Ooohhhh..... the first round of cuts being discussed to help with the 2016-2017 budget shortfall. If you see something you don't like, SAY SOMETHING TO YOUR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER NOW! If I remember correctly, major decisions will begin to be made in DECEMBER!

http://www.fcps.edu/news/fy2017/taskforce/docs/Preliminary%20Draft%20of%20Menu%20of%20Reduction%20and%20Fee%20Options%20July%2014.pdf

What a joke.

So, they put out the "high financial impact" issues that they know will get the public most upset. NOTE that there are no details--I realize that this is a "draft". Why don't they put what the financial impact is-or at least an estimate of it?

I could have done that proposal in twenty minutes if my purpose was to get the public attention. That is the purpose of this document. To get the public attention.

I'll have to read it again, but it looks to me on quick perusal that there are lots of things that are NOT on there.

And, as far as cutting the custodians at night--anyone who has ever done Scouts or anything in a school after hours knows that it is always hard to find the custodian--and when you do, they are usually in the lounge with tv and food. That may be a good place to start.

Did they meet at a rather expensive restaurant to discuss this and we paid for it? Or did they rent some $300 hotel rooms at a resort to have a "retreat" regarding this?

Anybody know what the surplus was this past year? It was like $50 million one year.

nnnnnnnnn Wrote:
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> Anybody know what the surplus was this past year?
> It was like $50 million one year.


http://patch.com/virginia/centreville/fairfax-schools-budget-surplus-how-should-it-be-spent

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/fairfax-county-school-board-often-has-millions-in-extra-cash-to-spend/2013/08/23/9a6a1c5e-fa06-11e2-9bde-7ddaa186b751_story.html

Ha ha.

Look at what they're stuck with:

1) Scaling back sports

2) Scaling back band (which exists because of football)

3) Scaling back instructional coaches

4) Scaling back assistant principals

5) Scaling back professional development (think "Buck Institute")

Now, if you just replace "scaling back" with "getting rid of" you are on the right track.

Reed and Velkoff have FAILED to get taxation authority. Bulova knows the meals tax will FAIL on the ballot.

Get with the program, boys and girls, there's no more money to be wasted.

holier hatty Wrote:
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> Ooohhhh..... the first round of cuts being
> discussed to help with the 2016-2017 budget
> shortfall. If you see something you don't like,
> SAY SOMETHING TO YOUR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER NOW! If
> I remember correctly, major decisions will begin
> to be made in DECEMBER!
>
> http://www.fcps.edu/news/fy2017/taskforce/docs/Pre
> liminary%20Draft%20of%20Menu%20of%20Reduction%20an
> d%20Fee%20Options%20July%2014.pdf

They really must think no one pays attention to how they do this every year - and maybe no one does. It's the same thing Domenech was doing 15 years ago - "Oooh, we're out of money so AAP will need to go"

I support this budget 100%

F3hkV Wrote:
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> What a joke.

There will be a dinner meeting for administrators Saturday at 7pm at Lansdowne Resort to discuss this. Rooms are available and golf is also available. Brunch will be served on Sunday for those who wish to purchase the entire package.

Use of pcards is authorized for this special function.

RSVP 571-423-1010 for all details.

Keep up the cuts. The County needs to get with it too. I'd like to see my $3400 a year in taxes go down by about half.

Didn't read it but can I guess the planned cuts at the usual sports, music programs and an odd core program. Just enough to get residents pissed off.

Mean while the school execs up their payroll and we get astro tuff fields.

How about we fix the school system so kids can get to school in the winter.

Christ half the winter the FFX county school system was shutdown. 2 day school weeks most of January and February. 30 degrees and the schools had to close down.

Why build more turf fields when you are going to scale back sports?

Can someone explain pages 5-8? Are those cuts that were discussed, but are now "excluded" from further discussion?

are these off the table Wrote:
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> Can someone explain pages 5-8? Are those cuts
> that were discussed, but are now "excluded" from
> further discussion?


It's what was already cut. Unlike a real business, where what you did already doesn't really matter in the face of today's problem, FCPS Board and "staff" are like petulant children who want to take credit for things that really do not matter. Who really cares what last years' budget reductions were? It's a deficit for next year. Also, when they claim they cut 3000 jobs already and yet have a higher headcount now, it kind of makes the "here's what I did already" argument right kind of false.

Makes you want to throw a clipboard at one of them!

