Anonymous wrote:Please encourage your kids to sign the petition: my 6th grader did, she was really looking forward to the after school programs, especially basketball.

https://www.change.org/p/restore-funding-to-fairfax-county-middle-school-after-school-programs

Just an FYI, the basketball is far from an organized activity. Really just staying after and playing "hack the kid with the ball until they chuck up a shot" with a bunch of other kids until the next activity block. It's nothing like a real game with refs or even supervision. The teams chosen to play other schools at the end of the quarter are whichever group of friends is good enough to beat the others, not players selected by a teacher or coach.

I am 100000% for cutting field trips, but most of those are parent funded. I’ve spent over $100 on my 5th grader’s 3 field trips this year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The program for middle schools costs the county about $3.8 million, and $1.9 million from FCPS.

Take a look at the budget presentation:

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/budget/sites/budget/files/Assets/Documents/fy2026/advertised/FY2026Advertised_Presentation.pdf

Slide 14. $3.38 million to turn the Extended Stay hotel on Monument drive by the Fair Oaks Mall into a homeless shelter.

Cut field trips - look at these numbers from 2025:

Field trip bus driver - 2,324,000
Field trip VHSL bus driver - 2,957,000

Total: $5,281,000

Cutting VHSL drivers would cut activities, too.
However, I was a teacher. And, as a parent, I was a chaperone on some field trips. Most are worthless. Nothing like going to a Mall museum where you have about an hour at the museum (counting sitting on the wall outside to eat bag lunch). I live in far edge of Fairfax.

The school could have special events at the school and get more interaction with the kids.

The Covid memorial doesn’t come from the county budget. It’s McKay’s discretionary fund.

The After-School program has way fewer regular users than I thought based on the outcry here. Maybe it’s okay to cut it.

Lots of details on both of these issues on the county’s budget question page. https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/budget/sites/budget/files/Assets/Documents/fy2026/QA/FY_2026_QA.pdf

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Connection:
Marcia St. John-Cunning Franconia District Representative- “I just want to iterate that this is not a needs-based budget. This is a basic needs-based budget. I mean, we are at the lowest level of what our needs are.” “I seriously hope that our funding partners can hear that and that we can come up with a difference, because all of our children deserve more than just basic.”

Ms. Cunning needs to reevaluate what is a "basic need." For example, it is not a boundary study. It is not IB. It is not field trips; it is not,,,,,,,,

You, once again, are confusing the school system budget with the county budget. The county has plenty of things it could cut - like the million dollar Covid memorial that nobody wants. NOBODY WANTS TO REMEMBER COVID.

No. I agree that the Covid memorial should be cut and that the county wastes money. But, Cunning implied the school budget was bare bones: "lowest level of what our needs are." It covers far more than "basic needs."

These politicians and their dumb memorials should be fired - that is a much better reason to vote for someone than whichever party they say they belong to. "Let's memorialize how we kept kids out of school for an entire year while we went on holidays, to the gym, to major sporting events, to the hair salon, to bars and restaurants ... "

Let's memorialize the worst possible government policy in the history of the USA!

Anonymous wrote:From Connection:
Marcia St. John-Cunning Franconia District Representative- “I just want to iterate that this is not a needs-based budget. This is a basic needs-based budget. I mean, we are at the lowest level of what our needs are.” “I seriously hope that our funding partners can hear that and that we can come up with a difference, because all of our children deserve more than just basic.”

Ms. Cunning needs to reevaluate what is a "basic need." For example, it is not a boundary study. It is not IB. It is not field trips; it is not,,,,,,,,

You, once again, are confusing the school system budget with the county budget. The county has plenty of things it could cut - like the million dollar Covid memorial that nobody wants. NOBODY WANTS TO REMEMBER COVID.

From Connection:
Marcia St. John-Cunning Franconia District Representative- “I just want to iterate that this is not a needs-based budget. This is a basic needs-based budget. I mean, we are at the lowest level of what our needs are.” “I seriously hope that our funding partners can hear that and that we can come up with a difference, because all of our children deserve more than just basic.”

Ms. Cunning needs to reevaluate what is a "basic need." For example, it is not a boundary study. It is not IB. It is not field trips; it is not,,,,,,,,

Our ES charges $50+ for every field trip, pretty sure the parents are paying for those bus drivers.

Anonymous wrote:The program for middle schools costs the county about $3.8 million, and $1.9 million from FCPS.

Take a look at the budget presentation:

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/budget/sites/budget/files/Assets/Documents/fy2026/advertised/FY2026Advertised_Presentation.pdf

Slide 14. $3.38 million to turn the Extended Stay hotel on Monument drive by the Fair Oaks Mall into a homeless shelter.

Cut field trips - look at these numbers from 2025:

Field trip bus driver - 2,324,000
Field trip VHSL bus driver - 2,957,000

Total: $5,281,000

Please encourage your kids to sign the petition: my 6th grader did, she was really looking forward to the after school programs, especially basketball.

https://www.change.org/p/restore-funding-to-fairfax-county-middle-school-after-school-programs

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have/know the breakdown of the $4,000,000 budget? Maybe there is a way to save part of the program. While I believe having the clubs and sports after school for middle schoolers is extremely important. I think the most important part is teachers are available for additional support and test retaking is done during after school. Students who may be struggling in some classes can get help they need.

Most of the kids retaking tests are not kids who are struggling. Ask the teachers at the schools, the ridiculous retakes up to 100% policy has led to kids who score an 89 or a 92 retaking to get to a 93 or higher. The percentage of kids who are flunking or getting a C and retaking is depressingly small. The kids who are retaking don't need much teacher support; they need to do a bit better with studying for the first exam.

I would agree with you if there was any real sign that the strugglign kids were taking advantage of the retake policy but they are not. They didn't when it was you could retake up to a B and they are not now that you can retake up to an A.

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have/know the breakdown of the $4,000,000 budget? Maybe there is a way to save part of the program. While I believe having the clubs and sports after school for middle schoolers is extremely important. I think the most important part is teachers are available for additional support and test retaking is done during after school. Students who may be struggling in some classes can get help they need.

more than that is spent on field trips.

hop over to how to cut budget thread for other ideas

Does anyone have/know the breakdown of the $4,000,000 budget? Maybe there is a way to save part of the program. While I believe having the clubs and sports after school for middle schoolers is extremely important. I think the most important part is teachers are available for additional support and test retaking is done during after school. Students who may be struggling in some classes can get help they need.

FCPS should also make efforts in cutting the wastes like this:
https://www.fairfaxtimes.com/articles/pricetag-of-equity-in-fairfax-county-schools-6-4-million/article_6e14ee46-db8a-11ef-ba7b-4b737bdff938.html

Anonymous wrote:Ridiculous.

Youngkin and the county should properly fund FCPS. It’s majorly underfunded.