Open letter to City Council Members regarding the increasing operating costs for the schools.  Dear Council Member, Thank you for your service. I am concerned about the forecasted operational costs presented by Dr. Noonan and Mr. Shields at the Town Hall meeting. Below are the calculations that include the:   4% annual increase that Dr. Noonan said is required through 2030 2.5% city revenue growth that Mr. Shields said is forecasted for the same period.  The 2.5% takes into account all development in the pipeline. *  Note : this chart was revised based on input from Dr. Noonan; the school receives State and Federal subsidiesRead More →

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In November, we will probably be asked to approve a referendum for a $120 M (Million) bond issuance to finance construction of a new high school. The debt service will be approximately $7.08 M every year for 30 yearsi. Some people have warned that paying for increasing School system operating costs will be more challenging than the bond debt payment. The counter thinking is that new development and a modest real estate tax increase will pay for the need of our Schools. During the past few weeks, the City has held some meetings and issued some reports that provide enough data to allow anyone toRead More →

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A school district in Texas had a budget shortfall and used community input to find cost-saving strategies.  Falls Church City may want to take a similar approach to cut expenses.  Some interesting cost cutting measures found by the Frisco focus group: The focus group studying central administration identified savings by creating efficiencies, seeking partnerships and exploring cost-sharing opportunities. Pay to Play – increase fees for certain programs Library service sharing between the city and school Assess cost by course level (e.g. remedial, regular, gifted, AP, IB) and use results for possible reduction of low participation areas Use PTA volunteers for library aides and other laborRead More →

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The FCCPS School Board convened this past Tuesday, January 10, to reorganize as it does every January. Lawrence Webb was voted in as Chair.  All members present voted for Mr. Webb with the exception of John Lawrence, who abstained. He offered no explanation. Phil Reitinger was unanimously voted in as Vice Chair. They did not choose advisory committee liaisons as former-chair Justin Castillo suggested; it is the tradition that the Vice Chair weigh in on those choices and by waiting, the incoming vice-chair Phil Reitinger will be afforded the opportunity to do so. They moved on to the budget work for the upcoming year. The principals of ourRead More →

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by Alison Kutchma Every year the community is faced with the school budget challenge which in recent years has turned divisive.  In my opinion it is an op-ed such that has appeared in the most recent issue of the FCNP that contributes to this divide. We all care about our children.  The community is essentially being asked to “support the increase if you care about kids.”  Put differently — if you do not support the increase straight up, you do not support the kids or the schools.  For those of us who study the budget much more closely know that it is not that simpleRead More →

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Below is a letter to the FCCPS School Board written and submitted by Alison Kutchma and recorded as public record.   To date, the questions have not been answered. Members of the School Board: I just wanted to put in writing my comments made to you at the August 30th School Board meeting.   I also want to clarify some of the numbers I quoted and make sure you understand my concerns. My concern about the following document, concerning Roles and Responsibilities of the School Board, are that it contains no language speaking to financial oversight and management of how our Superintendent spends or manages the moneyRead More →

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