Same old tune is right. They throw out things that will never be cut to hide all the fat and fraud. Then the play on your emotional starts.
You will hear the same old worn out phrases:

The children will suffer

Your house will be worthless

Businesses will no longer relocate here

The standing that a FCPS diploma has with colleges will no longer mean anything.

Unless the federal govt and all their contractors fold, none of this will ever happen.

After raising my real estate tax bill the way they did, I will be leaving. After long time taxpayers, tired of funding free everything for people who never put anything back into the pot ,throw in the towel, you will really see the county scramble to a fund a school budget that has been bloated and padded for decades

all this and more Wrote:
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> Keep up the cuts. The County needs to get with it
> too. I'd like to see my $3400 a year in taxes go
> down by about half.

I paid that about 8 years ago. Now it's $6200. Thank God my salary has gone up at the same astronomical rate - NOT!

Does it even mention the cost of the 1,500 plus illegal aliens who crossed the border and were placed in the school system. How much are they costing to educate. So we keep paying more, more, more with a good number of kids attending without ever having paid taxes into the system. They cut the services for the average kid (not brilliant, not ESOL). And the parents don't put two and two together. They are destroying our school system.

abcdefsgte Wrote:
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> Does it even mention the cost of the 1,500 plus
> illegal aliens who crossed the border and were
> placed in the school system. How much are they
> costing to educate. So we keep paying more, more,
> more with a good number of kids attending without
> ever having paid taxes into the system. They cut
> the services for the average kid (not brilliant,
> not ESOL). And the parents don't put two and two
> together. They are destroying our school system.

We do not have a problem with illegal immigration in Fairfax County.
Shut up and pay your taxes.

Put the Fairfax county code enforcement staff to WORK. Crack down on multiple families in single family dwellings, illegal basemen apartments, and homes with garages that have been changed into rooms. They can do this by ACTUALLY working and trying to check water usage per household. Lots of people= lots of water used. Also, go door to door in apartments buildings around schools with high enrollment ESOL and FRL programs.

Guaranteed to save money with reduced enrolwmt in the ESOL and FRL programs hat are causing FCPS to hemorrhage money.

The school board and BOS need to answer one question. WHY IS ENROLLEMENT GOING UP SO DRASTICALLY IN COMMUNITIES WITH NO NEW RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION AND WHY ISNT THE TAX BASE INCREASING TO MATCH THE ENROLLMENT?

Some heads need to be removed from rectums.

Easy Solution Wrote:
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> Put the Fairfax county code enforcement staff to
> WORK. Crack down on multiple families in single
> family dwellings, illegal basemen apartments, and
> homes with garages that have been changed into
> rooms. They can do this by ACTUALLY working and
> trying to check water usage per household. Lots of
> people= lots of water used. Also, go door to door
> in apartments buildings around schools with high
> enrollment ESOL and FRL programs.

1) Mass inspections would be needed to locate illegal construction.

2) Not sure Fairfax Water can just turn over detailed water use information to code enforcement.

3) Not sure parents would be happy about school info being turned over to code enforcement.

4) Not sure door to door would work, code enforcement would have to get a LOT of warrants.

And, if the people are all related, code enforcement is not ICE.

>
> Guaranteed to save money with reduced enrolwmt in
> the ESOL and FRL programs hat are causing FCPS to
> hemorrhage money.
>
> The school board and BOS need to answer one
> question. WHY IS ENROLLEMENT GOING UP SO
> DRASTICALLY IN COMMUNITIES WITH NO NEW RESIDENTIAL
> CONSTRUCTION AND WHY ISNT THE TAX BASE INCREASING
> TO MATCH THE ENROLLMENT?
>
> Some heads need to be removed from rectums.

Removing a head from a rectum? Stop paying Eric Jensen $9,000/day to teach people neuroscience, a subject he really has no qualifications to teach. Stop sending people to the Buck Institute so they can fake up their travel claims, etc. etc. etc. etc., fire the instructional coaches, fire the assistant principals, fire principals whose schools can't keep accreditation, fire bottom 10% of all employees, cancel sports and band, don't build more turf fields, stop buying overpriced books from publishers with sweetheart deals.

abcdefsgte Wrote:
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> Does it even mention the cost of the 1,500 plus
> illegal aliens who crossed the border and were
> placed in the school system. How much are they
> costing to educate. So we keep paying more, more,
> more with a good number of kids attending without
> ever having paid taxes into the system. They cut
> the services for the average kid (not brilliant,
> not ESOL). And the parents don't put two and two
> together. They are destroying our school system.

