WAPO article about sever FFX school budget cuts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Our neighborhood had 3 elementary school bus routes at one time-base school, old center, new center. Garza's list doesn't seem to address the issue nor that of AAP middle school. Flex is like music or strings-it's extra staff for a subject. Immersion gets extra staff for instruction plus principals use staff from the regular ed allocation. I'd remove immersion extra staffing before I'd take away flex which is a equitable program.

IB is a huge expense. Each school has extra staff and pays overhead to IB.

From a program budget:
http://www.fcps.edu/fs/budget/documents/approved/FY13/FY2013ProgramBudget.pdf
AP at 17 high schools =$3.43m including 2.7m of test fees and non-school based positions. Cost if you add in the non-school based is $210 per pupil.

IB middle years was at 5 middle schools and 4 high schools and was about 870,000.
IB at 8 high schools = $2.61m including 1.2m test fees, .1 accreditation, .2 prof dev/instructional supplies. No non-school based positions is odd. $900 per student.

AP/IB are listed under Advanced Academic Programs [Dr Carol Horn - this includes AAP].

Agreed. Having eight IB schools in the county is ridiculous. At a minimum, why not limit it to South Lakes, Marshall, one of Annandale/Stuart and one of Edison/Lee/Mount Vernon. My bet is that Robinson parents would be happier with a full menu of AP courses and no IB.

[Anonymous]

Would it help if band, strings, or chorus was a requirement in elementary schools? Everyone has to pick an instrument or sing. It seems odd that you have the option of regular music class, band, strings, or chorus during the elementary music block. Not sure about middle and high school.

[Anonymous]

Anyone know the mileage cost of a school bus? I've seen lots of buses showing up at schools with a handful of kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So the real reason for the deficit is the ESOL. How come the county just doesn't come out and say it?

PC

I don't think you can pinpoint any one reason for the deficit. All budget items contribute to the bottom line. Any many factors affect the amount available for spending.

Not really, if you add up everything else it's barely a scratch compared to ESOL which increased by 48 million and I bet every year it's increased by a lot making it's total cost dwarf the deficit. I guarantee if ESOL was cut or eliminated FCPS would be cashflow positive for the foreseeable future unless they start doing poor investments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So the real reason for the deficit is the ESOL. How come the county just doesn't come out and say it?

PC

I don't think you can pinpoint any one reason for the deficit. All budget items contribute to the bottom line. Any many factors affect the amount available for spending.

Not really, if you add up everything else it's barely a scratch compared to ESOL which increased by 48 million and I bet every year it's increased by a lot making it's total cost dwarf the deficit. I guarantee if ESOL was cut or eliminated FCPS would be cashflow positive for the foreseeable future unless they start doing poor investments.

But then they wouldn't actually be educating the percentage of the children who need ESOL. So that sort of defeats the purpose of public education, no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know the mileage cost of a school bus? I've seen lots of buses showing up at schools with a handful of kids.

yup. our neighborhood school has several.

[Anonymous]

I think there is probably a reg which requires ESOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So the real reason for the deficit is the ESOL. How come the county just doesn't come out and say it?

PC

I don't think you can pinpoint any one reason for the deficit. All budget items contribute to the bottom line. Any many factors affect the amount available for spending.

Not really, if you add up everything else it's barely a scratch compared to ESOL which increased by 48 million and I bet every year it's increased by a lot making it's total cost dwarf the deficit. I guarantee if ESOL was cut or eliminated FCPS would be cashflow positive for the foreseeable future unless they start doing poor investments.

But then they wouldn't actually be educating the percentage of the children who need ESOL. So that sort of defeats the purpose of public education, no?

well o.k., if a purpose of public edication is to educate undocumented aliens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So the real reason for the deficit is the ESOL. How come the county just doesn't come out and say it?

PC

I don't think you can pinpoint any one reason for the deficit. All budget items contribute to the bottom line. Any many factors affect the amount available for spending.

Not really, if you add up everything else it's barely a scratch compared to ESOL which increased by 48 million and I bet every year it's increased by a lot making it's total cost dwarf the deficit. I guarantee if ESOL was cut or eliminated FCPS would be cashflow positive for the foreseeable future unless they start doing poor investments.

But then they wouldn't actually be educating the percentage of the children who need ESOL. So that sort of defeats the purpose of public education, no?

