How would you cut the budget?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would cut Karl Frisch's salary to $5 because that's about the value he adds as School Board chair.

And then, maybe, if he were gone, they'd come to their senses and realize they shouldn't be wasting over $85 million on Dunn Loring ES, which would be an even bigger cost savings for FCPS that could be put to better use.

I’m putting another one of my +1 million here, too. That school makes me livid and it’s not even built yet!

[Anonymous]

No more school laptop for home use except low income students, it would help eliminate screen time for students too, at least during school hours. For school bus, charge fee for students if exceed certain distance, except low income students. Offer free tutor service for low income students only.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would cut all sports.

While cutting sports I'd also cut music, band, and maybe even art. The odds of any of those being useful life skills are the same as sports. At least sports keep you healthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:+1 million (and I'd add, cut AAP centers. Local Level IV at every school.)

Some schools are over capacity even after shipping out all their AAP kids to a center. They couldn't do Local Level IV if they wanted to.
Others don't have enough AAP kids per grade to fill a classroom so they need the center. It's probably cheaper to run the busses to centers who can take them than to hire more teachers for half empty classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine:
Streamline what is offered:
Three foreign languages in all MS and HS - the same three. I don’t really care which three.
Same AP classes offered at all HS- pick 12
Do boundary changes to make the bussing the most efficient. First priority
Eliminate any support for sports - create a non-profit that is separate and rents the fields.
Give up on universal prek until budget prospects get better

Your last two are detrimental to students at both ends. Sports are crucial forany to attend college and universal prek isnkt really a thing in FCPs I thought. Only head start. So hurt the most needy kids possible?

universal prek is not head start did not say to eliminate all reek, just the option of trying to provide universal prek. Sports will continue- just not under the public schools.

So only the rich get sports?

And advanced students in high school are disadvantaged by cutting AP offerings and making everything universally mediocre?

Thank goodness this is not the plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cut gatehouse staffing by 50%, reduce superintendent pay by 20%, eliminate IB or at most offer at 1 school.

This!

Also, cut all the second tier superintendents by half, then cut their pay by 20%

There is no reason why we pay a DEI superintendent almost $300,000.

My oldest graduated from FCPS before DEI was a big thing. All so kids mixed between ethnic groups and the friend groups were full of kids of all races.

My youngest is finishing high school this year, having gone through the formative teen years during FCPS heavy DEI push and emphasis everywhere. The kids all mostly self segregate between racial, ethnic and identity groups, instead of just hanging with kids of shared interest. It is sad to see how different the teens were pre DEI focus and now.

If this represents the fruit of the labor of FCPS dei focus, then cur all of it. It has been a waste of money and actually harmed kids by focusing on perceived differences based on ethnicity and skin color.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1) Removed IB except at 2 schools that kids interested in IB can apply to attend. Follow the model used by ACPS, APS, and LCPS. We don't need 8 schools with an expensive program that few students actually participate in fully.

2) Remove MS Centers. Save money on bussing. ES Centers could probably be removed as well but I know that there is stronger resistance to that.

3) Remove DEI staffing. HR should be able to handle issues of discrimination and the training that all organizations require on how to treat each other civilly.

4) Remove administrative redundancies at Gatehouse and at schools.

5) Stop paying for computer licenses for programs that are poor programs, like ST Math. Have a smaller number of licenses for the few kids that can benefit from the program but there is no reason to use it across the entire class. I am sure that others have programs that are wasteful. Return to written work and reduce the use of computers.

Brilliant suggestions.

Can we elect you superintendent?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't.
I'd raise taxes.

They already did that.

They do it every year, by a lot.

If you were a Fairfax County resi2dnt who owned their own cars and house, you would know this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

BRAC is the closest thing to DOGE that FCPS has ever undertaken. The “one off” boundary changes are expensive and incredibly inefficient, costing up to several hundred thousand dollars each, which is large part of the reason why they aren’t common. One BRAC analysis for 2x to 4x cost that covers every school in FCPS? That is incredibly, incredibly efficient by comparison.

No. It is not anywhere comparable to DOGE except for major disruption.

The purpose of DOGE is to cut waste, fraud, and abuse. Whether it does that is certainly up for discussion.

However, this BRAC is:
BRAC committee is anything but transparent--NDA's for committee members; questionable selection processes for the committee.

Waste: Spending $$$ to a contractor --why? So, FCPS can pass the buck on decision making and pretend that an unprejudiced third part is making the decisions. (Meanwhile, the committee selected is anything but unprejudiced.)
While there certainly are boundaries that need to be adjusted, it would appear they are not the ones much discussed on this thread.
A PP said this would be money savings. Does he/she really believe that this is only 2 to 4 times the cost of an individual school boundary study?
Why spend money on a study that is not needed? It seems to me that with all the construction going on around Coates that this could have been easily adjusted two years ago.

$$ for double busing.
Do you think it is not going to cost money to switch staffs? Haven't heard a word about how these changes are going to affect that.

Fraud: Maybe, maybe not. Why was there a non-compete award? Is the contract limited to $500K? Highly unlikely
Have there been change orders?

Abuse: Putting the entire school community into uncertainty. It may not be a right to be sent to a certain school, but when a switch is made, it disturbs neighborhoods and communities. Anyone who says differently has not been through a boundary change.

