There is no doubt that we face difficult times. The rising cost of fuel is driving up the price of living and the our enormously interconnected economy has been sending shock-waves around the world. However, we often feel powerless against the forces driving peak oil, economic interdependence, and climate change. We fear that government is unresponsive and that individual action is not enough. Instead of facing these issues as individuals we can work together on a community level to improve the way we live.

The future without oil can be better than the present with oil.  We can build genuine relationships with our neighbors instead of the people on reality TV. We can transition Falls Church to a self-reliant, sustainable, and resilient future powered by local food, economy, energy, and ingenuity. Instead of waiting around for government to act, we can act as a community of individuals.

This is the hope of Transition Falls Church. Transition is a student-initiated project that emphasizes a grass roots response to the greatest challenges of our time. By unleashing the collective genius of the Falls Church people, we can respond to the issues posed by climate change and peak-oil while simultaneously building a closer, tight-knit community.

We will be holding events over the next several months to teach people about this exciting new movement starting with a film screening at the Community Center on Saturday, February 18th. We will be showing a documentary called Transition 1.0 starting at 4:00pm. Please come as early as 3:30pm to ensure your seat. The documentary will last about an hour and there will be an opportunity for discussion at the end of the film. Please shoot us an email at transitionfc@gmail.com to sign up for email our email list and receive updates about upcoming events.

Although our initiating group will be steering the project for the next several months, it is ultimately something we are going to leave in the hands of the community. You can start the transition on the neighborhood level! Get together with the people on your street to discuss the Transition idea. Develop projects designed to make your neighborhood a more sustainable, vibrant place to live. Your neighborhood can practice community composting, develop a neighborhood garden, or start teaching people about a special skill (this can be anything from knitting to box gardening).

It starts with you! Hold a meeting in your neighborhood and send us an email. We will provide you with the information and resources necessary to make your idea a reality. Also, if you are interested in becoming a leader in the movement please let us know. We look forward to making Falls Church a better place to live.

Matt Abel is a student at George Mason  High School.

A NO Vote on the referendum — which proposes switching Falls Church City Council and School Board elections from May to November — will keep those elections in May.

Preserving the nonpartisan election tradition.  Newcomers seem surprised when they hear that our May City Council and School Board elections are nonpartisan.  Voters who strongly favor keeping May politics nonpartisan wish to retain some diversity on City Council and School Board, where differences of opinion are valued.  November elections will most likely become partisan; May elections are nonpartisan.  If we were to lump City elections with state elections held in November, we could lose the nonpartisanship.  We are too small a City to allow divisiveness to replace diversity.

Attracting voters to the polls.  The referendum provides that City elections would occur in odd years.  Since presidential elections occur in even years, we would not be voting for local officials at elections with the highest voter turnout.  In elections for governor, in alternate odd years, voter turnout is higher than in elections for state offices.  In 2007, (not an election for governor but for state offices) turnout was 28%.  Consider past City elections.  From May 1974 through May 2010, five out of the 19 elections had unusually low voter turnout because of being un-contested (no more candidates than open seats).  In all other elections, with opposition candidates, turnout ranged from 24% to 55%.   Highest voter turnout occurred in contested elections (more candidates than seats) when major City issues were on the table.  The sometimes-silent majority becomes less silent when it is perceived that something valued is at stake and that voting will make a difference.

Focusing on state and local issues and candidates in separate elections.  The General Assembly of Virginia enacted a law which took effect July 1, 2000, which provided local option for Cities and Towns to switch to November elections.  Nineteen of the 39 Cities and 28 of the 190 Towns have switched their local elections to November.  Imagine combining the state and local contests.  If you campaign for a state senator and a delegate, and some City Council and School Board candidates, will you be campaigning for all of your choices at one time?  Will candidate forums be doubled?  Let’s preserve our City’s nonpartisan tradition of focusing on local issues and candidates by continuing our May City elections.

Vote NO on the Referendum!

Edie Smolinski is a member and past president of the Citizens for a Better City and the Falls Church chapter of the League of Women Voters.  The views expressed are her own.

This is the fourth and final Community Comment in our series regarding next week’s referendum on moving City elections from May to November.  The four commentaries have included two opponents of the change – Vice Mayor David Snyder, and Edie Smolinski, a private citizen active in local civic organizations – and two advocates of the change – City Councilman Lawrence Webb and Robert Loftur-Thun, also a private citizen active in local organizations.

