School Surplus Input Requested

http://cmsweb1.lcps.org/loudoun/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=727331

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) is anticipating an end-of-year surplus of $8.5 million for the fiscal year ending June 30th.

This represents 1.19 percent of the Fiscal Year 2011 school operating budget of $710,345,662. This savings has been accumulated through fuel economy, not filling vacant positions and other cost-cutting measures.

LCPS Superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick III will propose to the School Board that $4.018 million of this undesignated money be used to alleviate an instructional inequity in elementary schools by completing the installation of interactive white boards.

Almost 60 percent of LCPS elementary classrooms are already equipped with interactive white boards, creating a definite inequity in our system. 481 of the 838 boards that would be purchased with the surplus funds would be added to kindergarten, first, second, third, and fourth grade classrooms not currently equipped with this important teaching device.

“I cannot emphasize enough the value of this teaching device in our 21st century classrooms and the inequity that is created for some of our students and teachers when (the boards) are absent,” Hatrick wrote in a message to the School Board.“ Parents and schools have realized this need to the extent that PTA's are trying to purchase a few interactive white boards… to bring their schools up to parity. Principals are ecstatic about this recommendation and tell me that their parents will be also…

“I realize that there has been some negative discussion at times fromofficials outside the school system about funding for interactive white boards, but we are beyond that discussion in our instructional program. With all middle and high school installations complete and 60 percent of…elementary classrooms equipped, those without interactive white boards are at a definite disadvantage for accessing instructional materials…

“We have an opportunity to use end-of-year funds judiciously.”

The School Board would like to hear your opinions on the superintendent's proposal. Please e-mail your comments to lcsb@lcps.org. To see the action item before the School Board concerning end-of-year funds, click here.

 

How 'bout they cut me a check for the childcare I had to pay for in November for those furlough days that ended up not really being furlough days because the teachers got paid but we didn't have school?

 

I vote that Loudoun use that to fund salaries for additional teachers and specialists, esp. in the special needs area. $8.5 mil will fund quite a professionals for a number of years (about 100 years at $75K a pop). Just dreaming....

 

Here is what the school board has on their website. It's #10 under Action Items. The meeting is tonight and may be watched live on LCPS TV.

Meeting May 24, 2011 - 4th Tuesday School Board Meeting 6:30 p.m. Category Action Items Subject Business and Financial Services: FY2011 Financial Review - Proposed Use of Unspent Funds Type Action Recommended Action That the Loudoun County School Board approve the items listed and associated budget transfers needed so that these items can be purchased prior to June 30, 2011.

SUMMARY:

Based on the FY 2011 Third Quarter review, LCPS currently has approximately $8.5 million in unspent funds. This represents about 1.2% of the total budget. Senior staff members have reviewed potential items to be funded. The list below primarily reflects needs known, but not addressed in the FY 12 budget, due to the economic environment. However, some of the items will most certainly relieve pressure on the FY 12 budget, so that we might have some flexibility should unanticipated situations like enrollment fluctuations or significant weather arise.

In general, these funds are to be used for items or services that can reasonably be expected to be received and/or completed prior to June 30.


Microsoft Licensing $425,000
In the past LCPS has purchased Microsoft licensing based on a volume licensing agreement in an “a al carte” fashion tied to the number of instructional and administrative workstations. Over the years we have reviewed other methods of purchasing and other school agreements Microsoft offers, but they have not been cost effective. This year, Microsoft proposed a new method — Enrollment for Education Solutions (EES), based on the FTE count for Faculty and Staff. Based on this new agreement LCPS will save future increases in licensing costs, as well as reduce the inevitable costly move to MS Office 2010. We have some funds budgeted for a la carte licensing in FY 12; those funds will be used for the second year of this contract beginning in June of 2012.

Interactive White Boards $4,018,000
Funds for interactive white boards (IWBs) will be used to complete the project started in 2008 to provide an IWB in every classroom in the division. All high school, middle school, and elementary schools have IWBs installed in every classroom with the exception of K-3 classrooms and some elementary school special education rooms. These funds will be used to purchase the 838 boards needed to provide an IWB for these remaining rooms.

Instructional Wireless Networks $640,000
The funding will be used to replace/upgrade the wireless networks at the five high schools that are scheduled in the next technology replacement cycle; and to upgrade the core network switches at Monroe Technology Center as well as the next 10 schools in the replacement cycle. These actions provide the additional bandwidth and wireless network capacity necessary to support increased demands of SOL online testing, videoconferencing, and other Internet based applications.

Replace Bus VCR Units $465,000
Replace the 357 VCR units with digital (Seon) cameras. The VCR technology is unreliable, and replacement parts are no longer available.

