from FCPS website: (please note that less than 1% of employees are "non school-based mangement positions". Question, then why do we need Gatehouse?)
Thursday, January 06, 2011
FCPS Superintendent Proposes FY 2012 Budget to Support Continued Student Growth and Salary Increases
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Jack D. Dale has released the school system’s FY 2012 Proposed Budget of $2.2 billion with a projected enrollment of 177,416 students. The proposed budget includes an additional 258.4 positions to support changes in student demographics and projected membership growth of 2,120 students as well as market scale adjustments and step increases for all eligible employees following two years of frozen salaries.
“This budget provides funds to support our continued student growth and to compensate our employees who make FCPS the world-class school system that it is,†said Dale. “The [Fairfax County] School Board set employee compensation as a priority for the FY 2012 budget, and this budget reflects that priority. To support these initiatives, along with rising costs for retirement, health and life insurance, and to comply with the mandated implementation of online testing for all students taking the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) tests, we are asking the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for an increase of 3.0 percent, or $48.8 million, in the transfer of funds over the FY 2011 level.â€
During the past three fiscal years (FY 2009-FY 2011), FCPS took proactive steps to address declining revenues. Reductions and cost avoidances totaled more than $465 million and included the elimination of more than 1,400 positions. FCPS increased revenue by charging fees for Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) tests and for Virginia High School League athletic participation in FY 2011, and class size was increased by 0.5 students per teacher in FY 2009 and FY 2010. Employee salaries were frozen in FY 2010 and FY 2011.
“While our students continue to outpace their counterparts in Virginia and the nation academically, we are seeing an increase in the number of students who need extra support and resources to succeed,†said Dale. “In FY 2012, we project that one in four students will be eligible for free and reduced-price meals—the fastest growing segment of our student population. We also expect to see a 15 percent increase in the number of students receiving English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) instruction.
“By FY 2012, overall student membership will have grown 8 percent—more than 13,000 students—since FY 2007,†he added. “Despite this growth, however, FCPS remains in the middle of area school systems in its cost per pupil, expected to rise just $239 for FY 2012.†The cost per pupil in FY 2012 of $12,836 is still below the FY 2010 level.
Demonstrating great fiscal efficiency, FCPS has the lowest percentage of nonschool-based management positions (less than 1 percent) among Washington area school divisions, as reported by the Washington Area Boards of Education. More than 85 percent of FCPS’ budget goes to instruction, and nearly 93 percent of positions are in classrooms and school buildings, directly serving the needs of students. FCPS continually seeks improved efficiencies and in FY 2012 has identified additional savings in transportation and energy management.
“Our starting teacher salaries have declined over the past two years,†says Dale. “We need to bring those salaries up so we can continue to attract the most qualified teachers possible to serve our students. Additionally, we now rank fifth in the region in terms of mid-career teacher salaries and are next to last in maximum teacher salaries. It will be more difficult to attract and retain experienced teachers if we can’t provide salaries that are competitive with neighboring school districts.â€
The Fairfax County School Board will hold public hearings on the FY 2012 budget on January 24 and 25 at Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County; the speakers list for those public hearings opens on Friday, January 7 at
http://www.fcps.edu/schlbd/requestspeak.htm. For complete information on the FCPS FY 2012 budget, including the budget calendar, visit
http://www.fcps.edu/news/fy2012.htm.
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