Schools

$1.3 Million Given to FCPS Despite Supervisors' Vocal Discontent

Board expresses concerns about transparency of school board

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved more than $1 million dollars for the Fairfax County Public Schools' Priority Schools Initiative today as part of the larger 2010 carryover package.

Before the unanimous vote to approve the carryover budget, several of the supervisors spoke out against the irregularity of the last minute request and the general lack of transparency in FCPS spending. The Priority Schools Initiative is intended to fund programs for at-risk students at various schools perceived to be in need of additional assistance. Though the initiative was originally meant to replace old programs such as Project Excel, it appears the $1.3 million is also meant to continue these programs for a year while launching new initiatives.

Supervisor Catherine Hudgins of the Hunter Mill District questioned the need for the initiative in the first place, mentioning that the old programs had been lauded in the past.

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 "We've not been given any data to show those programs have failed," Hudgins said. "We've been provided verbage to say these new programs will work better and help more students."

The introduction of the request to the board after the schools' budget of more than $2 billion dollars had already been approved was an additional concern to the Board of Supervisors. Hudgins questioned how the school board was unable to find $1.3 million available in such a hugely larger budget.

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Some supervisors expressed that the additional request would not have been necessary if FCPS had managed their communication and budgeting better.

"We were thrust into this conversation at the last minute because the school system could not communicate with the people that use their services," Supervisor Jeff McKay of the Lee District said. "To me, that's unconscionable—given the people involved, this morally represents the lowest point I have seen."

Supervisor Pat Herrity of the Springfield District emphasized that the schools in Fairfax County are the top reason people come to the county, but he said the school board has serious issues with transparency and accountability.

"I'm not sure anyone knows what the $1.3 million is for even today," Herrity said. Both supervisors and speakers in the public session made comments indicating that the money is partially going to fund additional training for 20 principals at the University of Virginia, though additional details were not forthcoming.

Other supervisors expressed concern about the lack of communication from the school board about how much specific programs cost and measures of success in the such as dropout rates.

"We do have meetings with the school board," Supervisor John Cook of the Braddock District said, adding, "I can get more information talking to a wall sometimes than I get in that meeting."

 "I once told the superintendent…if I had to grade the information given to us at the meeting, I would have turned it back and told them do it over," Vice Chairman Penelope Gross of the Mason District related. "It was so surface it was like they didn't know what they were talking about."

Even though the supervisors were vocally unhappy with how the request was handled, the carryover package as a whole, with the $1.3 million included, passed unanimously.

"The kids need us to be adults and make sure their programs are funded," McKay said.

"Clearly we've had a breakdown in communication," Chairman Sharon Bulova said. "It's important that we heal from this because our school system is one of the greatest things, if not the greatest thing we have going for us in Fairfax County."


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