Those interested in the referendum also are encouraged to watch the Town Hall programs on FCC-TV.  A link to the schedule is  available here.

The November 8th referendum on voting in Falls Church is about much more than deciding what date to hold local elections; it is about the very democratic system under which we live. Since its creation, the City of Falls Church has held independent, local issue-focused elections that are separate from state and federal elections. This has worked well for the City. Now, however, some people want to change this approach and make our independent-based local political system more like the party-controlled system in Richmond, and even Washington.

There is mounting pressure coming from political machine-dominated Richmond to force local elections and issues onto state or federal Election Days in November, virtually assuring that the two major parties will control the candidates for whom we have the opportunity to vote. So far, the pressure has been in the form of statutes and fines that dissuade localities from continuing to hold local elections in May. However, according to the Washington Post, there is now additional movement to make municipal elections partisan, just as state elections already are, leading to the dysfunctional government we have in Richmond. [See "Virginia Ballots Skimp on Party Affiliation," Metro section, October 26, 2011.]

By moving local elections from May to November, the City would hasten the day when our system would resemble the one in Richmond where two well-heeled, special interest-driven machines determine who our candidates are and require those candidates to adhere to rigid orthodoxies, until one of the parties achieves total dominance. Then that one party effectively selects who is elected, as is the case in the majority of the state legislative districts in Virginia. [See the Washington Post editorial "RIP Democracy in Virginia," October 26, 2011.]

By contrast, citizens in Falls Church currently have a wider selection of candidates for local offices, including a pool of talented federal civil servants who, as a result of the so-called Hatch Act, are prohibited from running for office in partisan elections. Indeed, any resident of Falls Church can run for City Council or School Board because we have independent local elections: just get a relatively small number of signatures of registered voters, and you’re on the ballot. Further, we are probably one of the last few jurisdictions in a major metropolitan area where you don’t have to take out a second mortgage to successfully run for political office or swear allegiance to a political machine and its beliefs. No, here you only need listen to voters, have good ideas, and work hard to be elected and to serve.

Some who argue for November elections would like to believe we can preserve our independence and switch to state or federal-based elections by amending the City’s charter to safeguard non-partisan elections. But such a charter change requires the vote of the General Assembly, the same body that is pushing for more partisanship in local elections. And, a non-partisan clause relies for sponsorship on our own likely new State Senator, Richard L. Saslaw, who as Senate Majority Leader clearly has done well in the Richmond political environment and equally clearly stated his support for November elections in Falls Church.

So the referendum isn’t about just May or November. This vote one week from today is about how we define democracy and opportunities for citizen involvement in our Falls Church local government. A vote for May (“No” to the referendum) will help preserve true independence, assuring that any of our citizens has a real chance to hold office. A vote for November (“Yes” to the referendum) is a vote that increases the risk of being swept into the machine-driven system in Richmond, where the party apparatus determines who you vote for and demands adherence to party dogma.

David F. Snyder is Vice Mayor of Falls Church City

This is the first in a series of four Community Comments regarding next week’s referendum on moving City elections from May to November. The four commentaries include two opponents of the change – Vice Mayor David Snyder, and Edie Smolenski, a private citizen active in local civic organizations – and two advocates of the change – City Councilman Lawrence Webb and Robert Loftur-Thun, also a private citizen active in local civic organizations.

Those interested in the referendum also are encouraged to watch the Town Hall programs on FCC-TV. A link to the schedule is available here.

This November, citizens in Falls Church City have a choice that will have a major impact on the City for a long time to come. The choice is whether or not to have local elections in May or November. It is a choice that goes to the heart of who we are as Americans.

It is a fact that voter turnout in our City in May elections is very low—an average 27% but as low as 13%–and much higher in November—an average 71% in even years/48% in odd years, and even as high as 86%. Some say those who vote in May elections are “more engaged,” “better informed” and “more thoughtful.” I think this woefully underestimates the intelligence and capabilities of City residents, as well as all Americans who vote in national, state and local elections in November.

Others say new members of City Council and the School Board need time to get up to speed on the budget before voting on it. Currently, office holders elected in May take office July 1 and serve an entire year before a budget reflecting their decisions goes into effect. I think City voters would prefer newly elected leaders to make an impact right away rather than a year later.

