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Delegate Ken Plum's
Virginia e-News
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Delegate Ken Plum met with members of the Arts Council of Fairfax County on "Arts Advocacy Day" at the General Assembly.
February 3, 2010 |
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Commentary
The LCI Takes Center Stage
Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum
Virginia's formula for funding public schools is very complex. Theoretically the average school district would be funded half by the state and half by local government. In actuality, the split in spending for public schools is closer to 55 percent local government and 45 percent state government because of the state's failure to fully fund its share. The complexity comes from determining the true cost of education and the ability of local governments to support their own schools. The cost of education is determined by pricing the Standards of Quality (SOQ), the basic state requirements for operating a school. The SOQs relate to staffing, materials, and square footage needed to run a school. All public schools in Virginia including the poorest districts exceed the SOQ standard because the standards are so minimal. The understated standards result in a lower state share of costs.
The local composite index (LCI) determines the ability of a local school system to pay for its own schools. The relative wealth of a school system is measured by its property values (50%), adjusted gross income (40%), and retail sales. The wealthier a jurisdiction, the higher its composite index and vice versa. The higher a locality's LCI, or its ability to pay, the less state aid the locality receives. The system is intended to ensure that children throughout the Commonwealth have a nearly equal access to public education. Such an equalization effort is not only the moral thing to do, but it has been interpreted by the courts as being required under the equal protection clause of the Constitution.
Not surprisingly, the LCI for Northern Virginia localities is high; Arlington is at the .80 ceiling. Fairfax is .7650. That means local governments in Northern Virginia pay 75 to 80 percent of their school costs; the state pays the rest. In poorer areas in southside and southwest Virginia the state pays as much as 80 percent of school costs. These numbers are often used in political campaigns to say that a community is not getting back the money it sends to the state because money from richer communities is clearly used to educate children in poorer school divisions.
Periodically the LCI is recalculated based on the relative changes in wealth of localities. This year was to be such a year. For Fairfax County the recalculation was favorable for an increase in state aid because of the decline in property values in the County with the recession. The LCI would drop to .7126. In the budget that Governor Kaine submitted, he proposed that the LCI be frozen and that the recalculations not be used. For Fairfax County, his proposal would be very costly resulting in a decrease of $61 million in state aid. The business community is as organized as I have seen it to support the change in the LCI. The delegation as Democrats and Republicans are united to defeat the Kaine proposal. Governor McDonnell has not made his position known.
Be prepared to hear much more than you may care to know about the LCI, for it is center stage in the budget debate. Big dollars are at stake when there are not enough dollars to go around. |
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"Virginia Report"
Reston Comcast Channel 28
Tuesday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday nights at 10:30 p.m. - "Report from Richmond" with Delegate Ken Plum at the General Assembly Building
Online Viewing
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From the Capitol
Delegate Plum met with Northern Virginia Community College faculty and students Steve Darling, Roshni Dhillon, Saima Khurshid, and Hilary Ray.
Delegates Ken Plum and Jim Scott spoke with Northern Virginians advocating for Personal Care Assistants on their visiting day at the General Assembly Building in conjunction with their annual meeting. |
Take the Survey!
My annual "Constituent Survey" is available online at www.kenplum.com. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and share your views with me as the 2010 General Assembly session begins. Call my office at 703.758.9733 to request a paper copy of the survey to be mailed to you. |
Climate Change Citizen Action
For fresh local food, agricultural resources and happenings, and farm to table restaurants and markets in the region, go to www.nationalcapitalfarms.org.
The next Electric Sunday Recycling Event will be held on February 28, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the I-66 Transfer Station, 4618 West Ox Road, Fairfax.
The Northern Virginia Soil & Water Conservation District's annual seedling sale makes low-cost native shrub and tree seedlings available to Northern Virginia residents. To download the 2010 order form and for a complete description and photos of the selections, go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/nvswcd/seedlingsale.htm. If you have questions, call 703.324.1460, TTY 711. |
Announcements
Open Your Heart to Public Art in Reston
Join the Initiative for Public Art-Reston (IPAR) and Hunters Woods Elementary School PTA for some great, family-friendly fun on Monday, February 15, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., ice skating at the Reston Town Center Pavilion. Admission is $10 and includes the skates rental fee. Proceeds from admission, hot chocolate, and cookie sales will benefit IPAR's first public art project -- the creation of a permanent Reston underpass art work involving an artist-in-residence who will engage students from Hunters Woods Elementary School, a fairfax County magnet school for the arts and sciences. This first Public Art Project is launched by IPAR in collaboration with project co-sponsors, Reston Community Center and Reston Association. For more information about the fund-raising skate and IPAR, call 703.467.9797, email info@publicartreston.org, or visit www.publicartreston.org.
The Census Is Coming
April 1, 2010, is Census Day in the United States. That is the official day of the full and complete count of the resident population of the United States. The nationwide census occurs every 10 years. It is important to fill out and return your census form because it can help bring back millions of dollars in federal funds for schools, roads, and health care in Fairfax County. When you fill out the census form, your personal information will be used only to produce statistics. The law protects your information from being shared with anyone.
