Today, Feb 23, County Executive Anthony Griffin presented his proposed budget for FY2011.

 

He proposed a 1% cut in the Board of Supervisors transfer to FCPS over the FY2010 rate (which was already flat funded from the FY2009 rate, despite 9000 more students in last few years).  Based on a $176 million shortfall, the School Board had already found cuts of almost $100 million, but still needed an increase of $81 million over FY2010 in their FY2011 Advertised Budget.  According to Griffin, a 1% decrease would mean a CUT of $16.3 million from last year's schools budget, instead of $81 million MORE than last year's budget. 

 

The difference between Griffin's proposed and the School Board's request is $98.2 million.  Without the additional $98 million, all the potential programs on the chopping block will be eliminated - full-day kindergarten, elementary band & strings, all foreign language in elementary programs (FLES and immersion) - EVERYTHING!!!    And FCPS will need to expand class size AGAIN by 1-2 students per classroom - on average.  Your students' classes may see increases of 5 students or more, and some already have 30 kids per classroom.

 

Doesn't take into account state uncertainties to education funds.  Concurrently, in Richmond, the Local Composite Index (LCI) hasn't been officially unfrozen yet (still moving through the VA Assembly), and the State House and Senate committees have reported out funding measures that potentially cut funding to Fairfax by as much as $30-$50 million. 

 

Griffen proposes tax decrease.  The reason for these cuts to FCPS, according to Griffin, is a need to decrease local property taxes further.  Griffin recommended a $.05 tax rate increase - or maybe even a $.06 tax rate increase, and he suggested that the County's March 9th "advertised tax rate" - the one that they can't go surpass, despite uncertain state action - be only 8 cents.  Because housing prices have declined, even an 8 cent increase gives the County less revenue than in FY2010.  Significantly lower housing prices multiplied by a slightly higher tax rate means that the County, in effect, will be enacting a tax decrease (again, on average, affecting neighborhoods differently).  An increase of 8 cents doesn't even mean "equalization" - we'd need 11 cents increase for equalization (where the average household has the same average tax bill).

 

So despite increased student membership of 9000 students and significant state cuts to FCPS, the County has proposed a cut to FCPS.  This cannot stand. To save families $48 per penny tax increase, he has proposed gutting FCPS schools.  Griffen says that he cut the transfer to FCPS out of "fairness" - because other County programs were cut equally.  That way, the schools still receive 53.8% of County funding.  He did not make these cuts based on substantive needs of FCPS, or based on the education cuts already felt by State actions, but because it was "reasonable to share" the burden.

 

On the other hand, Griffen did announce that the County's shortfall wasn't over $300 million, but was only $257.2 million.  To balance the FY2011 budget, he suggested cuts to the County portion of the budget of $103 million (mostly from reorganizations, but some layoffs), as well as other "enhancements," reserve spending, and extra fees.  Included in "enhancements," he recommended bringing back to the car registration decal fee ($33 each), which would bring in $27 million.

 

If the County adopts Griffen's proposed cuts, but increases the property tax rate by 11 cents - equalization - and brings back the car decal ($33 each), there is enough money for a BOS transfer to FCPS of the requested $81 million over FY2010.  This would save all critical programs, instead of gutting FCPS.  Please act now.