Adult and Community Education (ACE) Advisory Committee

Citizen Advisory Committee

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Liaisons

School Board Liaison

Dr. Ricardy Anderson

Staff Liaison

Karin Williams,  Director, Operations and Strategic Planning, Department of Instructional Services

Committee Purpose

The committee represents the community and brings to the School Board’s attention to resource and programmatic issues associated with adult education.

2023-24 Committee Charge

Collaborate with staff to maximize FCPS, Fairfax County, and external resources and support structures to ensure ACE, Adult ESOL, and FCAHS programs increase accessibility and best meet the needs of county residents. ACEAC’s work will be data-driven and guided by the goals and pillars of the FCPS Strategic Plan.

Meeting Dates

ACE Advisory Committee meetings will be at Willow Oaks Administrative Center in room 5039 (meet in the lobby) from 7 - 9 p.m.; unless otherwise noted.

August 23, 2023 (Zoom only)

Agenda

Coming Soon

September 20, 2023

Minutes

The regular meeting of the Fairfax County School Board’s Adult and Community Education Advisory Committee (ACEAC) was called to order on September 20, 2023, at 7:00 pm by Paul Steiner, ACE Administrator. The meeting was held in room 5039 of 8270 Willow Oaks Administrative Center, Falls Church, VA 22042 with an option to attend virtually via Zoom.

  1. Review and Approval of the October Agenda
    1. The agenda was moved and approved unanimously.
  2. School Board Updates
    1. Dr. Ricardy Anderson provided updates from the School Board.
    2. The School Board updated their Governance Manual to include Executive Expectations which outlines accountability for Superintendent Reid.
    3. Dr. Anderson provided updates on the on-going Compensatory Review. 
    4. Dr. Anderson is the new Budget Chair for the School Board.
  3. ACE Program Updates
    1. Paul Steiner announced that on June 20, 2024, ACE will celebrate the apprentices who have completed their certifications and qualify for licensure for the Commonwealth in their field.
    2. Apprenticeship is on the rise with enrollment at approximately 240 current students.
    3. There are also more enrollments in our adult enrichment classes.
    4. Two new vehicles have been purchased for Driver’s Education, and although there is an approval to purchase four additional ones, there is a supply issue.
  4. Adult High School Program Updates
    1. Michelle Morgan described the different programs offered under her purview:
      1. High School Diploma where student complete a standard diploma.
      2. High School Equivalency (HSE) where students earn a GED.
    2. There are over 276 enrollments as of September 1st.
    3. There are evening and day classes offered across many sites across the county.
    4. There have already been three graduations in the 2023 school year so far.
  5. Officer Elections
    1. Paul Steiner reviewed the process for voting.
    2. The committee unanimously elected Ken Balbuena as Chair, as he ran unopposed.
    3. Johnelle Sweet agreed to serve as Vice Chair following a floor nomination and was elected unanimously.
    4. No ACEAC members expressed an interest in serving as Secretary, so staff will fill this role until an election is held, per the bylaws.
  6. Chair Remarks
    1. Ken Balbuena shared his priorities for ACEAC this year.
      1. Diving deeper into the collaboration and alignment with Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee (CTEAC)’s efforts, which follows up on efforts begun in FY23.
      2. Exploring the SCYPT recommendations in greater detail as well as other county resources and the ACE Foundation.
      3. Expanding marketing and outreach efforts.
      4. Working with ACE staff on successfully integrating data collection into the new registration enterprise.
      5. Supporting career pathway programs.
    2. Ken proposed several subcommittees, and the ACEAC members agreed upon the following:
      1. Technology Subcommittee
      2. Completion-to-Success Subcommittee
      3. Marketing and Outreach Subcommittee
      4. SCYPT for Schools Subcommittee
      5. Data Analysis Subcommittee
    3. Ken encouraged ACEAC members to consider serving on these committees if they did not volunteer during the subcommittee list review.
      1. Ken reminded subcommittee members about FOIA laws and how it impacts subcommittee meetings.
    4. The committee discussed topics to be discussed in future meetings.
      1. ACE Foundation
      2. Collaboration with the Board of Supervisors who can help us understand county resources that are already available.
      3. RMR Marketing update and lessons learned after one year.
      4. CTE collaboration opportunities with CTEAC
    5. Ken also asked committee members to keep the FCPS strategic plan in mind for the term since it is a new guiding document for FCPS.
  7. Closing Remarks
    1. Meeting adjourned at 8:20 pm following a motion of unanimous consent.
Committee Members in Attendance Committee Members Absent Staff and Guest in Attendance
Susan Beeman (At Large)
Ken Balbuena (Braddock)
Helen Cole (Mill)
Sean Arthurs (Franconia)
Holly Hazard (Mason)
Nick Rinehart (Mt. Vernon)
Johnelle Sweet (Springfield)
Fanny Salazar-Laske, (Dranesville) 
Rasha Abulohum (At Large)
Susan Harris (Providence)
Selim Mimaroglu (Sully)
Paul Steiner, ACE Administrator
Michelle Morgan, Adult HS Administrator
Monica Iskander, Staff Assistant
Lois Passman, Honorary Historian