Some people say that by having local elections in November, elections will be more partisan. There is no reason that a particular month whether it is May or November will result in more partisan elections, and partisan elements have already been playing a part behind the scenes in the “non-partisan” elections in May. I believe in the City’s non-partisan tradition, but Falls Church can maintain non-partisan elections by a change to the City Charter, prohibiting partisan elections in the City of Falls Church, as other cities in Virginia have done. More voters participating in elections will result in greater scrutiny, transparency, and accountability.

We should not fear engaging a wider electorate, and should engage more voters and then let candidates make their case for different political philosophies. Elected officials decisions should reflect the will of the majority of voters – that’s what a democracy is all about. When such a small percentage of voters vote in May elections, how can we make sure elections don’t get hijacked by special interests and make sure our elected leaders understand the will of the people to build the consensus needed for action?

So for me the choice is clear – have the elections when the most people vote. Believe in the American people – we’ve done pretty well as a Republic so far.

Robert Loftur-Thun is a local businessman, member of the Falls Church City Planning Commission and past Chair of the City’s Environmental Services Council.

This is the third in a series of four Community Comments regarding next week’s referendum on moving City elections from May to November. The four commentaries include two opponents of the change – Vice Mayor David Snyder, and Edie Smolenski, a private citizen active in local civic organizations – and two advocates of the change – City Councilman Lawrence Webb and Robert Loftur-Thun, also a private citizen active in local organizations.

Those interested in the referendum also are encouraged to watch the Town Hall programs on this topic on FCC-TV. A link to the schedule is available here.

With Election Day fastly approaching the residents in the City of Falls Church will have to cast their vote to answer the Referendum question, “Shall the City of Falls Church hold its City Council elections in November”?

This is a topic of great importance and I began pondering the question after campaigning in 2008.  As I walked around the neighborhoods knocking on doors asking for   support  I noticed for every five doors visited   three of them had no idea that elections were taking place and thought  all the city’s elections happened in November.   As I explained to them the process in Virginia many still had questions but took the information and thanked me for coming by.

After being elected the elections process still resonated with me and I began inquiring about what if we decided to change our elections to November instead of May.  I received many different responses and reactions and in 2010 offered an ordinance to change the city elections from May to November of odd years.  My one and only motivation for following through with this was I wanted to make sure that every person in the city had an opportunity to take part in electing those who make important decisions in the city.  Later after conversing with several constituents I amended my proposal to a referendum that failed and ultimately I supported the date change.  When this topic resurfaced my feelings were still the same in that I wanted the maximum number of citizens to take part in our elections.  With this referendum we will have this issue settled.

I have been listening to all sides on this issue and the number one reason that most do not support changing the elections from May to November is the fear that partisanship will make its way into Falls Church City elections. Both parties have indicated that they have no desire to get involved with endorsing candidates in city elections.   I too strongly support our elections staying non-partisan and that no political parties get involved in city elections.  The first thing that I would propose is to add to our city charter provisions that address  persons running for election in the City of Falls Church shall  be independent and follow all laws to get on the ballot.  Currently the only candidates that can be listed on the ballot with party affiliation are federal and state candidates.  The second argument is when canvassing will candidates for city office and those running with a political party be canvassing will all material.  The answer is simple.  It is up to the candidates to make sure that when his/her folks knock on doors that they only have their materials and nothing involving a political party thus avoiding confusion. 

When asking other jurisdictions that moved their elections if the elections became more partisan the response was no.  When asked if it cost more for candidates to run in November versus May the response was no.  Finally when asked if there was an increase in the number of citizens that voted in elections the response was yes.

Our Little City is one of highly educated citizens with a strong since of civic activism.  By having our elections move to November gives our citizens even more of an opportunity to have their voices heard by the leaders of the community.

I urge you to get out and vote YES on The Election Referendum on Tuesday, November 8^th.

Lawrence Webb is a member of the Falls Church City Council.

This is the second in a series of four Community Comments regarding next week’s referendum on moving City elections from May to November. The four commentaries include two opponents of the change – Vice Mayor David Snyder, and Edie Smolenski, a private citizen active in local civic organizations – and two advocates of the change – City Councilman Lawrence Webb and Robert Loftur-Thun, also a private citizen active in local civic organizations.

Those interested in the referendum also are encouraged to watch the Town Hall programs on this topic on FCC-TV. A link to the schedule is available here.

