No. VA parents: Please write Gov. McDonnell ASAP and urge him not to freeze the LCI

[Anonymous]

Instead of bickering about who is getting a bigger piece of the pie...let's just make more pie. The public education system is poorly run and not cost effective. Instead of just complaining about a few $100m lets work on vouchers and more charter schools. That way those poor kids with the sinking real estate in PG county can be bussed up to Langley. And whoever wants to compare Fairfax schools to Montgomery Co. and Alexandria...come'on. They may spend more per capita, but do you really want to send your kid into those systems?

[Anonymous]

NoVa real estate values is suffering more than that in other parts of the state, which is the relevant comparison here.

Compared to what??? Have you been to Richmond lately? They have new condo buildings that are 2% occupied. Prices there have dropped enormously and on top of that they have triple DCs unemployment.

Fairfax schools are among the most poorly funded in the NoVa region, spending thosands of dollars less per student than Arlington, Falls Church, Alexandria, and Montgomery County. They can't maintain that quality of education with these continual budget cuts and salary freezes for teachers.

Again, even if they funded less (which I disagree with) they scholastically out-rank the other schools you listed who apparently spend more. And the teachers are some of teh best compensated in the country.

Our property values will suffer even more as people choose to move somewhere other than Fairfax, where educational quality is falling. This is a fundamental issue of fairness. We've been living with this formula for years.

No one is moving anywhere else. DC has the lowest unemployment in the country at 6% and a growing federal government. Where are the people going to move to? California, Detroit? Richmond?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

NoVa real estate values is suffering more than that in other parts of the state, which is the relevant comparison here.

Compared to what??? Have you been to Richmond lately? They have new condo buildings that are 2% occupied. Prices there have dropped enormously and on top of that they have triple DCs unemployment.

That would be reflected in the LCI. All I'm saying, is let's use the LCI as calculated this year, not freeze it at a value that doesn't reflect current reality.

Fairfax schools are among the most poorly funded in the NoVa region, spending thosands of dollars less per student than Arlington, Falls Church, Alexandria, and Montgomery County. They can't maintain that quality of education with these continual budget cuts and salary freezes for teachers.

Again, even if they funded less (which I disagree with) they scholastically out-rank the other schools you listed who apparently spend more. And the teachers are some of teh best compensated in the country.

How can you possible disagree that they are funded less? The facts are clear from the WABE report -- page 30.
http://www.fcps.edu/fs/budget/wabe/2010.pdf
You are not living in a reality-based world. Fairfax teachers have had their pay frozen for two years now. The cost of living here is much higher than the rest of the country, so of course they are paid more, but not relative to the cost of living. The relevant comparison is how well Fairfax teachers are paid compared to those in areas with a similar cost of living. At this rate, the best teachers will move to Arlington or Montgomery County. (see page 37 of linked report for average salaries by level of education.) The quality of education in Fairfax will suffer.

Our property values will suffer even more as people choose to move somewhere other than Fairfax, where educational quality is falling. This is a fundamental issue of fairness. We've been living with this formula for years.

No one is moving anywhere else. DC has the lowest unemployment in the country at 6% and a growing federal government. Where are the people going to move to? California, Detroit? Richmond?

They're choosing to live in Arlington or Falls Church City. Housing prices there will do much better than Fairfax County if Fairfax County doesn't provide a comparable quality of eduction.

[Anonymous]

There are a multitude of reasons to choose Falls Church City or Arlington one being the accessibility to metro. EVERY single Fairfax County High School is ranked in Newsweek's top 1500 nationally. http://www.newsweek.com/id/201160/ AND the schools in proximity to the metro corridor are ranked just as highly as their Arlington and Falls Church City rivals.

19 of the 91 VA schools on Newsweek's list are in Fairfax.
Over 30 are in NOVA, which includes almost all of our High Schools. I think we are doing ok. Maybe some of those kids down in southern VA could use the money a bit more.

[Anonymous]

They're choosing to live in Arlington or Falls Church City. Housing prices there will do much better than Fairfax County if Fairfax County doesn't provide a comparable quality of eduction.

Are you trying to compare two small little pockets on the Orange line to all of Fairfax County? Schools are just one small component that determine housing values. Arlington and Falls Church City have city centers, are within walking distance in most cases to the metro, are closer to DC and exist with extremely limited space. Let's hear the argument on how DC Public Schools impact home values in Kalorama or Woodley.

[Anonymous]

The bottom line here is nobody wants to see schools anywhere have cuts to their budgets, all else being equal, but revenues of all types are down and every program is going to see cuts. Including schools in Fairfax County. I am familiar with the schools down south as well as the schools here and I suggest that this area can afford the cuts more than down south. You just have no idea the difference in the quality of education ... apparently. Fairfax County kids might have to give up foreign language in elementary school and freshman year sports ... sad, but not equivalent to no new library books or working science lab equipment or ... I could go on and on. Quick pretending like it's the good of the state you are worried about ... you are worried about your own property values.