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Cuts made by school board last night

Discussion in 'General Chat Forum' started by Gatornation, Apr 3, 2014.

  1. Gatornation

    Gatornation New Member

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    Thanks to the approved cuts last night my son will not be able to play freshman sports next year because there won't be any!!!!!!!! Nor will there be any JV sports. Also, coaches no longer get a stipends.

    There are of course other more important cuts that were made but this is important to us...PLEASE remember the names of the SB members when it is time for re-election.
     
  2. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

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    Always amazes me how the front line student services are always the first under the knife

    I'm with supervisor York on his comments about it being a school board management issue
     
  3. Gatornation

    Gatornation New Member

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    My mistake...JV sports will exist and stipends for coaches who have no teams will be cut...duh, can't believe they allowed that to happen in the first place.
     
  4. MikeK

    MikeK Member

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    Wow that is harsh, just thinking of my time in school here (20+ years ago). I played little league football then on the Freshman, JV, then Varsity. So now the star kids can jump to JV and in rare cases varsity as freshman but a lot of kids in all sports will be left out.

    I'm guessing there is going to be a huge outcry over this. It might be one of the first major battles for the new superintendent.
     
  5. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    Well, let's just wait and see how much of the "cut" list is actually "cut".
     
    Villager likes this.
  6. lakkjhk

    lakkjhk New Member

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    Hello!
    I've started the petition "Loudoun County School Board: Save Freshmen Sports" and need your help to get it off the ground.
    Will you take 30 seconds to sign it right now? Here's the link:
    http://www.change.org/petitions/loudoun-county-school-board-save-freshmen-sports
    Here's why it's important:
    LCSB is still considering cutting freshman sports when the true savings is now only $160,000, .4% of the $37,737,790 that they need to cut? You can’t necessarily say freshman can play JV or varsity as freshman football at our most competitive schools like Stone Bridge, Briar Woods, and Broad Run, have only one to two freshman on their JV roster. Have you seen the sidelines with over 50 kids per team, including the freshman team? You are jeopardizing the future of high school football at our most competitive and successful schools. Let alone, you are jeopardizing the fundraising efforts of those schools since the majority of the booster club revenue is from football concessions, which includes freshman games.
    Also for the smaller sports, in 2012 there were 995 kids in freshmen sports. That now comes out to a savings of $161/kid. These kids only have one opportunity to play sports at the freshman level. It is also the biggest development year for most of these students (both physically and mentally). If you take almost 1000 students athletes out of the system, even for a year, you run the risk of setting your whole athletic program back compared to other counties in our area that do participate in freshman sports.
    Please keep freshman sports.
    You can sign my petition by clicking here.
    Thanks!
    Lori Kosko
     
  7. Villager

    Villager Ashburn Village Resident

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    Nothing is cut yet.

    Let the school board know what you think *should* be cut so they can research cutting that instead of the things you want. Read more on the LCPS website to see what kind of questions the school board is asking LCPS admin staff to answer to get an idea of the types of things they're considering. Here is a link to the official LCPS list of items under consideration.

    The school board has asked for public input (and will have public input available at two meetings next week) so share your opinions with them. I think you'll get the most bang for your buck by finding places they can cut rather than just saying "don't cut xyz." Help them find the supposed pork in the Admin building that people often refer to.

    There is a meeting on Tuesday, April 8 at 6:30pm where you can share your thoughts.

    There is a public comment session on Wednesday, April 9 at 6:30pm where you can share your thoughts.

    Please contact the Superintendent's Office at (571) 252-1020, if you would like to speak before the School Board regarding the FY 2015 Operating Budgets. Persons wishing to speak will be asked to provide their name, address and telephone number, subject matter, and organization represented, if applicable. Speakers are asked to limit comments to no more than two (2) minutes, and the Chair may shorten this to ensure that the Board's agenda can be completed. Persons who, due to a disability, need assistance to be able to participate meaningfully in School Board meetings, should contact the Superintendent's Office at least five days prior to the meeting.
     
    AshburnTribe, sharse and flynnibus like this.
  8. Rhaegar

    Rhaegar Member

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    Reminds me of the shutdown - politics and rumors to shutdown specific activities just to make people scream.
     
  9. bike4fun

    bike4fun New Member

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  10. cmbm

    cmbm New Member

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    Some increases have to happen since 3 new schools will be opening and they need to be staffed and maintained. There is no way around that.
     
  11. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    True, but still does not come close to explaining a request for over $100,000,000 additional dollars. Matt Letourneau pointed this out quite clearly, basing it on previous SB budget requests compared to increases to student population and school openings in previous years.
    At the end of the day, when the BoS asked the SB for an explanation/justification for the huge increase, they never really got one.
    One SB member even admitted to a BoS member that they were too exhausted from the boundary adjustments and search for a new Superintendent to really look at the budget request. That kind of comment does not install confidence. Contrast that to the exhaustive effort the BoS goes through in justifying expenses with their departments.
     
  12. cmbm

    cmbm New Member

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    Don't mistake me, I do believe there need to be cuts, but you can't hold steady with last years budget. I believe the IT budget should be looked at and phased in. They are asking for more than double the previous year's approved amount.

    Yes, the systems need to be replaced and updated, but maybe not all at once. That is 20 million+ right there.
     
  13. Villager

    Villager Ashburn Village Resident

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    Mr. Letourneau has not spoken with LCPS staff or board members to delve into the details of the budget.
     
  14. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    They didn't hold steady with last year's budget. It was increased by around $67,000,000 (give or take a few million).
     
  15. diana5869

    diana5869 Member

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    Today all 5800 teachers in the county received letters that there may be a Reduction In Force (RIF), otherwise known as lay offs. As we begin to eliminate positions like deans at middle schools and some high schools, those people will move into teaching positions bumping out newer teachers to the county. I work for LCPS, but don't have enough info to comment on whether a position like a middle school dean is needed, or can be considered "fluff", but I know this......it will work like a domino effect leaving people out of work and adding to unemployment, and that isn't good for anyone. I try not to make a lot of public comments about tax rate or school funding, because I know that my job is funded on the backs of the taxpayers of Loudoun County, of which I am one, but it was a sad day at work today.
     
  16. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    I'll be curious to see how many people truly lose their jobs. LCPS hires hundreds of teachers a year, with no new school openings, due to attrition alone. With three new schools opening, it doesn't seem likely that there will be much job loss from LCPS. Issuing those notices is more of a logistical requirement than a liklihood there will be massive firings.
     
  17. diana5869

    diana5869 Member

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    I agree that the issuing of the RIF notices is just a CYA for the school board. They have to give the notice just in case. I would just like to see cuts come from places that do not have direct impacts on the students.
     
  18. Mary

    Mary New Member

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    I just read through the list. When will we ever see reduced elementary class sizes and even more so, full day K??? It just doesn't look good for the next couple school years.
     

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