Supervisors to School Board: More Cuts Needed

By Melissa Arseniuk

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Despite recently trimming more than $33 million from its proposed capital improvements budget, Loudoun County Public Schools was told yesterday to do better.

The school board cut $33,235,000 from its capital improvements budget following a Feb. 26 meeting with the Board of Supervisors. Last night, however, supervisors told the school board they will have to dig deeper.

Supervisor Lori Waters' (Broad Run District) response to the school board's revamped proposal was unequivocal. "What you've presented to us, we cannot afford," she said.

Chairman Scott K. York (At-Large) echoed Waters' remarks. "Yes, education is important for our children," he said, "(but) the fact of the matter is there are folks that are hurting."

The recent multi-million dollar cuts were achieved by delaying building a new high school for a year; cutting land acquisition fund requests in half (to $13 million from $26.3 million); and eliminating $1,050,000 in sustainable design funds from the School Board's capital improvements budget. In addition, all planned renovations were postponed indefinitely, and "moved to undesignated future years."

The funding the School Board is requesting represents about 74 percent of the district's total budget, which is down 1 percentage point from the current operational budget. The state will pick up the largest remaining part of the tab in 2009, footing 23 percent of the bill, while federal revenue, local tuition and fees, and a fund balance will cover what remains.

"Please understand that we have a very serious situation that we feel upon our shoulders," York said during Wednesday night's budget work session.

When County Administrator Kirby M. Bowers released his $1.2 billion county budget proposal on Feb. 11, he said he was doing so in the midst of "one of the most challenging economic environments in recent memory."

At the time, Bowers said the difficult fiscal setting -- a weakening economy, growing demands for county services, a foreclosure-plagued housing market and slipping property assessments -- forced the budget proposal to be among the leanest since the early 1990s.

The plan included $850 million for school board operations, the biggest component of the budget. While Bowers' proposal gave the school board an $81 million increase over last year, it was still significantly less than what school officials had been asking for.

School Board members weren't pleased Wednesday to be told to further trim the fat.

"This year is not like last year," School Board member Joseph M. Guzman (Sugarland Run District) said. "We presented you a responsible budget with a responsible increase in teacher salaries. And we are still receiving new students by the thousands."

The School Board's proposal includes a 3 percent increase in salaries. Starting salaries for Loudoun County teachers range from $43,065 (for a starting teacher holding a bachelor's) to $48,289 (for those with a master's). Those wages are $850 and $1,000 less, respectively, than the Fairfax County pay scale.

The county's annual "per-pupil" cost is $12,751. In Fairfax, that figure is $13,407, and in Alexandria, $19,341. There were 3,500 new students in Loudoun County schools this school year, and another 3,270 new students are expected to enter the system in the next school year.

The School Board estimates it will need 291 new teachers and an additional 95 teaching assistants next year to handle the growing student population and to staff the three new schools that are scheduled to be built. About 138 additional positions also will need to be filled, ranging from bus drivers to custodians to administrative support staff.

Guzman asked supervisors to remember, "the desirability of living in our county has a lot to do with the quality of our school system, and we have to maintain that."

"We understand the revenue pressures that you are under and are facing," School Board member J. Warren Geurin (Sterling District) said, "(but) we are under substantial requirements … to employ only highly qualified teachers."

Geurin closed his presentation by reading a letter that he received from a Sterling Middle School ESL student named Ricoberto.

In his letter, Ricoberto said he loves math and science, and was excited following an Academy of Science parent information session he and his parents had recently attended. In imperfect English, the youngster told Geurin that he hopes to attend the Academy one day, and later attend Virginia Tech and study architecture.

"These are families who are most dependent on us to invest in education," Geurin said. "Ricoberto and his family are going to count on us."

Supervisors then shared letters and e-mails they have received from constituents concerned about wasteful school spending and rising property taxes.

Bowers' proposal includes a 25.6-cent increase in the property tax rate that, if approved, would increase the average residential tax bill by 13.6 percent, or about $640. Last year, supervisors approved a tax increase of about 2 percent.

In an effort to demonstrate the need for specific investments in classroom infrastructure -- including expensive, digital interactive white boards -- school board member Jennifer Bergel (Catoctin District) provided supervisors with a demonstration using the popular technology. But there were problems with the sound system, and the presentation failed to convince supervisors that investments in expensive technologies were necessary or would justify tax increases.

Supervisor Andrea McGimsey (Potomac District), whose background includes interactive media, said she saw it as "whiz-bang versus a family's ability to pay their rent."

She concluded the interactive white boards were unnecessary. "I want to support you, and I want you to know that, but I'm really having a tough time," she said.

"By golly, that white board is cool," Supervisor Stevens Miller (Dulles District) said, "(but) I think it's kind of a distraction."

He offered some simple, cost-effective solutions to the same scenarios Bergel had demonstrated using the interactive technology.

"If the letters on a traditional white board aren't big enough, write bigger. If the kid doesn't remember to bring his compass (for geometry), tell him to remember next time, like he should have this time. If it would be helpful to show a photo of a person in a Shakespearean performance, get a (video) machine. It worked great when I was a kid."

Like most supervisors, Miller's concerns rested with class-size ratios and adequate staffing.

"If we have money to get the propeller-spinning stuff, great. But clearly I'd rather be focused on big-ticket items, and I will do that with an open mind and I will do that in good faith," he said.

York agreed. "If we have to spend the money, it's better on the teachers in a classroom than on a friggin' board," he said.

Still, York had encouraging words for the School Board. "We have to work together to solve this challenge, and still provide top-quality education and an affordable community for all," he said. "I hope we can find a way to cut costs. Let's make it happen."

School Board members offered little in terms of possible areas for future savings, other than altering and scaling-back designs for the three new schools that will be built in the county over the following year. Any other savings, they said, would result in the cutting of programs and services that are currently considered essential assets.

After three hours of presentations and questioning, the two sides parted ways without any clear solutions. Over the next few days, officials will meet again to re-examine various options before reconvening on March 12.

Tagged: Board of Supervisors, budget, growth, LC Board of Supervisors, school board, schools

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