The Meals Tax is history for the moment. With the Trump victory and lackluster support for the bonds it is unlikely the BOS will authorize a real estate tax hike this year (although taxes will still rise due to assessment increases). It would be easy to sit back and take it easy.

Don't. Now is the time to start pushing back; to create a fiscally sustainable system that provides quality education for the typical Fairfax County students, and which doesn't tie up so much of the County revenues that other necessary programs suffer. We are still going to be dealing with the same people on the School Board and the BOS who thought the Meals Tax was a good idea, so ranting about Flip Flippin and Ryan isn't likely to be successful. There are steps that can be taken now that will have long term benefits.

1. Contact School Board representatives and advocate they adopt a zero based budget based rather than the current system which starts with the previous years figures and adjusts them for increased costs of existing programs, increased costs due to new programs and savings from discontinued or scaled back programs. A zero based budget system would force FCPS to justify more expensive programs, and make it harder for the School Board to blackmail the BOS with threats of unusually large class sizes and cutting popular programs if their budget demands are not met.

2. Encourage FCPS to use in house talent rather than relying on outside experts.

3. Look into using charter schools for special needs kids. The law says you cannot segregate them, but charter schools specifically designed to deal with issues such as limited English could attract enough students away from base schools voluntarily that it could allow teachers to pay more attention to other students.

4. Start identifying potential school board candidates now.

Will this affect the $200k contract to rename Jeb Stuart HS?

Bill.N. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Meals Tax is history for the moment. With the
> Trump victory and lackluster support for the bonds
> it is unlikely the BOS will authorize a real
> estate tax hike this year (although taxes will
> still rise due to assessment increases). It would
> be easy to sit back and take it easy.
>
> Don't. Now is the time to start pushing back; to
> create a fiscally sustainable system that provides
> quality education for the typical Fairfax County
> students, and which doesn't tie up so much of the
> County revenues that other necessary programs
> suffer. We are still going to be dealing with the
> same people on the School Board and the BOS who
> thought the Meals Tax was a good idea, so ranting
> about Flip Flippin and Ryan isn't likely to be
> successful. There are steps that can be taken now
> that will have long term benefits.
>
> 1. Contact School Board representatives and
> advocate they adopt a zero based budget based
> rather than the current system which starts with
> the previous years figures and adjusts them for
> increased costs of existing programs, increased
> costs due to new programs and savings from
> discontinued or scaled back programs. A zero
> based budget system would force FCPS to justify
> more expensive programs, and make it harder for
> the School Board to blackmail the BOS with threats
> of unusually large class sizes and cutting popular
> programs if their budget demands are not met.
>
> 2. Encourage FCPS to use in house talent rather
> than relying on outside experts.
>
> 3. Look into using charter schools for special
> needs kids. The law says you cannot segregate
> them, but charter schools specifically designed to
> deal with issues such as limited English could
> attract enough students away from base schools
> voluntarily that it could allow teachers to pay
> more attention to other students.
>
> 4. Start identifying potential school board
> candidates now.

I don't agree with you often but these are all good ideas.

If a quality education is your end goal, then stop focusing on more money and bigger budgets. My father back in the 40's received a better education in a small underfunded school in Morgantown WV. He went on to GW with a master's degree on the GI bill after serving in Korea. They didn't have anything near what is being spent here. The real barrier for our students in my opinion is that they are teaching the SOL test at a ridiculous pace, and the students and teacher alike just try to maintain the mandated pace and curriculum. The teacher's have become test monitor's at best. The federal government has stepped into the classrooms all over tge United States getting better test scores, but graduating students that know how to test but little else. I would be interested in some teacher's opinions on this. Maybe my view is myopic, or isolated to my situation. Any opinions from someone in the system?

Thanks citizenoffairfaxco. I think regardless of our politics or our position on social issues, most of us want good quality schools, and we want to get our moneys worth from the taxes we pay.

