F.C. Schools’ Zero Drop-Out Rate Highlighted

In a major article by Maria Glod and Michael Birnbaum on the front page of the Metro section of yesterday’s Washington Post, the zero drop-out rate in 2008 of the graduating class at the Falls Church City School System’s George Mason High School was highlighted in a graphic visual taken from information provided by the Virginia Department of Education.

The statistic contrasted dramatically to the 8.7 percent drop-out rate statewide in Virginia, including the drop-out rates of three immediate neighbors to Falls Church, at 11.1 percent for Alexandria, 9.4 percent for Arlington and 5.6 percent for Fairfax County. Supporters of the School Board’s current budget for the coming fiscal year point to the data as a strong indicator of not only the success of the system, but of its positive impact on the local economy by strengthening real estate values.

Judge Rules Fairfax Lawsuit Vs. F.C. Water to Proceed

Fairfax Circuit Court Judge Jonathan Thatcher overruled a demurrer filed by the City of Falls Church last month, and therefore the lawsuit brought by Fairfax County against the F.C. City’s water system, seeking $21 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages, is set to proceed, the News-Press has learned. Fairfax is also asking the court to enjoin F.C. from engaging in unfair competition for water customers in the county and from using its water fund to subsidize the City’s general government operations. Both F.C. City Manager Wyatt Shields and the Fairfax Water Authority have posted letters to their respective water system customers on their respective jurisdictions’ web sites.

Disinfectant Change in Drinking Water Announced

Users of drinking water from the Washington Aqueduct, including all customers of the Falls Church water system, will experience a slight change in the taste and smell of their water between April 6 and May 4, as chlorine will temporarily replace chloramine as a disinfectant. It will not affect the safety of the water for drinking.

Harding-Wright Wins Annual Teacher Award

Amy Harding-Wright, a 16-year veteran educator at Mt. Daniel Elementary School was named the Falls Church School System’s winner of the Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher award. Sponsored by the Washington Post, the award is given annually to educators selected by each of the region’s school systems. Harding-Wright is credited with starting the special education preschool program at Mt. Daniel in 2000.