According to FCPS, spending per student has only increased from $13,407 to $13,472 since 2008. Little increase occurred between 2000 and 2008.

Yet during this period spending on ESOL classes and other areas has raised educational costs dramatically.

So who is paying for these increased costs?

Answer: The students who go to school and take regular classes and do homework and get fine grades. Their teachers make less, and they are attending much larger classes, especially in districts with favorable socioeconomic profiles.

If you think your kid is getting the same education that they would have gotten 15 or 20 or 30 years ago, you are not paying attention.

Of course, many teachers work very hard and do a great job in increasingly difficult circumstances. This is not a teacher issue, but it is an issue for county residents who are concerned about their kids' educations, and about property values and other important things.

Just don't think we aren't paying for what is happening in the county, even if the cost per student is almost perfectly flat.

I think ONLY the parents of kids in the schools should pay, call it a kid tax, because I am tired of paying for all their shit.

pMxd7 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think ONLY the parents of kids in the schools
> should pay, call it a kid tax, because I am tired
> of paying for all their shit.

If you owned property, I think your attitude would be slightly different?

If we don't educate all these children we will be in for more trouble, as they will grow up and have no skills and no hope. Unless your family members were Native American, they were newcomers once, too.

TeacherTeacher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If we don't educate all these children we will be
> in for more trouble, as they will grow up and have
> no skills and no hope. Unless your family members
> were Native American, they were newcomers once,
> too.

That's a BS answer that always gets tossed around when this debate comes up. This country, the United States of America, was founded by the men brave enough to stand against British tyranny. It was then further settled by immigrants who came here and contributed. I've seen enough areas overrun by the primary of ESL (let's be frank here, hispanics who are often illegal) that proves the majority of those folks do NOT contribute and swamp wherever it is that they settle.

This coming from someone who has Apache and Cherokee blood alongside the Irish and German blood spilled on these grounds during the American Revolutionary War. Don't try and BS excuses for a group that collectively sucks school resources dry.

Again, this isn't your blanket racism. This is personal observation. I have hispanic American friends who will converse with me nary a problem and whom I am proud to call fellow Americans. Why? Because they came here, legally, with personal initiative to learn the English language and contribute to the country. About as American as it gets.

Go fuck yourself, asshole.

Just... Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Go fuck yourself, asshole.


That is a compelling argument. Who was your debate coach? They were clearly underpaid.

EJ9xM Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> pMxd7 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I think ONLY the parents of kids in the schools
> > should pay, call it a kid tax, because I am
> tired
> > of paying for all their shit.
>
> If you owned property, I think your attitude would
> be slightly different?


nothing to do with property

have all kids homeschooled, our school system is the most expensive baby-sitting institution in the world

lets parents pay for their own kids and put in the time

Is this just another tax that liberals think Americans are too stupid to understand?

Seriously. If you think FCPS is a terrible school system, you have 3 choices:

1. take full responsibility and homeschool your child yourself.

2. Pay out the ass and send them to a private school. Don't forget that that school will drop your brat like a greasy turd if they have the slightest behavior issue, and they aren't required to bust their asses helping kids with learning disabilites, as they don't fall under Dept of Ed mandates..still a lot of responsibility on the 'rents.

3. Move to another county and go to another school system. However, the grass isn't always greener...You'd be hard pressed to find a public school system this close to DC with such a great reputation where you aren't going to pay more in taxes.

Leave, you go right to why all of this is problematic.

Many students in FCPS are receiving much less education today than previously. It is being taxed away to do all of these other things, some of them laudable.

You are right there are three other choices. Homeschooling is something many families are understandably unable/unwilling to do. Private schools are often very expensive and are not affordable for many families.

That leaves leaving. This is the concern. If the schools provide a diminished education for most students, more will want to leave, fewer will want to come. Property values go down, which is another hidden tax.

