McDaniel on FCPS budget

[Anonymous]

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

They have over 3 BILLION dollar budget.

It is a money management issue, not a lack of funds issue.

They need to be audited.

[Anonymous]

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

Where is that money going?

FCPS needs an independent audit.

The money is going to offset the losses from taxes on commercial real estate, which resulted from COVID and changes in work culture (remote work, telework, etc.). It’s clear from FCPS’s budget where the money goes. The overwhelming majority (85%) is teacher and teacher assistant salaries/benefits, and then you have transportation, facilities management and maintenance, and administration. IMO, administration seems like it could be cut some, but that doesn’t move the needle, so something has to be done about transportation and facilities management and maintenance. Yes, FCPS is large and spread out, but FCPS’s transportation costs are around triple the per student cost of neighboring counties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

Where is that money going?

FCPS needs an independent audit.

The money is going to offset the losses from taxes on commercial real estate, which resulted from COVID and changes in work culture (remote work, telework, etc.). It’s clear from FCPS’s budget where the money goes. The overwhelming majority (85%) is teacher and teacher assistant salaries/benefits, and then you have transportation, facilities management and maintenance, and administration. IMO, administration seems like it could be cut some, but that doesn’t move the needle, so something has to be done about transportation and facilities management and maintenance. Yes, FCPS is large and spread out, but FCPS’s transportation costs are around triple the per student cost of neighboring counties.

Running double bus routes for grandfathered kids every five year will surely make transportation costs go down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm for it. Will tax more undocumented individuals.

Tax those tacos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

Where is that money going?

FCPS needs an independent audit.

The money is going to offset the losses from taxes on commercial real estate, which resulted from COVID and changes in work culture (remote work, telework, etc.). It’s clear from FCPS’s budget where the money goes. The overwhelming majority (85%) is teacher and teacher assistant salaries/benefits, and then you have transportation, facilities management and maintenance, and administration. IMO, administration seems like it could be cut some, but that doesn’t move the needle, so something has to be done about transportation and facilities management and maintenance. Yes, FCPS is large and spread out, but FCPS’s transportation costs are around triple the per student cost of neighboring counties.

Running double bus routes for grandfathered kids every five year will surely make transportation costs go down.

Zero chance any grandfathering includes busing. It’s going to be an option only for those that can get themselves there if it exists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

They have over 3 BILLION dollar budget.

It is a money management issue, not a lack of funds issue.

They need to be audited.

100 percent. I think companies like crate & barrel total revenue is $3 billion ish. That’s the same size as fcps now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

Where is that money going?

FCPS needs an independent audit.

The money is going to offset the losses from taxes on commercial real estate, which resulted from COVID and changes in work culture (remote work, telework, etc.). It’s clear from FCPS’s budget where the money goes. The overwhelming majority (85%) is teacher and teacher assistant salaries/benefits, and then you have transportation, facilities management and maintenance, and administration. IMO, administration seems like it could be cut some, but that doesn’t move the needle, so something has to be done about transportation and facilities management and maintenance. Yes, FCPS is large and spread out, but FCPS’s transportation costs are around triple the per student cost of neighboring counties.

Running double bus routes for grandfathered kids every five year will surely make transportation costs go down.

Zero chance any grandfathering includes busing. It’s going to be an option only for those that can get themselves there if it exists.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a major reason that the equity-minded school board will not allow grandfathering.

[Anonymous]

Yes to the meals tax. It's paid predominantly by visitors from outside the county who are here on business or leisure.

And cut all the positions for teachers who aren't teaching: "specialists" and "coordinators" or similar at Gatehouse, instructional coaches, AART, etc. Interlopers who just add to everybody's workload to justify their pointless jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes to the meals tax. It's paid predominantly by visitors from outside the county who are here on business or leisure.

And cut all the positions for teachers who aren't teaching: "specialists" and "coordinators" or similar at Gatehouse, instructional coaches, AART, etc. Interlopers who just add to everybody's workload to justify their pointless jobs.

Where is your source for this?

There is no way that the vast majority of a meals tax in the County won't be paid for by County residents, who live and eat here. I'm not for or against but be honest. That's absurd. Someone in our family of 5 got takeout or fast food for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at least 5 times last week and we are not wealthy.

[Anonymous]

No to meals tax. FCPS needs to be more efficient. They expand schools that don't need expanding (e.g., West Potomac). But this decision has been taken out of our hands and I can guarantee you Fairfax will adopt it. Probably at 5%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes to the meals tax. It's paid predominantly by visitors from outside the county who are here on business or leisure.

And cut all the positions for teachers who aren't teaching: "specialists" and "coordinators" or similar at Gatehouse, instructional coaches, AART, etc. Interlopers who just add to everybody's workload to justify their pointless jobs.

It also hurts small business restaurants in the area. We don’t eat out that much, but I could see where this would put a lot of restaurants out of business. But the local democrats are so far left that they no longer care about trivialities like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

They have over 3 BILLION dollar budget.

It is a money management issue, not a lack of funds issue.

They need to be audited.

100 percent. I think companies like crate & barrel total revenue is $3 billion ish. That’s the same size as fcps now?

I’m not sure about how you’d be able to accurately compare a commercial retail chain and a school district, but Crate and Barrel is smaller, with about 7,500 employees and 150 stores based on what I gathered from a quick search.

[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.

But that group did NOT use bond money NOR did it evade a special tax district. Read about bonds and then scoot over to who has special tax districts and who does not. 7-10% is for bond repayment. Reston's CC was paid off in 1999. Who gets projects is a big deal for Magisterial Districts and those like Herndon area- Sully- far western Springfield district have gotten the shaft.
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/bond/bonds-frequently-asked-questions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm for it. Will tax more undocumented individuals.

Tax those tacos.

Far better for the illegals to leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

They have over 3 BILLION dollar budget.

It is a money management issue, not a lack of funds issue.

They need to be audited.

Absolutely. They don't need more money. They need to spend less.