The Cost of DEI in FCPS

[Anonymous]

$6.4M out of an almost $4B budget is pretty nominal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$6.4M out of an almost $4B budget is pretty nominal

Just enough to staff an elementary school with teachers who do the work and serve the purpose of a school system.

And, the point is: how many "nominal" divisions are there at Gatehouse?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$6.4M out of an almost $4B budget is pretty nominal

Just enough to staff an elementary school with teachers who do the work and serve the purpose of a school system.

And, the point is: how many "nominal" divisions are there at Gatehouse?

I'd rather give raises to the teachers.

[Anonymous]

This is an interesting topic one of which no one has mentioned the difference between DEI and EQUITY
Equity in Public Schools:
• Focus: Primarily about ensuring all students, regardless of their background, have access to the resources, opportunities, and support they need to succeed.
• Key Issues:
• Addressing disparities in funding between schools in affluent and low-income areas.
• Providing additional resources for students with disabilities, English language learners, or those facing socioeconomic challenges.
• Ensuring fairness in disciplinary actions, gifted programs, and advanced placement opportunities.
• Goal: Achieving educational outcomes that do not depend on a student’s race, ethnicity, income, or other social factors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is an interesting topic one of which no one has mentioned the difference between DEI and EQUITY
Equity in Public Schools:
• Focus: Primarily about ensuring all students, regardless of their background, have access to the resources, opportunities, and support they need to succeed.
• Key Issues:
• Addressing disparities in funding between schools in affluent and low-income areas.
• Providing additional resources for students with disabilities, English language learners, or those facing socioeconomic challenges.
• Ensuring fairness in disciplinary actions, gifted programs, and advanced placement opportunities.
• Goal: Achieving educational outcomes that do not depend on a student’s race, ethnicity, income, or other social factors

and

You think this requires over $6million? Each principal can do those things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree that it’s important to be mindful of budgets, but I think DEI programs are meant to ensure all students have equal opportunities, which can’t always be measured by cost alone.

The idea isn’t to lower standards but to address gaps that might prevent some students from succeeding. It’s definitely worth discussing how we balance resources, but the goal is to create a fairer, more supportive environment and a world-class education for every child.

The thing about DEI is that it can't be measured at all. That's why it is a bad investment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole website is useless. Every single post is just people insulting each other and disputing things.

Yup. It’s just a constant stream of RWNJ propaganda these days. Worthless.

You prefer an echo chamber?

No.. there's a difference between having good faith conversations and people spewing propaganda. Or logical fallacies like your false dichotomy here

+1 and a difference between a good faith conversation and spewing insults and misinformation.

+2

[Anonymous]

The real cost of DEI is measured by how many programs are closed or modified or opportunities foreclosed in the name of bringing everyone down to a certain level.

[Anonymous]

For the $6.4 million they could hire 50 reading teachers and place them in the lowest performing schools so the 2nd graders who aren’t reading get intensive reading instruction in groups of 2-4 students.

That would be true equity making sure every child can read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is an interesting topic one of which no one has mentioned the difference between DEI and EQUITY
Equity in Public Schools:
• Focus: Primarily about ensuring all students, regardless of their background, have access to the resources, opportunities, and support they need to succeed.
• Key Issues:
• Addressing disparities in funding between schools in affluent and low-income areas.
• Providing additional resources for students with disabilities, English language learners, or those facing socioeconomic challenges.
• Ensuring fairness in disciplinary actions, gifted programs, and advanced placement opportunities.
• Goal: Achieving educational outcomes that do not depend on a student’s race, ethnicity, income, or other social factors

Schools in low-income areas in Fairfax get significantly more money than schools in more affluent areas.

Meanwhile the state looks to Fairfax to subsidize school districts elsewhere in Virginia.

If you are in an affluent area in Fairfax, you get a very poor return when it comes to public education for your taxes. It’s no surprise people are getting fed up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is an interesting topic one of which no one has mentioned the difference between DEI and EQUITY
Equity in Public Schools:
• Focus: Primarily about ensuring all students, regardless of their background, have access to the resources, opportunities, and support they need to succeed.
• Key Issues:
• Addressing disparities in funding between schools in affluent and low-income areas.
• Providing additional resources for students with disabilities, English language learners, or those facing socioeconomic challenges.
• Ensuring fairness in disciplinary actions, gifted programs, and advanced placement opportunities.
• Goal: Achieving educational outcomes that do not depend on a student’s race, ethnicity, income, or other social factors

Schools in low-income areas in Fairfax get significantly more money than schools in more affluent areas.

Meanwhile the state looks to Fairfax to subsidize school districts elsewhere in Virginia.

If you are in an affluent area in Fairfax, you get a very poor return when it comes to public education for your taxes. It’s no surprise people are getting fed up.

That's actually what I found. In a nearby school district (not Loudon), our classes are smaller, there is a separate section for special ed (so less time disrupted by kids who can't cope in classroom), and the teachers don't seem to expect that every child is receiving outside tutoring.

[Anonymous]

School districts in CO have started renaming these departments to “Office of Inclusion” or something else.

Simple fix.

[Anonymous]

I would love to see that money go toward teacher raises!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if you are taking Federal money, are you subject to the same DEI rules from Trump? I don't see anything about local education yet.

Local education is funded by local taxpayers for the most part. FCPS’s budget is only $50.1 million from the federal government. This is about 1.2%

So we spend more on DEI staffing than the entire federal government spends on FCPS. It’s that’s small.

In comparison 6 million doesn't seem like a lot but I am curious what a TJ admissions equity officer does to justify $122K

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But to answer the question, federally funded programs are being directed to cut their DEI immediately

FCPS can just decline their federal funding then. $50M is not worth the oversight.

Umm, you know that all they do is complain about not having enough money, right?

They have enough money to have a $64M DEI office. $50M would not be missed. If it got them out of the administrative requirements of IDEA (would still provide special education obviously!) than it could be total savings.

Wait. Is it $64 milklion or $6.4 million?