Not addressing the AP/IB issue when discussing this. That is a major concern of many parents of high school students.

One of the SB members said that they would not eliminate AAP centers because of the AAP so activism. Fine, but why does one group have so much influence, when the community as a whole has made it clear they do not want this fiasco of a study? Overwhelmingly, people want to stay at their current schools.

From the CIP, there do not appear to be any high schools that are too small. There are a couple that are full, but it appears that is a temporary situation.

Fairfax County residents are undergoing a major employment upheaval right now. Adding this to it is abusive.

DP. The fact that AAP has a loud advocacy group is sickening. Where's the advocacy group for the Gen Ed kids? Talk about INEQUITY...

They're busy running to every thread to type in ALL CAPS about how unfair the AAP program is. Their time would probably be better spent actually advocating for their own gen ed kids instead of obsessing over other people's AAP kids.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Cut all DEI personnel and programs immediately.

So you mean to cut special education?

Did I say that? You're just making stuff up.

DEI includes more than LGBQ

You're right, it's racist too.

So tired of having to educate you morons about DEI. Define it for me so I can understand what you think it is. Hint: It’s not racist. But I ask you: Why do you hate inclusion? Seriously.

And how much does “DEI” cost the schools?

We have laws that cover the issues that matter. We do not need a special staff. We do have diversity--we don't need anyone teaching us about who is privileged and who is now.
What is the best thing for the minority groups? Education. Period. What is the best thing for majority groups? Education.

We do not need "Pride Days" or "Transgender visibility" days. We just need for kids to treat each other with respect. And, you do not need a special staff for that.

And you think that people treat others with respect automatically?

You think that teachers do not do that without being told? You think that Nardos King is going to make a difference in that?

Teachers don’t know even who that is.

Anyone who has been with the county more than 5-10 years knows exactly who she is. Most of us agree these positions should be cut. The poster who is putting up actual numbers is doing good work. Keep going!

[Anonymous]

After reading this, to help decrease our school budget, I would start by firing the principal of West Springfield HS, Superintendent Reid, and any other staff behind this DEI project that risks FCPS loosing Federal funding. I’m sick and tired of seeing my property taxes constantly climbing to pay for a subpar education, and the salaries of these activists who should have no business educating our children:
https://www.foxnews.com/media/virginia-school-puts-up-controversial-abcs-display-womens-history-month-starting-a-abortion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cut gatehouse staffing by 50%, reduce superintendent pay by 20%, eliminate IB or at most offer at 1 school.

This!

Also, cut all the second tier superintendents by half, then cut their pay by 20%

There is no reason why we pay a DEI superintendent almost $300,000.

My oldest graduated from FCPS before DEI was a big thing. All so kids mixed between ethnic groups and the friend groups were full of kids of all races.

My youngest is finishing high school this year, having gone through the formative teen years during FCPS heavy DEI push and emphasis everywhere. The kids all mostly self segregate between racial, ethnic and identity groups, instead of just hanging with kids of shared interest. It is sad to see how different the teens were pre DEI focus and now.

If this represents the fruit of the labor of FCPS dei focus, then cur all of it. It has been a waste of money and actually harmed kids by focusing on perceived differences based on ethnicity and skin color.

A little off topic, but having grown up in the equality era and now being in the equity era, it does feel like equality is a better path. We always learned don’t judge people by the color of their skin, but the equity approach seems to directly force us to do that.

I’m not convinced equity is the best path forward, and seems to run very counter to its intended purpose.

-a Dem voter

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cut all DEI personnel and programs immediately.

So you mean to cut special education?

Did I say that? You're just making stuff up.

DEI includes more than LGBQ

You're right, it's racist too.

So tired of having to educate you morons about DEI. Define it for me so I can understand what you think it is. Hint: It’s not racist. But I ask you: Why do you hate inclusion? Seriously.

And how much does “DEI” cost the schools?

We have laws that cover the issues that matter. We do not need a special staff. We do have diversity--we don't need anyone teaching us about who is privileged and who is now.
What is the best thing for the minority groups? Education. Period. What is the best thing for majority groups? Education.

We do not need "Pride Days" or "Transgender visibility" days. We just need for kids to treat each other with respect. And, you do not need a special staff for that.

And you think that people treat others with respect automatically?

You think that teachers do not do that without being told? You think that Nardos King is going to make a difference in that?

Teachers don’t know even who that is.

Anyone who has been with the county more than 5-10 years knows exactly who she is. Most of us agree these positions should be cut. The poster who is putting up actual numbers is doing good work. Keep going!

I’ve been with FCPS 32 years and I didn’t recognize her name. My spouse has been with FCPS 18 years and when I just asked her she said “Nope. What region or area she in?” I’d be willing to bet if I asked 10 of my ES colleagues, none would know her name.

[Anonymous]

Eliminate Project Momentum

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No more school laptop for home use except low income students, it would help eliminate screen time for students too, at least during school hours. For school bus, charge fee for students if exceed certain distance, except low income students. Offer free tutor service for low income students only.

I think bussing should be opt in and a fee would be a great idea! Especially if there are ways to walk/bike.