McDaniel on FCPS budget

[Anonymous]

I’m convinced Fairfax County Schools is broke. They are looking for cash wherever they can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cut administration and gatehouse staff for starters.

This.

Plus +1. And I am a democrat who is tired of the bloated and incompetent staff.

+1. The bloated Gatehouse staff is a self licking ice cream cone that comes up with ideas for internal growth and spending money, then increasing your taxes to sustain it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is definitely a bit of fat in FCPS, but the vast majority is salaries for underpaid instructional staff. Simple supply and demand economics dictates that wages for teachers need to rise, or this shortage is only going to get worse. The division is already hundreds of teachers in the hole going into this school year, with ever-decreasing enrollments at teacher colleges.

Would love to hear OP’s strategies for recruiting a workforce when most of our staff aren’t currently paid a wage that allows them to even rent in Fairfax.

OP here. I voted for the meals tax the last go round. I was a supporter of public schools until the spring 2024 “great boundary reset” exercise. So, at this point, I just can’t support a school district that is running itself into the ground because of equity. They’ve done nothing to garner my support and everything to lose it. Maybe they don’t need my support, but I don’t think I’m the only one thoroughly disgusted with the 8130 push over the objection of constituents.

I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t have a strategy and it’s more of a protest vote, unfortunately. Though, I’m not the one making the decisions and they aren’t listening to people like me anyway.

Plenty of constituents think a less political and more facts-based approach to boundaries makes sense. Plenty of us want the transportation savings, elimination of underenrolled next to overenrolled schools, elimination of attendance islands … Plenty of us didn’t fall for the great falls/fairfacts misinformation campaign focused entirely on self-interest of one or two areas in the county.

“Plenty” of you fall for the sb’s line that this is needed and will result in some mythical savings. There’s literally a handful of you on this message board as proof.[/quote]

True, but there are many of us in the "real world". And many of us don't have school-aged kids. We don't give two sh*ts about "good" schools vs "bad" schools. We just see empty vs full. Fill the damn schools and stop asking for trailers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is definitely a bit of fat in FCPS, but the vast majority is salaries for underpaid instructional staff. Simple supply and demand economics dictates that wages for teachers need to rise, or this shortage is only going to get worse. The division is already hundreds of teachers in the hole going into this school year, with ever-decreasing enrollments at teacher colleges.

Would love to hear OP’s strategies for recruiting a workforce when most of our staff aren’t currently paid a wage that allows them to even rent in Fairfax.

OP here. I voted for the meals tax the last go round. I was a supporter of public schools until the spring 2024 “great boundary reset” exercise. So, at this point, I just can’t support a school district that is running itself into the ground because of equity. They’ve done nothing to garner my support and everything to lose it. Maybe they don’t need my support, but I don’t think I’m the only one thoroughly disgusted with the 8130 push over the objection of constituents.

I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t have a strategy and it’s more of a protest vote, unfortunately. Though, I’m not the one making the decisions and they aren’t listening to people like me anyway.

Plenty of constituents think a less political and more facts-based approach to boundaries makes sense. Plenty of us want the transportation savings, elimination of underenrolled next to overenrolled schools, elimination of attendance islands … Plenty of us didn’t fall for the great falls/fairfacts misinformation campaign focused entirely on self-interest of one or two areas in the county.

“Plenty” of you fall for the sb’s line that this is needed and will result in some mythical savings. There’s literally a handful of you on this message board as proof.[/quote]

True, but there are many of us in the "real world". And many of us don't have school-aged kids. We don't give two sh*ts about "good" schools vs "bad" schools. We just see empty vs full. Fill the damn schools and stop asking for trailers.

Ha, perhaps you’d be better in a Deep South school system? Also, why are you in a school forum when you don’t have kids? Kinda weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is definitely a bit of fat in FCPS, but the vast majority is salaries for underpaid instructional staff. Simple supply and demand economics dictates that wages for teachers need to rise, or this shortage is only going to get worse. The division is already hundreds of teachers in the hole going into this school year, with ever-decreasing enrollments at teacher colleges.

Would love to hear OP’s strategies for recruiting a workforce when most of our staff aren’t currently paid a wage that allows them to even rent in Fairfax.

OP here. I voted for the meals tax the last go round. I was a supporter of public schools until the spring 2024 “great boundary reset” exercise. So, at this point, I just can’t support a school district that is running itself into the ground because of equity. They’ve done nothing to garner my support and everything to lose it. Maybe they don’t need my support, but I don’t think I’m the only one thoroughly disgusted with the 8130 push over the objection of constituents.

