If you were in charge of FCPS, what budget cuts would you make?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:if you want to cut all sports then I guess all HS after school activities should be cut...or do people only have a problem with athletes???

I don't think the other after school activities are line items in the county budget. They are pay as you go. Some sports are paid for by the county. I would imagine that the PP are proposing that they also be pay as you go.

[Anonymous]

School counselors don't deal with mental issues. They mostly just deal with bullying and other situations as they arise, and pat kids on the back when they're sad. An actual mental issue would require an outside psychologist or psychiatrist. Cutting counselors wouldn't be denying anyone mental health services, it would just require teachers to deal with problems that arise in class instead of outsourcing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know this will be inflammatory -- but the core/essential purpose of schools is the academic part. So, keep PE b/c everybody needs a break and they do learn about health.... but get rid of sports teams. Those are just not part of the core mission... sorry.

If I have to choose between counselors and a football team, I'm choosing counselors who might keep my kid from being bullied or might help someone with anorexia or abuse.

Then I'd reduce the number of instructional assistants -- I was shocked to look on my kids' elementary school website and see about 25 instructional assistants listed. That seems like a whole lot. Maybe we still need a lot of them for the special needs, but if they are not being used for special needs or kindergarten, I think they probably have to go.

Band/strings -- I'd hate to see it go, and I could argue that it is an academic pursuit b/c you can get a degree in music/fine arts. But, it could become a fee-based program.

I'm willing to pay more taxes for all of the above and to avoid any other cuts.

Counselers don't do anything , in fact they sit around waiting in their offices most of the day. Everyone can now afford their own mental health counseling , no need to have that at school.

Sports and extra activities should be self pay to weed out the ones who are serious.

Many of the mental health and development issues should be self pay.

The school needs to prioritize teaching and the classroom. If they eliminated evening else or made it self pay there would be less administrators and executives needed to manage these superfluous activities.

You should at least keep counselors at title one schools, most students there don't have rich parents who can pay for mental health services. And children living in poverty at more at risk for having lots of additonal stressors.

Also, money aside, some children in poverty have parents who are unwilling or unable (because they can't get their SH*T together or are working 2 jobs, etc) to take them for mental health treatment. THis happens in wealthy families as well. Sometimes a child might feel comfortable going to the counselor but not the parent. It IS related to school because the mental health distraction can keep the child from focusing in class.

So your far off example of maybe a child is afraid of their parents needs mental help is the best you can come up with, sounds even more worthless.

If a child needs mental help the teacher can notify social services and they can handle it . It's a school not a mental health facility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know this will be inflammatory -- but the core/essential purpose of schools is the academic part. So, keep PE b/c everybody needs a break and they do learn about health.... but get rid of sports teams. Those are just not part of the core mission... sorry.

If I have to choose between counselors and a football team, I'm choosing counselors who might keep my kid from being bullied or might help someone with anorexia or abuse.

Then I'd reduce the number of instructional assistants -- I was shocked to look on my kids' elementary school website and see about 25 instructional assistants listed. That seems like a whole lot. Maybe we still need a lot of them for the special needs, but if they are not being used for special needs or kindergarten, I think they probably have to go.

Band/strings -- I'd hate to see it go, and I could argue that it is an academic pursuit b/c you can get a degree in music/fine arts. But, it could become a fee-based program.

I'm willing to pay more taxes for all of the above and to avoid any other cuts.

Counselers don't do anything , in fact they sit around waiting in their offices most of the day. Everyone can now afford their own mental health counseling , no need to have that at school.

Sports and extra activities should be self pay to weed out the ones who are serious.

Many of the mental health and development issues should be self pay.

The school needs to prioritize teaching and the classroom. If they eliminated evening else or made it self pay there would be less administrators and executives needed to manage these superfluous activities.

You should at least keep counselors at title one schools, most students there don't have rich parents who can pay for mental health services. And children living in poverty at more at risk for having lots of additonal stressors.

So the affluent areas have to pay MORE into the system and get even LESS. Fairfax County become just like the State. If you want to continue down the class warfare, make the Title I school even MORE expensive and cut all services to the affluent schools. I don't think that will work in this environment. The activist parents are not in the Title I schools.