Agree with PPP. What world do you live in? The ignorance of so-called educated people in this area is frightening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree about FLES cut. Nice to have program. With the budget money like it is, it has to go. Kids do not learn language with a class once or twice a week.

Agreed. And I say this as someone whose kids were born overseas and spent a significant portion of their lives in a non-English-speaking country. I hated when we moved back here and my kids couldn't continue their language in FCPS. But given that they couldn't have taken a language until 8th grade either way, it hasn't made that much of a difference. It would be one thing if foreign language was in all the schools, but again when you're making hard choices that could affect all students getting essential services is it really fair or sensible to have foreign language in some but not all schools?

7th grade. Students can take languages in 7th grade in Fairfax County.

Again, maybe at some immersion schools, but not at the majority. In Vienna, for example, Wolftrap Elementary has a Chinese program, but when the kids go over to Kilmer (a center, no less) they can't take Chinese I until 8th grade. The only language class offered is Intro to Foreign Languages, a sorry throwback to a U.S. that hasn't existed in decades.

Longfellow offers language class in 7th grade to ALL students, not just immersion students. My DC took them.

Interesting, but again, the exception.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So the real reason for the deficit is the ESOL. How come the county just doesn't come out and say it?

PC

I don't think you can pinpoint any one reason for the deficit. All budget items contribute to the bottom line. Any many factors affect the amount available for spending.

Not really, if you add up everything else it's barely a scratch compared to ESOL which increased by 48 million and I bet every year it's increased by a lot making it's total cost dwarf the deficit. I guarantee if ESOL was cut or eliminated FCPS would be cashflow positive for the foreseeable future unless they start doing poor investments.

But then they wouldn't actually be educating the percentage of the children who need ESOL. So that sort of defeats the purpose of public education, no?

Agree with PPP. What world do you live in? The ignorance of so-called educated people in this area is frightening.

what are you saying? That FCPS is required to educate illegal aliens?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So the real reason for the deficit is the ESOL. How come the county just doesn't come out and say it?

PC

I don't think you can pinpoint any one reason for the deficit. All budget items contribute to the bottom line. Any many factors affect the amount available for spending.

Not really, if you add up everything else it's barely a scratch compared to ESOL which increased by 48 million and I bet every year it's increased by a lot making it's total cost dwarf the deficit. I guarantee if ESOL was cut or eliminated FCPS would be cashflow positive for the foreseeable future unless they start doing poor investments.

But then they wouldn't actually be educating the percentage of the children who need ESOL. So that sort of defeats the purpose of public education, no?

well o.k., if a purpose of public edication is to educate undocumented aliens.

again - we don't know that all users of ESOL are undocumented.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So the real reason for the deficit is the ESOL. How come the county just doesn't come out and say it?

PC

I don't think you can pinpoint any one reason for the deficit. All budget items contribute to the bottom line. Any many factors affect the amount available for spending.

Not really, if you add up everything else it's barely a scratch compared to ESOL which increased by 48 million and I bet every year it's increased by a lot making it's total cost dwarf the deficit. I guarantee if ESOL was cut or eliminated FCPS would be cashflow positive for the foreseeable future unless they start doing poor investments.

But then they wouldn't actually be educating the percentage of the children who need ESOL. So that sort of defeats the purpose of public education, no?

well o.k., if a purpose of public edication is to educate undocumented aliens.

again - we don't know that all users of ESOL are undocumented.

this is true, but plenty are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So the real reason for the deficit is the ESOL. How come the county just doesn't come out and say it?

PC

I don't think you can pinpoint any one reason for the deficit. All budget items contribute to the bottom line. Any many factors affect the amount available for spending.

Not really, if you add up everything else it's barely a scratch compared to ESOL which increased by 48 million and I bet every year it's increased by a lot making it's total cost dwarf the deficit. I guarantee if ESOL was cut or eliminated FCPS would be cashflow positive for the foreseeable future unless they start doing poor investments.

But then they wouldn't actually be educating the percentage of the children who need ESOL. So that sort of defeats the purpose of public education, no?

Agree with PPP. What world do you live in? The ignorance of so-called educated people in this area is frightening.

what are you saying? That FCPS is required to educate illegal aliens?

Yes. They cannot ask about documentation status. They are required to educate all who come.

[Anonymous]

What, illegals bankrupting the public schools? Impossible