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School Budget Discussion

Discussion in 'Broadlands Community Issues' started by shim, Jan 8, 2009.

  1. shim

    shim shim

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    Folks new boundaries should be a secondary concern. Take a look at the LCPS web site, there are massive cuts planned in our public schools. The 15% budget cuts are going to be brutal on our students. On the chopping block are PE teachers, Art teachers, guidance counselors, substiute teachers, assistants and librarians. Not good. LCPS are going to be forced to cut teachers and that will effect your student more than location. Meanwhile, Stimulus money will be doled out for a mob museum in Vegas and a minor league ball park in North Carolina... Gee, if job creation is priority number one, why not hire more teachers, and add programs to public schools, not cut.

    Evidently there will be public meeting on the cuts in the very near future, turn out and be heard. If our elected officials can't get enough stimulus money to protect our schools they should be voted out or forced out.
     
  2. Iris

    Iris New Member

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    Re: School Boundaries

    I also read that students/parents will have to start paying fees for things that used to be covered by the schools. As I understand it will be for things like sports, band, workbooks, food for cooking classes, etc.
     
  3. T8erman

    T8erman Well-Known Member

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    Re: School Boundaries

    It is not like our politicians aren't trying. The public already voted down the food tax that would have gone towards schools.

    And personally, I think our school budget has been too high for too many years!
     
  4. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    Re: School Boundaries

    I support the 15% cut. Maybe the School Board will start to focus on EDUCATION and not all the superfluous stuff.
    I believe that raises were kept in which is interesting......most other school systems have proposed eliminating raises.
    It's a time honored tradition of Dr. Hatrick to propose cutting the things that will incite the residents the most. I can guarantee you there a lot of other cuts that can be made other than his proposed ones.
     
  5. shim

    shim shim

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    Re: School Boundaries

    Cliff-

    How do fewer teachers and a narrower curriculum result in better EDUCATION?
     
  6. Ozgood

    Ozgood Not a space alien

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    Re: School Boundaries

    Perhaps we can cut some of the administrators in that six story admin building?

    Might be able to save some serious budget there.
     
  7. Eggberta

    Eggberta New Member

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    Re: School Boundaries

    I agree with Shim 100%! Boundaries aside, if you have fewer teachers, larger class sizes, less substitutes (which means when a teacher is out, instead of having a sub the class will be spilt and sent to existing classrooms - wow lots of learning will happen there) you will have a crisis on your hands. Ashburn is a very close-knit, integrated community. If your worries are that your child won't know anyone at the new school, you are wrong. They WILL have plenty of friends and kids they know from extra-curricular activities. The real issue here is where the administration makes their cuts. That is where you should make your voices heard.:agree:
     
  8. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    Re: School Boundaries

    I think education will be just fine with 1-2 kids more per class. In fact, I think they's be fine with 3-4 per class. My daughter "graduated" fifth grade last year. There were 8 graduating classes. I counted the number of students in each class as they called out there names. It was between 18-24 per class.
    I'm just fine with an average of 24-25 per class.

    I agree with Ozgood about the Admin Building staffing. And I also wonder how that $26,000,000 building helped education in the classrooms.
     
  9. quailpond06

    quailpond06 New Member

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    Re: School Boundaries

    Personally, I think the schools here are GREAT and even with the proposed cuts they will be MILES above the schools I attended in southern Virginia. We normally had 30-40 students per class, had to pay fees for everything ($500 for my cheerleading outfit, for example), and didn't have half the programs that students are "entitled" to up here. Also, my mother was a teacher and she was alloted 2 sheets of paper per student, per SEMESTER so most of her supplies came out of pocket, and she made less than half of the average teacher's salary here even when she had 30 years of experience and a master's degree. I agree that cuts should be on more administrative stuff, however the main problem is that schools are government-run....but that's a whole other topic of discussion!
     
  10. mdcrim

    mdcrim Member

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    Re: School Boundaries

    I just get so sick of the School Board holding the kids hostage- every year at budget time, it's doom and gloom. "But the kids will suffer". It's a broken record. I think the kids will be just fine, thank you. They can definitely stand to cut some fat. I would personally be happy to sit down with the budget people to help them figure out how to save some dough.
     
  11. tyger31

    tyger31 Member

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    Re: School Boundaries

    I agree - times are tough ALL OVER for private industries along with schools. There's a lot of "fat" in the School Board and building that six story Admin building - I think they could have built with a lot less money.
     
  12. top_of_the_moon

    top_of_the_moon New Member

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    Re: School Boundaries

    If you have lived here long enough, you know why they built the building
    they did. It's very similar to the often criticized Fairfax County Government
    Office. Today, the size is about right, but 10 years the building was thought
    to be a monument to waste.

    This is called "planning ahead". Loudoun County was not just growing over
    the past 10 years ... it was THE FASTEST growing county in the nation,
    period.

    They had an old building in Leesburg that was built in the 1930's stuffed to
    the brim.

