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Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)
Full-day Kindergarten in Fairfax County
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Anonymous
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Option A is preferred for me - it would mean I could move to whatever neighborhood I want for next year. 2 of our target neighborhoods AND our current neighborhood are below the line, and my kid starts in the fall.
BTW - thanks for the find... I looked last night and couldn't find that list. |
Anonymous
| Just attended Kindergarten Orientation at Armstrong. The principal encouraged everyone in the crowd to register ASAP, as he believes it will increase the chances of all schools getting full-day if they see the real numbers/demand. So, even if you aren't sure of what your plans are for the fall, please register at your local elementary school - you can always change later! |
Anonymous
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Team FDK,
Together, we have come so far: Superintendent Dale has delivered the much awaited FDK plan and is recommending implementation of FDK in all Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) elementary schools during the 2011-12 school year. This is fabulous news. Now the School Board must vote on a budget that includes this recommendation. Will you stand with us one last time at the final Hearing on May 17th to secure FDK for all schools this year? Remember to wear a white shirt! We must insist that the School Board adopt Option A as recommended by Superintendent Dale. If Option A is adopted, we will have FDK for ALL schools this year. However, it’s not over till it’s over on May 26th when the School Board budget is finalized via a vote. Option B for a two-year roll out of FDK is also included for the School Board's consideration. The issue with the two year roll out is that post elections, our new School Board is not bound by any decisions made by a previous board. The remaining schools may never be implemented. The success of our campaign has been due to a united cross-county voice; if we stand together one last time, we will forever close the debate on FDK in our county. What an opportunity for early education! Equal opportunity is urgent; it cannot wait 2 years for implementation. We must ensure that a two-year phase in via Option B is not adopted. If Option B is adopted, FDK remains at risk in our County. This option dilutes our effort and stands against equity in education. FDK was on the chopping block for all schools last year. FDK is an unfulfilled promise that must be addressed! Please see the press releases below for details on the Options for balancing the budget. Yesterday, the School Board hosted a roundtable for education leaders across our county and I represented our team. There was unanimous support among community leaders for Option A. Our community is firmly prioritizing our youngest students! It is my hope that our School Board will hear our voices. STAND WITH US! STAND TOGETHER! ONE LAST TIME! YOU MATTER! You can help: 1. Attend the May 17th Public Hearing to ensure that the Superintendent's recommendation is adopted by our School Board. Wear white; bring kids! Where: Luther Jackson Middle School: 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church, VA, 22042 When: Tuesday May 17th, 6p.m. 2. Thank individually Chairman Kathy Smith, Liz Bradsher, Ilryong Moon, and Jane Strauss as these members of our School Board have confirmed in public (see comments below) that they will champion full implementation of Full Day Kindergarten this year. School Board Member Profiles and Contact Information 3. Thank Dr. Dale: Jack.Dale@fcps.edu for his recommendation for full implementation this year. 4. Write targeted, individual, personalized emails to board members who have not yet confirmed support using School Board Member Profiles and Contact Information and ask them to publically commit to Option A. Below is my best attempt to summarize the comments made at the May 2nd budget work session. Please reference the FCPS School Board site for official minutes. Jane Strauss said that she strongly supports Option A as it enables full implementation of FDK. She explained that over the years, we have dramatically increased academic expectations in Kindergarten. And the assessment expectations have also been increased. This is not to provide convenience but to address academic standards. Executing a full curriculum in half a day is difficult, she urged. Equity is important and so are academics. This is why I am supporting FDK. Many principals spoke at the hearing and she said she had never seen this before. It must be done now, she exclaimed. Ilryong Moon said firmly that we have been shortchanging certain schools, shortchanging students, shortchanging teachers, and shortchanging these communities. He noted that he fully supports Option A and said to the Superintendent that if a recommendation for full implementation was not included, he would have created an amendment to ensure FDK was implemented in all schools this year. He further said that he was glad to see this recommendation because it is a long time coming and we owe it to our students, teachers, and communities. Liz Bradsher noted that she prefers Option A and explained that she has worked on creating awareness on the importance of FDK for two years. She agreed with Ilryong’s comments and said we are shortchanging our students and shortchanging our communities. We have to take care of it and we have to take care of it now, she