Principal Brian Butler to Lacey Parents: 'You're Going to Get the Best from Me'

Parents and their children zoned for the new elementary school on the Lacey site in Annandale were promised a transparent, hard-working, and communicative administration from incoming principal Brian Butler on Tuesday evening at .

Butler, who currently serves as principal of in Alexandria, a position he’s held for the last five years, spoke to parents about his goals for the school and what they can expect from him and the staff he hopes to hire.

"You're going to get the best from me," Butler said, adding that he wants the same things for the children at Lacey that he wants for his daughters, Alison and Emily: to feel completely comfortable in the classroom.

"His vision is very much in line with what I think makes a great school," said Dan Parris, assistant superintendent for cluster III.

Although Fairfax County Public Schools has not officially hired teachers for the school yet, Butler told the audience he was wants to hire teachers who are team players, interested in collaborating, and also willing to ask for help when they need it.

"I'm very competitive. I don't like to see things fail. This won't fail,” said Butler.

The Lacey elementary school is one of two brand new schools opening in Fairfax County. The other is South County Middle School. Parris said FCPS has formed a committee to ensure the process for opening both schools goes smoothly. He later shared that parents will have a chance to tour the Lacey school once its completed in order to become familiar with it.

Butler, whose father was a principal, said he was fortunate the last 24 years to be in the same place his dad was once in. He encouraged the Lacey parents to hold him accountable and talk to him about their vision and give their input.

"We know that we aren't always going to be perfect, but when we fail, we have to start working together in a way that benefits each child,” said Butler.

He admitted he was just as nervous as some of the parents about the transition of opening a new school, but Butler seemed confident in both himself and the parents he spoke with.

"We have a lot of work to do… At Mount Eagle, [we] had a lot of successes and failures, but when we aren't successful, we aren't going to make excuses. We'll figure out how to fix the problem,” said Butler. "If we communicate with each other, we can make anything happen."

There will be a second Meet the Principal event on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at at 7 p.m.