School is back in session for Fairfax County Public School students — but they may be later than the two-hour delay Friday morning.

FCPS officials said Friday morning that the system is experiencing significant delays as buses try to warm up in the single-digit temperatures after being idle for the entire week. Students were off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, and then for three straight snow days, which drew criticism from many residents.

From FCPS:

FCPS is experiencing significant mechanical problems with some buses across the county this morning due to the freezing temperatures.  Some of these buses will be late picking up students; some may be very late.  Parents are advised to take precautions to ensure that their children are not standing outside in the cold for extended periods of time.  Mechanics, transportation supervisors, and drivers are working to the best of their ability to get the buses running and on time.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we apologize for the delays.

At-large school board member Ryan McElveen said earlier this week that mechanical issues were part of the consideration in canceling school this week, even as road conditions improved.

After three straight snow days, Fairfax County Public Schools will open on a two-hour delay on Friday, Jan. 24.

From FCPS:

Morning preschool (special education) classes are canceled.

Afternoon preschool (special education) classes start on their regular schedule.

Full-day preschool (special education) and Family and Early Childhood Education Program/Head Start classes start two hours later than the regular schedule.

Morning field trips are canceled.

SACC centers will be open by 7:15 a.m.

Morning transportation for high school academy classes is canceled. Afternoon academy transportation will be provided.

Adult and community education classes will start on time.

FCPS’ primary concern is always student safety when making a decision about opening or delaying schools. In addition to considering information from a range of public safety sources, FCPS transportation supervisors travel the routes our buses would traverse and inspect bus stops and the pathways that will be used by walkers. When there are areas in the county that are considered unsafe or treacherous, schools are closed.

Is it time for Fairfax County Public Schools to split into subzones?

On Tuesday, schools were closed as the first snowstorm of 2014 dumped snow onto Fairfax County streets. On Wednesday, they were closed again as plows and shovels still had work to do. On Thursday, still closed, leading many parents scrambling for child care and wondering if the 2013-14 school year will indeed go into late June.

Fairfax County has now used six snow days this school year. There will be make-up days on Feb. 17 and April 7, but tacked-on days to the school year may be a real possibility now.

In years with lots of snow, the snow days issue becomes a perennial source of frustration. With more than 180,000 students and a footprint of 406 square miles, size is part of the issue. The county is so large, even the climate can be different. The same storm can pile six inches of snow in Reston but only two in Lorton — yet the communities (and the 1 million-plus people who live in them) are in the same school system.

School Board at-large member Ryan McElveen said Wednesday night the decision to close schools for a third straight day was made because of road conditions and extremely cold temperatures in the forecast.

“Back roads are dangerous, particularly with the freezing overnight,” he told Reston Now. “After a week of not being used, our buses are going to have major issues starting up.”

While FCPS will probably never break into school systems run by each town/jurisdiction (the way it is done in places such as New Jersey, Massachusetts and Ohio), what can be done to make weather impact more “local” and manageable?

FCPS already operates in eight clusters, with each area under the supervision of a cluster superintendent. Would going to a cluster system for weather impact be a viable system for Fairfax County?

“Breaking decisions up by cluster would be just too difficult to manage,” says McElveen. “Loudoun is in a very similar situation as we are, where the eastern part of the county is so different geographically from the western part.”

FCPS outlines the decision making process on its website.

“Fairfax County Public Schools is aware of the implications of opening school during less than perfect conditions and of delaying or closing schools when poor weather conditions exist or are predicted,” says the school system. “The school system understands that its students are better served–both academically and socially — by being in school.”

“On the other hand, the school system knows that it operates within an area whose transportation system has difficulty operating efficiently even when the weather is perfect. Fairfax County’s transportation system includes high speed, high volume roadways such as Route 66, Route 495, Route 95, the Fairfax County Parkway, and others. The county’s transportation system also includes narrow, winding roads in still relatively rural parts of the county such as Clifton and Great Falls.”

Fairfax County Public Schools will be closed again on Thursday as county officials continue to clean up after Tuesday’s snowstorm.

Thursday will be the third straight snow day and the sixth snow day overall.

While main roads are generally in good shape, many side roads in the county remain icy in areas.

