Any predictions on where the cuts will hit the hardest? (Fairfax: elementary school, closing)

[cool rob]

How this thread went from budget cuts, to taxes, to "black children are failures" just goes to prove, my earlier theory.

[movingtodcfromseattle]

Originally Posted by Denton56

Oh? The people who pay the bills should not have a say in how their money is spent? Parents should have no say in how their children are taught, what they are taught, and by whom they are taught? Only educrats and teachers are allowed an opinion on a $2.2 BILLION budget of OUR money? The rest of us just need to fork over ever more of our money, and shut up about it?

Got love the attitudes of our ''public servants''. lol

I never said that the people don't have a say in how their money is spent. I get really tired of "the people" making generalizations about teachers, the system, how the money is spent, etc, when the majority of them don't ever step foot into a classroom. If I'm just a "public servant" then maybe I should stop worrying about who is coming to school with a coat on tomorrow, who does or doesn't know their letters/sounds, who has a fever and needs to go home, who needs a pencil, who needs a tissue, who needs to wash their hands, who is going home on a bus vs in a car and the list goes on. Maybe I should skip that class that I should be attending tonight that will help make me be the best teacher that I can be so that I can be with my own young children. Am I bitter? No, I actually love my job. I'm just tired of people making generalizations about education when the don't actually step foot in classrooms. I'm not just talking about this thread either, I'm talking about the country as a whole.

[novajs]

I read it somewhere that the ratio for teachers vs. administrators at FCPS is 6:4. That seems too low. I know administrators do an important job but I can't imagine we need 40% of all employee being non-teaching staff. We should cut some of the admin budget and maybe give the teachers a modest raise to boost moral.

[Muffy62]

Originally Posted by movingtodcfromseattle

I never said that the people don't have a say in how their money is spent. I get really tired of "the people" making generalizations about teachers, the system, how the money is spent, etc, when the majority of them don't ever step foot into a classroom.

I would say that there is a lot of waste in the administration level. In our county, it is site-base management so the principal has great control over where the money is spent. Do teachers have a say about where the money goes? Not really. Is there an easier way to earn a living -- yup -- you will never get rich being a teacher. You have to deal with the kids, the parents and the administrators.

[springfieldva]

Maybe they should try looking at the pre housing bubble budget/expenses and see if we can eliminate some of the extras that got added in during the bubble years.

I know that's a pretty simplistic approach because salaries and home prices have changed and households/schools have been added since the late 90's...

But it would take a heck of a tax hike to cover a $176 million short fall - is that for the state of VA or just ffx county?

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by Denton56

\


They can't end all day kindergarten because they would have to do something with all of those kindergarten teachers. They would still have to have jobs, so no cost savings there.

What is an academic coach? How many are there? Is this another program for Black students?

How about they cut the number of cluster offices from 8 to three, like they had until a few years ago? How about they cut in half the number of curriculum specialists? How about Jack Dale tries to get by with only 4 assistant superintendents, like the previous FCPS superintendents, rather than the 17 assistant supers that he has now? Who the heck needs 17 assistant superintendents? Even the President doesn't have that many cabinet offices! (Although Obama has three times that many ''Czars".)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/16/AR2009101602613.html

The list includes increasing class size by one student for a savings of $19 million, removing foreign language instruction from elementary schools to save $2 million, and rolling back full-day kindergarten from 101 schools to 34 schools in high-poverty communities, for $13 million in savings.
The board will also consider eliminating summer school to save $8 million, and undoing a special staffing formula that provides extra teachers for high-needs schools, which would save $20 million. Also on the table are reductions in school technology specialists, guidance counselors and social workers and increases in activity and test fees for Advanced Placement courses.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by springfieldva

But it would take a heck of a tax hike to cover a $176 million short fall - is that for the state of VA or just ffx county?

That number is for the county.

[springfieldva]

Originally Posted by tgbwc

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/16/AR2009101602613.html

The list includes increasing class size by one student for a savings of $19 million, removing foreign language instruction from elementary schools to save $2 million, and rolling back full-day kindergarten from 101 schools to 34 schools in high-poverty communities, for $13 million in savings.
The board will also consider eliminating summer school to save $8 million, and undoing a special staffing formula that provides extra teachers for high-needs schools, which would save $20 million. Also on the table are reductions in school technology specialists, guidance counselors and social workers and increases in activity and test fees for Advanced Placement courses.

If I'm doing the math right, even with those cuts, they're still looking at over a 100 million short fall?

[car54]

Originally Posted by springfieldva

If I'm doing the math right, even with those cuts, they're still looking at over a 100 million short fall?

There is one cut they could make that would save $100 million in one fell swoop...eliminate transportation.

I have before me a FCPS document from last year that mentions just that possibility....proving that it has at least crossed their minds...

[Denton56]

Originally Posted by cool rob

Wow, your theory sounds very familiar to Hitlers theory on the Master Race. Great how that worked out for him, huh?

You gotta love the world wide web, allowing cowards to race bait and spew racism with no fear of retribution.

Huh? I didn't write the article. You'll have to take it up with the Washington Post and their favorite Black educator, Patrick Walsh.

BTW, screaming racism doesn't make it so, nor does it scare people any more. You'll have to try harder, perhaps even argue the points. Just a suggestion, assuming you care enough to bother and are smart enough to do so.