FCPS Budget Cuts - are you willing to share the burden?

Have you been following the discussion about FCPS budget cuts for the 2010-2011 school year?

• Fairfax County is expecting a shortfall of $315.6 million in its budget.
• This means that Fairfax County Public Schools is expecting a shortfall of at least $176 million
• As a result, FCPS is considering the elimination and/or reduction of many programs and services.

Many advocacy groups have formed to urge the retention of these programs. However, the groups are now realizing that they do not want to argue against one another for the preservation of one program at the expense of another. Rather, they are starting to realize that what is really required is a solution that preserves the funding of these programs on an ongoing basis.

On September 25, 2009, the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority reported that, in 2008, median household income was over $107K per year and stated "Fairfax County ranks number one for household income level among large U.S. counties." (Source: http://www.fairfaxcountyeda.org/print/1234)

At the budget discussion meeting on Saturday, November 14th 2009, at Sherwood Hall Library, there was much discussion about how to avoid these proposed, drastic, eliminations of programs. The bottom line seems to be raising taxes. Generally, the group was more than willing to pay higher taxes.

I understand the current property tax rate in Fairfax County is $1.04 per $100 value of a property i.e. for a house worth $100k, the owner pays $1040 in property taxes. Indeed, the projected value of one penny in taxes for FY2011 is $18.1million (Source: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/government/budget/county-fiscal-outlook.pdf). Therefore, it seems that a 27 cent increase in taxes, suggested as a possible tax raise in several forums, could more than eliminate the county budget shortfall. If that would maintain the current programs in the schools and support our public agencies, it should be considered. Apparently, an 11 cent tax hike keeps most tax bills equivalent to last year (given the fall in our property values), so an additional 16 cents probably won’t send us bankrupt.

I have read that there needs to be seven votes from the Board of Supervisors to pass a tax increase. If you agree with the thrust of this post, please contact your Board of Supervisors Representative and encourage them to support this essential revenue raising strategy.

One other point that needs to be taken into account: 70% of Fairfax County residents do not have children in the school system. In order for more funds to flow to the schools, a majority of taxpayers need to recognize the value of a strong school system. These people also need to be convinced to support a tax increase.

So , have you asked your neighbors, co-workers, relatives? Will they call the budget hotline and say "I don't have kids in the schools, but I'm okay with a tax increase to get us through this crisis"?

The ideas presented in this post have been drawn from the Fairfax Parents Discussion Group

PTA Our Child - October/November 2009

Online Edition - October/November 2009 PTA

GRACE Art

I am a GRACE Art docent, a volunteer position in the school. I started doing it last year when I received an email saying Trevor's 2nd grade class had no GRACE Art volunteer and would I be interested. Well, it sounded cool, but I am certainly no art expert and the whole thing seemed a tad daunting. Teach art to 2nd graders? Doing the art project sounded simple enough, but actually having a lesson plan tailored at a 6th grade level and teaching it at a second grade level? I have no college degree, I'm not a teacher. I'm always up for a challenge, though, so I decided to give it a try.

Let's just say I loved it! Ariel came with me and together we taught Trevor and his classmates about an artist, or an art style. I got to know the kids in Trevor's class, and I got to peek in on his teacher and how she taught in those few moments before and after I was in the class. At the end of the year, the kids all made pictures and told me what they liked best about GRACE Art. It surprised me at how much they remembered. In fact, (ok, I'll be admitting how horrible my memory is here), they remembered some art projects that Trevor had to refresh my memory on. I'll just say how I felt in a typical me sentence: It was so way cool!

Consequently, I was eager to teach GRACE Art this year. Neither Trevor nor Rachael's classes had docents so I ended up teaching both their classes. I just went this past week to teach Trevor's class about Piet Mondrian. I'm always very nervous when I go in. Public speaking, even to a classroom full of 8 year olds, has never been my forte. I get nervous, I forget what I am going to say and I speak too fast. But the wonderful thing about kids? They don't seem to notice. They get a change in their routine and they get to do an art project. That's my favorite part of the lesson. Getting out the paints and letting them create something to take home. By the time they were done last week, they had all created art that looked remarkably like Piet Mondrian's famous pieces.

I can't wait until I get to teach Rachael's class at the end of the month. GRACE Art is easily my favorite volunteer opportunity at the school. I enjoy everything I volunteer with, but there is something special about getting to know all the kid's classmates and doing something tangible with them that they can take home. If anyone has time to commit to teaching their child's class, GRACE is very rewarding. It doesn't take that much time. In fact, I spend probably 2 hours a month on GRACE Art. I spend some time looking over the curriculum at home in my spare time, then some time looking over the art cart in the school and one hour in the class teaching. The lesson plan is emailed to me every month. The art cart is by the library and contains everything I need to supplement the lesson. It has posters of art done by the artist and everything needed for the art project. I have never had a problem finding a time to teach and the teachers are very accommodating. Teaching something to kids might sound daunting to you, but it's not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. The kids are always excited to see me and are ready participants in the lesson. And they never know that, until I received the lesson plans, I didn't actually know that it was Piet Mondrian that did that art with the blocks of color.

