Proposed school budget cuts could pose financial burden for Annandale families

The proposed budget cuts for the Fairfax County Public Schools could have some major implications for Annandale families. The FCPS school board adopted an advertised budget calling for $2.3 billion in operating funds for fiscal year 2011.

If this budget ends up being adopted, here is what it could mean for students and parents:

• You would have to pay $75 for each AP (Advanced Placement) and IB (International Baccalaureate) test, plus the actual cost of the PSAT test. Students in low-income families would be shielded from these fees, but families at the lower end of the middle class could face a financial burden, especially if they have several children who want to take more than one of these courses. As a result, some students might take fewer advanced courses, which could hurt their chances of getting into more competitive colleges.
• Families would have to pay $100 for each student participating in a sport recognized by the Virginia High School League. That means families with several athletes or children in more than one sport might cut back to avoid these fees. Studies have shown that students who take part in sports do better academically and are less likely to get into trouble. Also, the performance of Annandale, Falls Church, and Stuart High School teams could decline if fewer students participate.
• If your organization rents space in a public school, your fees would rise 20 percent.
• Schools would become more run down and dirtier, due to cutbacks in maintenance and custodial support.
• Elementary schools with a particular focus, like Woodburn School for the Fine and Communicative Arts, would be reviewed every year to determine whether they retain that focus and thus get additional resources.
• If you were hoping your child would be able to continue learning during the summer, you might need to explore options other than FCPS summer school. The budget would eliminate summer school except for special education, self-supporting programs, and credit recovery programs for students who need one or two credits to graduate.
• If you work for FCPS, you wouldn’t get a raise and you might be laid off.

Actions taken recently by the state legislature more or less amount to a wash. The legislators approved a measure to “unfreeze” the local composite index (LCI), which means FCPS will receive the $61.8 million it is entitled to under the state funding formula. But the state also cut overall K-12 spending, which means a loss of $60.7 million in state funds for FCPS.
 
To make up for the cuts for K-12 education, the General Assembly reduced all Virginia school systems’ contributions to the Virginia Retirement System (VRS). That saves FCPS $109 million, but school systems have to come up with a 10-year repayment plan to make up for the reduced rate. Superintendent Jack Dale calls this solution “short-sighted and fiscally unsound because starting two years from now, we will have to begin to pay off this loan on top of our regular VRS contribution.”

Dale is requesting that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approve a transfer of funds to FCPS at the same level transferred from the county last year. The county executive has recommended a 1 percent decrease in that amount. If the Board of Supervisors provides a level transfer, restorations to the budget that were approved in February by the Fairfax County School Board will be funded. That means FCPS would be able to maintain class size at current levels; fund assistant principals, instructional assistants, and instructional coaches; keep the elementary school foreign language program; and retain freshman sports and indoor track.

Here’s what happens next:

• April 6-8—Fairfax County board of supervisors holds public hearings on the county budget.
• April 27—Board of Supervisors approves a county budget for 2011, sets the tax rate, and determines how much money to transfer to the schools.
• May 11 and 12—School board holds public hearings on the budget.
• May 20—School board adopts a budget for FY 2011, which begins July 1.