I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t have a strategy and it’s more of a protest vote, unfortunately. Though, I’m not the one making the decisions and they aren’t listening to people like me anyway.

The 8130 push is one of the few options to get school transportation and facility costs under control. Roughly 85% of the FFX County school system budget is spent on teachers and teaching assistants. The remainder of the budget is where there is potential for savings, namely transportation costs (5.4% or $207 million), facilities management (3.8% or $145 million), and general support and administration (5% or $190 million). School board members have seen staff estimates showing that annual transportation costs could be cut by 10% to 20% and facilities management costs could be cut by 5% to 10% through more efficient district boundaries and better utilization of county-wide capacity. That’s potential for up to $50 million in annual savings that could be put toward more teachers and reducing classroom sizes. But opposition to 8130 and similar measures makes it very difficult for the administrator and board to make changes to realize those savings.

The current school system budget is unsustainable, as teachers are underpaid (relative to the surrounding counties) and attrition is excessive (leading to severe understaffing and many classes led by assistants and subs), so significantly more funding is needed, and, if it’s not going to come through more efficient district boundaries and better utilization of county-wide capacity, then it needs to come from the state (which the county has no control over) or through local taxes (property taxes or meal taxes). Realistically, if Richmomd won’t provide more funding, then it will likely require an all-of-the-above approach of more efficient school boundaries and new/higher taxes.

Is this a public study? I don’t think that their boundary change will do anything but increase transportation costs, but I would love to see the study showing these $50 million savings.

[Anonymous]

The real savings will come when they stop AAP centers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is definitely a bit of fat in FCPS, but the vast majority is salaries for underpaid instructional staff. Simple supply and demand economics dictates that wages for teachers need to rise, or this shortage is only going to get worse. The division is already hundreds of teachers in the hole going into this school year, with ever-decreasing enrollments at teacher colleges.

Would love to hear OP’s strategies for recruiting a workforce when most of our staff aren’t currently paid a wage that allows them to even rent in Fairfax.

OP here. I voted for the meals tax the last go round. I was a supporter of public schools until the spring 2024 “great boundary reset” exercise. So, at this point, I just can’t support a school district that is running itself into the ground because of equity. They’ve done nothing to garner my support and everything to lose it. Maybe they don’t need my support, but I don’t think I’m the only one thoroughly disgusted with the 8130 push over the objection of constituents.

I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t have a strategy and it’s more of a protest vote, unfortunately. Though, I’m not the one making the decisions and they aren’t listening to people like me anyway.

Plenty of constituents think a less political and more facts-based approach to boundaries makes sense. Plenty of us want the transportation savings, elimination of underenrolled next to overenrolled schools, elimination of attendance islands … Plenty of us didn’t fall for the great falls/fairfacts misinformation campaign focused entirely on self-interest of one or two areas in the county.

“Plenty” of you fall for the sb’s line that this is needed and will result in some mythical savings. There’s literally a handful of you on this message board as proof.[/quote]

True, but there are many of us in the "real world". And many of us don't have school-aged kids. We don't give two sh*ts about "good" schools vs "bad" schools. We just see empty vs full. Fill the damn schools and stop asking for trailers.

Ha, perhaps you’d be better in a Deep South school system? Also, why are you in a school forum when you don’t have kids? Kinda weird.

That poster never said they don't have kids.....perhaps you'd have better reading comprehension attending a school in the Deep South where they actually hold kids back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is definitely a bit of fat in FCPS, but the vast majority is salaries for underpaid instructional staff. Simple supply and demand economics dictates that wages for teachers need to rise, or this shortage is only going to get worse. The division is already hundreds of teachers in the hole going into this school year, with ever-decreasing enrollments at teacher colleges.

Would love to hear OP’s strategies for recruiting a workforce when most of our staff aren’t currently paid a wage that allows them to even rent in Fairfax.

OP here. I voted for the meals tax the last go round. I was a supporter of public schools until the spring 2024 “great boundary reset” exercise. So, at this point, I just can’t support a school district that is running itself into the ground because of equity. They’ve done nothing to garner my support and everything to lose it. Maybe they don’t need my support, but I don’t think I’m the only one thoroughly disgusted with the 8130 push over the objection of constituents.

