Although the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors doesn’t officially adopt the FY 2011 budget until April 27, the board released its markup of the budget on April 20. A markup is a formal preview of the final budget. The county’s FY 2011 budget markup includes a real estate tax rate of $1.09 per $100 of assessed value, which is a five cent increase from the $1.04 rate in FY 2010. The budget also establishes a vehicle registration license fee of $33 for most vehicles. For further details, please read the county’s press release.
How does this impact Fairfax County Public Schools? The county budget includes a $1.6 billion transfer to the schools for operations, which represents a 1 percent decrease from the FY 2010 transfer level. The Fairfax County School Board had requested that the Board of Supervisors fund the school transfer at the same level as 2010 due to growing enrollment and increasing mandatory costs of operations. The 1 percent decrease in the county transfer equals $16.3 million in lost funding for FCPS schools. The next few weeks will be crucial as the School Board wrestles with final funding recommendations for the FY 2011 budget.
Also during the markup process, the Board of Supervisors restored 107 positions that were previously proposed for reduction, including 26 school resource officers (SROs) for middle schools. This action positively benefits Fairfax County Public Schools students and staff. School resource officers—police officers who are employed by the Fairfax County government (not FCPS)—are a vital part of safety and security in all middle and high schools. The Board of Supervisors also restored two positions for athletic field maintenance, which will benefit FCPS students who use elementary, middle, and high school athletics and fields.
So where are we now? The School Board’s current advertised budget for FY 2011 includes reduced services and programs for the coming school year. These cuts include:
- a reduction of more than 200 positions (nearly half from central office support).
- a salary freeze for all employees.
- a reduction in custodial support.
- closure of Pimmit Hills Alternative High School.
- elimination of summer school except for extended school year for special education students, online campus program (including ESOL), term graduate programs (including SOL testing and credit recovery), and enrichment courses and camps.
- elimination of the extended school day and modified elementary school calendar.
- a 15 percent reduction in supplies and textbooks.
Now that the funding amounts are clearer on the federal, state, and county levels, the School Board will begin to make final decisions about programs and proposed cuts. The School Board will hold work sessions April 29, May 10, and May 13, and public hearings on May 11 and May 12. Then, the Board will adopt the FY 2011 Approved Budget on May 20. The FY 2011 budget will go into effect on July 1. Community members are encouraged to get involved by attending meetings and participating in the public hearings.
For more information about the FY 2011 Advertised Budget, please visit the FCPS budget news page.
Upcoming Important Dates
| April 27 | County Board of Supervisors Approves County Budget, Tax Rate Resolution, and Transfer Amount to Schools. |
| April 29 | School Board Budget Work Session (Gatehouse Administration Center, room 1600). |
| May 10 | School Board Budget Work Session (Gatehouse Administration Center, room 1600). |
| May 11, 12 | School Board Budget Public Hearings (Jackson Middle School). |
| May 13 | School Board Budget Work Session (Jackson Middle School). |
| May 20 | School Board Adopts FY 2011 Approved Budget. |
| July 1 | Fiscal Year 2011 Begins. |
- Learn more at the FCPS budget web site at http://www.fcps.edu/news/fy2011.htm.
- Attend School Board meetings.
- Speak at a School Board public hearing (www.fcps.edu/schlbd/requestspeak.htm).
Please Note: All FCPS employees and all FCPS parents who have registered e-mail addresses with their children's schools get The Bottom Line automatically. If you are not a member of one of these groups and want to receive copies of The Bottom Line, go to http://www.fcps.edu/kit/, create a KIT Plus subscription, and sign up for Current Issues or School Board News and Updates.
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