The Board of Supervisor's study on this in the past 12 months determined that these illegal border surge kids cost FCPS $23 million - money that was not budgeted for last year. The liberals in this county ought to be bearing down on their pal Obama for reimbursement before making cuts to valuable FCPS programs that taxpayers PAID for.

It is not like immigration just started yesterday.

The schools have a finite amount of money to spend and they have to adapt to changes. This means, for example, facing the reality of the increasing student population and knowing that means certain cuts have to be made.

For example, while this current trip to Korea is "nice to have" it consumes money the district may not have. The same could be said about the leadership conference in Orlando and others.

Unless the Board of Supervisors is willing to raise taxes so that the average resident is paying $10,000 a year, the schools have to change. There is really no alternative.

Reduce custodial by 80%?? 1 time cleaning at night?

Toilets filled with turds all week trash built up !Kids getting sick . The most unsanitary conditions in any schools in the state by the most wealthy school system.. That's the very worst idea I have seen yet.

Cut the Gatehouse waste ,get rid of the teacher coaches make some real sensible cuts , get in touch with reality.

Face it, school administrators and members of the school board have gotten used to the good life. Fancy restaurants, nice hotels, big paychecks, no telling what kind of "deals" with consultants and suppliers.

It'll be tough for them to let go of those things. So, they propose cutting janitorial services. The reality of the situation is that major cuts are needed. The good life has to go, sorry, think of the children.

cut both..... Why do we need so many custodians?


Double Action Jackson Wrote:
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> Reduce custodial by 80%?? 1 time cleaning at
> night?
>
> Toilets filled with turds all week trash built up
> !Kids getting sick . The most unsanitary
> conditions in any schools in the state by the most
> wealthy school system.. That's the very worst idea
> I have seen yet.
>
> Cut the Gatehouse waste ,get rid of the teacher
> coaches make some real sensible cuts , get in
> touch with reality.

At least the custodian is on the job. Can't say that about administrators and board members who hang out in Korea, Orlando, and New Orleans.

A typical elem school like Canterbury Woods had 5 janitors, one works day time, cleaning the cafeteria ,kitchen, halls, check bathrooms during the day, bring in supplies delivered to the school and kitchen, unlocking doors and other things, as well as any cleaning up spills or accidents kids have. One worked a half day have evening shift in the kitchen and café then clean a part of the building. there were three others that worked only at night. cleaning the bathrooms every night, dumping all trash sweeping vacuuming all halls and classrooms offices library. Then checking the building locking it up and setting the alarms. Janitors are not over staffed in FCPS

Then you have the summer they all work days in the elem schools and middle schools, and during that time all desks are scrubbed gum scraped off chairs and desks, floors and halls stripped and waxed, black boards, blinds, windows light fixtures cleaned and everything else cleaned in the whole school to get it ready for fall.

They also remove snow from around the building on sidewalks keep the fire exits clear of snow and cut grass that is close to the building and around bushes and trees so the School Grounds dept can get the rest with the big tractors and mowers. The janitors have plenty to do.

good and bad ideas Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Face it, school administrators and members of the
> school board have gotten used to the good life.
> Fancy restaurants, nice hotels, big paychecks, no
> telling what kind of "deals" with consultants and
> suppliers.
>
> It'll be tough for them to let go of those things.
> So, they propose cutting janitorial services. The
> reality of the situation is that major cuts are
> needed. The good life has to go, sorry, think of
> the children.

If the School Board can go out for turtle soup and bananas foster, we are paying for jacuzzi suites and unauthorized per diem, etc., but they can't afford to clean the toilets on a regular basis, something is very wrong.

I really want to hear somebody sobbing because they can't stay in a $300 hotel room. Make my day.

uh huh--- Wrote:
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> I really want to hear somebody sobbing because
> they can't stay in a $300 hotel room. Make my day.


They don't care , they feel entitled, no shame no guilt. IT will not stop until the county cant pay its bills and the Board tells the superintendent, look make it work like all the other agencies.

I'll bet you could lay off all of the administrators in Gatehouse, many principals, all assistant principals, all instructional coaches, and terminate all consulting contracts and there would be very little difference.

Bulova is afraid of backlash if the schools start to crash. She hasn't seen backlash until people get a $10,000 property tax bill.

If they would not change the school start times the majority of these cuts would be eliminated. Delay the changes until the total cost can be determined. Nobody is talking about that.