Judge Allows City to Include Fairfax in Water War Lawsuit

Falls Church won a minor victory in Fairfax Circuit Court last Friday when Judge Leslie Allen ruled that the City could include the County and its Board of Supervisors in its countersuit against the Fairfax County Water Authority (FCWA).

This is the first time a court has ruled in the City’s favor on any significant issue since the series of lawsuits began in 2007.  That year Falls Church lost a suit against FCWA in Federal District Court.  The City’s appeal of that finding later was turned down.

Last December FCWA filed against Falls Church in the Circuit Court.  After failing to have the case dismissed, the City countersued FCWA on May 8 and included the County and the Board in its filing.

Judge Allen’s ruling states that both entities are “necessary parties” with regard to three of the counts in FCWA’s amended complaint, i.e., the Authority’s claim against the City.  The judge also ruled that the
County and the Board may seek a continuance.

The case now is scheduled for trial on September 14.  However, if a continuance is requested and granted, the trial may be delayed for several months.

A copy of Judge Allen’s handwritten (though not entirely legible) order and nine other documents related to the case may be found on the City’s website.

On Tuesday night the Council unanimously approved (6-0, with Mr Snyder absent) the first reading of an ordinance which will, in part, allocate $725,000 to the Water Fund for legal expenses.  Chief Financial Officer John Tuohy advised that this would be sufficient to cover the costs of the litigation through trial.  Second reading of the ordinance will be held on June 8.

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The Falls Church Times has featured both reporting and commentary on the ”Water War” between Falls Church and Fairfax County:

Reports

[May 21] Having Lost One Lawsuit, City Files Another

[April 16] Part 1: A Tale of Two Lawsuits

[April 17] Part 2: How City Lost Suit Against Fairfax County

[April 21] Part 3: An Appeal Denied

[April 23] Part 4: The Authority Strikes Back

Commentary

[May 4] OPINION: Settle the Water Litigation Now

[May 4] COMMUNITY COMMENT: Reasons to Resolve Water Dispute

4 City Restaurants Among Washingtonian’s ‘Best Cheap Eats’

By Jimmy Scarano

Washingtonian magazine recently came out with its annual 100 Best Bargain Restaurants issue, and the City of Falls Church is well represented. In spite of being a mere 2.2 square miles in area, the City sports four restaurants on the definitive list of the Washington region’s “Best Cheap Eats.” 

Huong Viet and Viet Bistro, a stone’s throw away from each other in the Eden Center, made repeat appearances on the list for their classic renditions of Vietnamese dishes like bun with grilled pork, roasted quail with lime, and spring rolls with herbs and sweet fish sauce. 

The Lebanese Butcher and Restaurant also earned a spot for its authentic Lebanese offerings, which include the typical range of mezze (hummus, baba ghanoush, kibbeh, grape leaves) and numerous lamb and chicken dishes that all start with meat shaved fresh off the spits behind the register. 

The final area restaurant to make the cut was La Caraqueña  (highlighted by the Falls Church Times last September), which received much-deserved recognition for its thoughtfully prepared Latin food from Bolivia, Venezuela, and Chile. 

Congratulations to these Falls Church dining gems. Soon we’ll have full-length reviews of these restaurants and other great eats in town.

ASK THE TIMES: Can My 50-Year-Old House Go GREEN?

In a comment to a recent story on green home construction, our reader Pat asked, “Is there a book, business or website that tells you the best bang for the buck in terms of energy efficiency upgrades with a 50+ year old Falls Church home?”

It’s a great question.  There are more of us with existing homes than people building new homes, so no reason to let them have all the fun.  And there is a lot of information available on the topic, much of it on the Web.

One of the best sites we found is the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy page of the U.S. Department of Energy, www.eere.energy.gov.  There you will find information such as:

Elements of an Energy Efficient House (don’t miss the great bibliography at the end)
www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/27835.pdf

Energy Savers (including how to conduct an energy audit)
www.energysavers.gov/your_home/energy_audits/index.cfm/mytopic=11170

Energy efficiency tax incentives for consumers and businesses: www.energy.gov/taxbreaks.htm

Another site I like is www.GreenBuilding.com, which features videos and books on the topic.  Currently a feature article on the site is The Case for Green Retrofits in 2009:  A Call to Action.  Note that GreenBuilding.com is supported by advertising from related products, so you should apply appropriate scrutiny, but there appears to be a lot of good information here.

