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VA Public Schools other than FCPS
Reply to "APS budget is unacceptable"
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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Cutting the aquatics field trip will save almost no money. APS barely funds field trips. Mostly to planetarium, outdoor lab and pools. PTAs fundraise for Jamestown and the like. Kids like pool week. No sense in cutting it. And APS is not going to fund something better. [/quote] Careful. I'm sure people would like to eliminate the Planetarium trips, too. Don't remind them! [/quote] How much does APS spend on the planetarium? [/quote] The planetarium nonprofit “The Friends” took over a lot of the spending during a previous round of budget cuts. There are many things APS used to fund that are now funded through donations and by volunteers. I guess it’s a trend all over the country. The expectations for government services are just much lower than in the olden days. [/quote] are you kidding? in the olden days, my school system sure as h*ll did not have its own auditorium or private forest. [/quote] IMO, the planetarium, the outdoor forest, and sending kids to TJHSST are the 3 things that stand out for APS. Both the planetarium and outdoor lab are unique to APS and EVERY student has access. TJHSST, I've gone back and forth on; but I've settled on it being a good thing. Maybe some costs can be reduced/recovered with scaled transportation fees or maybe Arlington TJ parents can expand carpooling; but participating in the program does not cost more per pupil than APS spends and provides a very unique opportunity that APS cannot provide. Therefore, IMO, these 3 aspects of APS are worth the relatively minimal investments. The real luxury items are all the option programs and iPads for every student through 8th grade. These are the first things that should be looked at the very instant step one - eliminating the fluff at Syphax, eliminating all the paid vacation for Syphax employees, and reducing the Superintendent's benefit package (does that position still get a provided car???) - is done. Then get the County serious about coordinating ART routes and get all 6th - 12th graders off yellow school buses.[/quote] I agree with you that every kid doesn’t need an iPad, [b]but I have never understood why people think option programs are so expensive. [/b]It’s not like kids in option programs would all move to private. APS would still have to pay for teachers, principals and buy textbooks etc if the schools became neighborhood schools. [/quote] 1. Additional transportation. yes, many would be on buses anyway, but to the same schools and not buses collecting students from across the county. 2. Can't just hire any old teacher or re-allocate teachers from other schools. You need bilingual/Spanish-speaking teachers for immersion; Montessori requires specialized training; etc. 3. Montessori also requires more teachers - an additional teacher in every classroom. 4. Paying extra for additional/different materials and curriculum. 5. IB programs/schools require a fee to the IB Organization to be recognized as an IB school. 6. IB teachers also require specialized training. 7. Running multiple options is a collective expense. [/quote] Can’t speak for others but Montessori is priced in the middle of all Arl ES. Did you see the AEM post showing cost per pupil? Montessori teachers should be certified as such but they do that on their own dime - they get no reimbursement or extra pay compared with other teachers. Also, the APS Montessori model is 2 adults, not two teachers in a class (and I don’t think you’ll find an APS Montessori class with two teachers even though there should be). And Montessori materials last for years or decades, literally, some teachers will carry some same materials their whole careers. That means the annual costs are lower because you’re not buying whole new textbooks and tools every SY. Again, look at the cost per pupil. There are neighborhood NArl ES significantly higher than all options. Why?[/quote] People like to say options are more expensive but can't back it up. [/quote]
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