Reply to Fairfax County Schools -- Is there a deterioration?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think the number of lower SES kids is growing exponentially relative to the number of higher SES kids, which is helping to fuel the budget crisis.  The number of kids in the system is growing at a very fast pace, but the real estate tax base is not moving in the same direction because many of the new families live in apartments.  The county will have to figure out how to meet the growing needs without sacrificing quality, which is a very difficult task.[/quote]

Exactly.  The past 20+ years were spent going from rural to suburban and now the next 20 years will be going from suburban to urban.  Each present differnt problems.  Very fast growth without appropriate longterm planning is another problem, although there has been better planning in recent years.  The relatively high % of students with college educated supportive parents has been the backbone of the system and the is getting smaller as a % of total students.  However, the single biggest reason Fairfax has more trouble funding its schools is that there are more students as a percentage of its population than other jurisdictions.  For example Arlington has ~ 10.26%* of its residents enrolled in preK-12 and Fairfax County has 16.53%*.  That is a huge difference.  Hopefully, the new urban planning around Tyson's and elsewhere will yield to more two earner no children couples and decrease the % of the population in the schools.  Arlington's Orange line corrider has done this very well.

* Wikipedia Arlington says in 2013 the estimated population is 227,146 and the school website (about us) gives 23,316 as enrollment for the current year.  Wikipedia Fairfax says 2013 estimated poulation is 1,116,897 and the school website (about us) gives 184,625 as enrollment for the current year.  
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