My guess just sayin is that when your father went to that small underfunded school, he was in classrooms full of kids who spoke the same language, who had parents who valued education, and who understood that if they misbehaved they'd be out on their ass and have to answer to those parents. There was also the safety net of jobs that paid living wages to kids who just weren't cut out for school. I have great sympathy for teachers who are having to instruct kids in a language that some kids have not mastered, who can't maintain control over their classroom because the rules don't allow disruptive elements to be removed or properly dealt with, who have to devote large amounts of time to dealing with a handful of especially needy kids so they don't have the energy and time to properly instruct other students, who have to work around all the problems and issues the kids have, and who have to deal with parents who are either indifferent or want their kid to get the diploma for the job rather than to learn the information. (My former English teachers are probably slapping their foreheads on that last sentence.)

just saying Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If a quality education is your end goal, then stop
> focusing on more money and bigger budgets. My
> father back in the 40's received a better
> education in a small underfunded school in
> Morgantown WV. He went on to GW with a master's
> degree on the GI bill after serving in Korea. They
> didn't have anything near what is being spent
> here. The real barrier for our students in my
> opinion is that they are teaching the SOL test at
> a ridiculous pace, and the students and teacher
> alike just try to maintain the mandated pace and
> curriculum. The teacher's have become test
> monitor's at best. The federal government has
> stepped into the classrooms all over tge United
> States getting better test scores, but graduating
> students that know how to test but little else. I
> would be interested in some teacher's opinions on
> this. Maybe my view is myopic, or isolated to my
> situation. Any opinions from someone in the
> system?


My wife and daughter who both are teachers generally would agree. Way too much focus on process, testing, metrics, and the teacher/administrative side vs actually teaching kids. The emphasis on the former has outweighed the latter. It's a relatively common thing that happens in an attempt to develop some basic objective measures and standards but things go horribly wrong in implementation. Especially when there are lots of vested/money interests involved and a whole industry pushing and profiting from that process which completely distorts it.

With all the illegals gone we will have more money than we can spend.
Great days are here again.
All our problems are now solved.

Bill.N. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks citizenoffairfaxco. I think regardless of
> our politics or our position on social issues,
> most of us want good quality schools, and we want
> to get our moneys worth from the taxes we pay.
>
> My guess just sayin is that when your father went
> to that small underfunded school, he was in
> classrooms full of kids who spoke the same
> language, who had parents who valued education,
> and who understood that if they misbehaved they'd
> be out on their ass and have to answer to those
> parents. There was also the safety net of jobs
> that paid living wages to kids who just weren't
> cut out for school. I have great sympathy for
> teachers who are having to instruct kids in a
> language that some kids have not mastered, who
> can't maintain control over their classroom
> because the rules don't allow disruptive elements
> to be removed or properly dealt with, who have to
> devote large amounts of time to dealing with a
> handful of especially needy kids so they don't
> have the energy and time to properly instruct
> other students, who have to work around all the
> problems and issues the kids have, and who have to
> deal with parents who are either indifferent or
> want their kid to get the diploma for the job
> rather than to learn the information. (My former
> English teachers are probably slapping their
> foreheads on that last sentence.)

So I am curious, I don't disagree, aren't theses the same areas that the school board should be trying to improve instead of promoting social issues and political agendas. Why is it acceptable to say they are no solutions?

To put it into context, my father was the son of an immigrant. He mostly spoke polish, and Galician(a Portuguese based language). Hid parents knew a good education, and being able to speak English well, would be important to his future. So they insisted on proper behavior and doing his work. My grandfather mined coal. All of his children went to technical school, or college and left the coal fields. THat was, and should be the path to being an immigrant and being successful in America. The give aways and excuse making, the lack of respect for the rule of custom and the law, not only hurt the recipients, but society and our institutions as well. They came here. We didn't ask them, and they need to " be with us"

Short Answer: YES it is generally what the school board should be pushing, and I never said there were no acceptable solutions.

Long Answer: One of the earliest reasons I advanced in opposition to the Meals Tax was that FCPS needed to re-evaluate their educational priorities in light of current budgetary circumstances so we could provide a better basic education to our students at a reasonable cost. This was also stated more or less eloquently by others who opposed the Meals Tax on this forum. It is my hope that the victory in the meals tax election not be viewed as the end of the war. Instead I'd like to see it as a catalyst for more broader reforms intended to give typical Fairfax County students a good quality of education and give the taxpayers who pay for it good value on their investment. We can't say go back to the way we did things in 1952. It isn't 1952 anymore and even Trump cannot turn back the clock. We also shouldn't be dumping it all on the classroom teachers. In many cases they are as much victims of the problems as everyone else. That doesn't mean we don't hold them accountable, but we shouldn't expect them to produce miracle results when everyone else, the children, their parents, the school system generally and the job market is failing those same kids.