The vast majority of parents in affluent areas want good services for ALL children. They do not mind if their taxes subsidize the less affluent schools as long as the services are there for their children also. But if you tell them their taxes have to pay for "extra" services in the less affluent areas and THEY have to pay out of pocket for them at their child's school- then that would be perceived (correctly) as unfair. Just look at the current frustration with the super large class sizes in the affluent areas when the less affluent class sizes are smaller based on official formula. The school board and BOS need to keep this in mind if they do not want outright revolt.

[Anonymous]

You should at least keep counselors at title one schools, most students there don't have rich parents who can pay for mental health services. And children living in poverty at more at risk for having lots of additonal stressors.

Counselors do not usually provide mental health services. They may help find resources, but, except for anti-bullying campaign, they do little.

[Anonymous]

Just look at the current frustration with the super large class sizes in the affluent areas when the less affluent class sizes are smaller based on official formula. The school board and BOS need to keep this in mind if they do not want outright revolt.

I think part of the problem is the extreme differences in class sizes across the schools.

[Anonymous]

Reduce cluster offices.

[Anonymous]

School counselors in elementary schools at least teach classes. Very important ones to me. They also facilitate and foster good behavior and friendships. Not saying it can't be cut at all, but this is the only form of character development/ethics that currently exists in these public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if you want to cut all sports then I guess all HS after school activities should be cut...or do people only have a problem with athletes???

I don't think the other after school activities are line items in the county budget. They are pay as you go. Some sports are paid for by the county. I would imagine that the PP are proposing that they also be pay as you go.

I know there is no fee for theatre activities, so let's close those down, too. In fact, let's lock the doors and turn off the lights and HVAC as the last kid leaves each day to save money. Don't want a bunch of kids hanging around after school participating in a bunch of worthless athletics and clubs. What use is learning how to be a good team member once you're an adult? Just a waste of time!

And you know what, all the kids could use that extra time to get jobs so they could pay taxes which would help offset the budget shortfall! Wow, cutting out athletics and clubs is a great answer to this whole budget problem!

[Anonymous]

I'm stunned by the lack of empathy in this thread for the less fortunate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Keep high school sports. Charge athletic fee and have a sliding scale for those who cannot afford it.
People pay to attend the games. Coaches are paid next to nothing.

PE teachers are paid tens of thousands of dollars more than physics and calculus teachers.

I assume the difference in pay is because of coaching?

No matter what, PE teachers should not be the highest paid instructors in the school.

They should be the lowest.

I would vote to cut back on PE teachers at the elementary level, and have fewer PE classes and more outdoor recess time.

[Anonymous]

13:47 I'm not sure exactly what you mean. Much of the time, the "less fortunate" don't have to pay for athletic fees, etc. because they are on a sliding scale or are free to them.

[Anonymous]

let's face it, school is about education, the other stuff is fluff and shouldn't be free.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:13:47 I'm not sure exactly what you mean. Much of the time, the "less fortunate" don't have to pay for athletic fees, etc. because they are on a sliding scale or are free to them.

I meant the threads that basically say that "I live in McLean and I don't want to subsidize the less affluent schools. It's not fair that my kid has more students in his class (even though statistically, they will be higher performing students). It's so unfair that Title I schools have small classes. Waaaaaaaahhhhh!"

And my kids don't even attend a Title I school. It's a very middle of the road school with a significant cultural and socio-economic mix. Our class sizes are almost exactly the same as the McLean schools' and there are houses that are worth about the same as mine (some even less) in the McLean Districts, so I'm paying the same property taxes as some of the whiners. Yet I get why Title I schools have smaller classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:13:47 I'm not sure exactly what you mean. Much of the time, the "less fortunate" don't have to pay for athletic fees, etc. because they are on a sliding scale or are free to them.

I meant the threads that basically say that "I live in McLean and I don't want to subsidize the less affluent schools. It's not fair that my kid has more students in his class (even though statistically, they will be higher performing students). It's so unfair that Title I schools have small classes. Waaaaaaaahhhhh!"

And my kids don't even attend a Title I school. It's a very middle of the road school with a significant cultural and socio-economic mix. Our class sizes are almost exactly the same as the McLean schools' and there are houses that are worth about the same as mine (some even less) in the McLean Districts, so I'm paying the same property taxes as some of the whiners. Yet I get why Title I schools have smaller classes.

Oh, and also, I don't get why you wouldn't want the less fortunate kids, who because of their economic issues may have more social issues, to have proper counseling so they can grow up to better better off than their parents and contributors to society at large.