At its January 2025 Board of Directors meeting, the MCA voted to send two letters to local and state officials regarding cell phone limits in schools and supporting educational funding.
First, MCA voted in support of a letter sent by the MCA President to the Fairfax County School Board commending FCPS's efforts to restrict cell phone usage during the school day, specifically during classroom instruction. The letter both encourages authorizing exceptions where such devices have an appropriate classroom use and suggests considering expansion of the policy to include all personal technology equipment.
Second, MCA supported a separate letter from the President addressed to the Virginia Senate Education and Health Committee, Virginia House of Delegates Education Committee, and the Fairfax County Delegation to the Virginia General Assembly. MCA urged the Virginia Legislature to pass legislation during its 2025 General Assembly Session that updates the K-12 public school funding formula. The letter excerpts key provisions from the July 10, 2023 Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) report on Virginia’s K-12 Funding Formula, underscoring JLARC's recommendation to update the Standards of Quality (SOQ) formula from a staffing-based to a student-based approach.