By PAT RICCARDS

March 24, 2011 

At this past weekend’s town hall meeting, a number of residents asked about the FY2012 schools budget.  Recognizing Falls Church City Public Schools represent approximately 45 percent of the City’s budget, they rightly wanted to see the level of detail on the schools budget presented at these community sessions as they were hearing on the City budget.

As most know, the Falls Church City School Board passed its FY2012 budget on February 15, the earliest the School Board has approved its budget in history.  We accelerated our process at the request of City Council, which wanted additional time to review the schools budget as part of the larger discussion.

To meet this goal, the School Board began its budget process in November.  We conducted town hall meetings and public hearings on the budget.  We met with school staff in all of our buildings, including central office.  We set up a website to collect public feedback.  We spoke with neighboring jurisdictions to understand what would happen in other localities.  And we regularly updated Council (both publicly and privately) on both our progress and our intentions.

Ultimately, we passed a smart and responsible budget.  Early in the process, City Council asked us to provide a “zero growth” budget, meaning we would ask for the same amount for the schools as we did in FY2011.  This was not an easy task, but it was the responsible thing to do. 

But we had to craft that “zero growth” budget under very difficult conditions.  Why?  The first answer is student growth.  For the current school year, student population growth is 150 percent higher than was projected during last year’s budget cycle.  And we are looking at additional increases for FY2012.  Each of those students brings costs, and those costs have to be managed in a “zero growth” environment.

In recent years, we have seen our student population grow more than 10 percent.  Since FY2009, we have added nearly 200 students to class rolls.  At the same time, the City Transfer to the schools has decreased by nearly $2 million.  We are asking our educators to do more and more with less and less.

Like the City, we are also experiencing significant increases in our fixed obligations.  For next year, our state retirement costs, mandated under the Virginia Retirement System and of which we have no control whatsoever, will increase 25 percent.  Healthcare costs for the majority of our employees are up 27 percent.  And we have new federal and state mandates we are required by law to meet, all in that “zero growth” budget.

The budget approved by the School Board navigates these unavoidable cost increases, and does so without cutting into the classroom or affecting the students.  We have made smart choices to meet our obligations.

One of the most significant decisions the School Board made was to improve compensation for our educators.  Last year, we, in effect, cut teacher salaries.  Frozen pay, coupled with increased benefit costs and the elimination of professional days, translates into real pay cuts.  After such cuts, and as we watch our neighboring jurisdictions increase pay for their teachers, we had to act.  For us to deliver the excellent schools City residents expect, we need to support our educators.

Working closely with school employees and their representatives, we were able to act in a smart and responsible way.  To retain and reward our excellent schools staff, our budget funds a mid-year, full step increase for all educators.  And we did it through no staff furloughs.

Yes, we delivered a zero growth budget that requests not a penny more from City taxpayers at a time when our student enrollment has already increased more than 5 percent.  And yes, we did so while also honoring our promise to our world-class educators to fairly compensate them.  But our budget accomplished far, far more than that.  

In the area of school facilities, we are now ready to move forward with our expansion of Thomas Jefferson Elementary, thanks in large part to our success in securing a QSCB bond from the Commonwealth.  As we promised to Council in the fall, the Schools will cover the costs of these school construction bonds for the next three years.  The QSCB not only saves the City $1.3 million in interest in the short term, but this specific construction project will actually save the City $20 million in previously planned long-term capital expenditures.

The budget allows us to build on our award-winning food services program by establishing a breakfast program for all of our schools.  It places our marker down on e-learning, as we seek to establish Falls Church as a national leader for online instruction.  And it makes revenue generation a priority for the schools, as we continue to look for additional public-private partnerships to help fund new initiatives.

We were asked to deliver a “zero growth” City transfer budget, and we did that.  We were asked to provide a responsible budget, both for this year and future years, and we did that.  We were asked to protect the quality and reputation of our schools, and we did that too.

The Falls Church City School Board approved a smart, responsible, and necessary FY2012 budget.  This budget was carefully crafted to address all of our City’s needs, building on integrated economies of scale and focusing on return on investment.  This budget request – in its totality – is essential to deliver the high-quality education expected of Falls Church.

(Pat Riccards is Vice Chair of the Falls Church City School Board.)

COMMUNITY COMMENTS are welcome on any subject relevant to the City of Falls Church. They may be submitted to contact@fallschurchtimes.com. Shorter submissions may be published as a Letter to the Editor.