October 18, 2023

Agenda

Agenda Item Person Responsible
Roll call and agenda review All Members
Chair’s Remarks Ken B.
Review/Approval of September meeting minutes Ken B.
Liaison Updates Dr. Anderson
Program Updates Program Leads
Meeting Date Discussion K. Williams
Additional Items Ken B.
Motion to Adjourn Meeting Members

November 15, 2023

Agenda

Agenda Item Person Responsible
Roll call and agenda review All Members
Vice Chair’s Remarks Johnelle Sweet
Review/Approval of October meeting minutes All
Liaison Updates Dr. Anderson
Program Updates Program Leads
ACE Foundation Updates Bob Sargent
Financial Update Jan Garcia
Subcommittee Reports All
Motion to Adjourn Meeting All

December 13, 2023

Meeting Cancelled

January 17, 2024

Agenda

Agenda Item Person Responsible
Roll call and agenda review All Members
Chair’s Remarks Ken B.
Review/Approval of November meeting minutes Ken B.
School Board Updates Dr. Anderson
Program Updates Program Leads
Financial Update Jan Garcia
Subcommittee Reports and Discussion All
Motion to Adjourn Meeting All

February 21, 2024

Agenda

Agenda Item Person Responsible
Roll call and agenda review All Members
Chair’s Remarks Ken B.
Review/Approval of November and December meeting minutes All
School Board Updates Dr. Anderson
Program Updates Program Leads
Subcommittee Work Time and Updates All
Motion to Adjourn Meeting All

March 20, 2024

Agenda

Coming Soon

April 17, 2024 - Plum Center, room 112

Agenda

Agenda Item Person Responsible
Roll call and agenda review All Members
Chair’s Remarks Ken B.
Review/Approval of January and February meeting minutes All
School Board Updates Dr. Anderson
Program Updates Program Leads
Subcommittee Work Time and Updates All
Motion to Adjourn Meeting Members

May 15, 2024 - Plum Center, room 112

Agenda

Coming Soon

June 12, 2024 - Plum Center, room 112

Agenda

Coming Soon

2022-23 School Year Meetings

Meeting Date Documents
October 19, 2022 October Agenda  | October Minutes
November 16, 2022 November Agenda  |  November Minutes
December 21, 2022 December Agenda  |  December Minutes
January 18, 2023 January Agenda  | January Minutes
February 15, 2023 February Agenda | February Minutes
March 15, 2023 March Agenda | March Minutes
April 19, 2023 April Agenda | April Minutes
May 17, 2023 May Agenda | May Minutes
May 24, 2023 
Working Session via Zoom
June 21, 2023 June Agenda | June Minutes

2023-24 Membership

School Board Member Representatives

Rasha Abulohom, At-Large (Omeish)
Susan Beeman, At-Large (Sizemore Heizer)
Javier Caballero, At Large (McElveen)
Ken Balbuena, Braddock District
Fanny Salazar-Laske, Dranesville District
Helen Cole, Hunter Mill District
Sean Arthurs, Franconia District
Holly Hazard, Mason District
Nick Rinehart, Mount Vernon District
Susan Harris, Providence District
Johnelle Sweet, Springfield District
Dr. Selim Mimaroglu, Sully District
TBD, Student Representative

Annual Reports

The ACEAC Reports and Staff Responses are located on BoardDocs, under the dropdown menu titled Advisory Committee Reports: