Fairfax County GT/Advanced Academic Centers transportation

[donalan]

thanks for the post

I emailed my board rep and she indicated she thought the transportation funds might be reinstated if enough parents directly contacted the board members...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, Haycock also has 3 GT center classes in 3rd-5th and they actually have 5 6th grade GT center classes this year.

And the great thing about three classes is that it allows the school to further differentiate. For example, at my son's center, they pre-test before each math topic and then divide the kids based on how they did. The classes mix up for math, with a different group of students and possibly a different teacher. So within the GT 3rd grade, they are teaching the math curriculum at three different speeds. They do the same thing for spelling & vocab.

I think it's great.

[Anonymous]

donalan wrote:thanks for the post

I emailed my board rep and she indicated she thought the transportation funds might be reinstated if enough parents directly contacted the board members...

The public hearing on the FY 2011 budget is next week (Tuesday). Hopefully parents have already sent emails to their School Board members, but if they have not, they really need to do so within the next week.

[Anonymous]

I am watching the public hearing now. It's great to see parents speaking on behalf of GT Center transportation. The School Board work session where they will discuss the budget will be televised on Thursday night.

[Anonymous]

Thanks to the PP for posting about the work session. They said that there are enough (10) votes to fund the bus to the GT centers. The vote happens next Thursday.

[Anonymous]

Anybody following the School Board meeting on Ch 21? Did they all agree to fund transportation or is it still to be voted on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anybody following the School Board meeting on Ch 21? Did they all agree to fund transportation or is it still to be voted on?

Still to be voted on -- and they are streaming the meeting on www.fcps.edu

[Anonymous]

They passed the budget so GT transportation is reinstated. But Tina Hone has it in her crosshairs. She indicated this may go next year and they should start early this year with community meetings to let people know what changes are coming.

[Anonymous]

The School Board restored Center transportation just before 1 a.m., with two Board members voting no on the main motion.

[Anonymous]

Who voted no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who voted no?

Reed and Haney. They opposed the main motion and not the GT transportation issue.

[Anonymous]

It is wonderful that you post the news. Is there any source that we can verify? No news about the approved budget on the web yet, it seems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is wonderful that you post the news. Is there any source that we can verify? No news about the approved budget on the web yet, it seems.

http://www.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/News/E0300085AD764B3087257727005503AD?OpenDocument

[Anonymous]

Thanks a lot.

[Anonymous]

I sat there and watched them talk about how important it was to have disadvantaged and minority kids in these centers, and then couldn't BELIEVE that they even had to discuss the bus issue, let alone Hone suggesting that it be up next year.

Great. So her plan is that we need more disadvantaged and minority kids in the centers, but we sure aren't going to bus them there. I wonder if she can explain how these kids (who likely have two working parents) are going to get there? That is insanity.

Seems like killing the bus service is the easiest way to insure that only middle class/upper class kids go.