Friday, April 30, 2010
Vienna Rotary Gifts Marshall Road ES
Vienna Rotary Gifts Marshall Road ES: "
School uses grant money to buy multi-media equipment. On April 13, a Marshall Road Elementary School third-grade class hosted a multi-media presentation on pre-earthquake Haiti.
"The good done by NCLB
The good done by NCLB: "
"
I’ve never met Peter Meyer, but I’m a fan. Several years ago he wrote this stellar Education Next article about the disappearance of Catholic schools, which had an enormous influence on my thinking and doing (this event and this report may have not happened were it not for that article). He’s also written a significant number of other valuable pieces on a wide array of subjects.
In this post over at Ed Next’s blog, Meyer discusses a very important issue that’s getting entirely too little ink: the significant good done by the much-maligned NCLB. Rather than engaging in the national polemics about the law’s intrusiveness, unintended consequences, and so forth, he provides examples of how the law helped transform (for the better) the outlook and behavior of his local school district.
When the administration released its reauthorization blueprint, I registered my objection to what I saw as backtracking on accountability. Meyer’s post introduces real, on-the-ground examples of what this accountability framework has done for students, parents, and educators.
–Andy Smarick
Related posts:
- Is NCLB reauthorization moving?
- To renew NCLB, redefine “reform”
- McKeon’s replacement wants to overhaul NCLB
County needs to break its - spending habit'
County needs to break its - spending habit': "
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has marked up the county's fiscal 2011 budget and has failed miserably once again.
"Hudgins, McKay say cuts will likely reverse gains of neediest students
Hudgins, McKay say cuts will likely reverse gains of neediest students: "
Several county supervisors have expressed concerns about Fairfax County Public Schools' plans to redesign or eliminate programs aimed at boosting achievement in low-income communities.
"Sorting out boys' school problems
Sorting out boys' school problems: "Like most of us, I don't like my biases challenged, particularly by people I admire. So I put off reading what turned out to be a brilliant new book, 'Why Boys Fail: Saving Our Sons From an Educational System That's Leaving Them Behind,' by former USA Today editorial writer Richard Whitmire. Whitmire is an exceptionally thoughtful and energetic journalist. As far as I can tell, we agree on nearly all the big issues. But he has produced what appeared to be a book-length assault on my view that the boy problem in schools was overblown, that boys were only losing ground to girls because girls, thankfully, were finally catching up. I was not eager to discover I was wrong about that. Now I have read the book, and feel everyone should read it. I don't know of a clearer or more balanced examination of this issue. Whitmire is passionate"
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The Latest on the Budget from FCPS (The Bottom Line)
Board of Supervisors Marks Up FY 2011 Budget
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:
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
Want to Get Involved?
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.
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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