By PAT RICCARDS

February 5, 2011

As the Falls Church City School Board continues its work on the upcoming budget, there are many questions we must ask as part of our deliberations. Are we providing all of our students a world-class education? Are we meeting our City’s instructional needs, both today and tomorrow? And are we serving as responsible stewards of both the City’s resources and its residents’ trust?

The latter question is one that the School Board has worked to address through the development of its strategic plan and its annual work plans. It is one thing for us to say that our responsibilities are to: 1) set policy for the school division; 2) approve the annual budget; 3) develop a strategic plan; and 4) hire a superintendent. It is something completely different to see how those responsibilities translate into real actions that impact all residents in our City.

In August 2010, the School Board developed and approved an ambitious and comprehensive work plan to guide our work through the end of 2011. Our work was divided into seven areas – 1) superintendent search; 2) ensure high-quality school buildings capable of supporting educational goals and meeting a growing student population; 3) provide every student with a rigorous, world-class education; 4) develop a responsible budget to ensure the independence and ongoing excellence in our schools; 5) promote effective School Board governance; 6) improve Board communication with community; and 7) modernize human capital policies to link teacher and administrator evaluations to student performance. Across those seven areas, the School Board set nearly 40 specific goals to achieve by the end of this year.

Last week, we released the report card on our progress against those 40 goals. On behalf of the School Board, I am proud to report that we are ahead of schedule on the work plan and well positioned to deliver on all the promises we have made to the community. The full report card can be found on the home page of the School Board’s web site at: http://www.fccps.org/board/.

Some of the highlights worth noting:

· Developed, in partnership with City Council and the Planning Commission, a common-sense plan for meeting our growing facilities needs, particularly at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School. We now await word from the Commonwealth of Virginia as to whether our QSCB application has been approved, allowing the City to save nearly $2.5 million on the needed expansion at TJ.

· Set clear expectations for student growth in all of our schools, holding the school division accountable for results.

· Finalized a data system that can track an individual student’s academic progress while ensuring transparency and access of information for parents. FCCPS is now in the process of putting this system into place.

· Began efforts, in collaboration with our teachers and administrators, to develop new e-learning and dual enrollment opportunities for high school students, increasing both the relevance and access to such offerings for all our high school students.

· Share developments and news from our schools through our new website (www.fccps.org) and through the popular Morning Announcements emails. All City residents are encouraged to sign up for the daily email.

Additionally, after surveying a wide range of parents, teachers, school staff, and community members, the School Board launched a nationwide search for applicants for the superintendent position. After receiving an impressive pool of interested candidates, the School Board is now conducting first-round interviews of the strongest candidates. The process will move to the next phase later this month.

We do all of this as we continue to grapple with the budget realities that our schools and our City are facing. As responsible stewards of the City’s schools and of the public trust, the School Board is committed to transparency, quality, and proven success. Our 18-Month Work Plan provided the road map for our intended destination by the end of 2011. Our Progress Report demonstrates that we are on schedule to deliver on all of the priorities articulated by our staff, parents, and citizens.

(Pat Riccards is vice chairman of the Falls Church City School Board.)

COMMUNITY COMMENTS are welcome on any subject relevant to the City of Falls Church. They may be submitted to contact@fallschurchtimes.com. Shorter submissions may be published as a Letter to the Editor.

February 4, 2011

With acknowledgment to Robert Fulghum, all I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be, I learned at home, in my house of worship, and in kindergarten.  Whoops!  Falls Church City Schools didn’t have kindergarten when I first started through the school system, but I’m sure that Mrs. Yeager at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School taught my first grade class at least some of the following:

•   Share everything.
•   Play fair.
•   Don’t hit people.
•   Put things back where you found them.
•   Clean up your own mess.
•   Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
•   Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
•   Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and
work every day some.
•   When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
•   Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant
goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Everything you need to know is in the list somewhere. Add The Golden Rule and love and ecology and politics and equality and sane living.  Imagine what a better city we would have if we all had cookies and milk and then took time for a nap on a regular basis.

Today our City’s population is much more diverse than when my family moved here in 1962.  That’s a wonderful thing!  We have a wide range of cultures, ages, abilities, talents, and needs within The Little City.  Good things that have not changed include getting to know your neighbors, participating in community events, and volunteering.

