Newsroom

YCSDigest - January 15, 2025

January School Board Meetings

During the annual organizational meeting held at York Hall this week, board members elected the chair and vice chair and set the board's meeting calendar for the next 6 months. By a vote of 4-1, Kim Goodwin was named chair and Jimmy Richardson vice chair for 2025.

Staff members also presented on work underway this school year, including an update on the Governor's Proposed Budget for FY25 and FY26 and its potential impact on education funding. The next steps in the budget process include a public forum during the monthly meeting at 7 p.m., Monday, January 27, at York Hall, and the presentation of the superintendent’s proposed budget on February 10.

The entire meeting is available for viewing on the division's YouTube Channel. Presentation and documents provided to board members are also available online.

Organizational Meeting

Lockdown Drill Reminder

As part of our ongoing commitment to provide safe, secure learning and working environments for our students and staff, all YCSD schools hold several drills over the course of each school year. These drills include, but are not limited to, fire, tornado and lockdown. The purpose of these drills is to practice our emergency procedures and ensure everyone knows how to respond in the event of a real emergency. We encourage you to talk with your child(ren) about the importance of these drills and to reassure them drills are a normal part of our safety practices.

School Calendars

Each year, a calendar committee, which includes administrators, teachers, staff, students, and families, meets several times a year to develop a draft calendar for the division. The committee takes into consideration state law, regional programs shared with other peninsula school divisions, and other factors affecting the calendar.

Staff shared information with board members during the annual organizational meeting regarding the 2025-26 calendar proposals as well and considerations for the 2026-27 school calendar. The board will receive an official recommendation for the 2025-26 calendar during the January monthly meeting. A community survey regarding the 2026-27 school calendar will be issued later this school year.

Annual Science and Engineering Fair

The YCSD Science and Engineering Fair is just two weeks away. Held annually, the fair is more than a competition; it's an opportunity for students to showcase vital skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, persistence, and communication.

The event takes place at the Grafton Complex on Thursday, January 30, with project judging from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Once the judges are done, families, students, staff and community members can explore and talk to students about their projects before the awards ceremony at 7 p.m.

Winners of the YCSD fair can move on to compete in the Tidewater Science and Engineering Fair, Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair, and International Science and Engineering Fair.

Community Announcements

The York County School Division offers local businesses and organizations the opportunity to share information with students and families regarding educational/enrichment activities, events and opportunities, which are 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 provided as a community service for our families.

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