Also take a look at www.doityourself.com/scat/homeprep, which has lots of individual how-to articles.  Like GreenBuilding.com, this site is also supported by advertising from related products.

Finally, there is this advice from Mike Nichols, co-owner of the Falls Church Erdhaus.  “For existing homes, there are numerous steps homeowners can take to improve efficiency. The easiest is to replace old appliances with new ones that meet Energy Star ratings. The second easiest is to be very careful to turn off lights, unplug electrical equipment that still draws a current even when it’s supposedly turned off, etc.

“If money’s no object, and the writer is inquiring about insulation, windows, etc., the ideal way to improve is to know where the leaks are and to fix those. An energy audit that includes a blower door test is going to show where the problem areas are in that specific house, and the homeowner can then develop an appropriate plan of action to improve the efficiency.

“It might be as simple as using some cans of ‘Great Stuff’ expanding spray foam insulation, or it could be more involved to include replacing old, inefficient windows or adding insulation to an attic space. As you can imagine, each house presents its own unique challenges and that type of independent review can make a world of difference.”

Pat, hope that’s helpful.  If anyone else has good information sources on this topic, please feel free to share.

Have a question about the City that might be on fellow residents’ minds as well? Email your question here, and we’ll try to get an answer.

Previous ASK THE TIMES questions:

What’s Being Done About All the Graffiti?

Pay Property Tax with a Credit Card?

Why Are Purple Bows Tied to Trees?

Why Not Use the Old Red Light Cameras?

Rolling Carts for Heavy Recycling Loads?

Status of Hilton Garden Inn?

Questions about Northgate

Fourth-Grade Band Rocks TJ Elementary in Season Finale

Read more

ON THE RECORD With School Superintendent Lois Berlin and School Board President Ron Peppe

Falls Church Times staff recently sat down with School Superintendent Lois Berlin and School Board Chair Ron Peppe to discuss the challenges facing the school system, opportunities for the future, and how the system works.  The interview occurred at Berlin’s office.

Can you start by telling us a little about your background?  How did you come to your current positions?

BERLIN:  I came to schools in a nontraditional way.  I graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in sociology and quickly realized that I was trained for nothing.  My first job was in McLean, doing research for a think tank, and I really didn’t like it.  I visited my sister who was working in a residential home in Scotland for children with disabilities, and decided to return and work there.  It was a system that provided training, so I went through the training and ended up working there five years.  I returned to the States to marry the love of my life, a George Mason High School grad, and went back to school to get my Master’s.  I began teaching in Alexandria, moving from teacher to assistant principal, to principal, to assistant superintendent, for a total of 24 years.  Then the job as Superintendent opened up in Falls Church.  I’ve been here five years.

PEPPE:  My family and I moved here five years ago from Frederick, Maryland.  I’m an attorney and work for CanAm Steel Corporation as their Vice President for Legal and Human Resources.  When we were looking at communities close to DC, we chose Falls Church for its transportation into the city, and its schools.  I had been appointed to the Frederick school board by Governor Glendening (back when Maryland still had appointed school boards) and lived through the transition from fully appointed school boards to fully elected school boards.  One of my first PTA meetings I attended here in Falls Church, they were discussing start times [since Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School was opening soon].  I spoke at the meeting about how we had dealt with the same issue in Frederick, and the next thing I knew, I was the PTA president for the upcoming year.  After I served as the PTA president, the CBC approached me and encouraged me to run for the school board.

So let’s talk about school construction.  The City budget has an $800,000 CIP (Capital Improvements Program) item in 2012, and a $30 million item in 2013.  What is that money planned for?  Replacing the high school?  Replacing other schools?

BERLIN: The figure was originally $50 million, but due to bonding issues, and since it is simply a placeholder, it was reduced to $30 million.  The school system is currently conducting a facility study using the same consultant that did a facility study for City Hall, and we hope that study will look at what the system needs now, and in 20 years.  There is a planning committee of about 60 people — from school staff to community leaders — who are taking this opportunity to step back and really ask what we would do in an ideal world. We realize that by building Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, we have created a really great place to educate our kids, and we’d like to expand on that.

PEPPE: The study will be finished this summer, and the school board will review it, hopefully approve it, and then break it down into yearly goals for the school system.  We’ve been thinking about ways to formalize a long-term multi-year planning process with the City Council that could help us with our budgeting.

So what needs to be renovated first?  George Mason, since it’s the oldest?