At the Town Hall meeting on Saturday, January 29, one long time resident suggested starting a Volunteer Corps to help provide front line services at City Hall.  The suggestion was made because with continuing deficits and budget reductions, persons (staff) and programs must be cut year after year.  This means that telephones might go unanswered, services might take longer to deliver or be eliminated altogether, and lines of citizens waiting to speak to staff might form in all City facilities – City Hall, Schools, the Library, and the Community Center.

I’m proud to serve my City and my fellow City employees both in the position for which I am paid and as Chair of the Employees Advisory Council (EAC).  For the first time, members of the EAC met with members of the Schools Professional Employees Advisory Committee last fall to discuss a common message to send to our community.  Unfortunately, the joint message upon which we agreed (we all need to work together for the City in which we serve, and a reduction of staff requires reduction in services) was forgotten as the School Board and teachers disagreed with the Superintendent’s proposed budget and began seeking additional compensation for School employees.

While the City Manager considers ways in which volunteers might assist in providing services, we already have a number of opportunities for volunteers.  Contact the City Clerk, clerk@fallschurchva.gov or 703.248.5014, for information on the wide variety of boards and commissions that need more members.  Combine your interests/passions/time on just about any topic from trees to history to development to streambank restoration to serving as an election official to, well you name it!  You’ll not only provide valuable input to a board or commission, but you’ll also get to know the staff member who is equally enthusiastic about the same topic and the many duties, responsibilities, and tasks for which they are responsible.  You might become an advocate for greater funding in that area!

Just so you know, I, too, have served as a volunteer on a City commission and as an election official.  I also volunteer for community projects through my house of worship.  (Note:  Pastor Dave will call my name from the pulpit if I don’t mention Dulin United Methodist Church within this letter.)

I was encouraged to reach out to our community on behalf of City employees, but I also speak to you as a long term City resident.  I accepted the challenge that one person can make a difference, but there is a risk.  The last time I wrote a Guest Commentary as the EAC Chair, I received a number of calls at home from angry citizens who disagreed with my comments.  I hope that after reading this Commentary, you will not become angry, but instead consider how you might serve our community to create the change that you desire.

Thank you for your consideration and, please, attend future Budget Town Hall meetings at 10 a.m. on March 19 and April 16.  Both events will be held at the Community Center.  We want and need your ideas and input on the services that you receive. Finally, let’s all strive for a good mark for “plays well with others.”

COMMUNITY COMMENTS are welcome on any subject relevant to the City of Falls Church. They may be submitted to contact@fallschurchtimes.com. Shorter submissions may be published as a Letter to the Editor.

January 26, 2011

The School Board held its first public hearing on the budget proposed by school superintendent Dr. Berlin last night.  While I understand everyone is busy and attending meetings can be time-consuming, your participation and involvement in this year’s school budget process is critical for a number of reasons.

Dr. Berlin has proposed  a budget at $37.7 million, which is 0.8 percent over last year’s budget.  While the budget does not cut any positions, it also does not include even a minimal cost of living allowance (COLA) adjustment for teachers for the second year in a row.

The lack of a COLA has both short and long term implications for our school system:

1. Our teachers’ salaries (overall) come in lower than both Arlington and Fairfax counties.  While we may not be able to be number one, we must remain competitive in order to retain our current high quality staff and be able to attract new teachers as retiring teachers leave our system.
2. Alexandria, and Fairfax and Arlington Counties are seeking pay increases for their teachers during this budget year.  Articles in the Falls Church Patch report that Fairfax County School Superintendent Jack Dale’s proposal to raise teacher salaries as part of next year’s budget. Dale’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2012, which amounts to $2.2 billion, includes a 2 percent raise for current and future Fairfax County Public Schools teachers.   There is also an article, “Fairfax County Putting Teachers as Their First Priority”.
3. Increasing enrollments and a zero growth budget mean larger class sizes and teachers working more for less.

Our lack of financial investment in our teachers will hurt us now and hurt us later.  I understand that our City Council is focusing on looking long term at the City’s needs and are working diligently to make positive changes so that our community can survive and thrive.  We need to take the same long term view with our schools and our teachers and not make short term financial decisions that will start stripping away at the quality of our schools.

The School Board can add in a cost of living allowance to Dr. Berlin’s budget, but they will need to hear that parents want this and will support it.  The School Board will vote on its final budget request to the City Council on February 15, so THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW.

