Spring 2017 Newsletter
The school year always gears up before it can wind down, so I wish everyone the best in the home stretch. Congratulations to all the graduates -- we are so proud of you, and we wish you well wherever you are headed next!
All students who will be 18 by November 7 (Election Day) have a civic duty to register to vote! If you register by May 22, you will be eligible to vote in this year’s June 13 primary elections for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and Virginia House of Delegates. For more information on how to register (you can do it online now!), check out the League of Women Voters: https://www.lwv-fairfax.org/hsvotereducation/.
You may have noted that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the school system’s primary funder, voted to hold property taxes steady for Fiscal Year 2018. As a result of that decision and the defeat of the meals tax referendum last fall, the School Board is debating over $40 million in new cuts and fees. The options include foregoing salary increases, cuts to central office, AP and IB test fees, athletic and parking fees, among others. Most disturbing, I think, is a proposal to once again raise class sizes.
The class size staffing formula is such a large part of the budget – second only to compensation – that even a small adjustment has a large effect. Interim Superintendent Lockard has proposed an increase in the class size formula of 0.5 students, resulting in savings of $14.7 million. I am looking for ways to offset that savings and avoid an increase in class size. At the least, I hope we can find funding to protect schools with the largest classes and remain below the current county-wide caps. If you are concerned about class sizes, please contact me and copy the whole School Board to let us know that is a priority for you.
The School Board will hold a budget public hearing on May 16, and will adopt the final FY 2018 budget on May 25. You can find more information about the FY 2018 budget on the FCPS website.
Many people are asking how the search for a new FCPS superintendent is going. The Board has been working hard, and I’ve been pleased to see good candidates, but we are not quite there. Picking the school system’s next leader is, in my opinion, the most important decision the Board will make. We want the best fit, and we can’t rush that. I’m hopeful that we will have good news very soon. Thank you to all who have weighed in with your thoughts.
Congratulations to the FCPS Get2Green team! FCPS has been named a 2017 Green Ribbon School District Sustainability Awardee by the U.S. Department of Education. The award recognizes FCPS for achieving $10 million in energy savings over a two-year period and for the school system’s comprehensive Get2Green education program. Check out the Get2Green website, which includes sustainability-related dashboards that provide data on energy, recycling, and Eco-School USA progress. The website is used as a tool for learning, teaching, researching, and empowering change.
A great summer opportunity for any high school or college students interested in sustainability is the annual Eco Schools Leadership Initiative (ESLI) Conference at the National Wildlife Federation headquarters in Reston, on June 29. Run by current and former FCPS students in collaboration with NWF and Get2Green, the conference is an opportunity for students to enjoy a sustainable meal, learn how to get involved in environmental education initiatives in their own community, and hear from prominent keynote speakers. Find out more at www.eslileaders.org.
The School Board recently created a new advisory committee to advise the Board on human resources issues. If you have a background in HR and think you may have the time and interest to serve, please contact me for more information.
Please stay tuned for notice of my “summer office hours,” when I will be out in the community to hear from you. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns.
Pat Hynes
pmhynes@fcps.edu
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