School days are here again!

“So, guys, what’s your favorite part of school?” It’s the evening of another hectic day and we’re piled in the car, heading out to eat because I seem to have missed that window of opportunity to cook dinner before Little League. Letting the kids run out their energy with friends on the playground after school is much more fun than meal planning and execution.
“Recess!” cries Rachael.
“Dismissal!” shouts Trevor. It’s a running joke with us, so we all laugh before I reply, “No, really. What do you think you will like most this year?”
“Oh, you’re interviewing us for that PTA blog thing, aren’t you?” Trevor knows me. He knows I love any volunteer opportunity that lands in my lap. I’m not always one to actively seek out volunteer work, but I never say no when asked.
Volunteering is such a fulfilling thing to do. I always feel like I don’t have enough time in a day, but I always find time to fit in one more thing. Whether it’s putting books back on the shelf every week in the library for Mrs. Stanmyer, or helping kids run an obstacle course for a couple hours during field day or even something like teaching GRACE Art- a recurring activity that gets me directly involved in my childrens’ education, there is always something available for those who wish to help their school. Some of the activities, like this one I am doing now, can be done at home in those few moments of spare time. That few spare hours we have here and there really go a long way to help the school and they always appreciate it. And, most of all, I love doing it.
But the point of this post wasn’t actually to talk about volunteering. It was to ask my children what they liked about school and what they are looking forward to doing this year. My son, the third grader, the consummate cynic, sometimes has a tough time finding the positive in things. It’s an activity we work on a lot. So he had to spend a few minutes thinking before he replied. “Reading. I really like reading time in class.” Personally, I think he’ll have a good year this year. He’s learning responsibility, he has a bit more homework than last year but he is taking charge and getting it done and really feeling pride in that fact. He’s been maturing so much this past summer- really branching out on his own with his likes, dislikes and opinion.
What about my first grader, Rachael? What does she like in school? “Well…. “ Now Rachael has to choose between everything because she likes just about everything at school. She loves art, Spanish, centers… everything. First grade is a new thing for me because I homeschooled my son for first grade and so I’m not sure what to expect from Rachael this year. It will be a surprise and adventure for both of us and I’m really looking forward to it. I know she is. She feels so much older in first grade than she did in K. Starting the “grades” is such a leap for them into the adventures of homework and responsibilities.
“Cutting and gluing!” exclaims Ariel, who’s 4 years old, “I love cutting and gluing at school!”
“Shh! Ariel! You’re not at Terraset you’re in preschool!” admonishes her big sis. Poor Ariel, so I feel she needs a mention in this Terraset blog. She’s not here yet, but she will be soon enough to embark on the adventure that is Kindergarten and start her journey like her older siblings have. She’s looking forward to it.
All in all, I have to say our first week back at school was a success. Everyone (myself included) likes their teachers, I’m looking forward to spending time helping the school and supporting my childrens’ education. It’s going to be a good year.

It's That Warm-and-Fuzzy Feeling!

I am enjoying the rare opportunity to do what I want for as long as I like. Katie and James have gone to see grandma for the weekend! So many things to choose from! I could go to the gym, watch a movie, read a book, clean the house—which is desperately needed, or go shopping. I don’t have to please anyone but me. The funny thing is, my choice is to work on some of the things I need to do for the PTA. Why is that? What is so compelling about this organization?

I often hear myself saying “I’ve become my mother!” She too was very active in my school’s parent association when I was a kid. At the time I didn’t think anything of it. It just was. Then, as a young, childless adult, I took great pleasure in making fun of the PTA moms. Next, my career took over and I just didn’t have time to joke about, let alone think about, what I could be doing to help in my community. Then, I had Katie… and everything changed! Now, I can’t imagine not making the time to help.

I have to acknowledge that I enjoy the luxury of not working fulltime outside the home. Indeed, my parttime work is in the school system. So, my mind is firmly grounded in the world of education. But even so… there is something about “working together to enhance the educational experience of our children” that is very appealing. I feel like I am making a difference. When I look at all the things the PTA does, I realize that as a group we are certainly making a difference. Imagine the school without: after school programs; scholarships for kids-in-need to attend those after shool programs; math superstars; the school assembly series; or GRACE Art. And then there are all the big events: Bingo Night, the carnival, the silent auction… they are not just about raising money, they also help to promote a great sense of community in the school—they are fun!

So, I guess the answer to my question is “it feels good!” You can get addicted to being a part of the PTA because of the warm-and-fuzzy feeling you constantly have from knowing that what you are doing matters. So, join in! You’ll find plenty of things that need to be done. You don’t even need to go to the school if you don’t want to. Many things can be done at home. Just send someone an email and get started. You deserve that warm-and-fuzzy feeling too!

Whole Foods Great Friend of PTA

Whole Foods have been a great friend to Terraset PTA this past year. They have supported our carnival, fun run, donated items to the school, and held an exhibition of our children's artwork. they certainly deserve our thanks. How great it was to see this on the Reston Whole Foods Community board over summer. The artist is our own Mrs. Wehle!