Bus Driver GPS Technology $385,000
GPS hardware & software enhancements will provide improved asset management and safety features allowing administrators to optimize and audit routes in real-time. These upgrades provide improved reporting capability, an electronic payroll system and will also utilize an alert system when buses are not on planned routes.

GPS Hardware for Fleet $11,000
GPS units would allow vehicle fleet tracking data to locate a vehicle at any time.

Maintenance Materials $342,000
This funding will provide additional maintenance materials for building system repairs and consumable custodial supplies.

Student Lockers $100,000
This funding will provide student lockers for Freedom (300) and Briar Woods (200) to accommodate new students expected for school year
2011 – 12.

Replacement Chiller $22,000
A replacement AC chiller at Horizon is needed.

Masonry Maintenance $51,000
Repairs of exterior CMU walls are needed at Hutchison Farm.

Playground Safety Materials $45,000
Provide material upgrades to schools needing improvement. We have 62 playgrounds at 51 elementary schools.

Insulated Food Warmers $137,000
Health Dept inspections have identified the need to replace non-insulated warmers with insulated, energy efficient warmers. The non-insulated warmers are currently in twenty older schools. Holding foods at improper temperatures is a safety concern for food borne illness.

Parking Lot Lights $250,000
The parking lot lights at LVHS and BRMS need to be upgraded/expanded.

Roof Review $190,000
This funding will provide for an A/E structural roof review of all our facilities.

LVHS Athletic Renovation $200,000
This funding would provide renovations to the baseball field, team room, and lockers.

Trailer Replacement $150,000
This funding will allow modular (full-size classroom) replacement of the single-wide trailer at Waterford for a permanent classroom for the second fifth grade.

Security Card Access $540,000
The implementation of the card access system was scaled back due to the reductions made over the last several budget cycles. Supplying additional funds will allow us to complete the secondary schools and move forward on the elementary schools.

Briar Woods Entrance $560,000
During FY 12-16 CIP discussions the BOS directed County staff to find money to pay for this project, however, LCPS has a sufficient surplus to fund the project itself. This item could involve a transfer of funds to the Capital Improvement Program.


Staff Reference: E. Leigh Burden
Telephone: (571) 252-1400


Completion of Installation of White Boards.pdf (21 KB)

TheEffectiveUseofInteractiveWhiteboardsinthePrimary_1.pdf (89 KB)

 

What is this Briar Woods entrance issue? Is this about creating a new entrance on Northstar Blvd? That is definitely needed. Amazing that such a simple thing could cost over half a million dollars to do.

Ideally I think the surplus should be spent on improving education, such as tutoring for kids in trouble, and so on. However, I see the necessity of putting money toward physical maintenance and repairs, because if delayed those things just get more costly.

 

How about returning it to the taxpayers of Loudoun County????????

 

@Twriter - it is an entrance off of Northstar for Briar Woods. For the 2011-2012 school year, our school, I am an employee, will see an additional 300 plus students. We will be receiving 10 single wide trailers that are going to be placed in the back parking lot to house the overflow of students. As an employee of the school I am THRILLED that the new entrance is going to be added. I have seen so many "almost accidents" at our entrance this year, and with an additional 300 students it will get worse. You will notice that additional lockers at BWHS is also a line item.

 

that's 4,794 per Interactive White Board. PRetty pricey.

Also, whats the deal with the front entrance to Briar Woods Entrance? That's a lot of money to be able to do that.

What do we need VCRs on buses for? Are our kids watching movies now on buses? My generation didn't have VCRs on the buses back then and we did fine without them! *shaking my head*

GPS for buses- We never had them back then either and we've never lost a bus either....

Lockers for students- Do we really need to spend money on additional personal lockers? Back in my day, we shared lockers when we ran out of them and it wasn't an issue back then.

Geez....I really think that the superintendent could find BETTER uses for this money...Do we really need to "technologize" everything? I think not...but I guess some other people will disagree with me. So be it.

Me thinks that they should save the $$$ for a rainy day or two. How is that they keep asking the BoS for more money each year and then manage to have a surplus?

 

I'm DEFINITELY with you on this even though I did comment a bit differently in my posting....After thinking it through a bit more, Im wondering if we could return the funds back to taxpayers because we keep paying more each year only to find that the funds haven't been entirely disbursed.

 

I believe that the reason the district requested feedback was so people could tell the district these things. I hope you all did or plan to this evening so we can have our say in the matter.

I'm with you on the technology issue but that seems to be the direction that schools are going nationwide. So unfortunately if the district does not pay for it, the PTAs are having to pick up the slack. At least that's how it is at our school. And incidentally, according to the National PTA bylaws, local PTAs are NOT supposed to be a fundraising arm of the schools. But it seems to play out that way when the economy is bad and districts cut budgets.

