Mt. Vernon District

Mt. Vernon District Candidate Responses to Fairfax FLAGS


Below are responses provided by School Board candidate, Michele Nellenbach. We have not received a response from candidate, Dan Storck (incumbent).

Q1: Do you support the School Board’s student achievement goal 1.2 – all students should graduate with the ability to communicate in at least two languages? Why or why not?

Nellenbach: Yes. All students should be able to communicate in more than one language. Ours is now a global economy and in order for our children to compete, they will need to be versed in more than just English.


Q2: Do you believe that starting world language instruction in elementary school classrooms with teacher-based programs such as Immersion and FLES (Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools) is the best way to develop the higher levels of language proficiency needed to accomplish the above goal? Why or why not?

Nellenbach: Yes, studies show children learn languages more easily than adults and simply exposing children to the different sounds of a language other than English can enhance their ability to learn a language later in life. Starting instruction in elementary school will improve the likelihood that FCPS students will be multilingual as adults.


Q3: Do you consider second or multiple language skills to be an important aspect of 21st century skills for today’s students to successfully compete in the future? Why or why not?

Nellenbach: Absolutely as noted in question 1, it’s a global economy now and our children will need more than one language to compete.


Q4: Our elementary foreign language programs (Immersion and FLES) currently serve nearly 20,000* elementary students at 44 schools. Given that FCPS will continue to face budget challenges, do you consider it a priority to keep these programs intact for children currently benefitting from them at existing schools?

Nellenbach: The manner in which FCPS handled past budget negotiations is one of the reasons I decided to run for the School Board. The school budget should be a more collaborative process rather than the confrontational one of the past in which parent groups are pitted against each other and the Board of Supervisors. Yes, funding will continue to be tight but I know there are efficiencies that FCPS can adopt that would not affect classroom instruction, including in foreign languages and I will pledge to do all I can to preserve these programs.


Q5: The FLES program was originally scheduled to be implemented over a seven- year period, however, expansion beyond the existing 32 schools was put on hold due to the recession and budget constraints. Would you support continued expansion of the FLES program in the future to bring foreign language instruction to all FCPS elementary students? Why or why not?

Nellenbach: The School Board should make it a priority to ensure that all of our children are exposed to foreign language during their academic day. It is one of the expectations parents have of FCPS when they move to the area and yet so many of our elementary schools only offer languages as an after school activity, if at all. FLES should be expanded.


*Exact student enrollment numbers for FLES and immersion for the current 2011-2012 school year were not yet available from the FCPS World Language office at this time, however, should be available soon.