FCPS Proposed Budget - Cuts Will Affect Lake Anne How Much Depends On You!
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Every year, the Budget
process is painful. This year, it will be excruciating.
Fairfax County and Fairfax County Public Schools will
continue to be required to make drastic cuts to services to all county
residents because of the budgetary shortfall predicted for the next one or two
fiscal years.
Monday's Washington Post (Metro B1) (http://tinyurl.com/LakeAnnePTA) says clearly that Foreign Language instruction at the Elementary
level is quite likely to be cut from the schools budget. This means NO
IMMERSION PROGRAM at Lake
Anne.
In addition, Lake Anne's Art Focus
School funding, narrowly restored last year, will likely cut as well. Our students would
have reduced music and music instruction, reduced time in art class and no
drama classes at all. Elementary level band and strings may be eliminated completely.
Class sizes will increase
by one or two pupils per class. Services by social workers and counselors will
likely be curtailed. And it is a sad possibility that teachers and aides will
be laid off. (Teachers and staff did not receive any increase in pay last year and do not expect to see any increase this year as well)
If these programs are
important to you, it is important to speak up. The vocal, organized parent
groups make an impression on the lawmakers and school board. If you don't speak
up about what is important to you, than it will
be taken away.
We have no idea how that
would play out for Lake
Anne. The enrollment
would be drastically reduced if the majority of students currently enrolled in
Spanish Immersion returned to their boundary or base school. Our children would
lose out and the school would lose as well.
We are working on
preparing a short survey of Lake
Anne families that will
"take the temperature" of the community so we can clearly speak with one voice.
Please look for that survey and complete it at your earliest convenience.
Here are a few ways to be
heard:
- Attend the
budget "Dialogues" hosted by Fairfax
County and FCPS. The next
one close to Lake
Anne will be on Saturday October 24
(this Saturday) from 10 a.m. to 12 Noon at the Reston Regional Library and then
another meeting on Thursday October 29 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The South Lakes
High School cafeteria. You need to register for either or both of these events
by calling 703.324.3291 or visiting www.fairfaxcounty.gov/budget. Bring your
spouse, your children, your support system and make your feelings known.
- Are you willing to gather
information? Make some phone calls? Speak to the Board of Supervisors and/or the School Board? Do you have suggestions for a concrete
demonstration of our commitment to Lake
Anne? Please email Carolyn Lawson Low (carolyn@familytalk.org)
- If you use Twitter or FaceBook, please post this message (link below) to help spread the word. If you know someone who does not receive our emails, please forward this message to them.
Do you have questions? Do
you want to become more involved? Do you want to share your opinion with other Lake Anne
families and/or other immersion schools? Please let us know - we are counting on many voices to make our point.
Thank you, as always, for supporting the Lake Anne PTA and Lake Anne students.
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