So the point is . . . all of these--uncontrolled immigration, greater regulation, enhanced services--are not free. It sort of looks like it because spending per student is not going up. Really, though, there are lots of hidden taxes. Obama architect Jonathan Gruber would be proud.

bMbFW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> EJ9xM Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > pMxd7 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > I think ONLY the parents of kids in the
> schools
> > > should pay, call it a kid tax, because I am
> > tired
> > > of paying for all their shit.
> >
> > If you owned property, I think your attitude
> would
> > be slightly different?
>
>
> nothing to do with property
>
> have all kids homeschooled, our school system is
> the most expensive baby-sitting institution in the
> world
>
> lets parents pay for their own kids and put in the
> time

It has everything to do with Property.

You may or may not like the FCPS system, but it is part of what make Fairfax, Fairfax.

Without a strong public school system and also good private school options, fewer companies will want to located here because they cannot lure good talented and experienced employees to live and work here. With traffic as bad as it is in the area, most people are not interested in living outside of the area that would require long commutes.

Also your properly values are directly affected/influenced by the public school system and the schools in the area.

You just need to look at average property values around the McLean, Langley, Madison, Marshall pyramids and compare these to average property values around Hayfield, Edison and Mt Vernon.

But also keep in mind that the 5 square miles of Tyson's Corner is the 12 largest business district in the country and within the next few years will be likely the 10 largest business district.

In order to attract Fortune 500 and other progressive companies and businesses you must have a strong and talented workforce and in order to retain a strong and talented workforce a strong public school system is really required.

Why would anyone with a family want to move to Washington, DC when they could move to a surrounding suburb with a strong public school system? Anyone that lives in Washington, DC will typically send their kids to one of many private schools. Some of the Elementary Schools are not bad depending on where in DC you live, but almost everyone ends up enrolling their children in private schools starting in Middle School. If you have 2-3 kids and have to pay for private school for 6+ years for each child, you will have very little left for the 1/4 million dollar Bachelors degree you would want your child to have at a minimum.

Oh yea, if you live in DC you are supposed to be eligible for In State tuition at any of the state colleges and universities, but you still be in the hole from private primary education.

FallLeaves Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Many students in FCPS are receiving much less
> education today than previously.

A couple years ago, I noticed my kids would know the grades on their test immediately - like same day. Used to be I would help them study the night before and wait a week or so till they got the graded tests back. These are not electronic tests, but handwritten tests. Seems like teachers have switched to using classroom time for grading papers - another chunk of classroom time lost.

So much for the oft told story of grading papers nights and weekends...

Kub6F Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It has everything to do with Property.
>
> You may or may not like the FCPS system, but it is
> part of what make Fairfax, Fairfax.

Blah blah blah


NO

I want the schools gone, fuck them all.

Either ONLY parents with kids pay or shut down the whole school system.

You have a kid, you pay - not me.

I do not give a fuck about what makes ffx ffx, save that for your status update on FB.


Everyone is always "It is about our future for the kids." - BULLSHIT, I am an adult and want my taxes to go to things that matter to me NOW. Fuck the kids, let them survive just like we do now. Make the people who pop out a mess of these kids be accountable for their choices.

Posters will say, "How selfish!" - fuck you. Adults are living NOW and those of us who chose not to have kids deserve just as much, if not MORE, than the kids of the future.

If the government told everyone working NOW, that they are going to keep ALL your tax money and let your area turn to shit so they could make sure it is better 30 years for now and for those people, ALL of us would go ape shit.

tvXJ6 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Kub6F Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It has everything to do with Property.
> >
> > You may or may not like the FCPS system, but it
> is
> > part of what make Fairfax, Fairfax.
>
> Blah blah blah
>
>
> NO
>
> I want the schools gone, fuck them all.
>
> Either ONLY parents with kids pay or shut down the
> whole school system.
>
> You have a kid, you pay - not me.
>
> I do not give a fuck about what makes ffx ffx,
> save that for your status update on FB.
>
>
> Everyone is always "It is about our future for the
> kids." - BULLSHIT, I am an adult and want my taxes
> to go to things that matter to me NOW. Fuck the
> kids, let them survive just like we do now. Make
> the people who pop out a mess of these kids be
> accountable for their choices.
>
> Posters will say, "How selfish!" - fuck you.
> Adults are living NOW and those of us who chose
> not to have kids deserve just as much, if not
> MORE, than the kids of the future.
>
> If the government told everyone working NOW, that
> they are going to keep ALL your tax money and let
> your area turn to shit so they could make sure it
> is better 30 years for now and for those people,
> ALL of us would go ape shit.

