Wodiska Resigns from Falls Church School Board

Joan Wodiska, a three-term Falls Church City Public Schools Board member, turned in her letter of resignation Monday to take a position with the Virginia Board of Education.

The former Virginia School Boards Association president’s resignation will be effective Wednesday and her first meeting with the state school board will be Thursday. Moving on from FCCPS is bittersweet, Wodiska said.

“On one hand I’m really excited and on the other hand I’m heartbroken,” Wodiska said Monday night.

Wodiska was nominated for the first-ever Bammy Award for School Board Leadership in September. She was appointed chair of the Governor’s Task Force on Local Mandates, Education Committee in 2011. Wodiska was also chair of the Falls Church school board during her tenure. There is no word on when the Falls Church school board will begin their search to fill Wodiska’s seat.

Wodiska’s departure is a “severe loss,” said Kieran Sharpe, a fellow Falls Church board member. Sharpe said Wodiska has a close connection to things on the state level and he can’t imagine the local board having a resource like that anytime soon.

“We have a very strong board to begin with,” Sharpe said. “I’m certain we can still make sound decisions going forward.”

A City of Falls Church resident, Wodiska said she will still be around but will be in Richmond for 10 scheduled meetings a year and other events. Serving three-terms on the Falls Church school board was an exhilarating experience for her, she said. Wodiska said she is proud of the accomplishments the board made while she was a member and now she can do it on a larger scale.

“As I said to my daughter, ‘It’s a great way not only to help the children in Falls Church City, but I can help students across the state,'” she said.

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