City Council Proceeding with Additional School Cuts

Last night the Falls Church City Council took another step toward reducing the City Schools’ 2010 budget by an additional $170,000 to fund two city government positions previously planned for elimination.  The funding shift, first proposed last Thursday by Mayor Robin Gardner, would leave school officials with the decision of whether to reduce a planned half-step teacher pay increase or take the money from other areas of the school budget.

After a time-consuming discussion of smaller budget cuts, including whether to hold the annual Halloween party, Councilman David Snyder asked for a discussion of the proposed school cuts, requesting to hear from school representatives in attendance.  School Board Vice Chairman Susan Kearney, representing the Board, and Superintendent Lois Berlin addressed the Council and responded to Snyder’s inquiry as to the likely impact of the proposed cut.  Kearney noted that the School Board was working to estimate the impact and would meet formally to discuss the matter Thursday, April 23.  Optimal determination of how to absorb such a cut would be difficult in a such short time, she stated, but pledged to provide the Council the Board’s analysis as quickly as possible.

“If it were $10,000, or $20,000, it would be easier,” Kearney said.  “This is a large amount of money.”

Kearney defended the half-step pay increase planned for teachers by pointing to the large teacher turnover that had occurred in recent years as Falls Church schools fell behind their peers.  Whereas turnover once was typically around a dozen teachers a year, she said, last year the city schools lost almost three times that number.

“The board is very deliberate in its budgeting,” Kearney said.  “Our budget request is what we need, not what we want.”  The schools’ budget request was not a negotiating position, she said, and the Board does not invest in “fancy buildings or the latest technology,” but rather “small classes and excellent staff.”

Councilman Daniel Sze stated that while he had supported the school budget request and in his “heart of hearts” wanted the half-step teacher pay increase, the extraordinarily poor economic situation caused the Council to consider the matter in the “spirit of shared sacrifice.”  Sze asked the Board to think carefully about it over the next few days.

Councilman Nader Baroukh asked City Manager Wyatt Shields to identify which city government positions would be saved as a result of the proposed school cuts.  Shields replied that the specific positions had not been determined, and that the Council could either specify which positions to save or direct Shields to determine them as a way mitigate City Hall’s own budget cut impact.  Shields indicated that the focus should be on three full-time positions marked for elimination.

Baroukh pushed Shields to be more specific, stating that it was “only fair” for the City to provide its own impact analysis if the schools were being asked to do so.

Councilman Dan Maller suggested that strong opposition from the School Board might lead to an additional half cent increase in the City real estate tax, which “would not be gigantic in the scheme of things.” But Maller asked Kearney first to look into whether federal stimulus funds or the schools’ $250,000 contingency fund might be used to make up the loss.

Kearney pushed back on the use of contingency funds, noting that the Board anticipates using the $250,000 now in the fund for additional teachers and a large trailer to serve excess student populations at Mt. Daniel Elementary.  Federal stimulus monies, she noted, could not be used for ongoing operating expenses, but rather were designed for items with multi-year life expectancy, such as the replacement of aging technology equipment at the schools.  Failure to use stimulus funds as Congress intended for 2010 would likely mean the loss of such funds for 2011, she said.

Snyder indicated to Kearney his desire to hear from interested citizens quickly due to the short time before the Council’s April 27 budget vote.  Kearney agreed to spread the word to interested parents, noting that because of the Board’s extensive email lists they could “turn on the spigot” quickly.

Following the discussion with Kearney, Mayor Gardner stated that the proposed school budget reductions would be included for now as a part of the City’s balanced budget plan, and that the school’s impact analysis would be considered when received.

Gardner called another Council meeting for 7:30pm Thursday, April 23, to provide an opportunity to hear from the public prior to the final budget vote next Monday.  Thursday’s meeting will occur in Council Chambers at City Hall.

Information on contacting individual City Council members is available at http://www.fallschurchva.gov/Content/Government/Council/Contact.aspx.