Well aren't you just a special person, I would hope you would just move to somewhere you were happy!! But frankly I could not give a crap if you are happy or not as you are a miserable piece of garbage.

Have a wonderful day!

grading Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> FallLeaves Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> >
> > Many students in FCPS are receiving much less
> > education today than previously.
>
> A couple years ago, I noticed my kids would know
> the grades on their test immediately - like same
> day. Used to be I would help them study the night
> before and wait a week or so till they got the
> graded tests back. These are not electronic
> tests, but handwritten tests. Seems like teachers
> have switched to using classroom time for grading
> papers - another chunk of classroom time lost.
>
> So much for the oft told story of grading papers
> nights and weekends...

This is possible because teachers are required to give students lots and lots of handouts to read in preparation for the SOL. I saw one class spend a whole class reading a closely printed handout on nematodes (worms) and answering the fill-in-the-blank questions that repeated what they had read. Teacher was able to grade while the entire class did this. I'm not blaming teachers who are often required to have their classes do these handouts by department chairs and higher-ups.

It seems pretty boring for the students though.

Binge/Purge way of learning.

My kids are self sufficient and know how to make decisions as I do not rely on Binge/Purge.

Wait, VA is holding back from Common Core, but they have implemented some of it a few years ago, this is why the SOL Advanced and Regular Pass rates have dropped.

Just remember the future generations will be taking care of us when we are old!

If a company reduces the size of their product but keeps the price the same as before, there has been an effective price increase.

If FCPS increases class size, there has been a tax on a student. That student is getting less education.

FCPS has been able to hoodwink families by increasing class size in school districts with high socioeconomic markers while classes remain small in districts with low socioeconomic markers. How would a parent in Vienna or Reston know that kids in other parts of the county are in classes that are just over half the size of the ones that their kids are attending, without looking closely at the data.?

Maybe this is the best use of resources, but it would seem to make it harder to keep families who care about education in the county and to attract those from outside the county. This is potentially very damaging to the county.

Quoted below....is hitting on part of the problem.

FCPS is, and will remain, one of the best public schools in the nation. Mainly because of its proximity to DC and the wealth/influence of the people who live in Fairfax County.

You want to improve the *real* quality of education? Stop treating students like widgets. Make them think, adapt, and be accountable to more than themselves.

This blog post by Dr. Ravitch yesterday hits on the same point.

My Néw Paradigm for Accountability
By dianeravitch
November 12, 2014 //
63
Now that we have endured more than a dozen long years of No Child Left Behind and five fruitless, punitive years of Race to the Top, it is clear that they both failed. They relied on carrots and sticks and ignored intrinsic motivation. They crushed children’s curiosity instead of cultivating it.* They demoralized schools. They disrupted schools and communities without improving children’s education.

We did not leave no child behind. The same children who were left behind in 2001-02 are still left behind. Similarly, Race to the Top is a flop. The Common Core tests are failing most students, and we are nowhere near whatever the “Top” is. If a teacher gave a test, and 70% of the students failed, we would say she was not competent, tested what was not taught, didn’t know her students. The Race turns out to be NCLB with a mask. NCLB on steroids. NCLB 2.0.

Whatever you call it, RTTT has hurt children, demoralized teachers, closed community schools, fragmented communities, increased privatization, and doubled down on testing.

I have an idea for a new accountability system that relies on different metrics. We begin by dropping standardized test scores as measures of quality or effectiveness. We stop labeling, ranking, and rating children, teachers, snd schools. We use tests only when needed for diagnostic purposes, not for comparing children to their peers, not to find winners and losers. We rely on teachers to test their students, not corporations.

