Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Jack Dale, and Deputy to the Division Superintendent, Dr. Richard Moniuszko presented two topics to the parents representing each of the PTAs within the school system – Priority Schools Initiative and the FY2012 Budget.
At the end of the session, the floor was opened up for general discussion and there were two other topics discussed – full day kindergarten and the CIP (capital improvement program).
Priority Schools Initiative: The Priority Schools Initiative is designed to close the achievement gap and help those students who are failing the SOL Math and Reading tests. The funding will provide principals and teachers from 20 schools leadership training at University of Virginia’s Darden/Curry Two Year School Turnaround Program. There were 30 schools that were considered for the program and 20 were selected to participate in the program based on the magnitude of the achievement gap and failing SOL scores. These 20 schools are called “Level 1” schools. The other 10 schools are called “Level 2” and receive internal remediation outside of the UVA Turnaround Program. It was noted that 8 of the 20 Level 1 schools are also Title 1 schools which are entitled to federal funds.
The strategy for closing the achievement gap in our schools is a three-pronged approach:
- Content – includes new programs such as eCart, compacted math, algebra by grade 8
- Relationships – Model School counseling program
- Pedagogy- making changes to how we teach, providing the best teachers in PSI schools, providing intervention when students are not learning.
The program recommends an instructional coach to analyze teaching methods and to share best practices with all teachers. Some teachers go to other classrooms to witness other teachers implementing best practices.
The primary focus of this discussion is that the focus of the program is on leadership – leadership coaching and holding principals accountable for leadership development.
FY2012 Fiscal Forecast Update – School Operating Fund: The good news is that the projected deficit for FY2012 at $65.1 million is lower than FY2011, and there are no proposed cuts to programs and teachers will receive 2% COLAs (Cost of Living Adjustment).
The bad news is that the VRS (Virginia Retirement System) is underfunded in the coming years and FCPS will run out of funding for VRS in 2015. Also, the federal stimulus money will go away next year which means 517 positions (or $50 million) will be eliminated.
Other budget facts include the following:
- FCPS expects 2,120 new students increasing the school population to 177,416 by 2012. FCPS receives additional federal funding for these additional students.
- The Virginia Department of Education is mandating online SOL testing which will require $8.5 million of funding not previously budgeted.
- Sports fees ($100/student) and IB/AP fees ($75/student) will continue for 2012 FCPS is expecting no large increases in revenues from the county and roughly $1,610 million transfer this year.
Click HERE To View The FY2012 Fiscal Forecast Update Presentation
Full Day Kindergarten: There was a heated discussion on FDK (Full Day Kindergarten) where several parents asked when FDK would be provided at all Fairfax County public schools. Dr. Dale said that there will be no new schools receiving FDK in 2012. He stated that it costs approximately $5 - $6 million to fund FDK. He posed the question to parents whether or not they would accept larger class sizes to fund FDK. Interestingly, he did not propose any changes to central administration to help pay for FDK.
Capital Improvement Program: Parents asked how did FCPS determine the end score and associated ranking for each school renovation/construction project on the CIP? Another parent asked how we can receive a copy of the budgeted cost vs. the actual costs for each capital project. Dr. Dale asked to follow up in an email for these questions.
The next Superintendent's Parent Advisory Council is Tuesday, January 18, 2011, 7:00 PM, Gatehouse Center Cafe.