FCPS builds three snow days into the school year. Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s snow days will be made up Feb. 17 and April 7, which were previously scheduled student holidays.

The good news: tomorrow’s snow day will not have to be made up, FCPS says.

However, if FCPS closes for additional days later this school year, extra time may be added on to the end of the school year.

Fairfax County Public Schools students will have another snow day on Wednesday, Jan. 22.

School is canceled for the second straight day, FCPS officials announced about 6:50 p.m. on Tuesday. About five inches of snow fell Tuesday in Reston, and snow was still falling at nightfall.

Adding to the snow cleanup, temperatures are expected to be in the single digits Wednesday morning.

Fairfax County students have now used more than the allotted number of snow days built into the school year. Tuesday’s snow day will be made up on Feb. 17, which was supposed to be the President’s Day holiday. Wednesday’s snow day will be made up on April 7, a previously scheduled workday.

Photo of Lake Fairfax Park in snow by Robbie Nolan via Twitter

Tuesday’s cancellation for Fairfax County Public Schools was the fourth snow day of the 2013-14 school year, so the school system is now in make-up days mode.

According to the FCPS calendar, the first snow makeup day will be Feb. 17, which was scheduled to be the President’s Day holiday for for the school system.

Every year, FCPS  includes three extra days on the academic calendar in the event of closings due to inclement weather. School was canceled on Dec. 9 and 10 for snow, and again on Jan. 7 due to single-digit cold.

Virginia law states that students in public schools must attend classes for 180 days of the year.

With more than six inches of snow expected to fall in Northern Virginia Tuesday, what happens on Wednesday?

FCPS officials will make that call later Tuesday. But in case you are keeping track – if school is canceled Wednesday, then students will attend on April 7. That date was a previously scheduled teacher workday.

Fairfax County Public School announced that schools will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 21 due to the snow forecast.

A winter storm warning has been issued for Northern Virginia. The forecast calls for 4 to 7 inches of snow, which will begin falling Tuesday morning and through Tuesday afternoon.

The county government will be open but with unscheduled leave. School offices will be open.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has hired Michelangelo (Mike) Infurnari to serve as executive director of the Foundation for Fairfax County Public Schools, a nonprofit founded in 2010 as a partnership between the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce and FCPS.

Infurnari has more than 30 years of experience in fundraising and nonprofit organization management, most recently as director of development at the WateReuse Research Foundation, where he raised $4.8 million during a 15-month period while working closely with board members and key volunteer peer leaders, FCPS says. He served as senior vice president for development and operations at InHealth, the research foundation of the Advanced Medical Technology Association, where he developed the framework to establish the foundation and raised $24 million in philanthropic funding in two campaigns.

More from FCPS:

“We are excited to welcome Mike Infurnari to Fairfax County Public Schools,” said Superintendent Karen K. Garza.  “He brings many years of experience in professional fundraising to our Foundation, and we look forward to having him employ his skills to benefit FCPS students. We will be working with the Foundation board to develop a plan for engaging the business community in new and strategic ways.  I believe that there is tremendous untapped opportunity with our business, corporate, and philanthropic communities for support of our school system.”

Previously, Infurnari directed the Washington, D.C., office of CCS Fundraising, a consulting firm that works with non-profit organizations on capital campaign readiness and fundraising program implementation—including several K-12 and university clients—to raise funds for renovations and new facilities, scholarships and financial aid, and faculty support.  He is the former director of development for Catholic schools at the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.

“Mike is just the right person with just the right background to lead the Foundation,” said Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority and chairman of the Foundation. “The board is focused on increasing the visibility of the school system’s various needs and generating support in the community to help address them, and Mike’s leadership will be critical in doing that.”

Previously, Infurnari directed the Washington, D.C., office of CCS Fundraising, a consulting firm that works with non-profit organizations on capital campaign readiness and fundraising program implementation—including several K-12 and university clients—to raise funds for renovations and new facilities, scholarships and financial aid, and faculty support.  He is the former director of development for Catholic schools at the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.

Infurnari, a graduate of Canisius College, has presented at national conferences on association fundraising and written about fundraising.  He is a 20-year resident of Fairfax County.

Fairfax County says the majority of parents surveyed have confidence in Fairfax County Public Schools.