The "single room school house" didn't have Japanese immersion, ESOL, band, football etc., etc. The elephant in the room is the spending on Special Education...

Spending on Special Education impacts General Education students

Staffing of SE INCREASE of 25 teacher and 54 instructional assistant positions + 79 in total
Enrollment of SE students projected up 165 FY17

Staffing of GE DECREASE of 80 teacher and 56 instructional assistant positions < 157> in total
Enrollment of GE students projected up 548 FY17

Budget reports that percentage of Seniors “met FCPS’ expectations” (p. 158)
declined from 78% (‘09-‘10) to 71% (’13-’14)

So, FCPS is cutting teachers for the typical students and increasing positions for the SE students - and this is without any effort to analyze the benefits of the SE programs.

Bill.N. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Short Answer: YES it is generally what the school
> board should be pushing, and I never said there
> were no acceptable solutions.
>
> Long Answer: One of the earliest reasons I
> advanced in opposition to the Meals Tax was that
> FCPS needed to re-evaluate their educational
> priorities in light of current budgetary
> circumstances so we could provide a better basic
> education to our students at a reasonable cost.
> This was also stated more or less eloquently by
> others who opposed the Meals Tax on this forum.
> It is my hope that the victory in the meals tax
> election not be viewed as the end of the war.
> Instead I'd like to see it as a catalyst for more
> broader reforms intended to give typical Fairfax
> County students a good quality of education and
> give the taxpayers who pay for it good value on
> their investment. We can't say go back to the way
> we did things in 1952. It isn't 1952 anymore and
> even Trump cannot turn back the clock. We also
> shouldn't be dumping it all on the classroom
> teachers. In many cases they are as much victims
> of the problems as everyone else. That doesn't
> mean we don't hold them accountable, but we
> shouldn't expect them to produce miracle results
> when everyone else, the children, their parents,
> the school system generally and the job market is
> failing those same kids.

Appreciate what you wrote...BTW I didn't mean you (personally) stated "There were no acceptable solutions." I get that impression from the board, they don't acknowledge that there are problems such as this, much less look for solutions, even though EVERYONE knows these issues are the elephants in the room. I get all your points...good thoughts, thanks.

I don't understand why voters aren't buying into my plan to make Fairfax a sanctuary for illegals. You must be xenophobic if you oppose free luxury housing for gangbangers and rapists!

Eliminate Fairfax Connector buses with less than 100 (about a dozen routes, 2015 stats) or 200 (over 30 routes, 2015 stats) passengers a day, with only a couple, a few, or several people per bus trip, which the county is paying the contractor vendor MV Transit $105 to operate, then we have some more money that can be allocated to schools. If we really need to provide rides to these people, such as disabled, elderly, low paid retail workers, cheaper to put them in Ubers/Lyfts subsidized to some extent.

good old days Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The "single room school house" didn't have
> Japanese immersion, ESOL, band, football etc.,
> etc. The elephant in the room is the spending on
> Special Education...
>
> Spending on Special Education impacts General
> Education students
>
> Staffing of SE INCREASE of 25 teacher and 54
> instructional assistant positions + 79 in total
> Enrollment of SE students projected up 165
> FY17
>
> Staffing of GE DECREASE of 80 teacher and 56
> instructional assistant positions < 157> in total
> Enrollment of GE students projected up 548
> FY17
>
> Budget reports that percentage of Seniors “met
> FCPS’ expectations” (p. 158)
> declined from 78% (‘09-‘10) to 71%
> (’13-’14)
>
> So, FCPS is cutting teachers for the typical
> students and increasing positions for the SE
> students - and this is without any effort to
> analyze the benefits of the SE programs.

Regardless of the "benefits", the number of positions required for special education is federally mandated by the IDEA. Whether you like it or not, it is a local issue to fulfill a federal requirement.

The Board does not face any re-election campaigns until 2019. They face a need for additional revenue right now. The state is facing a $1.5 billion deficit of its own, and the Governor has already toepedoed $125 million of state funding that had in part been targeted for teacher pay-increases. We re not going to be getting the likes of last year's state transfer this year. We are not going to be getting any of the $70 million that the Meals Tax would have provided to the schools.

Now what?

