PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY — Willie Deutsch will seek re-election to the Prince William County School Board as its Coles District member. Though School Board races are non-partisan, the incumbent is the first Republican to announce their candidacy for the seat.
All the seats for the school board are up for reelection on November 5, 2019. Deutsch was elected to the school board in 2015, his first time elected to public office.
“Back in 2015, we had a lot of concerns with accountability of the school administration, concerns that the parents weren’t being heard after a number of high-profile decisions.” Deutsch.
The past three years was a busy term for the school board.
“Over the last term, it’s been a very high profile school board, shall we say,” Deutsch said.
The early days were mired in controversy. Deutsch, along with the rest of the elected body approved a compromise vote in March 2016 to name Kyle Wilson Elementary School after the fallen firefighter, the only in Prince William County to die in the line of duty.
The second part of the deal was to rename Godwin Middle School, named for a Virginia Democratic Governor that once embraced segregation but reversed his position by the time he moved into the governor’s mansion, and later founded the Virginia Community College System, to Dr. George Hampton Middle.
The move sparked an outcry from teachers and staff at Godwin community. Hampton supporters, who were hoping to have a new elementary school named for him, accepted the compromise.
Under the leadership of former Chairman Ryan Sawyers who abruptly stepped down earlier this year, the school board continued debating larger social and political issues like gender equality and bathroom usage. Voters last month replaced the unpopular Sawyers with Dr. Babur Lateef.
Special education auditÂ
Through all of it, Deutsch says he’s been focused on the issues that affect students.
“We have done a lot to address class size overcrowding. We’ve added thousands of additional school seats at every level. We’ve worked very hard to push through an important bipartisan plan with the [Prince William County] Board of Supervisors to add an additional 500 high school seats to one of our latest high schools that we’re currently building and we’ve taken aggressive steps on that front,” he said.
He also pushed for an external audit of the special education department after parents pushed for a review of the system.
An audit found a persistent achievement gap in students with disabilities, despite Prince William County Schools being one of the best school divisions in Virginia according to 2016-17 overall Reading and Mathematics assessment pass rates. Â
“External audits are useful to shine some sunlight on places where maybe things are being hidden…” Deutsch said. “We’ve gotten a number of important recommendations and now we are working to make sure that those are actually carried out and that special education is more responsive to parents and students and that students get the services they need.”
Prince William County Schools contracted with Public Consulting Group to produce the audit, which was an in-depth analysis of the Division’s special education services, staffing, organizational structure, and processes. They reviewed data, held focus groups, conducted interviews, and visited schools.
The audit came with 24 recommendations, some of which included hiring a Special Education fiscal officer, assistants to implement technology in the classroom, ensuring that non-verbal students always have access to communication devices, improving the special-education website, and creating “a monitoring system and follow up mechanism when staff are not completing progress reporting as legally required.
Deutsch says he’s an advocate for the taxpayers over school administrators. Prince William County is one of two localities in the state that blindly hands over more than half of its budget to its public school division with zero restrictions on how the money is spent.
“…with about 57% of our property taxes going to the school division, so it’s critical that that money is used effectively,” he said. “We’ve got over 90,000 students now [and that] education that those students receive is critical to the future of this county and so we’ve got to make sure that we have the best school division possible,” Deutsch said.
Removing trailersÂ
Two of Deutsch’s main issues he hopes to tackle if he is re-elected are a reduction of the 207 trailers or portable classrooms used at schools across the county. And continuing growth of the special education department.
“There’s talk of plans to fully eliminate trailers. We may be able to get very close to that. It’s a matter of building on the work we’ve done over the last four years with adding additional seats across the county, adding some more over the coming term, and making sure that happens.” Deutsch said.
A joint committee of School Board and Board of Supervisors members are formulating plan that could cost as much as $143 million more than what is currently budgeted to fully remove all of the trailers.
“I am fully supportive of removing some of the trailers, not all,” said Occoquan District Supervisor Ruth Anderson, who serves on the joint committee.
There’s also the possibility of a leadership change at the school division’s headquarters in the next few years. Superintendent Dr. Steven Walts’ contract expires two years after the new School Board takes office in January 2020.
“I also believe that the next school board is going to choose the new superintendent of the school division. And I think that’s a critical issue that’s going to define how we move forward. Both who we pick and what that contract looks like is going to be very important.” Deutsch added.
Deutsch has been a Northern Virginia resident since 2007 and currently works in digital communications for a public relations firm called CRC Public Relations.
Recent Stories
Virginia’s General Assembly convened on January 8 for the start of its 30-day session. To keep readers informed on their local representatives’ efforts, we’ve reviewed some of their bills and votes.
Manassas continues to make strides in its commitment to fostering a business environment, with the Manassas Business Council (NBC) and the Economic Development Authority (EDA) reflecting on the city’s ongoing growth and vision for future projects. Both organizations presented their annual reports during the city council meeting on January 27, 2025, highlighting key initiatives, business growth, and revitalization efforts. The Manassas Business Council’s efforts to connect with local businesses have paid off with a year of meetings, presentations, and discussions. Key highlights from their year include monthly meetings with industry experts, discussions about economic development in the city, and presentations on projects such as the façade and landscape improvement grants. Notably, the city’s economic development initiatives were discussed, including the work to support small businesses and increase community engagement. Council members were also informed about the successes of local restaurants and the efforts to make Historic Downtown Manassas a business district.
Amid heightened immigration enforcement under President Trump’s executive orders, local communities are grappling with confusion and fear sparked by social media posts warning of ICE raids and undercover operations.
The president issued numerous Executive Orders, some of which reinforced the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws. In addition to targeted raids on known criminals across the country, the Trump administration has mobilized troops at the U.S.-Mexico border and reinstated the previous “Remain in Mexico” policy. This policy requires individuals seeking asylum to stay outside the U.S. while awaiting a decision on their applications.
These enforcement measures have sparked concern among those residing in the country illegally. Despite the Trump administration’s assurances that it is focusing on illegal immigrants with criminal convictions, certain groups have seized on the uncertainty, pushing political agendas that confuse the undocumented community, causing fear and confusion. Numerous social media posts, in both English and Spanish, warn people to avoid common locations like grocery stores and shopping centers to prevent encounters with ICE.
(The Center Square) — Despite budget increases in the hundreds of millions and multiple statewide education initiatives, Virginia students still aren’t showing a definitive recovery from pandemic learning lows.
Their test scores from January 2024 declined from their 2022 scores – the scores that caused Gov. Glenn Youngkin to call for major education reforms – in several areas.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the “nation’s report card,” measures several subjects but is most known for its 4th and 8th grade math and reading tests.
Travel to French soil and join us for a night filled with two of the most beloved French traditions—no plane ticket required! ?
On January 25th, we invite you to experience the magic of Galette des Rois, a 700-year-old tradition celebrated across France throughout the entire month of January (and even beyond!). This sweet, almond-filled puff pastry topped with a golden crown isn’t just a treat—it’s a celebration! The lucky person who finds the fève (a porcelain charm hidden in one of the slices) becomes the King or Queen for the Day, and don’t worry—there will be plenty of royalty to go around! ??
But that’s not all! In France, Les Voeux (New Year’s wishes) continue throughout January, often accompanied by Champagne and good cheer. We’re bringing that festive spirit to you, with a lively evening packed with French food, wine, and music.
What’s in store:
Experience the passion and drama of Puccini’s “The Girl from the Golden West”.
Featuring special guest musicians from The Chesapeake Youth Orchestra,
this performance brings Puccini’s masterpiece to life with an extraordinary cast.