FCPS Superintendent Karen K. Garza recently released the results of the third annual trust and confidence survey of FCPS parents and taxpayers. The survey measured opinions from 10,700 parents and residents about a number of issues related to the school district.

Survey participants were asked whether they agreed with a number of statements about FCPS. Some key findings:

• 84 percent of parent respondents strongly agreed or agreed that FCPS is a trustworthy public institution.
• 65 percent of non-parents strongly agreed or agreed with that statement.

These numbers are up slightly from 2012 respondents, says FCPS. Approximately 25 percent of non-parents say they don’t have enough information to make that assessment, a two-point decrease from last year.

Every question had an increase in the agree-strongly agree responses, and some had significant increases of four or more points. Each question also saw an improvement in the “don’t have enough information to make an assessment” response, and some had significant decreases of five or more points, an indicator of improvement, showing that fewer people feel they don’t have enough information to respond.

A significant increase in the agree-strongly agree response: “School system leaders make decisions that reflect the community’s values,” (increase from 63 percent to 70 percent among parents, and from 41 to 47 percent among non-parents).

Positive responses for the following items increased over the 2012 survey:

• 90 percent of parents and 65 percent of non-parents agree that FCPS respects the cultural diversity of students and families.
• 83 percent of parents and 56 percent of non-parents agree that FCPS teachers are effective in preparing students for the future.
• 83 percent of parent respondents agreed FCPS is providing students with the right education for the 21st century, along with 56 percent of non-parent respondents.
• 89 percent of parents and 57 percent of non-parents indicated they receive the information they want or need about the school system (an increase of two and three percentage points, respectively).
• 79 percent of parents and 36 percent of non-parents feel they are informed in a timely manner of major decisions made by FCPS (an increase of 2 percentage points by each group).

Respondents indicated an increase in awareness in several areas. In the item stating, “The district has made progress in students’ gaining essential life skills,” one of the Fairfax County School Board’s student achievement goals, an 8 percentage point drop was posted by parents in the “don’t have enough information to make an assessment” response, along with a 7 percentage point drop for non-parents. For the same essential life skills item, an increase of 12 percentage points was seen among parents who agreed with the statement, and an increase of 6 percentage points was seen among non-parents who agreed.

Consistent with last year’s findings, parents trust these top three sources for factual information about FCPS: FCPS official communications, 78 percent; the local school, 73 percent; and FCPS employees, 16 percent. FCPS official communications include the school district’s website, news releases, and three FCPS newsletters.

For complete results, visit www.fcps.edu.

School Board member’s Tweet Earns Him Rock Star Status —  Youthful FCPS School Board member Ryan McElveeen (at-large) knows how to reach his audience. His tweet on Monday night that school was closed due to snow on Tuesday was way earlier than the official FCPS announcement. That earned him lots of respect from students (972 rewteets and a bunch of memes!)   [McLean High Highlander News]

Congressman John Foust? — Fairfax County Supervisor John Foust said this week he will seek the Democratic nomination for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, setting the stage for a primary to determine who will take on incumbent U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R). Wolf represents nearby Herndon. [Herndon Patch]

FCPS Has New Website for Parent Advocacy — The site, started by the Minority Student Achievement Oversight Committee (MSAOC), will offer tools for parents to learn about various topics and improve communication for a better school experience. [FCPS]

Residents March for Newtown Victims — The Reston-Herndon Committee Against Gun Violence has been marching monthly at Fairfax’s National Rifle Association headquarters since the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. last December. The group will hold a vigil again Saturday at 10 a.m. to mark one year since the tragic shooting that killed 26 people, many of them children at Sandy Hook Elementary. Meet at 11250 Waples Mill Rd. in Fairfax (where Waples Mill Road crosses I-66). Signs provided.

Want to encourage  walking and biking to school for Fairfax County Public School students? Then think about applying for this job opening postedb y the school system.

Fairfax County Public Schools is hiring a Safe Routes to School Coordinator. FCPS received a grant for the position from the VDOT Safe Routes to School program in July. Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling Hiring has been lobbying for several years for the school to create such a position.

The National Center for Safe Routes to School is an advocacy group that encourages walking and biking to school – and the infrastructure to get children safely there. It has programs in all 50 states, including National Walk to School and Bike to School Day.