Stafford is centrally located between Washington and Richmond, and what goes on in both capital cities can affect the county.
That was one conclusion to be drawn from a meeting Stafford County Public Schools Superintendent Daniel Smith held with reporters Tuesday morning.
For example, though at least one speaker has complained about DEI at recent county School Board meetings, an advisory committee the board has on the topic of diversity, equity and inclusion doesn’t violate an executive order President Donald Trump issued recently, Smith said.
Trump dislikes DEI as a hiring preference, but the superintendent said the Stafford panel doesn’t conflict with that notion.
Some of the guidance that Stafford officials got from the federal government specifically said they can have things called DEI, Smith said.
“It’s about how they’re implemented, and so that’s one of the guidance pieces that we really looked at to make sure that are we in compliance — are we doing what we’re supposed to — and we are,” he said.
He also said the committee withstood a legal review Stafford officials had completed.
The School Board charged the panel with two things: to focus on improving educational outcomes for all students and to focus on continuous improvement in mathematics and literacy achievement.
The schools are rated at least partially on how certain demographic groups perform in classes, said Smith, so the School Board has had conversations about how the DEI committee can help to monitor the performance of those student groups.
Trump also has proposed gutting the U.S. Department of Education, which has made many concerned about federal funds that flow to localities such as Stafford. Smith said Stafford officials continue to examine that situation and that some federal funds — such as those for special education and low-income students — have been spared.
“And so that was comforting in some regard in terms of those funds, but there’s some funds not mentioned, right?” he said.
Trump’s moves also have included laying off thousands of federal employees, and Smith said Stafford is looking to hire some of those workers, perhaps as licensed teachers.
“And so we have worked with our HR department on what are some of those career-switcher roles, and how can we get that licensure, how we can provide provisional licensure or there’s a one-year local eligibility license,” he said.
Stafford will also hold a job fair for federal workers April 30.
State funding for education is also at stake right now, as Smith and other officials are working on the county’s budget for the next fiscal year. The General Assembly is to meet Wednesday in Richmond to talk about the state budget and Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s vetoes, and the result of those discussions looks to be crucial for Stafford.
Youngkin’s amendments to the two-year Virginia budget could decrease the county’s expected state revenue by $4.2 million and force personnel cuts, negatively impacting student achievement.
Another potential budgeting outcome could cut Stafford’s funding by $12.7 million, Smith said.
The School Board’s $503.1 million spending plan already included an $18.3 million funding gap, but other possible fiscal outcomes could balloon that shortfall to $31.5 million, Smith wrote in a statement released last week.
“If appropriate funding is not provided, additional cuts to existing programs, positions and operations are likely,” Smith wrote. “Frankly, it is difficult to grasp the extent of the devastation facing our school system. We are considering unprecedented cuts to student support, instruction, and operations, and we have yet to fully realize the scope of what may need to be eliminated.”
The superintendent has been busy over the past few weeks, and he’s only been on the job since December.
During his meeting with journalists Tuesday, he shared some of his general philosophies on education. He said he first thinks about how educators can reach each and every student in the school system.
Then, he considers how teachers and administrators prepare children for success.
Students must learn the content of educational subjects, Smith said, but they also need to know how to communicate, collaborate, think critically and be good citizens.
“And while, yes, we want to teach content,” he said, “we need to teach English, reading, writing, math, science, social studies, what do you do with that information?”