The new accountability system would be called No Child Left Out. The measures would be these:

How many children had the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument?

How many children had the chance to play in the school band or orchestra?

How many children participated in singing, either individually or in the chorus or a glee club or other group?

How many public performances did the school offer?

How many children participated in dramatics?

How many children produced documentaries or videos?

How many children engaged in science experiments? How many started a project in science and completed it?

How many children learned robotics?

How many children wrote stories of more than five pages, whether fiction or nonfiction?

How often did children have the chance to draw, paint, make videos, or sculpt?

How many children wrote poetry? Short stories? Novels? History research papers?

How many children performed service in their community to help others?

How many children were encouraged to design an invention or to redesign a common item?

How many students wrote research papers on historical topics?

Can you imagine an accountability system whose purpose is to encourage and recognize creativity, imagination, originality, and innovation? Isn’t this what we need more of?

Well, you can make up your own metrics, but you get the idea. Setting expectations in the arts, in literature, in science, in history, and in civics can change the nature of schooling. It would require far more work and self-discipline than test prep for a test that is soon forgotten.

My paradigm would dramatically change schools from Gradgrind academies to halls of joy and inspiration, where creativity, self-discipline, and inspiration are nurtured, honored, and valued.

This is only a start. Add your own ideas. The sky is the limit. Surely we can do better than this era of soul-crushing standardized testing.

*Kudos to Southold Elementary School in Long Island, where these ideas were hatched as I watched the children’s band playing a piece they had practiced.

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Categories Arts Education, NCLB (No Child Left Behind), Race to the Top




WE67T Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Binge/Purge way of learning.
>
> My kids are self sufficient and know how to make
> decisions as I do not rely on Binge/Purge.
>
> Wait, VA is holding back from Common Core, but
> they have implemented some of it a few years ago,
> this is why the SOL Advanced and Regular Pass
> rates have dropped.
>
> Just remember the future generations will be
> taking care of us when we are old!

Mcy7u Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> tvXJ6 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Kub6F Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > It has everything to do with Property.
> > >
> > > You may or may not like the FCPS system, but
> it
> > is> >
> >
> > > part of what make Fairfax, Fairfax.
> >
> > Blah blah blah

> > NO
> >
> > I want the schools gone, fuck them all.
> >
> > Either ONLY parents with kids pay or shut down
> the
> > whole school system.
> >
> > You have a kid, you pay - not me.
> >
> > I do not give a fuck about what makes ffx ffx,
> > save that for your status update on FB.
> >
> >
> > Everyone is always "It is about our future for
> the
> > kids." - BULLSHIT, I am an adult and want my
> taxes
> > to go to things that matter to me NOW. Fuck the
> > kids, let them survive just like we do now.
> Make
> > the people who pop out a mess of these kids be
> > accountable for their choices.
> >
> > Posters will say, "How selfish!" - fuck you.
> > Adults are living NOW and those of us who chose
> > not to have kids deserve just as much, if not
> > MORE, than the kids of the future.
> >
> > If the government told everyone working NOW,
> that
> > they are going to keep ALL your tax money and
> let
> > your area turn to shit so they could make sure
> it
> > is better 30 years for now and for those
> people,
> > ALL of us would go ape shit.
>
> Well aren't you just a special person, I would
> hope you would just move to somewhere you were
> happy!! But frankly I could not give a crap if you
> are happy or not as you are a miserable piece of
> garbage.
>
> Have a wonderful day!


Fuck off cunt!

Reality is what it is - and I do not give a shit about your kids.

You have them, you pay for them.

Quote

I think ONLY the parents of kids in the schools should pay, call it a kid tax, because I am tired of paying for all their shit.

When can we expect the check for the educational funding that put you through school? Plus interest, of course.

Curmudgeon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>

Quote

> I think ONLY the parents of kids in the schools
> should pay, call it a kid tax, because I am tired
> of paying for all their shit.
>

>
> When can we expect the check for the educational
> funding that put you through school? Plus
> interest, of course.


Homeschooled - then UVA

Now FUCK OFF!