Pie-eyed posts like those of the ever-addled Bill N. above offer no workable solutions at all. None. Both the County and its schools are growing. Revenues must grow at least as much, and more given the holes that have been dug by Bill N.-types ever since the Great Recession struck. It is not "elites" who are out of touch here, but rather the the uneducated FOX-watching know-nothings who think that if any were needed, blood could be gotten simply from some nearby stone.

Much of the problem is students who cannot speak English.

People should really think about voting out this loser next time around.

"Regardless of the "benefits", the number of positions required for special education is federally mandated by the IDEA. Whether you like it or not, it is a local issue to fulfill a federal requirement."

Please provide the cite for this statement. I've read the IDEA and the requirement is to provide a Free and Appropriate Public Education in the Least Restrictive Environment as per an assessment (Individualized Education Plan) and to provide research based curriculum. There is no requirement for specific staffing.

cite please Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Regardless of the "benefits", the number of
> positions required for special education is
> federally mandated by the IDEA. Whether you like
> it or not, it is a local issue to fulfill a
> federal requirement."
>
> Please provide the cite for this statement. I've
> read the IDEA and the requirement is to provide a
> Free and Appropriate Public Education in the Least
> Restrictive Environment as per an assessment
> (Individualized Education Plan) and to provide
> research based curriculum. There is no
> requirement for specific staffing.


Correct. The funding levels are mandated. Specific staffing levels are not. What drives the local costs are the numbers of students, economic characteristics of the area, and the resulting gap between state and federal funding.

"Correct. The funding levels are mandated. Specific staffing levels are not. What drives the local costs are the numbers of students, economic characteristics of the area, and the resulting gap between state and federal funding."

Actually, no. The funding levels are not "mandated" - the "services" are mandated (as in a FAPE must be provided). There is a lot of room for interpretation of what constitutes a FAPE (see O.S. v FCPS for caselaw).

In fact, what drives "local costs" are the Administration's decisions of what service level to provide and how to provide these services. This is the rub. Is FCPS providing an appropriate level of services and at what cost?

Spending on Special Education in FCPS has increased at twice the rate of the increase in overall spending and is now twice as much per pupil as spending on typical students. Last year staffing for Special Ed increased by 79 positions (for 165 additional students) - by contrast, staffing for General Ed DECREASED by 157 positions while enrollment increased 548 students.

This should be investigated, analysed and debated. Spending on Special Education is more than $600 million dollars each year - is it money well spent??

Outer limits of dumbness Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Revenues must grow at least as much, and
> more given the holes that have been dug by Bill
> N.-types ever since the Great Recession struck.

Talk about pie in the sky thinking. Of course we are not able to sustain the program that we had in 2005-6 based on current tax levels. That is because the kind of revenue streams and revenue increases the County experienced in the 2001-2006 time period were an aberration. You had ten or more years of normal economic expansion condensed into a period of five years. The County took advantage of that additional revenue to accelerate expansion of existing programs and start new ones. what sane person or business assumes their best financial year is going to be the new norm?

Fairfax County had a choice to make. Programs cannot be sustained at existing levels with the existing tax structure, given current economic conditions and current and projected future populations. Either we commit to raising tax RATES and institute new taxes on a frequent basis for the foreseeable future to sustain those programs, or we cut programs back so that they can be sustained within the existing tax structure. To an extent this is what the Meals Tax vote was about. In case you missed it, MY SIDE WON AND YOURS LOST.

So now this pie-eyed ever addled poster, understanding that those who thought like you are still in charge, is taking the pragmatic step of saying "what do we have to do next". Meanwhile you continue to rant at and insult those who have opposed your plans.

now that we have that clear? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> This should be investigated, analysed and debated.
> Spending on Special Education is more than $600
> million dollars each year - is it money well
> spent??

There it is again. Is there a way we can get the same results for less money or get better results for the same money?

now that we have that clear? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Correct. The funding levels are mandated.
> Specific staffing levels are not. What drives the
> local costs are the numbers of students, economic
> characteristics of the area, and the resulting gap
> between state and federal funding."
>
> Actually, no. The funding levels are not
> "mandated" - the "services" are mandated (as in a
> FAPE must be provided). There is a lot of room
> for interpretation of what constitutes a FAPE (see
> O.S. v FCPS for caselaw).
>
> In fact, what drives "local costs" are the
> Administration's decisions of what service level
> to provide and how to provide these services.
> This is the rub. Is FCPS providing an appropriate
> level of services and at what cost?
>
> Spending on Special Education in FCPS has
> increased at twice the rate of the increase in
> overall spending and is now twice as much per
> pupil as spending on typical students. Last year
> staffing for Special Ed increased by 79 positions
> (for 165 additional students) - by contrast,
> staffing for General Ed DECREASED by 157 positions
> while enrollment increased 548 students.
>
> This should be investigated, analysed and debated.
> Spending on Special Education is more than $600
> million dollars each year - is it money well
> spent??


