Anonymous
Post 10/31/2013 14:25     Subject: Re:If you were in charge of FCPS, what budget cuts would you make?
I have noticed the percentage of the BOS budget to the schools has gone down from year to year. Is anyone looking at the BOS budget with as much scrutiny?
Anonymous
Post 10/31/2013 14:22     Subject: Re:If you were in charge of FCPS, what budget cuts would you make?
Cut the recruiter from TJ. Does TJ really need a recruiter?
Anonymous
Post 10/31/2013 14:05     Subject: Re:If you were in charge of FCPS, what budget cuts would you make?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:21:12. Yes, but not as many compared to other areas of the country that have lower class sizes and still give raises.


This is a pretty generalized comment. What other areas? What's the academic performance of their schools? Fairfax County schools continuously top the lists of best schools in the country, and many people (including myself) move here for solely for the schools. So we're not exactly representative of the rest of the nation.

And please, people, enough with the "affluent county." Obviously, a growing sector of our student population is not affluent, or we would be able to continue to support the services the county has provided for decades. I've seen it in our local school, and I'm sure many of you have as well. Poor kids tend to require more resources--not a judgement, just a statement of fact. I don't know the cause, exactly, but no use in pretending there's a big mystery around why FCPS is in financial trouble.


The main issue is that FCPS has a higher % of its population enrolled in public schools. So, there are fewer working adults to fund more kids. Arlington's % is less than 10%, Fairfax's is over 16%. That alone creates problems with funding.


What were the stats 10 years ago? Twenty? I doubt they've changed significantly. This area has always been a magnet for families with school-aged children.
Anonymous
Post 10/31/2013 13:15     Subject: Re:If you were in charge of FCPS, what budget cuts would you make?
Programs for Advanced Academic Students
An additional allocation for advanced academic programs is provided to each school, based on school membership. The rates for FY 2014 are:
School-based itinerant programs $0.85 per student
Regional center-based programs and $17.85 per student
school-based Level 4 programs
Anonymous
Post 10/31/2013 12:41     Subject: Re:If you were in charge of FCPS, what budget cuts would you make?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Anyone able to find Carol Horn's salary?? Doesn't seem to be readily available.


Her salary--I'd say it's no more than $120K. I'm an administrator in FCPS. Principals make between 100K-150K. She's got longevity on her side, but she's not a superintendent.

So if you get rid of that position and the administrative asst that probably supports the program, you're looking at $200K (I'm rounding up.)
As for the AART positions, they would go back into the classroom.

You've cut $200K. How do you propose cutting the other $239,800,000?


well all these anti-AAP posts aren't really about cost cutting are they? That's a convenient pretext perhaps...
Anonymous
Post 10/31/2013 12:39     Subject: Re:If you were in charge of FCPS, what budget cuts would you make?
Anonymous wrote:12:31 A friend of mine did a poll of their friends on facebook all around the USA and FCPS had the largest class sizes of all 30 people responding and many of these school districts even had textbooks. Not saying these make up a great school system, but it does seem like other counties are able to get along with less and not stress out the parents and teachers as much.


well that's apples and oranges really. There are very few place like Fairfax in the country (for better or worse depending on how you see it). Bethesda, Silicon Valley, Ca, maybe NYC a couple of others and that's about it. A school ranked no. 118 on U.S. News's best high schools in the country finishs no better than 6th right in NOVA.
Anonymous
Post 10/31/2013 12:37     Subject: Re:If you were in charge of FCPS, what budget cuts would you make?
Anonymous wrote:Anyone able to find Carol Horn's salary?? Doesn't seem to be readily available.


Her salary--I'd say it's no more than $120K. I'm an administrator in FCPS. Principals make between 100K-150K. She's got longevity on her side, but she's not a superintendent.

So if you get rid of that position and the administrative asst that probably supports the program, you're looking at $200K (I'm rounding up.)
As for the AART positions, they would go back into the classroom.

You've cut $200K. How do you propose cutting the other $239,800,000?
Anonymous
Post 10/31/2013 12:34     Subject: Re:If you were in charge of FCPS, what budget cuts would you make?
12:31 A friend of mine did a poll of their friends on facebook all around the USA and FCPS had the largest class sizes of all 30 people responding and many of these school districts even had textbooks. Not saying these make up a great school system, but it does seem like other counties are able to get along with less and not stress out the parents and teachers as much.
Anonymous
Post 10/31/2013 12:31     Subject: Re:If you were in charge of FCPS, what budget cuts would you make?
Not sure about Carol Horn's salary, but there is a long list of salaries in this thread:

http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/2/1051487.html

The Fairfax Underground posters seem to have a lot of information on programs that could be considered wasteful. If you are interested in the topic, check out those forum postings. Here's one of them below:

http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/2/894856.html
Anonymous
Post 10/31/2013 12:31     Subject: Re:If you were in charge of FCPS, what budget cuts would you make?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:21:12. Yes, but not as many compared to other areas of the country that have lower class sizes and still give raises.


This is a pretty generalized comment. What other areas? What's the academic performance of their schools? Fairfax County schools continuously top the lists of best schools in the country, and many people (including myself) move here for solely for the schools. So we're not exactly representative of the rest of the nation.

And please, people, enough with the "affluent county." Obviously, a growing sector of our student population is not affluent, or we would be able to continue to support the services the county has provided for decades. I've seen it in our local school, and I'm sure many of you have as well. Poor kids tend to require more resources--not a judgement, just a statement of fact. I don't know the cause, exactly, but no use in pretending there's a big mystery around why FCPS is in financial trouble.


The main issue is that FCPS has a higher % of its population enrolled in public schools. So, there are fewer working adults to fund more kids. Arlington's % is less than 10%, Fairfax's is over 16%. That alone creates problems with funding.
Anonymous
Post 10/31/2013 12:31     Subject: Re:If you were in charge of FCPS, what budget cuts would you make?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Anyone able to find Carol Horn's salary?? Doesn't seem to be readily available.


Yep just what I thought. Can't find it, huh?


https://www.google.com/search?q=fairfax+county+public+schools+salary+scale+2012+site%3Awww.fairfaxunderground.com&oq=fairfax+county+public+s&aqs=chrome.0.69i59l2j69i57j0l3.3739j0j4&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8
Anonymous
Post 10/31/2013 12:29     Subject: Re:If you were in charge of FCPS, what budget cuts would you make?
Anonymous wrote:11:51 I don't think other counties take care of their poor quite as well as Fairfax County does. Is this a good thing? I don't know.


Yes, it is a good thing.
Anonymous
Post 10/31/2013 12:23     Subject: Re:If you were in charge of FCPS, what budget cuts would you make?
11:51 I don't think other counties take care of their poor quite as well as Fairfax County does. Is this a good thing? I don't know.
Anonymous
Post 10/31/2013 12:18     Subject: Re:If you were in charge of FCPS, what budget cuts would you make?
Anonymous wrote:Anyone able to find Carol Horn's salary?? Doesn't seem to be readily available.


Yep just what I thought. Can't find it, huh?
Anonymous
Post 10/31/2013 11:59     Subject: Re:If you were in charge of FCPS, what budget cuts would you make?
Anyone able to find Carol Horn's salary?? Doesn't seem to be readily available.