FCPS Budget Adopted, Board Wary of More Cuts

The Fairfax County School Board adopted a $2.2 billion education budget Thursday night that

But not all members were optimistic the board would actually receive the funding requested from the county board of supervisors, or could sustain the quality of the school system much longer without it.

"Does this meet all the needs of our school system? I would say not. There are only so many cuts we can make and still maintain a world-class education,” board member Tessie Wilson said.

School board members Patty Reed and Martina Hone voted against the budget.

“I agree with all of our priorities, but I think it’s time to be realistic and live within our means,” Reed said.

The board received $1.6 billion from the county last year. The new budget asks for $48.8 million more, a 3 percent increase. Three-fourths of the school board budget comes from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, which is facing a $54 million shortfall of its own.

The faltering economy has meant $460 million in school system budget cuts over the past three years, including the elimination of 1,400 positions and two consecutive years of frozen teacher salaries. Parents have paid $4 million to the school system in the form of athletic, parking, testing and other fees.

In the same time, per-pupil funding has decreased by 7 percent, said board member
Stuart Gibson. With a projected enrollment increase of 2,120 students for fiscal year 2012 that downward trend is likely to continue. The school system has about 175,000 students now.

"There's been a net decrease [in per pupil funding] and you just can't do that if
you expect to succeed for very long. There’s a time you have to say stop,” Gibson
said. “We have lower per-pupil funding than many other counties. House prices are
stabilized. The economy is growing. We can afford to do better.”

In approving the budget draft, the school board directed Superintendent Jack Dale to  The plan could cost $8.1 million.

Shaista Keating, a founder of the advocate group Fairfax for Full Day Kindergarten,
called the decision a victory. Hone, however, said its adoption sent an unrealistic message.

“We may not have enough money to fund full-day kindergarten. We may not have
enough money to fund other things. You had a victory in battle, but until the vote in May, anything can happen,” she said.

Budget pressures come from several directions. For one, the board has to account for lost federal stimulus funding, which totaled $50 million in fiscal year 2011. For another, the board has to find $8 million to pay for administering the Virginia Standards of Learning tests online, Gibson said.

And the school system could face a $2 million burden if Virginia Attorney General
Ken Cuccinelli is successful in forcing the cost of advanced placement tests off of
students, Dale said.

The Board of Supervisors releases its budget Feb. 22. The school board will present
its budget to supervisors on March 29, the first of three public hearing dates about the county budget.

Dale said he thought the county budget picture was improving, though the needs of the schools would be seen more clearly if the county identified community needs before setting the tax rate, instead of setting a tax rate beforehand. Supervisors will advertise the tax rate March 8. The budget takes effect July 1.