You're trying to split hairs with semantics. Services are mandated only at the very broad level of the law itself. The numbers of special ed students is what drives services at the more pratical level. That, and economic characteristics for poverty levels in the formula to a degree, is what dictates local costs and the gap in local funding requirements. Staffing levels are not mandated.

I don't mean to "split hairs". I want to focus the discussion on the sharing of good information and different perspectives with the objective of improving the provision of appropriate services within the resource constraints of the County.

Your statement that it is the "numbers of special ed students is what drives services at the more pratical level" is only partially correct. FCPS has significantly expanded the services provided to each student - at high cost. Are these expansions of spending appropriate and can similar services be provided at lower cost?

We have to be efficient at providing services or we are (by definition) wasting resources - aka money. We don't have money to waste. So how can we spend it more efficiently? Taking a hard look at the provision of special education services is a good place to start, and there is no Federal mandate that prevents reductions in services or staffing from current levels if that is deemed to be appropriate.

importance of precision Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't mean to "split hairs". I want to focus
> the discussion on the sharing of good information
> and different perspectives with the objective of
> improving the provision of appropriate services
> within the resource constraints of the County.
>
> Your statement that it is the "numbers of special
> ed students is what drives services at the more
> pratical level" is only partially correct. FCPS
> has significantly expanded the services provided
> to each student - at high cost. Are these
> expansions of spending appropriate and can similar
> services be provided at lower cost?
>
> We have to be efficient at providing services or
> we are (by definition) wasting resources - aka
> money. We don't have money to waste. So how can
> we spend it more efficiently? Taking a hard look
> at the provision of special education services is
> a good place to start, and there is no Federal
> mandate that prevents reductions in services or
> staffing from current levels if that is deemed to
> be appropriate.


Don't disagree with most of that. The post I was reponding to above claimed that staffing levels were somehow directly mandated. That's not the case.

Level of services obviously affects the cost but that's incremental and the bigger driver is the numbers of students so designated for whatever reason(s). Reducing that number is the more effective way to reduce costs. That does seem to have leveled off some at a percentage level but unfortunately the numbers of students is increasing faster so on net the costs continue to greatly increase.

Real estate taxes will have to go up and its about time. We need to get back to pre-housing bubble rates not this BS discount shit. Our schools look like feces. Richest area in the nation and our schools look ghetto - fuckin unbelievable.

pre-housing bubble rates Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Our schools look like feces. Richest area in the nation and our
> schools look ghetto - fuckin unbelievable.

What are you talking about? FCPS spends a fortune every year on renovating schools. Most of the schools I've been in look quite acceptable. And I've probably been in 40+ FCPS schools in the last 6 years.

West Springfield getting a major overhaul right now. The facility looked fine to me when I was there last year.

name a school that "looks ghetto"... That's an ignorant assertion.

From the Capital Improvement Program book:
The capital funding stream shown in the FY2017 – FY2021 CIP reflects $310 million approved by county voters in the 2015 School Bond Referendum. This funding will allow the planning of one new elementary school, capacity enhancements at one high school along with the relocation of three modular additions, renovations (including capacity enhancements) at six elementary schools and two high schools, along with
construction planning for three elementary school and two middle school renovation projects.

So infrastructure spending continues apace at a level in excess of the $155M limit to annual bond issues (which means FCPS will come to the BOS "hat in hand" for more infrastructure funds...

All this while the projection for student enrollment is flat through 2021

pre-housing bubble rates Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We need to get back to pre-housing bubble
> rates not this BS discount shit.

Through much of the 1990s the rates were at $1.11 and $1.16. Today the rate most homeowners are paying is $1.1585. Commercial properties are paying significantly more.