We know that outside of parental influences, a child’s chance of success is highly dependent on having the support of strong, qualified teachers.  We need to step up and support our teachers now.

COMMUNITY COMMENTS are welcome on any subject relevant to the City of Falls Church. They may be submitted to contact@fallschurchtimes.com. Shorter submissions may be published as a Letter to the Editor.

By PAT RICCARDS

November 21, 2010

Return on investment, or ROI, is a term I find myself using a lot with regard to education and school improvement. Here in Falls Church, we regularly ask our schools and teachers to do more with less. In recent years, our student population has increased while our annual budget has decreased. But our expectations of the schools remain as high as ever.

With each dollar we spend, it is important to ask what the ROI is. Every taxpayer dollar we have is significant, and we must ensure we spend it wisely. So when an opportunity comes up where we can earn income for our schools while improving our instructional offerings, it is one we simply cannot afford to let slip away.

Last week, the Falls Church City School Board submitted its application for a Qualified School Construction Bond (QSCB) to the Commonwealth of Virginia. Falls Church is one of many school divisions across the state now competing for $229 million in zero percent interest school construction dollars. With the unanimous support of the City Council, the Planning Commission, and the Long Range Financial Planning Work Group, we are seeking $5.95 million to rightsize and expand our facilities at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School.

By now, we’ve all heard that TJ will reach capacity by the 2012-2013 school year. The School Board’s efforts will alleviate that very real concern, expanding the school’s cafeteria while adding 12 new classrooms. Should we win a QSCB (decisions will be made by the end of the year), we will save City residents nearly $2.5 million in interest costs for the project.

In putting together the strongest application possible, the School Board paid close attention to the scoring criteria put forward by the Commonwealth. We are expanding, and not just rehabbing. We are eliminating trailers. And we are increasing the Internet connectivity on the site.

The issue of Internet connectivity for students in the City has gained great interest here on the pages of the Falls Church Times. So let me give you a little glimpse into what the School Board has been working on for months now, how it fits into our QSCB application, and how it provides real ROI for both our schools and our city.

Following discussions with the Virginia School Boards Association and neighboring school divisions, we have been in discussions since the summer with Milestone Communications to establish a public/private partnership. The plan is simple. Milestone can replace a light pole currently on our school property with a new pole that allow for cellular service. Telecomm companies would then pay an annual fee to host an antenna on our light pole. Each year, our school division could collect approximately $30,000 per pole for such use.

Through this partnership, we will be able to improve Internet access at TJ, a step that wins us points on our QSCB application. As an added benefit, the Falls Church City Public Schools is able to use this partnership to provide an Internet connection to students throughout the City.

Imagine that. At no cost to the City, we can get a new light pole, five figures of annual revenue for that pole that can be reinvested in our schools, and the opportunity to provide Internet access to all students in Falls Church. And it won’t cost City residents a dime come tax or budget time.

That is true return on investment. It is a significant step for our School Board to explore public/private partnerships and identify new ways to bring additional revenue into our schools. And it is equally significant that we find cost-effective (and it doesn’t get more effective than free) ways to offer the 21st century educations that all of our students are promised.

Last year, Falls Church City Public Schools conducted a communications survey finding that a portion of our student body does not have access to the Internet at home. While we may not believe it, it is true. Today, the Internet is just as important to learning as a textbook. The budget realities in our City have forced us to cut back hours at the library (including eliminating Sunday hours) and to ask how to improve access at the schools for both students and staff. Knowing this, it would educational malpractice for us not to pursue a solution that provides new infrastructure (in light poles), free Internet access, and dependable monthly revenue for the schools.

Pursing a public/private partnership with Milestone is a win-win solution for all involved. It helps strengthen our QSCB application, hopefully giving us access to free school construction money and saving the City millions in the process. It improves Internet access at our schools, while providing the School Board the opportunity to provide connectivity for all students in our City. And it brings revenue into our schools, providing some needed resources to support student activities.

This is the very definition of return on investment. The City of Falls Church will reap huge return on this action, and we are investing zero dollars to get there. ROI such as this can be a model for the future.

Pat Riccards is Vice Chairman of the Falls Church City School Board.

COMMUNITY COMMENTS are welcome on any subject relevant to the City of Falls Church. They may be submitted to contact@fallschurchtimes.com. Shorter submissions may be published as a Letter to the Editor.