As Chief Operating Officer, reporting to the Superintendent, and as a member of the Executive Cabinet, Bock is the principal adviser and assistant to the Superintendent for school support services. This position is responsible for the oversight of all facilities and grounds including 103 schools, centers, and support facilities. This position is responsible for the maintenance, improvement, and operation of these facilities, including the operation of 94 cafeterias. This position is also responsible for the oversight and operation of transportation services including 721 buses.
Bock has 26 years of experience in instructional and leadership roles across numerous school systems. He began his career as a high school math teacher. He subsequently worked as an assistant principal, principal, and assistant superintendent. Most recently, as associate superintendent for Frederick County Public Schools, Bock led the division Health and Safety Committee during the COVID-19 pandemic that prioritized the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff while providing in-person instruction.
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About 3,500 teachers, or about a quarter of the school division's workforce, submitted cards indicating they want lawyers to represent them during annual labor negotiations. The 7-1 vote by the School Board triggers what elected officials will be a lengthy process in determining what may be negotiated.
A law passed by Virginia's General Assembly controlled by Democrats in 2020, patroned by State Senators George Barker, Scott Surovell, and Jeremy McPike, who represent Prince William County, and signed by former Gov. Ralph Northam, allow lawyers for the school division and teachers union to negotiate.
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Children taking online classes in Prince William County Public Schools are failing at double the rate of their in-classroom counterparts.
Here's the breakdown for students in grades three through five from the newly-released third-quarter (January 31 to March 31) data from Virginia's second-largest government school division:
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Dr. Lucretia Brown was the first high-profile hire by Dr. LaTanya McDade, who took over as Prince William schools superintendent after Dr. Stephen Walts retired a year ago. Before coming to our area, Brown was the Deputy Superintendent of Equity, Accountability, and School Improvement for Allentown School District in Pennsylvania.
Now at Virginia's second-largest school district, she's made few public appearances and has yet to address the county School Board. In light of the recent focus on critically responsive teaching, a statewide gubernatorial election that put Critical Race Theory under a microscope, and a string of School Board meetings with parents demanding a more significant role in their children's public-school education, it's fair to say many of us are curious about her, and what she plans to do in her new role.
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Class passing rates dropped from 86.3 percent to 84.8 percent in county middle schools in the second quarter. The number of middle school students that are failing two or more subjects increased from 5.2 percent in the first quarter to 6.5 percent in the second quarter.
According to Dr. Jennifer Cassata, a director and researcher of Accountability and Strategic planning for the county schools, the overall proportion of students failing two or more classes is similar to the rate during the 2019-2020 school year, which was 5.2 percent. However, the rate is significantly lower than the 2020-2021 school year, which was 17.9 percent.
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Prince William County, Virginia's second-largest school district, will drop its student mask mandate on Tuesday, February 22.
Superintendent Dr. LaTayna McDade just announced the decision, and it follows a new law signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin last week, giving public school systems until March 1 to drop masking requirements.
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The School Board dropped its forced vaccination policy on Wednesday, February 16, in a 5-3 vote. The vaccination requirement took effect earlier this month, leaving about eight percent of the school division's unvaccinated workforce, about 960 employees, facing suspension if they chose not to submit to weekly testing.
According to the school division, 92% of its 12,013 employees got the jab. For those who didn't, some were suspended earlier this month, while others were forced to go to testing clinics operated by contractors from the state's health department to keep their jobs.
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A bill in the Virginia Senate gives parents mask choice for their children in public schools advanced on Wednesday and will head to the House of Delegates.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin said he would sign the bill and use emergency powers to implement the law to take effect sooner than July 1, the time when most new laws take effect.
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The centers that power the internet, they say, will help take the burden off residents when it comes to funding the government school division's ambitious $1.5 billion proposed budget, 14% higher than the previous year.
The spending plan for Fiscal Year 2023 starting July 1, Superintendent Dr. LaTanya McDade would spend $71 million for teacher pay raises (a cost-of-living and step increase). The raises will make the school division more competitive as it competes with surrounding jurisdictions to hire and maintain educators, said McDade.
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On Tuesday, the 28-year-old educator who works with children with autism at an elementary school in Woodbridge was shown the door. Administrators suspended her without pay because she didn't get a coronavirus vaccine and refused to comply with the division's weekly-testing mandate.
After three years on the job, Simms misses her students and their parents, with whom she's formed close bonds.
