August 15 - 21, 2024
Fa lls Chur c h, V i r g i ni a • ww w. fc np. c om • Fr ee
Fou n d e d 1991 • Vol. X X XIV No. 27
The City of Falls Church’s Independent, Locally-Owned Newspaper of Record, Serving N. Virginia
Lian Resigns, NEW SCHOOL YEAR BEGINS Council Awaits Court Ruling On Next Step Special Election Sought, But With Complications by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
At its Monday meeting this week, the Falls Church City Council voted 4-2 after a lengthy discussion to petition the Arlington Circuit Court to allow a special election, concurrent with the general and special elections, including for U.S. president, on November 5, 2024, to fill the vacancy after the resignation last week of former Council member Caroline Lian. The City Attorney Sally Gillette filed a Petition for Writ of Special Election this week and requested a candidate filing deadline of August 30. The petition asks for expedited review by the Circuit Court and requested a decision no later than 5 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, August 16. Falls Church’s Director of Elections and General Registrar David Bjerke, who was in on the Council’s discussions remotely Monday, said yesterday that candidates interested in running should contact his office to learn about the process to qualify for the ballot. However, he noted that “It is possible that the petition for a special election on November 5, may be denied by the Circuit Court because the 2024 General Election is fewer than 90 days from the date the vacancy occurred.” The complicated state code concerning such matters says that a special election can be called only if there are 90 days’ notice.
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AT THE FIRST OF TWO back-to-school convocation events for all employees of the Falls Church City Public Schools (FCCPS) this Monday, system teachers and other employees were greeted by volunteers handing out school-themed t-shirts to all. Putting them on could have been a wake up call for those who couldn’t fit into as small a size as before. (News-Press photo)
F.C. Schools Hold 2 Convocation Kick Offs by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
And, as of Monday, they’re off! This Monday, Aug. 19, the new year formally commences for the Falls Church City Public Schools (FCCPS), as classes at all five campuses in the Little City will commence. “We’re ready,” exclaimed Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan in remarks to the first meeting of the School Board Tuesday night. He said that the two days of events this week held in the auditorium of Meridian High School, constituting a “convocation” of all the system’s
employees, was “super fun.” Noonan was particularly upbeat at this week’s convocation events, his eighth year leading them and spearheading them with his annual report to the assembled Monday morning. He began by exclaiming “This is my favorite day of the year!” praising the “collegiality and commitment” evident among the “community of educators” assembled in the room. He cited the polling of the U.S. News & World Report and the online Niche.com organization showing the Falls Church system,
which is now a full International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum system from preschool through 12th grade, is ranked No. 1 in Virginia and among the top in the entire U.S., and that includes the critical ranking of “Best Places to Teach” in the state, where among 300 systems in Virginia, the Falls Church system ranked third. In terms of the “college readiness” of students, for those coming through the Falls Church system, the system was ranked second in Virginia. Noonan also pointed out that the No. 1 ranking in the entire U.S. for the City of Falls Church in terms
of “healthiness” that made major headlines last week, the ranking of the “education” component to that ranking was a big part of how the City came in tops in the U.S. overall. The strategic focus for the system is centered on its extraordinary IB focus that involves “international-mindedness, critical thinking, conceptual understanding and rigorous academic standards” that are “a way of developing our students by nurturing curiosity and collaboration to do good things,”
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