesday night.” After that, the board will make its final determination, and “it is our intent to announce the new permanent [Falls Church City Public Schools] Superintendent by Spring Break,” Webb said, adding “this is still a confidential process.”
Beyer Co-Sponsors Anti-Hate Legislation Following a national surge in hate crimes, U.S. Rep. Donald Beyer, who represents the 8th District of Virginia that includes the City of Falls Church, joined with U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Ct.) to introduce bicameral legislation this week to strengthen federal laws that combat hate speech, threats, and attacks. Beyer said, “As incidents of hate crimes continue to rise, the National Opposition to Hate, Assault, and Threats to Equality (“NO HATE”) Act would improve reporting and expand assistance and resources for victims of hate crimes. In a recent high-profile incident, two Indian men in Kansas were shot by a man who shouted “get out of my country” before opening fire. Meanwhile, Jewish Community Centers across the country have experienced a significant uptick in bomb threats and other attempts at intimidation.” Beyer added, “Police forces across the country should be focused on reducing hate crimes. We cannot allow the rise in anti-immigrant acts, acts of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and crimes against LGBTQ individuals since the election to metastasize into a culture of cruelty and intolerance. By tracking and reporting incidents of hate crimes nation-wide, we can know whether we are making progress towards their prevention.” He noted that the Southern Poverty Law Center, which supports the legislation, reported 701 acts of hateful intimidation and harassment in just the first week after the election. The FBI has also reported a nearly seven percent increase in the number of hate crimes in 2015 compared to 2014. This was driven by a 67 percent increase in the number of anti-Muslim crimes.
New ‘Small Area Plan’ Meet on March 25 The City of Falls Church Planning Commission announced this week that the Falls Church community is invited to participate in the kickoff event for the Small Area Plan of the high school and middle school campus. The event is set for Saturday, March 25 from 8:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School’s Cafetorium. The focus of the event includes community needs, open space, economic development, transportation, and urban design. Participants at this event will discuss best uses and options for up to 10.4 acres of the campus, not the school construction. According to Planning Department head Jim Snyder, “Redevelopment is being discussed as a possibility since the City gained ownership of the property as part of the boundary adjustment tied to the sale of the City’s water utility to Fairfax Water in 2013. This meeting is the first step in creating a Small Area Plan. These types of plans define a vision for redevelopment in a specific location, taking into consideration the history as well as current and future needs of residents, workers and visitors. Once the Planning Commission and staff create a draft plan, community members, boards and commissions, and the City Council will provide more feedback. Ideally, City Council will adopt the plan as recommended by the Planning Commission.”
F.C. Citizens Join Arts Advocacy Day in D.C. March 20 Falls Church and area citizens are planning to attend the Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. on Monday, March 20, and a lobbying day March 21. The effort is aimed at preventing cuts to the federal National Endowment for the Arts. Last year, $1.6 million of the endowment’s budget went to non-profit arts groups in Virginia, including over $200,000 to those in the Fairfax-Falls Church area. It is feared the Trump administration will advocate deep cuts in the National Education Association budget.
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