Anonymous wrote:Some people on here really want to defund AAP; has about as much chance of ever happening as the Tea Party efforts to defund Obamacare.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does that ESOL cost include the money allocated to these students per the needs based staffing ratio? FCPS is currently counting ESOL students and FARM students as if they were 1.5 or 2 students per each student and then running a staffing calculation based on this increased student population to figure out how many teachers should be at a school. Their calculation is about 26.25 teachers per this increased number of students. Then when they tally the numbers and send their average to the state, their student teacher ratios match up with state requirements since they are just sending an average and the state doesn't care that there's 30 1st graders in some high SES elementary school and 15 1st graders in another because the state average is 24. The ESOL students are getting more classroom teachers because of this staffing ratio but FCPS would have to provide many of these teachers anyway just to meet VA code. Does this $83.9 million include the staffing ratio classroom teachers and ESOL teachers?

Your question is a good one an valid. I have no idea. Ask Karen Garza she might be able to decipher her staffs calculations. They make sure to leave us all in the mist.

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Anonymous wrote:Isn't it true that FCPS spends less per student than neighboring districts? If so, then it seems like maybe we just need to put more money into our schools if we want to keep the same services.

Yes, it sucks that so much money is used for ESOL, but the facts are that we can educate the kids who are here and put them in a position to be paying taxes in their future, or we can ignore them and marginalize them and then we get to continue paying for them as inmates. The whole "let's hate on the ESOL students" argument is just a waste of time. Let's just realize that it's going to cost more for all of us and incease the tax rate a few cents/$100 property value.

I respect the job that my kids' teachers do and I hate that they are always put in the crosshairs for not getting raises or having to take more kids in their classes, etc. I do not envy their jobs. Doesn't it make sense for most of us to pay $200 more in taxes so that we don't end up leaving the public school system for private (where we will be paying somewhere b/t $15K and $30K per year)? Forget about the bus rides to AAP and the ESOL -- let's put on our big boy/girl pants and just accept that we need to pay a little more to keep the kind of schools and society we want in Fairfax County.

I am all for paying a little more to keep funding the schools. Actually we increase it pretty much every Nov. 4. Nevertheless, AAP in elementary and middle is a waste of millions of dollars and not providing a better education to ALL FCPS students. Restructure AAP and make it work for all students and I believe in doing this there would/should be cost reductions. AART's and the whole bureaucratic process of screening are a huge waste of time, resources and money. I see no reason whatsoever for any of it. It is a discriminatory program and a cumbersome application process, and, does not allow ALL children to get a "better" education in All schools. Actually, quite honestly, it is just tracking reincarnated and I believe grounds for a class action.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


First, start with all the duplicative music programs. There are lots of music programs that run after school and need not get caught up in the school day.

Music is an AAP program for everyone. Proven that it improves performance in Math, Science and Reading. Don't agree cuts are needed here

I disagree. If we are cutting to the bone, then I say if it is not math, language arts, social studies/history, or science, I say it should be cut. That should save some money.

I respect your opinion but question if you have school aged children.