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Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
WTF FCPS
Posted by:
Fcup
()
Date: September 15, 2012 04:37PM
Fairfax school officials decide against endorsing proposed charter school
Fairfax County school officials have decided against endorsing a proposal for creating Northern Virginia’s first public charter school, handing at least a temporary setback to the organizers of the Fairfax Leadership Academy for at-risk youth.
Deputy Superintendent Richard Moniuszko said Friday that officials would inform the Fairfax County School Board next week that they could not recommend the school’s application until a number of conditions related to funding have been met.
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The School Board is authorized by Virginia law to create charter schools and could approve the school’s application, with or without the school district’s recommendation.
Moniuszko said school officials think the proposed charter lacks sufficient funding to hire a full staff, purchase enough textbooks and pay for significant upgrades to its proposed site in Falls Church.
“They’re not ready,” Moniuszko said. “There are some things they are going to have to do to get approved.”
The Fairfax Leadership Academy’s lead organizer is J.E.B. Stuart High School teacher Eric Welch , who met with Moniuszko on Friday to review the charter school’s application. Welch said afterward that he felt encouraged.
“This is the first time they are doing this in Fairfax County, so I knew this was going to take some time,” Welch said. “It’s progress. We’re closer to knowing more about what the school district specifically is asking us to do to get to a point where we would be able to get their approval.”
Although the Virginia Board of Education gave its support for the charter school in the spring, the county School Board will decide its fate next month.
Unlike other public schools in the county, the Fairfax Leadership Academy would prepare at-risk students for a college education through a longer school day (eight hours instead of 61 / 2) and an extended school year (206 days instead of 183).
The school plans to enroll about 450 students in seventh through 12th grades and would largely cater to children from low-income and immigrant families. Welch said the academy’s goal is to help students who may have struggled at other schools and to give those children a better future.
Because of its small size, the school would offer special programs for students. Teachers would help students engage with local businesses to learn about possible careers. The school also intends to offer dual-enrollment classes through Northern Virginia Community College so students could earn college credits.
The charter school has received bipartisan support at the state and local levels. Del. Kaye Kory (D-Fairfax) is on the academy’s board of directors. Del. Barbara J. Comstock (R-Fairfax) has also offered her endorsement, and Sen. J. Chapman “Chap” Petersen (D-Fairfax) is serving as the school’s counsel.
Steve Greenburg, president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, has also endorsed the proposed school.
Moniuszko said the charter school’s proposal was filled with “laudable goals and good ideas.” He said the county’s charter school review committee approached the application with “an open mind and no predetermined conclusions.”
Fairfax County school officials have decided against endorsing a proposal for creating Northern Virginia’s first public charter school, handing at least a temporary setback to the organizers of the Fairfax Leadership Academy for at-risk youth.
Deputy Superintendent Richard Moniuszko said Friday that officials would inform the Fairfax County School Board next week that they could not recommend the school’s application until a number of conditions related to funding have been met.
21
Comments
Weigh InCorrections?
Personal Post
More news about education
Back to school: School Days 2012-13
AUG 13
Get updates from around the region as local students return to the classroom.
Officials cut ribbon at Anacostia High
Emma Brown 11:48 AM ET
D.C. officials celebrated a $62 million, top-to-bottom overhaul of Anacostia High School that they hope will be part of a larger revolution at the long-struggling school.
The cost of closing schools
Emma Brown SEP 11
As DCPS plans to close more schools, the city auditor says the closure of 23 schools in 2008 cost millions more than previously reported.
Simplifying school choice
Emma Brown SEP 10
For the first time this year, applications for most D.C. charter schools will be due on the same day — part of an effort to simplify the process for parents.
Read more
The School Board is authorized by Virginia law to create charter schools and could approve the school’s application, with or without the school district’s recommendation.
Moniuszko said school officials think the proposed charter lacks sufficient funding to hire a full staff, purchase enough textbooks and pay for significant upgrades to its proposed site in Falls Church.
“They’re not ready,” Moniuszko said. “There are some things they are going to have to do to get approved.”
The Fairfax Leadership Academy’s lead organizer is J.E.B. Stuart High School teacher Eric Welch , who met with Moniuszko on Friday to review the charter school’s application. Welch said afterward that he felt encouraged.
“This is the first time they are doing this in Fairfax County, so I knew this was going to take some time,” Welch said. “It’s progress. We’re closer to knowing more about what the school district specifically is asking us to do to get to a point where we would be able to get their approval.”
Although the Virginia Board of Education gave its support for the charter school in the spring, the county School Board will decide its fate next month.