Bill.N. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> pre-housing bubble rates Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > We need to get back to pre-housing bubble
> > rates not this BS discount shit.
>
> Through much of the 1990s the rates were at $1.11
> and $1.16. Today the rate most homeowners are
> paying is $1.1585. Commercial properties are
> paying significantly more.


Not to mention that the base on which that is calucluated has increased. As well as the various add-ons to the rate.

There were TWO losers in that picture. We should vote out both!

If you have kids, then one quarter of the household income is paid for your children's education.

derpderp Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There were TWO losers in that picture. We should
> vote out both!


Please do.

I like the campaign slogan someone used as their user name: Beat Baldy.

Schools and the education of our young are important to most of us, and crucial to our future. But the federal government's interference in what should be a state responsibility has had unintended consequences. My sister is a teacher in inner city San Francisco. She can't teach the students because she's too busy teaching the mandatory test, against the rules by the way, for fear of her job. Tennessee turned down federal school funding because it cost more to implement then they are receiving in federal funding. They have good schools from what I've read. Fairfax spends 2.7 billion dollars a year. Operations money. That is a tremendous amount, and a lot more than most systems. With this amount, upper management tends to get a bit loose with the budgets and $100,000 starts to look like petty cash. What the voters are saying is treat us and the providers of you funding, us, with respect. Treat every expenditure like it's someone else's money that you have a fiduciary responsibility to maintain and account for. You do. And if you need more to do what needs to be done, we'll talk about it and take care of it like we always have. But do it in the tax sources aleady available for this purpose in the name of transparency.

Presdent Trum should mandate a child's education is the responsibility of the parents. Real Americans who love America and their children, would proudly sacrifice for a brighter future.

While some here may wish that we figure out how to charge parents for their children's public education, there is a mandate in the Virginia Constitution that we have to provide a free and quality education to children of school age. Besides I fear that adopting slash and burn anti-tax policies that are indifferent to educational quality would drive those in the middle to support the "spend more-tax more" crowd that currently runs our schools.

Certainly reviewing Federal mandates to see if we might be better off foregoing Federal funds should be part of the process. Even if we decide not to "cut the cord" it would help installing the "is it worth the cost" mentality.

Bill.N. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> While some here may wish that we figure out how to
> charge parents for their children's public
> education, there is a mandate in the Virginia
> Constitution that we have to provide a free and
> quality education to children of school age.
> Besides I fear that adopting slash and burn
> anti-tax policies that are indifferent to
> educational quality would drive those in the
> middle to support the "spend more-tax more" crowd
> that currently runs our schools.
>
> Certainly reviewing Federal mandates to see if we
> might be better off foregoing Federal funds should
> be part of the process. Even if we decide not to
> "cut the cord" it would help installing the "is it
> worth the cost" mentality.

We need other laws and a new set of social norms that will drive illegals and their children back to where they belong.


We just cannot afford to teach the world English, especially when they are not paying taxes and often getting welfare.

We need to enforce housing codes. We need a strong federal policy against asylum seekers and we need to turn over all criminal aliens to ICE.

If we cut the number of non-English speaking kids in FCPS by even 10%, it would be a huge savings.

The illeagle immigrants are a large part of the economy, and society in general. I deal with these people every day, and have for the last 36 years as I've watched the numbers grow to what they are today. Many pay taxes. In fact, many file tax returns. Do you know that they don't get many of the tax breaks that we do? So they actually pay more than a comparable citizen would. I am in favor of a green card, or guest worker card. It would allow them to have a leagle drivers license, to live and work here, but not to vote or be a citizen as they cane here illegally. The taxes collected could go to hospitals and school system's utilized by their families. If you only knew how many job's these people do, jobs that our citizens won't or dont do, you would see the sanity in this. It would bring billions in tax revenue and help fix many of these funding issues. Or do you really think that you can ship 15 million plus people out without major repercussions to our economy and current social structure? That is an easy way to fix the needed funding for the schools and the hhospitals. And these people pay their obligations. Better than a lot of citizens do I might add. We need to act smarter.

The reality is whether "foreign kids" are here illegally, whether they are themselves legal immigrants or whether they are the U.S. citizen offspring of immigrants brought up in households that speak primarily a language other than English, we are obligated to teach them. That isn't Obama. That isn't some liberal mandate. That is what U.S. Supreme Courts, both liberal and conservative, have said. Even if by some miracle all illegal immigrants in Fairfax County disappeared the day Trump was sworn in, FCPS would still have to deal with the issue of how to educate large numbers of non-primarily English speaking children. So how do we meet that legal mandate at a reasonable cost and without adversely affecting the quality of education other students receive?

