As a new school year approaches, even school Superintendent Donna Power, gets to go school shopping. The shiny new school bus sitting outside Town Hall before the August School Board meeting was there for School Board members and the public to inspect.  It is a full-size bus equipped with a wheelchair lift and room for two wheelchairs.  The bus is ready to pick up students and was purchased with Title I funds.
The new acquisition seemed to set a positive tone for the meeting, as Dr. Peter Fahrney, on behalf of the Colonial Beach Foundation proposed an opportunity for 11th grade students to participate in a contest to promote community interaction and philanthropy.  The foundation is offering a grant to the high school that would provide the winning student with $100 for

themselves and control of $1,000 to be spent to improve the town.  Each participating student will be required to write an essay on “How I would improve Colonial Beach” as part of their English class and be required to create a business plan explaining how they would spend $1,000 to accomplish their goal as part of their business class.  
Power invited all school board members and the public to attend Convocation on Aug. 25 at 2 p.m. at the high school.  The theme is “A New Beginning — On to Excellence.”  There will be an open house for parents Sept. 2 from 1–6 p.m.  School starts Tuesday, Sept. 7.  
Power then introduced Richard Moncure, Sr., new CLE culinary arts teacher and cafeteria manager.  Moncure opened his remarks by noting that “the cafeteria plays an important part of education.”  He and cafeteria assistant manager Stephanie Buzby plan to prepare and serve nutritious, healthy and tasty meals to students.  Moncure and Buzby have been working on a food service employee handbook and plan on working toward the cafeteria to be “in a self-sufficient position” without raising meal prices.  
In response to a query by board member Shelly Jenkins Payne, Power informed the board that she is looking at instituting an automated pay-ahead program for students and plans on putting monthly menus on the web for parents and students.  Power also noted that new for this school year will be visitor badges with pictures and the time of the visit through an Ident-a-Kid program sponsored by the PTA; and a dental visit for every student.
High School Principal Clint Runyan informed the board that the new 4x4 block scheduling for the high school has been modified.  Each of the four credit classes will be 80 minutes long, allowing for a 40-minute intervention/enrichment period for all high school students during second block.  There will be two lunch periods for high school students and the library is undergoing a remake with new books and a research center.  
Coach Jeremy Jack requested the board approve an exemption to participate in sports to rising 9th grade students who have not passed SOLs in World Geography and/or Pre Algebra due to the fact that there was no summer school offered this year.  The exemption would be contingent on exempted students passing all classes at the time of the first progress report.  The board passed the exemption amendment with two members, Payne and Looney, voting against the amendment.
Power then reported on the newly passed federal Jobs Bill which provides $249 million in federal Title I funds to Virginia for teachers.  The actual amount of funds that will benefit Colonial Beach is being determined and will be reported to the board when available.
The board voted to approve an increase in student parking fees, which will be raised from $5 to $10 with board member Wayne Kennedy being the only nay vote.  A revision to student attendance policies was also voted in unanimously by the board that contains strict standards for school attendance.
The board tasked Power with researching health care benefits costs in an effort to offset a 15 percent increase in current rates beginning on Oct. 1.  And an amendment to decrease tuition to out of area students failed to pass with Kennedy being the only aye vote.
After the August school board meeting, the Virginia Department of Education released new Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) scores as part of federal No Child Left Behind legislation.  Colonial Beach Elementary School made AYP this year and is out of a “school in need of improvement” status.  Colonial Beach High School made AYP in English, but did not make AYP in math scores.  According to Power the school has already taken steps to improve scores in math by implementing a change in personnel and by changes currently in place by the school improvement team.