Unlike other public schools in the county, the Fairfax Leadership Academy would prepare at-risk students for a college education through a longer school day (eight hours instead of 61 / 2) and an extended school year (206 days instead of 183).
The school plans to enroll about 450 students in seventh through 12th grades and would largely cater to children from low-income and immigrant families. Welch said the academy’s goal is to help students who may have struggled at other schools and to give those children a better future.
Because of its small size, the school would offer special programs for students. Teachers would help students engage with local businesses to learn about possible careers. The school also intends to offer dual-enrollment classes through Northern Virginia Community College so students could earn college credits.
The charter school has received bipartisan support at the state and local levels. Del. Kaye Kory (D-Fairfax) is on the academy’s board of directors. Del. Barbara J. Comstock (R-Fairfax) has also offered her endorsement, and Sen. J. Chapman “Chap” Petersen (D-Fairfax) is serving as the school’s counsel.
Steve Greenburg, president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, has also endorsed the proposed school.
Moniuszko said the charter school’s proposal was filled with “laudable goals and good ideas.” He said the county’s charter school review committee approached the application with “an open mind and no predetermined conclusions.”
Re: WTF FCPS
Posted by:
explain the politics here
()
Date: September 15, 2012 06:08PM
I don't quite understand why Moniuszko has anything to do with funding the school. Isn't it the school board that will decide to fund the school? Why should he be able to "not recommend" if he doesn't know how much money the school board will transfer to the school? It makes no sense.
Re: WTF FCPS
Posted by:
not a supporter of charters in FFX
()
Date: September 16, 2012 10:31AM
explain the politics here Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't quite understand why Moniuszko has
> anything to do with funding the school. Isn't it
> the school board that will decide to fund the
> school? Why should he be able to "not recommend"
> if he doesn't know how much money the school board
> will transfer to the school? It makes no sense.
Tax payers cannot be expected to transfer more than the average spend per child in the county
As the charter has chosen a strategy which will be significantly more expensive, it must expect to cover the costs from other sources.
Transferring more than the average or delaying existing capital spend commitments to subsidize a private venture would be rightly be unacceptable to parents who already send their kids to FCPS schools
If the charter receives extra funds to pay for longer school days, longer year etc then FCPS parents will rightly demand the same for their kids. Similar the charter should not be able to leapfrog tax-payer and county bond paid capital spend priorities.
Moniuszko is right to advise the board on the basis that the school does not have adequate funding to teach its pupils.
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't quite understand why Moniuszko has
> anything to do with funding the school. Isn't it
> the school board that will decide to fund the
> school? Why should he be able to "not recommend"
> if he doesn't know how much money the school board
> will transfer to the school? It makes no sense.
Tax payers cannot be expected to transfer more than the average spend per child in the county
As the charter has chosen a strategy which will be significantly more expensive, it must expect to cover the costs from other sources.
Transferring more than the average or delaying existing capital spend commitments to subsidize a private venture would be rightly be unacceptable to parents who already send their kids to FCPS schools
If the charter receives extra funds to pay for longer school days, longer year etc then FCPS parents will rightly demand the same for their kids. Similar the charter should not be able to leapfrog tax-payer and county bond paid capital spend priorities.
Moniuszko is right to advise the board on the basis that the school does not have adequate funding to teach its pupils.
Re: WTF FCPS
Posted by:
it needs to happen one way or another
()
Date: September 16, 2012 02:13PM
Taxpayers do transfer more than the average per child in quite a few cases in the county---alternative schools get more, schools with FLES programs get more, schools that are SpEd centers get more, etc. I am sure there have been cases where more money was transferred to a school (in the low income areas for example---by way of lower class sizes). This is nothing new. If the charter gets results, I do not think it would be unacceptable to many. Many do not want a longer school year for their own kids anyway. This is a political decision and it is pretty much up to the board to make those kinds of decisions (Moniuszko is an educator---right? Shouldn't he be concerned with whether this is an educationally sound idea?). Everyone is fully aware that their taxes are spent doing good for others in many instances (and they support and understand that). It's the way that we improve the whole community and our country (selflessness---it's a community value).
On the other hand,if private money is available and there are good results at the school, there is a good chance that public money may follow in the future. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. It is true that private money must now go towards these types of efforts because there is little public money available these days. Somehow we need to improve our country's future chances for economic success and education is key to that. We need to take a risk on this. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
On the other hand,if private money is available and there are good results at the school, there is a good chance that public money may follow in the future. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. It is true that private money must now go towards these types of efforts because there is little public money available these days. Somehow we need to improve our country's future chances for economic success and education is key to that. We need to take a risk on this. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.