You are onto something though ITFKB. Stepping up enforcement of things like housing codes would have a positive impact not just in general, but on the demands on the school system in particular. Allowing multiple families to live in single family dwelling units increases the demands on the school system. That is true REGARDLESS OF WHERE THE STUDENTS COME FROM AND WHETHER THEY SPEAK ENGLISH. Allowing the school system to work with other county agencies to identify potentially unlawfully overcrowded dwelling units would allow us to more effectively deal with that problem.

JS-Whether legalizing immigrants would help or not, it isn't something that Fairfax County has any control over. What I'd like to see us do is generate discussions on what FAIRFAX COUNTY SCHOOLS can do to try to give us a more affordable but still quality educational system.

FCPS can;
> roll back early start times
> eliminate full day pre-K
> limit ESOL to 3 yrs (any kid is going to pick up english in three years)
> right size Special Ed programs
and in a perfect world;
> eliminate football
> reduce all psychologist, social worker and consultant expenditures by at least 1/3rd

oh, and spend locally (the GMU economic study reported that 50% of all FCPS expenditures are made out of County...

and finally; hire a lot more teachers who are in the classroom teaching.

The requirements of State and Federal law are relatively insignificant. The real driver for reform is that educated children are the future work force and will determine whether we attract and retain businesses/jobs and improve our Quality of Life. Squandering resources on education (or anything else) puts that bright future at risk. IMHO, we are at the point where FCPS is stressed to the point that many children are not well educated (71% can't pass the 5 SOLS - not a high bar). And the taxpayers are clamoring against more indiscriminate spending.

We have a bar-bell distribution in FCPS; entitlement seeking special ed parents and entitlement seeking high performers (think TJ, AP, Immersion, IB etc), and these are enabled by special interests that feed on their "needs" (aka: wants). The "typical" students in the middle gets squeezed into more crowded classrooms with fewer teachers and resources. But these are the kids that will choose to stay here (or not) and do the work that pays the taxes. We need to do analysis of the ROI of both those bar-bell constituencies and see if they actually earn a return. Unfortunately, they are the poster children for politically connected parents and for the emotional appeals that mobilize the voters... it will take a concerted effort on the part of academia (GMU, TJ Institute etc.), the private sector, HOAs and citizen action groups to organize with sympathetic elected officials (Hough, Schultz, Herrity etc.) and their advisors (e.g. Ed Long) to develop a coordinated, data based, analytically rigorous vision of the most efficient way to provide education to all children. This is not a small undertaking, but sharing perspectives (as you have encouraged) and data is a first step.

P.S. Have you seen the FCPS Office of Program Evaluation? Seven professionals who evaluate programs and publish the results. It's a start in the right direction. https://www.fcps.edu/department/office-program-evaluation

1) Eliminate deputy superintendent position-Lockard (though he is a dolt) becomes superintendent at same level of compensation. Saves FCPS search fees, extra pay for new superintendent, all the perks Garza (useless bitch) got. If Lockard doesn't like it, he can go work at Wal-Mart.

2) No more turf fields. They cause cancer anyway.

3) No more marching band, it attracts perverts and creates band geeks.

4) No more football, one good thing you can say about FCPS is that the curse of football rape has yet to arrive. Let's keep it that way.

5) Moratorium on ALL consultants.

6) No more conferences.

7) School board member training (which is mandated by law) must be both LOCAL and cost capped.

8) ALL travel over $100 requires a PUBLIC vote of the school board.

9) Yank and rank at Gatehouse-10%/year, target is 30%. For instance, Garza is gone, Lockard is filling in: at least one position was superfluous! Let's see how proven dingdongs like Fabio "Dr. Z." Zuluaga and Angela "case closed/online Ed.D." Atwater do!

10) No more paid meals between members of FCPS staff. Let them eat in a school cafeteria. Sea Pearl will feel the heat, but they've been on a gravy train for years.

11) Reverse the school board raise.

12) No more free laptops.

Identify every county employee shilling for this DEFEATED tax on county time or using county resources, go after them for what they STOLE and then fire them.