I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t have a strategy and it’s more of a protest vote, unfortunately. Though, I’m not the one making the decisions and they aren’t listening to people like me anyway.

Plenty of constituents think a less political and more facts-based approach to boundaries makes sense. Plenty of us want the transportation savings, elimination of underenrolled next to overenrolled schools, elimination of attendance islands … Plenty of us didn’t fall for the great falls/fairfacts misinformation campaign focused entirely on self-interest of one or two areas in the county.

They don’t need the power to change boundaries countywide every year to be efficient.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is definitely a bit of fat in FCPS, but the vast majority is salaries for underpaid instructional staff. Simple supply and demand economics dictates that wages for teachers need to rise, or this shortage is only going to get worse. The division is already hundreds of teachers in the hole going into this school year, with ever-decreasing enrollments at teacher colleges.

Would love to hear OP’s strategies for recruiting a workforce when most of our staff aren’t currently paid a wage that allows them to even rent in Fairfax.

OP here. I voted for the meals tax the last go round. I was a supporter of public schools until the spring 2024 “great boundary reset” exercise. So, at this point, I just can’t support a school district that is running itself into the ground because of equity. They’ve done nothing to garner my support and everything to lose it. Maybe they don’t need my support, but I don’t think I’m the only one thoroughly disgusted with the 8130 push over the objection of constituents.

I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t have a strategy and it’s more of a protest vote, unfortunately. Though, I’m not the one making the decisions and they aren’t listening to people like me anyway.

Plenty of constituents think a less political and more facts-based approach to boundaries makes sense. Plenty of us want the transportation savings, elimination of underenrolled next to overenrolled schools, elimination of attendance islands … Plenty of us didn’t fall for the great falls/fairfacts misinformation campaign focused entirely on self-interest of one or two areas in the county.

“Plenty” of you fall for the sb’s line that this is needed and will result in some mythical savings. There’s literally a handful of you on this message board as proof.[/quote]

True, but there are many of us in the "real world". And many of us don't have school-aged kids. We don't give two sh*ts about "good" schools vs "bad" schools. We just see empty vs full. Fill the damn schools and stop asking for trailers.

Ha, perhaps you’d be better in a Deep South school system? Also, why are you in a school forum when you don’t have kids? Kinda weird.

That poster never said they don't have kids.....perhaps you'd have better reading comprehension attending a school in the Deep South where they actually hold kids back.

The semantics police strike again. I’ll never recover.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is definitely a bit of fat in FCPS, but the vast majority is salaries for underpaid instructional staff. Simple supply and demand economics dictates that wages for teachers need to rise, or this shortage is only going to get worse. The division is already hundreds of teachers in the hole going into this school year, with ever-decreasing enrollments at teacher colleges.

Would love to hear OP’s strategies for recruiting a workforce when most of our staff aren’t currently paid a wage that allows them to even rent in Fairfax.

OP here. I voted for the meals tax the last go round. I was a supporter of public schools until the spring 2024 “great boundary reset” exercise. So, at this point, I just can’t support a school district that is running itself into the ground because of equity. They’ve done nothing to garner my support and everything to lose it. Maybe they don’t need my support, but I don’t think I’m the only one thoroughly disgusted with the 8130 push over the objection of constituents.

I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t have a strategy and it’s more of a protest vote, unfortunately. Though, I’m not the one making the decisions and they aren’t listening to people like me anyway.

Plenty of constituents think a less political and more facts-based approach to boundaries makes sense. Plenty of us want the transportation savings, elimination of underenrolled next to overenrolled schools, elimination of attendance islands … Plenty of us didn’t fall for the great falls/fairfacts misinformation campaign focused entirely on self-interest of one or two areas in the county.

They don’t need the power to change boundaries countywide every year to be efficient.

They do when board members have been too cowed by great falls to do their job. The push against the policy is because these residents fear loss of their power over the board. And they are getting an assist from the Republicans who have been attacking FCPS since 2020 as part of an effort to kill public schools and roll out vouchers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is definitely a bit of fat in FCPS, but the vast majority is salaries for underpaid instructional staff. Simple supply and demand economics dictates that wages for teachers need to rise, or this shortage is only going to get worse. The division is already hundreds of teachers in the hole going into this school year, with ever-decreasing enrollments at teacher colleges.

Would love to hear OP’s strategies for recruiting a workforce when most of our staff aren’t currently paid a wage that allows them to even rent in Fairfax.