 

I've heard from a number of people that they're surprised by the emphasis on technology. I am as well but don't know why I am - I love technology but I guess I hadn't thought much about its use in education.

Definitely think about the issue and make your voice heard before the decision is made one way or another. That's why I threw this out there.

(P.S. - many parents at our school want the PTA to not spend money on Promethean boards (interactive white boards) and instead spend it on refurbishing our playground. In that respect I hope the school board decides to spend the money on the interactive white boards so that the PTA can spend money on what the parents want.)

 

It is not the front entrance that is being talked about. It is adding a second entrance into the back of the school. The front entrance is getting very dangerous at start and dismissal, and with the population of the school going from 1600 to just under 2000, we are going to need the additional entrance.

 

I still disagree with you as I really feel that these surplus funds should be rightfully returned to the taxpayers of this county. If the school has a surplus, it should be returned to us. We pay more taxes than we should be paying.

As for the VCR on the buses...as for security stuff...if the kids are the ones causing the problems on the bus, let them be fined and let the fines pay for the VCRs themselves and the kids banned from riding the buses if they are the ones causing the problems on the bus. What I don't understand is why do we taxpayers HAVE to foot the bill for this stuff when we taxpayers didn't cause the problems leading to these security issues on the bus? I don't think throwing $$$$ at technology stuff to put on the buses really solves anything other than getting a kid or two banned from the buses when in the past the same thing was done as well without the use of VCRs.

As for your other comment about lockers...backpacks are a good cheap solution to having lockers. What's wrong with lugging around a backpack from class to class like many a college kid does....That would save the taxpayers TONS of $$$ so the money can be used for OTHER things that the schools can do with with respect to building maintenance, etc.

I know already that you will disagree with me but I strongly believe that schools today are too reliant on technology to do everything for them at TAXPAYERS expense! I think schools today need to cut the fat out and find more cheaper alternatives than these HIGH PRICED technology items. Some of these items, granted, are neccessary and others are "nice to have
but not really neccessary."

I am sure that some people may agree with me and some like you may not. *shrugs*

If you are so amadant that these items SHOULD be done, then why don't you take out your checkbook and pay for them yourself because there are plenty of us out there that don't feel the same way as you do. Some of us feel we pay enough as is and would like to see the funds returned. Tell me, why is there a SURPLUS??? Why didn't they spend the funds in the first place? A surplus just tells us that they got MORE funds than they really needed in the first place--otherwise, those funds would have been expended on some of these items in the first place. I guarantee you that many citizens of loudoun are going to be asking for the funds to be returned to the citizens.

 

Cap, don't tell us - tell the school board. They need to know.

 

I'd suggest these parents consider that their kids spend maybe 30 minutes per day on the playground -- and only when the weather allows it -- versus how many hours actually in their classroom?

 

There are more than 30 people at the school board meeting speaking before the board. So far everyone has requested that interactive white boards be funded for the schools.

 

Au contraire....I don't have ALL the answers to every single thing....All I am saying is that I disagree with what is going on with the surplus. I don't like the idea of the schools taking what's left over and spending it. What happened to being spendthrifty? Do we HAVE to spend every single cent on everything Hatrick is proposing? I think not. Its high time that the school board be fiscally responsible and if they do have a surplus, to give the funds back. I am, for one thing, tired of high taxes here when Fairfax County's taxes are lower than ours. For the record, I paid lower taxes in Fairfax County than I am paying in Loudoun County. Paying higher taxes here doesn't always mean better services or better technology here in my opinion.

Im not always right or wrong...I just am EXPRESSING my own opinion as an individual whether you think I am wrong or right. I am exercising what my beliefs are as a taxpayer, period. I just believe the tax and spend philosophy is what can do us in....I believe in being fiscally responsible with the tax dollars. Do we really NEED everything they propose? I think not.

Many teachers are screaming for pay raises as they haven't had any in a while and yet Hatrick hasn't, as one reader commented, proposed any staffing/teacher raises in the proposal. Why is this? A friend of mine who is a teacher believes that the "rank" doesn't really give a hoot about the "file" hence the need for teacher unions to fight for what they believe is rightfully theirs. Now, I am neutral on the need for unions but I think spending the entire surplus on technology/buildings/GPS/Lockers and nothing on teachers/staff salaries is a problem. Mind you, but Im not advocating to spending the entire surplus on teacher/staff salary increases, either. Spending SOME of it on retaining valuable staff/teachers would be a good thing in and of itself.