More than a few teachers will be looking for jobs at Target for the holidays if this happens soon.

I thought everyone and his brother was behind this tax, only losers opposed it. Now it seems it did not pass. What will FCPS do now?

FCPS will cut their expenditures and live within their means, like everyone else does

Outer limits of dumbness Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Board does not face any re-election campaigns
> until 2019. They face a need for additional
> revenue right now. The state is facing a $1.5
> billion deficit of its own, and the Governor has
> already toepedoed $125 million of state funding
> that had in part been targeted for teacher
> pay-increases. We re not going to be getting the
> likes of last year's state transfer this year. We
> are not going to be getting any of the $70 million
> that the Meals Tax would have provided to the
> schools.
>
> Now what?
>
> Pie-eyed posts like those of the ever-addled Bill
> N. above offer no workable solutions at all.
> None. Both the County and its schools are
> growing. Revenues must grow at least as much, and
> more given the holes that have been dug by Bill
> N.-types ever since the Great Recession struck.
> It is not "elites" who are out of touch here, but
> rather the the uneducated FOX-watching
> know-nothings who think that if any were needed,
> blood could be gotten simply from some nearby
> stone.
You are absolutely correct on the population increasing in ffx county. The question is why? Why has the county board of supervisors continued to allow the over-development of the county with high density housing? Why are the board members OK with turning ffx into Brooklyn or Queens? That's the real problem. Fairfax County should have put a moratorium on all new construction way back in the late 90s. The only new construction allowed should be if there was already an existing home on the property. The county needs to stop raising taxes on homeowners who aren't responsible for the overcrowding of the public schools...

No two ways about it-FCPS has to cut spending.

It may come in the next budget cycle, but with the Meals Tax going down, the stage is set for an increase in the base real estate tax rate of 6 to 8 cents per hundred of assessed value. The state isn't going to be sending us even what they did last year, as they have a $1.5 billion shortfall of their own to deal with. And the cuts that assorted morons call for simply are not there to be made. 85% of FCPS expenses go directly to instruction, and the bulk of the rest goes to the bus fleet and building maintenance. Damage from any cutbacks in spending is going to be done to teachers, support workers, and students because there is no place else for it to go.

Gbcv6 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It may come in the next budget cycle, but with the
> Meals Tax going down, the stage is set for an
> increase in the base real estate tax rate of 6 to
> 8 cents per hundred of assessed value. The state
> isn't going to be sending us even what they did
> last year, as they have a $1.5 billion shortfall
> of their own to deal with. And the cuts that
> assorted morons call for simply are not there to
> be made. 85% of FCPS expenses go directly to
> instruction, and the bulk of the rest goes to the
> bus fleet and building maintenance. Damage from
> any cutbacks in spending is going to be done to
> teachers, support workers, and students because
> there is no place else for it to go.

I would guess it is possible, however, it will set the stage for disposing of both Boards and replacing them with slates of candidates can do their jobs properly. Every statement will be recorded, every vote for wasteful expenditures noted and every stupid social engineering initiative will be protested in order that the constituents of Fairfax County know what they are doing.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/2016 01:53PM by Inquisitive One.

Gbcv6 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It may come in the next budget cycle, but with the
> Meals Tax going down, the stage is set for an
> increase in the base real estate tax rate of 6 to
> 8 cents per hundred of assessed value. The state
> isn't going to be sending us even what they did
> last year, as they have a $1.5 billion shortfall
> of their own to deal with. And the cuts that
> assorted morons call for simply are not there to
> be made. 85% of FCPS expenses go directly to
> instruction, and the bulk of the rest goes to the
> bus fleet and building maintenance. Damage from
> any cutbacks in spending is going to be done to
> teachers, support workers, and students because
> there is no place else for it to go.

If you review several of the preceding posts you will find many workable suggestions to accomplish substantial reductions in the FCPS budget, contributed by thoughtful people. In fact, FCPS compiled a whole seriatum of actions that could be effected when they surveyed the public during last year's budget discussion. So, fall back on name calling if you can't or won't take the time and effort to contribute ideas, but there are well considered proposals and some or all of them will be instituted as the funds available to FCPS are more constrained in the future. It will be up to management (SB and Gatehouse) to earn their pay by allocating scarce resources among competing interests - just like the big boys do that run companies and most home owners do in managing their own budgets.