    Bashing the public schools has become a favorite pastime of many people.
    Give these people a break. Given the challenges they faced building about
    4+ schools a year for 5-10 years its amazing what they did during the
    boom.
     
  13. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    Re: School Boundaries

    top-of-the-moon-
    I have lived here long enough and have followed this.
    So explain this to me: A few years prior to the School Admin Building being built,, the School Board had a bond referendum on the ballot for 6.3 million dollars to rehab currently owned facilities. This was to meet their needs.
    It was soundly rejected by the voters.
    They then decide to spend $26 million on a monstrous building. Why didn't they just spend the 6.3 million they needed?
    This was a stick in the eye to the taxpayers of this county.
    I'll await your explanation as to why my perception is wrong.
     
  14. top_of_the_moon

    top_of_the_moon New Member

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    Re: School Boundaries

    I'm sure its because the planning estimates would have found that
    the rehabbed building would have been filled shortly after they were done.

    The building in Leesburg was a dump. Fixing it would have been a waste.
    Attending school board meetings there was a nightmare. I am certain that
    it was fine 40 years ago when the population of Loudoun was outnumbered
    by the dairy cows but we are way too big for short sighted thinking.

    As much as people like to complain, Loudoun schools are among the BEST
    in the nation right now. Far better than any I attended to in my youth in
    other states.

    Its so easy to "slam the administration" as wasteful ... but as they say
    walk a mile in their shoes. They are not getting rich off this work. They
    are trying to do the best job for kids they can.

    It a shame that we think that because we want to save a few bucks that
    we have to bash people think that they are wasting money. I feel extremely
    lucky to have my kids here. The facilities are state of the art and frankly I
    am grateful for it. I think my kids are worth it.

    The quality will suffer if cuts are made and that's a shame.
     
  15. tyger31

    tyger31 Member

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    Re: School Boundaries


    I've been here since 1984 - I get it. I'm not bashing. My son had a wonderful education at Broad Run High School, graduated #5 in his class and went on to UVA majoring in Engineering and graduated with honors from there. SO - I had no complaints with the school system. I might add tho that he graduated from BRHS in 2000. He was prepared very well for college.
     
  16. mwb2218

    mwb2218 New Member

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    Re: School Boundaries

    Its interesting to note that in the 3 different scenarios proposed by Hatrick, only the most severe (15%) would really impact the central administration dept.
    Hmm-so lets think about this:

    If I was managing this to a 5,10,15% budget cut you make it plain and simple. 5% from the school system, 5% from administration, etc.

    But no, Hatrick only would cut 10% of central administration only under the 15% budget proposal. What does this mean? He is obviously playing to the whims of the media and the board by threatening to cut the schools first to get what he wants. I read into this that he views the administration side more important than the schools themselves. Its a dirty trick to play.
     
  17. tyger31

    tyger31 Member

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    Re: School Boundaries

    IMO - Hatrick needs to retire.
     
  18. top_of_the_moon

    top_of_the_moon New Member

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    Re: School Boundaries

    I don't want to become the offical apologist for Hatrick, I just want people to
    get off the soap-box and believe that the guy is trying to mitigate the ugly
    situation that nearly every school district in the country is also facing.
    Bashing public servants that become a great pastime lately, but criticize with facts.

    After hunting the LCPS site I found this. The following link is a LCSP
    budget summary slides.

    LCPS Budget slides

    As you can see, the admin costs is less than 5% of the total 2008 budget.
    In fact, bus transportation is nearly twice that!

    We can not simply gut the admin folks and call it a day.

    When growing up I suffered through the 1970's Prop13 California austerity
    budget cuts that cause a near total collapse of the public school system.

    California has never recovered from those cuts. Parents have to pay extra
    for everything personally out-of-pocket. Some people here I'm sure would
    love that but I think its terribly short sighted.

    The system out there used to be an envy of many states and now is horrid.
    I want my kids to have a world-class state-of-the-art education for as
    long as possible.
     
  19. mwb2218

    mwb2218 New Member

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    Re: School Boundaries

    not calling for that; just calling for the admin budget to be reduced proportionally to the rest of the schools system.

    So take 5% of the total 5%, 10% of the total 5% or 15% of the total 5%. That to me would be fair to the schools and the teachers.
     
  20. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    Re: School Boundaries

    Sorry, but I don't buy it. You call the building a "dump". I've been in it. With over $6 million in renovations it would have been far from a dump. I don't need my tax dollars being spent wastefully because someone thinks the building is a "dump."

    There are several other places the School Board could have held public meetings. They could use the Board of Supervisors room, any high school auditorium, etc. This is a poor excuse for wasting $26 million dollars.

    There are MANY, MANY non teaching positions that can be cut. I am always amazed at the number of non-teaching employees I see in the schools.

    Children here do well PRIMARILY because of the involvement of their parents in their educations. If you took the kids from Ashburn and put them all in DC public schools, guess what would happen....DC schools would be bragging how great they are because of how well the kids do and how many graduate and go to college. It will have LITTLE to do with the quality of the buildings or staff there and EVERYTHING to do with parental involvement.
     

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