School Board Candidate Sherwood Discusses FCCPS Climate Plans and Priorities
Anne Sherwood is running unopposed this November to fill a vacancy on the Falls Church School Board. In a September letter, FCCAN asked Ms. Sherwood to share her perspectives on what the City government can and/or should do to address the climate change issue. Specifically, the letter requested her views on:
Falls Church City Public Schools’ roles and ambitions in reducing greenhouse gas emissions;
funding and other actions to implement the Government Energy Action Plan, especially investing in electric vehicles, rooftop solar, and carbon-free electricity; and
other climate-related comments she wished to discuss.
Her response is below. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5, and early voting at the Community Center is underway now.
From ANNE SHERWOOD:
Thanks to FCCAN for reaching out, and to Tim Stevens and Jon Ward for taking the time to meet with me to discuss the Community and Government Operations Energy Action Plans (EAP). Falls Church City Public Schools (FCCPS) endorsed the Government Operations EAP as presented by the City government last year and has committed to pursuing steps to meet plan goals. We have a lot to be proud of in FCCPS, even as we also have a way to go to meeting EAP goals. The new Meridian High School building, opened in 2021, is LEED Gold certified. Its geothermal system means we have room on the roof of the building for solar panels, and last fall a solar array featuring 818 panels was installed. Those solar panels now provide about 15% of the high school's energy. The district also has 3 electric school buses, has 2 more in the pipeline, and, just last week, the School Board discussed at its public meeting using excess funds from its revenue sharing agreement with the general government to purchase a sixth electric bus. That would put the school system's fleet of buses at approximately 25% electric, which has FCCPS leading the way in EV buses compared to most of our peer jurisdictions.
There is still a way to go for FCCPS and the general government to reach the Government Operations EAP goals. FCCPS will need to continue its strong partnership with the City government both as it looks for funding for school upgrades, and as it coordinates creative opportunities for making our schools greener. I would support a joint School Board-City Council meeting to help discuss steps and bring focus to this issue.
As I understand it, improving facilities and electrifying our vehicle fleet are two of the ways FCCPS can have the largest impact toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions pursuant to the Government Operations EAP goals. As FCCPS facilities need improvements—such as when Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School's roof comes due for replacement—the district should plan for replacing roof-top systems and making room for solar panels. There have been discussions about installing a solar canopy on the secondary schools campus, but thus far the cost has been a major hurdle. Going forward, when new systems and facilities improvements come due at Oak Street Elementary and our other schools, the district should strive to replace them with greener options.
Teaching kids’ and shaping them into caring and responsible citizens is where schools’ expertise lies, particularly in our International Baccalaureate (IB) system. I am excited about helping to build on sustainability and greening efforts already under way. These include FCCPS's adoption of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, hiring a sustainability coordinator, and offering environmentally focused courses. We can continue to look for ways for FCCPS to help lead in curriculum and culture. For example, I would like to see better systems in place to support composting at our schools. Our students have taken leadership roles as well, such as when the high school Environmental Club has partnered with the GIVE Day club to prioritize environmental goals as part of our community’s collective effort to give back to one another. The more our students lead in the adoption of best practices, the more effective those practices will be, and the better all our futures as these students go out to lead in our world.