Newsroom

YCSDigest - November 3, 2022

Operating Budget Forums

The York County School Division is in the initial stages of developing the FY24 Operating Budget (July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024) and wants your input. We’ve scheduled two community sessions in November to listen to your ideas and questions regarding the division’s budget.

FY24 Budget Sessions

• Tuesday, November 15 - Grafton Middle
• Thursday, November 17 - Magruder Elementary

Both sessions are scheduled from 6:30 – 7:30 pm.

If you are not able to attend, you can share your thoughts through Let’s Talk!-AskYCSD. This link will be open through December 1.

Purple Star School List Grows

The Virginia Council on the Interstate Compact for Military Children has awarded 11 schools in the division with the 2022 Purple Star Designation, bringing the division total to 16. The Purple Star designation is valid for three years, at which time schools must reapply. For 2022, five schools (Mt. Vernon Elementary, Seaford Elementary, Queens Lake Middle, York High and York River Academy) earned the designation for the first time, while six others (Bethel Manor Elementary, Tabb Elementary, Waller Mill Elementary, Yorktown Elementary, Grafton Middle and Yorktown Middle) earned the designation for the second time.

The Purple Star award honors schools that demonstrate a commitment to meeting military families’ needs, while also providing resources and programming related to transitions and academic planning. Virginia is home to several of the largest and most important military installations in the country and approximately 31% of all YCSD students have at least one parent serving in the military.

The following schools also hold the Purple Star designation: Coventry Elementary, Dare Elementary, Grafton Bethel Elementary, Magruder Elementary, and Tabb Middle.

NAEP Results Released

Last week, the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) prompted a press release and news conference from Governor Glenn Youngkin and Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) officials to address Virginia’s scores. NAEP, a federally-mandated test commonly referred to as the nation’s report card, measures fourth- and eighth-graders’ proficiency in math and reading, among other subjects.

This year’s math and reading results are based on tests administered in randomly selected schools between January and March 2022. Only one YCSD school was selected to participate. As such, of the 12,900 students in the division, approximately 50 students took either the grade 8 reading or math assessment.

VDOE has also developed a new dashboard demonstrating trends in annual state assessment pass rates since the 2016-17 school year. The majority of students in Virginia take these assessments, as compared to the small sampling who take the NAEP. YCSD students continue to exceed state averages in reading, mathematics, science, history and writing, with the division ranking first in the region for math and second for reading.

Bailey Field Security Update

In September, the school division implemented additional safety measures at Bailey Field – including metal detecting and clear bag policies. While we began with hand-held wands, the long-term plan has always been the use of walk-through metal detectors. Those detectors have arrived and are now in use. Student and spectator safety continues to be of utmost importance, and we anticipate this more efficient entry process will improve your experience entering games.

Community Announcements

The York County School Division offers local businesses and organizations the opportunity to share information with students and parents regarding educational/enrichment activities, events and opportunities, which are either available to YCSD students or support division programs. These flyers are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the York County School Division or the schools, but are made available as a community service for our families.

Community announcements can also be found on the division website and each school's website.