Get involved in FCPS school budget

Letter: Get Involved in School Budget
Letter to the Editor

Monday, January 17, 2011


To the Editor:

Recently, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Jack Dale presented the School Board with his proposal for next year’s budget. The proposed $2.2 billion budget outlines programs and services for our growing and increasingly diverse student population. It also includes funds to give eligible employees a step increase and a market scale adjustment after two years without any increase in compensation.

Our population will grow by a projected 2,120 students next year. We project that in 2012, one in four students will be eligible for free and reduced-price meals, a federal indicator of poverty — making that the fastest growing segment of our population. We expect to see a 15 percent increase in the number of students whose first language is not English. There will be increased costs to comply with the mandated online testing requirement for all students taking the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) tests.

We cannot meet the needs of our staff and students without adequate resources. That is why Superintendent Dale has included in his proposal a request to the Board of Supervisors for an increase of 3 percent, or $48.8 million, in the transfer of funds over the FY 2011 level. This reflects a realistic set of needs.

Difficult times require difficult choices. The Fairfax County School Board has shown great fiscal responsibility during tough economic times. In the past three years (FY 2009-FY2011), FCPS took reductions and cost avoidances totaling more than $465 million and eliminated more than 1,400 positions.

It is time now to compensate our employees for their outstanding work that has kept FCPS a leader in student achievement. Additionally, our starting teacher salaries have declined over the last two years and we need to bring those salaries up so we can continue to attract the most qualified teachers to our classrooms and remain competitive with neighboring jurisdictions.

Now the School Board needs to hear from you as we consider the superintendent’s proposal over the next few weeks, then move to adopt the advertised budget on Feb. 3. Here’s what you can do to get involved. First, learn more about the budget by visiting www.fcps.edu where you’ll find extensive details on all aspects of the budget and the process. Second, sign up to speak at our public hearing on Jan. 24-25. Third, attend the School Board’s Budget Forum to be held on Saturday, Feb. 26, at Falls Church High School.

We are a successful school system, and our success draws business to the area, making a major contribution to the economic engine of the community. Public education in Fairfax County is a source of pride and honor and should remain that way. We need the continued support and involvement of citizens to ensure that it does.

Kathy Smith, Chairman, Fairfax County School Board