insisted. Further, when James Rainey said that it does not sound like a good deal for the tax payer and suggested reverting back to half-day, Liz Bradsher spoke out firmly against this suggestion. Chairman Smith noted that Ilryong said it best and that she supports implementing FDK all at once as it is an equity issue and the community has made us realize its importance. Many of us across the County have worked together on the FDK campaign for months; now we must stand united one last time. Six months ago FDK was not even on the agenda. Today, we are so very close to full implementation this year. Let’s take FDK to the finish line for all our kids!!! additional press coverage: http://commweb.fcps.edu/newsreleases/newsrelease.cfm?newsid=1699 http://oakton.patch.com/articles/dale-accelerates-full-day-kindergarten-reduces-teacher-raises-in-proposed-budget-adjustments-5 School Board Members Weigh Priorities In First Budget Work Session Patch.com http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/capital-land/2011/05/fairfax-superintendent-looks-reserves-fund-raises-and-kindergarten |
Anonymous
| Note that the teachers unions are supportive of Option A, but if Option A fails, they prefer Option C (the bonus for teachers instead of a market scale adjustment) and will not support Option B. |
Anonymous
Are you sure? I don't think that's right. Both Option A and Option B include a one a one percent market scale adjustment for all employees and step increases for eligible employees. The money savings in Option B comes from the two-year implementation of FDK. The money savings in Option C comes from eliminating the raise for teachers and instead implementing a one-time, one percent bonus. My understanding was that teachers do not favor that. |
Anonymous
That's what the teacher union representatives said in Tuesday night's Budget Dialogue at Gatehouse. |
Anonymous
That's interesting. This is from the Patch from a couple of days ago: Fairfax Education Association President Michael Hairston, whose organization represents about 4,000 teachers, said the group would like to hold the school board to the 2 percent raise plus step increase that was outlined in the advertised budget, but understands that a flat transfer from the county makes that difficult. "An increase in the transfer probably would have afforded that [more easily]," he said. He said Dale's "Option C" — which would give employees only a one-time bonus — would do little to help. "A bonus is a one-time thing. It doesn't affect retirement or anything long term, like pension or future earnings, so you always shoot for the raises and the step increases. That's what we'd like to see," he said. http://fallschurch.patch.com/articles/dale-accelerates-full-day-kindergarten-reduces-teacher-raises-in-proposed-budget-adjustments |
Anonymous
We are saying the same thing. Option A is funded by taking 3.5 million from the $5 million of monies planned to be spent in FY 2013. Some members of the School Board do not like the idea of doing that -- especially when $21 million of federal jobs bill money is included as "to be spent" monies in FY 2012, and that $21 million will not be there in FY 2013. Therefore -- if the School Board decides that they do not want to take that risk -- then the teachers union reps stated they would prefer Option C (the bonus) over Option B (16 out of 36 schools with FDK next year) as at least the teacher would get something, even though it would not be a step increase and it would not be a MSA. |
Anonymous
| But the teacher would get something with Option B -- a one-percent raise, just as in Option A. The money savings in Option B come from the slower implementation of FDK. So I don't understand why teachers would rather have Option C than Option B -- unless they really care so much about FDK that they're willing to give up a raise for it. |
Anonymous
This is very interesting, thanks for sharing the link. Does anyone know how the risk index is defined and determined? |
Anonymous
http://www.fcps.edu/fs/budget/documents/BoardDocs/FY2011BudgetQuestionsandResponses.pdf The implementation of full day kindergarten (FDK) was guided by a priority list based on several factors including, but not limited to, a risk index developed by the FCPS Office of Program Evaluation. The purpose of the risk index was to establish a priority order for implementing FDK in schools that do not already have it. This risk index is based on two-year averages of two criteria for each elementary school: (1) the percentage of students receiving free or reduced meals (FRM); and (2) the percentage of students with limited English proficiency (LEP). Other factors that may have an impact on full-day kindergarten implementation include the capacity of the particular school, upcoming boundary changes, special education centers, and the reliance on private kindergarten by base school families. |
Anonymous
| the wait to find out what is going to happen is truly painful. we are on a wait list for a private K, still haven't heard from the immersion program around the corner, but we want to move to a bigger house as well. 2 of the neighborhoods we really like are below that line for next year, as is our current base school. Seriously, make a decision already. |
Anonymous
| From what I understand, it is very likely that all schools will have full day K next year. Please show up for the school board hearing next week (I think the two days are May 17th and 18th) to support full day K in all 37 schools next year. |
Anonymous
| interesting...we have been hearing that this is not the case. |