SCC Moving to Web-based Business Filings
Virginia's State Corporation Commission (SCC) has unveiled a new web site - SCC eFile - the first of several steps to offer electronic filing and payment services for business entity transactions handled by the Clerk's Office of the Commission. The newly redesigned SCC web site home page features this new electronic service offering and provides a more visible link to information from each of the Commission's regulatory divisions. Visit SCC eFile at http://sccefile.scc.virginia.gov or email SCCeFile@scc.virginia.gov, or Contact the SCC Clerk's Office at 804.371.9733; toll-free in Virginia, 1.866.722.2551.
Residential Respite Care
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Calendar of Events
Deloitte Tax LLP in partnership with the Fairfax County Department of Family Services and Volunteer Fairfax will host a Community Tax Assistance Day on Saturday, February 6, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at Bryant Alternative High School in Alexandria. This program offers free assistance with 2009 Federal tax returns for households with a total income of $49,000 or less. In addition, at 2:00 p.m., Deloitte will host a counseling session for participants interested in learning more about how to navigate the college financial aid process. This class will provide tips to increase chances of securing financial aid for which participants are eligible. Free onsite childcare is available to families. For more informaiton including materials to bring, visit http://nvacash.org.
The City of Fairfax will hold its annual Chocolate Lovers Festival this Saturday and Sunday, February 6 and 7. Among the events planned are the Taste of Chocolate featuring chocolate vendors selling their wares; the Chocolate Challenge, an arts extravaganza where the medium is chocolate; the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast featuring chocolate chip pancakes; historic reenactments; children's activities; a craft show at Fire Station 3; open houses at historic buildings; and more. Some activities are free; some require a fee. Visit www.fairfaxva.gov or call 703.385.1661 for more information.
Treat your special Valentine to a horse-drawn carriage ride around Reston Town Center on Saturday, February 13, 6:00 to 10:00 p.m., rain or shine. Pick-up location is in front of Talbots on Market Street. Cost is $5 per person; children under 5 ride free with an adult. All proceeds benefit Relay for Life.
"Think Pink - Figure Skaters for the Cure" is coming to the Ice Skating Pavilion at Reston Town Center on February 14, 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. See figure skating performances by local competitive skaters to benefit the Susan G. Komen foundation. Donations accepted at www.info-komen.org/goto/ThinkPinkIceShow.
The Fairfax County Human Rights Commission is accepting nominations for its 32nd Annual Human Rights Awards. The deadline for submitting nominations is February 26. The awards recognize individuals, nonprofits, and businesses that advanced human rights in Fairfax County last year. To get a nomination form, call 703.324.2953. Nominations may be submitted to e-mail to wyvetta.hill@fairfaxcounty.gov, by fax to 703.324.3570, or by mail to the Human Rights Commission, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 318, Fairfax, VA 22035-0093. The deadline for purchasing a Commemorative Brick to be installed in Reston's "Walk of Fame" is February 28. The bricks will be installed at the foot of the Bronze Bob statue at Lake Ann Village Center and will be dedicated on Founder's Day, Saturday, April 10. Orders must be received by sunday, February 28, to be included for the 2010 installation. Order online at www.restonmuseum.org or in person at the Reston Museum, or call 703.709.7700.
"Generation Next: Reston Leadership Development" will be hosted and sponsored by the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods on Thursday, March 25, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. All are welcome to come to the RCC Community Room to share in an active dialog session on getting involved in leading our community. Those wishing to continue Reston's values in the work of civic and community organizations are urged to attend. Current and future leaders representing Arts, Culture, Education, Government, Human Services, Sports, and more will discuss concepts, leadership development, and getting involved. Refreshments will be provided by some of Reston's favorite eateries. RSVP to RCCContact@fairfaxcounty.gov. This event is free!
The Reston Community Orchestra will present "Spring Inflorescence - Ebony Vibrations" at a concert on Sunday, March 28, at 4:00 p.m. at the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods. Music by Chopin, rubenstein, Debussy, and Crusell will be featured.
The 21st Annual Environment Virginia symposium will take place April 7 and 8 in Lexington, Virginia. The theme of this year's symposium is "Optimizing Stewardship in a Challenging Environment." Join over 500 environmental decision-makers from all sectors and from across the Commonwealth to learn the latest about environmental challenges and solutions and to build partnerships to implement solutions to these challenges. For detailed information and registration, visit www.vmi.edu/environmentva.
The Alice Ferguson Foundaiton will again host this year's Potomac River Watershed Cleanup on Saturday, April 10, 9:00 a.m. until noon. Cleanup sites will be listed on their website, www.PotomacCleanup.org, starting in March so you can pick your perfect location. Contact Ginny Harris Crake at gharris@fergusonfoundation.org for more information.
Save the date - Saturday, April 17, 7:30 p.m. - for the Reston Community Orchestra's annual benefit gala, "Puttin' on the Ritz." Visit www.restoncommunityorchestra.org for more information.
GRACE's 19th Annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival will be held May 15 and 16 at the Reston Town Center. Watch this section for more information about this year's Festival.
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| Delegate Ken Plum's Virginia e-News.
Authorized by Kenneth R. Plum. Paid for by Friends of Delegate Ken Plum. |
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