OP here. I voted for the meals tax the last go round. I was a supporter of public schools until the spring 2024 “great boundary reset” exercise. So, at this point, I just can’t support a school district that is running itself into the ground because of equity. They’ve done nothing to garner my support and everything to lose it. Maybe they don’t need my support, but I don’t think I’m the only one thoroughly disgusted with the 8130 push over the objection of constituents.

I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t have a strategy and it’s more of a protest vote, unfortunately. Though, I’m not the one making the decisions and they aren’t listening to people like me anyway.

Plenty of constituents think a less political and more facts-based approach to boundaries makes sense. Plenty of us want the transportation savings, elimination of underenrolled next to overenrolled schools, elimination of attendance islands … Plenty of us didn’t fall for the great falls/fairfacts misinformation campaign focused entirely on self-interest of one or two areas in the county.

They don’t need the power to change boundaries countywide every year to be efficient.

Also to the PPP, it’s ludicrous that you think it is less political that a 12-0 democratic school board is ramming through a boundary change that nobody wants with the same playbook that their party used five years ago proclaiming that there needed to be equity above everything else.

So much for good schools. Now that they can’t straight up claim that it’s equity, all of a sudden the school board members are using the typical conservative talking points. Up is down all of a sudden.

It’s weird because the equity minded lefties are all of a sudden picking up the mantle of the libertarians - efficiency above all. Means to an end in their mind I’m sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is definitely a bit of fat in FCPS, but the vast majority is salaries for underpaid instructional staff. Simple supply and demand economics dictates that wages for teachers need to rise, or this shortage is only going to get worse. The division is already hundreds of teachers in the hole going into this school year, with ever-decreasing enrollments at teacher colleges.

Would love to hear OP’s strategies for recruiting a workforce when most of our staff aren’t currently paid a wage that allows them to even rent in Fairfax.

OP here. I voted for the meals tax the last go round. I was a supporter of public schools until the spring 2024 “great boundary reset” exercise. So, at this point, I just can’t support a school district that is running itself into the ground because of equity. They’ve done nothing to garner my support and everything to lose it. Maybe they don’t need my support, but I don’t think I’m the only one thoroughly disgusted with the 8130 push over the objection of constituents.

I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t have a strategy and it’s more of a protest vote, unfortunately. Though, I’m not the one making the decisions and they aren’t listening to people like me anyway.

Plenty of constituents think a less political and more facts-based approach to boundaries makes sense. Plenty of us want the transportation savings, elimination of underenrolled next to overenrolled schools, elimination of attendance islands … Plenty of us didn’t fall for the great falls/fairfacts misinformation campaign focused entirely on self-interest of one or two areas in the county.

They don’t need the power to change boundaries countywide every year to be efficient.

They do when board members have been too cowed by great falls to do their job. The push against the policy is because these residents fear loss of their power over the board. And they are getting an assist from the Republicans who have been attacking FCPS since 2020 as part of an effort to kill public schools and roll out vouchers.

What a conspiracy minded ignoramus you are.

[Anonymous]

They just raised home taxes by a significant margin this summer.

Where is that money going?

FCPS needs an independent audit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The states that don’t have teacher shortages are union and high tax (NY,NJ,PA,CA,WA). The schools are going to have to pay up to get staff. Being short 100s of teachers is dysfunctional and detrimental for students.

Agreed. A teacher or instructional assistant shouldn’t have to marry an attorney to have a prayer of affording a home in our community. Insanity. I’m all for a meals tax. Y’all in your McMansions will manage.

There are no mcmansions in Fairfax County.

The mcmansions are Loudoun County

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is definitely a bit of fat in FCPS, but the vast majority is salaries for underpaid instructional staff. Simple supply and demand economics dictates that wages for teachers need to rise, or this shortage is only going to get worse. The division is already hundreds of teachers in the hole going into this school year, with ever-decreasing enrollments at teacher colleges.

Would love to hear OP’s strategies for recruiting a workforce when most of our staff aren’t currently paid a wage that allows them to even rent in Fairfax.

Cut administration and gatehouse staff for starters.

Doesn't Reid make a salary of $400,000 year?

That is more than twice as much as the governor of Virginia, and as much as the president of the United States.

There are multiple administrators in FCPS that make much more than the Governor of Virginia.

We need to make significant cuts to the salaries at Gatehouse, starting with the superintendent.