Great Falls residents have shown a heightened interest in plans and policies being discussed by the Fairfax County Public School Board and, as a result, the Great Falls Citizens Association Executive Board has established a special committee on schools, co-chaired by board member Gordon Harris and GFCA member Fadi Shadid, GFCA announced.

The special committee's mission, as adopted by the GFCA Board, is to represent the community to ensure that Great Falls’ interests are addressed by county institutions and elected officials.

To provide an open forum for residents and candidates, GFCA is hosting a Town Hall Debate with the FCPS Board candidates on Sept. 25. Attending are the three candidates for Dranesville District representative on the FCPS Board and candidates for the three At-Large seats. Candidates will deliver short opening and closing statements and will then take questions from the moderator and the audience.

The first meeting of GFCA Special Committee on Schools will be on Monday, Sept. 23 at the Great Falls Library at 7 p.m. GFCA and community members are invited to participate. The agenda will include discussion of current committee priorities, approaches to best monitor Fairfax County plans and policies, and best methods to inform and involve the Great Falls community. Committee members will discuss insights into the draft revision of FCPS Policy 8130 that would govern school boundary changes if adopted. This policy revision was discussed at the July 22 work session of the FCPS school board, which was attended by more than 100 citizens who had concerns about the changes to current policy. The draft would revise significant parts of the policy including the type and priority of considerations that guides school boundary decisions.