FFX County School Board Chair asks for different Budget $ then voted by the School Board?

[Anonymous]

In February, the Fairfax County School Board voted to approve the FY 2013 Advertised Budget, which included a request to the Board of Supervisors for an increase in the County transfer of 8.4%.

http://www.fcps.edu/news/fy2013/bottomline/bottomline021012.html


Then on April 10, 2012, the School Board Chairman spoke before the Board of Supervisors, and stated:

http://www.fcps.edu/news/fy2013/bosremarks041012.pdf

"With only a 4.5 percent increase in the county transfer, as proposed by the county executive, we will be in real danger of not giving our neediest and youngest students additional time in school so that we can work on closing those achievement gaps, in danger of not giving teachers extended time for improving their craft to meet the many student challenges that I have described tonight, and in danger of not being able to reduce class sizes in overcrowded classrooms. These are not frivolous additions; they are basic requirements to ensure every student meets our three student achievement goals.  Because of the new VRS mandate, and the very real academic needs of our students, the School Board respectfully asks for an increase in our transfer by an additional 1/2 percent for a total increase of 5 percent."

HUH? Can a School Board Chair ignore a vote of the School Board and ask for a 5% increase instead of an 8.4% increase as passed by the School Board?

[Anonymous]

it sounds like it went like this:

1. SB saks for a 8.4% increase
2. BOS decides 4.5% is enough.
3. SB chair asks the BOS to please increase by 5%.

[Anonymous]

Inconceivable that the Chair of the SB would ask for less than what the board itself decided upon and voted publicly on. They all knew that the BOS wasn't thinking 8.4%, but that does not give her the right to change the ask after the SB as a whole voted on their ask. At the very least she needs to be censured or step down as chair. Can't think that having her in charge of the reigns is a good thing. Yikes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Inconceivable that the Chair of the SB would ask for less than what the board itself decided upon and voted publicly on. They all knew that the BOS wasn't thinking 8.4%, but that does not give her the right to change the ask after the SB as a whole voted on their ask. At the very least she needs to be censured or step down as chair. Can't think that having her in charge of the reigns is a good thing. Yikes!

what? we're still fighting the last school board election on here? I got a fill of that reading Fairfax Underground last fall, and now someone is at it again

[Anonymous]

Louise Epstein didn't take losing very well, by all accounts.

[Anonymous]

This is an issue of fidelity and trust in government. Devising a budget and submitting it to the Board of Supervisors is the single most important job of the school board. If that board -- which represents the citizens of Fairfax -- votes to support a certain level of transfer based on its assessment of student needs, then the members of that board, and the voting public, must have confidence that their decision will be upheld. When the designated leader of the school board changes the transfer request, AT HER DISCRETION, then we have a serious problem of governance and it needs to be addressed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is an issue of fidelity and trust in government. Devising a budget and submitting it to the Board of Supervisors is the single most important job of the school board. If that board -- which represents the citizens of Fairfax -- votes to support a certain level of transfer based on its assessment of student needs, then the members of that board, and the voting public, must have confidence that their decision will be upheld. When the designated leader of the school board changes the transfer request, AT HER DISCRETION, then we have a serious problem of governance and it needs to be addressed.

yadda, yadda, yadda

[Anonymous]

The BOS seems to always decide not to fund the entire budget (no idea why since Fairfax County is below just about all other nearby jurisdictions in cost per pupil). Isn't there a procedural way already set up for negotiating the transfer amount every year?