BUDGE WOES CONTINUE
FCPS Superintendent, Jack Dale, has presented his proposed $2.3 billion budget to the school board. After two prior years of budget reductions and cost avoidances, which have resulted in increased class sizes and less-than-ideal ratios for counselors, social workers and psychologists, as well as fewer staff in every school building, this budget includes nearly $105 million in additional cuts and cost avoidances and the expectation of receiving $3.4 million in new and increased fees (for sports participation and AP/IB tests, as well as building use fees charged to community groups). It also includes a class size increase of one student, which will result in a net loss of almost 300 teacher positions when the county enrollment is projected to grow another 1760 students. Additional losses would include the foreign language in the elementary schools (FLES) program, all high school freshman sports, reductions in swim/dive team practices, and the elimination of winter cheerleading and indoor track. There would also be cuts to the funding for assistant principals, custodial staff and instructional assistants, and there would be numerous losses for our teachers, including no raises for the second year in a row.
Dr. Dale has asked the county Board of Supervisors to increase the amount they gave the school system last year by an additional $57.8 million. By doing so, he states they will prevent even more damaging cuts that would include elimination of Full-Day Kindergarten (in all but Title 1 elementary schools); elimination of the elementary band and strings program; the loss of special funding for Foreign Language Immersion programs, additional increases to class size, and the loss of more counselors, social workers and guidance counselors.
The Board of Supervisors has already seemed to indicate an inclination to raise the county real estate tax rate (our main source of revenue) by about 11 cents (per $100 of appraised value). This would not increase an average homeowner’s tax bill over last year because our housing values have dropped even lower since that time. Each penny increase in the tax rate represents about $18 million in revenue; to erase both the county deficit (which is over $300 million) and the school deficit (which is over $176 million), the property tax rate would have to increase by more than 27 cents. This is an unlikely prospect. The BOS had told the school system officials it would not receive additional funding over last year’s levels and so Dr. Dale’s request is asking for an exception in order to avoid what he terms painful and damaging consequences. Anthony Griffin, the county executive, will advertise (or announce) the amount the tax rate will not exceed on March 9th (i.e., the BOS will not go above the rate he proposes) and so public input is vital in the next few weeks.
School board public hearings have been conducted this last week, but you can still contact your school board members (go to www.fcps.edu and click on School Board on the left, then find your school board representative’s information) and are also encouraged to speak with or write to your Board of Supervisors representative (go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov). The BOS holds its own public hearings in early April. You can sign up to speak by going to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/bosclerk/speaker_bos.htm or calling 703-324-3151.
Please contact John Cook (Braddock District Representative braddock@fairfaxcounty.gov) or Penny Gross (Mason District Representative mason@fairfaxcounty.gov) and talk about full funding for our schools.
Information on potential FY 2011 Program and Service Reductions for discussion purposes has been updated.
FY 2011 Budget Planning Calendar*
- April 6-8 County Board of Supervisors (BOS) holds public hearings on budget.
- April 7 School Board presents budget to County BOS.
- April 26 County BOS approves transfer to schools.
- April 29 School Board conducts budget work session.
- May 6 School Board FY 2011 Approved Budget presented for new business.
- May 10 School Board conducts budget work session.
- May 11 & 12 School Board holds public hearings.
- May 13 School Board conducts budget work session.
- May 20 School Board adopts FY 2011 Approved Budget.
- July 1 FY 2011 begins.
*All dates tentative and subject to change.