Advocacy
10/11/2016 3:17 pm
PTA Advocacy -- We encourage you to make your voice heard on issues that matter to you!
FCPS FY2018 Budget Update
With the County’s adoption of its FY 2018 budget, we now know that FCPS will need to make up a shortfall of nearly $47 million.
Currently it appears that the School Board is not intending to cut any student programs, but according to the posted recommendations to balance the FY 2018 Approved Budget, class size increases are being considered at this time, as well as other cuts to compensation and fee increases.
The School Board will be adopting its approved budget for FY 2018 later this month, after holding public hearings on Tuesday, May 16 and Wednesday, May 17. If you are concerned about the FCPS budget or the recommendations to balance it, you can register to speak at the public hearings and let the School Board know what you think.
You can also get involved with groups that advocate for causes that may be important to you. Here are a few examples:
Fairfax Arts Coalition for Education (FACE)
Fairfax County Association for the Gifted
Fairfax FLAGS (Foreign Language Advocacy for Grade Schools)
Or you can contact advocacy@orangehuntpta.org for more information.
Fairfax County Public Schools – FY 2018 Budget
FCPS is again facing a significant budget shortfall for the next school year. If FCPS’s FY 2018 budget is not fully funded, the School Board will have to find up to $61 million worth of cuts. These could include increasing class sizes and eliminating student programs like 4th grade strings and the language immersion program.
FCPS gets more than 70% of its funding from Fairfax County. However, Fairfax County’s proposed FY 2018 budget, if adopted, will result in a $61 million shortfall for FCPS, and will require other cuts to county programs. Here is an overview of the county’s budget outlook, and the Fairfax County FY 2018 Advertised Budget Plan, which provides details on where County Executive Ed Long has proposed budget cuts. The proposed county budget does not include a real estate tax increase.
Next key date – February 28, 2017 – this is when the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will set its advertised real estate tax rate. It is not the actual real estate tax rate, but rather a ceiling on the amount that could be imposed when the Board adopts the county’s FY 2018 budget on May 2, 2017. A real estate tax increase of 2.5 cents/$100 would close the projected gap and permit the Board to fully fund FCPS’s budget. If you are OK with a tax increase, let your supervisor and Board Chairman Sharon Bulova know before February 28! Here is how to reach Chairman Bulova. Reach Springfield supervisor, Pat Herrity, here. Are you an out-of-district parent? Find your supervisor here.
Budget Timeline and Other Key Dates –
April 4 – 6, 2017 – Fairfax County’s budget hearings. If you want to speak, sign up here.
May 2, 2017 – Fairfax County adopts FY 2018 budget.
May 25, 2017 – FCPS adopts its FY 2018 budget.
Stay tuned for more information on what you can do to advocate for issues that you care about, whether it’s preserving school programs, keeping down class sizes, or avoiding fee hikes. Once we know how much the FY 2018 FCPS budget shortfall will be, we will know better where to focus our efforts!
Want to learn more? Contact Jenn Garver, Advocacy Chair.