BERLIN:  We don’t know yet.  Historically we’ve seen larger gains in the later years of a class — for instance, we start with 120 kindergarteners and when they graduate 12 years later, there are 160 graduates.  But in the past few years we’ve seen a greater increase in the kindergarten and 1st-grade enrollment.  That means families with younger school-aged children are buying single-family homes.  Single-family homes are the city’s number-one source of students.  We had projected 132 kindergarteners in 2009-2010, but we already have 134 students pre-registered.  Once we reach the magic number of 135, I’ll be asking the board for a seventh kindergarten classroom.  We’ve already planned to bring in a new trailer at Mount Daniel to house a seventh 1st-grade class, so space is tight.

PEPPE:  And I don’t think we’ve seen as great a slowdown in tear-downs and new construction as was predicted.  That type of building typically brings in families with children.

BERLIN:  So I’d say that the schools for the younger grades are more of a concern right now.

How do rentals, like Oakwood Apartments, affect the school system?

BERLIN:  Oakwood is the second largest source of students for the schools.  And there is no control over how many in what grade.  You can’t just say, “You have a 3rd-grader?  Sorry, we’re full.”

What are the biggest challenges in this school system?

BERLIN:  This year it’s the budget.  That’s been a real challenge.  After that, :No Child Left Behind” is always a challenge because there is a continuum of needs and you have to meet all those needs while working within the requirements.

PEPPE:  Teacher compensation and retention is always a consideration.

BERLIN:  Yes.  This particular year it’s a little different because our neighboring  jurisdictions laid teachers off and we didn’t.  But in most years there is a lot of competition.  There are no longer 20 applications for each job.  Instead, it’s four or five, so teachers have choices.

Why do teachers come to Falls Church?

BERLIN:  They like the small size.  It’s very attractive to many teachers.

PEPPE:  But one thing we constantly face is that after teachers are here a few years, they see they can make a little more elsewhere, and that they can get less expensive housing elsewhere, and sometimes that convinces them to move on.  And also, you have a young teacher who comes and at first wants to rent, but after five years or so, that person wants to buy a home, and they just may not be able to afford a house here.

BERLIN:  We have teachers who commute from Loudoun County because homes are cheaper there.

Will the new affordable housing project help teachers?

BERLIN:  Depends on the definition of affordable.  If the cost of a unit is, what, $350,000, then they may not find that so affordable.

Did the arrangement at the Read Building help?  [The developer of the Read Building offered nine apartments at lower rates to Falls Church teachers.]

BERLIN:  Definitely.  That was a very generous offer.  Those are taken, though.  There are nine units, and nine teachers are living there.  So if others need housing, those units are not an option.

You said something about being competitive with our neighbors.  How would you rank the area school systems in attracting staff?

BERLIN:  It’s Arlington, Alexandria, then Falls Church.

Not Fairfax?

BERLIN:  Not now.  With their budget crisis, they’ve frozen salaries, laid staff off, and increased class sizes.  So Falls Church has moved up.

PEPPE:  Staffing competition from neighbors has been a huge challenge.  We just don’t get the same number of applicants as those larger systems.  We try to market a “unique” system — and most teachers who choose to come to Falls Church are attracted to the small size of the school system.

The budget process this year — you recommended a salary increase for staff and then the school board was asked to find additional savings at the last minute.  You said we can’t find any additional money.

PEPPE:  Attracting quality teachers has been a goal of the board, and we really felt like we needed that increase.  We made other cuts in order to allow for a half-step increase.  In the years I’ve been on this school board, we’ve made a point of being up front and honest about our budgetary needs.  So there wasn’t extra money hiding in our budget. When the council asked us to find more money, we decided to hold an open session and talk about our budget.  We didn’t want to have that conversation behind closed doors.  We pride ourselves on that transparency and believe that is the only way we should work with the [City] Council.  They need to know that we only ask for the money we need.

You mention school board meetings.  How well attended are they?  Do you get a lot of public comments?

PEPPE:  Since we switched to boarddocs, a paperless system where the agenda and all meeting materials are posted, I’d say attendance has decreased.  But we get our share of comments — phone calls, emails, people on the street — and those are shared at the meetings.

BERLIN:  Some of them are very lonely meetings.  But efficient.

PEPPE:  Dr. Berlin also holds regular monthly meetings with community leaders, PTA representatives, etc., to make sure she is hearing their concerns.

Some have noted that GMHS has slipped [from # 2 in 2000 to # 63 in 2008] in Newsweek’s rankings. Do you take such national rankings seriously or make decisions based upon them?

PEPPE: We measure different results in our schools, but it’s important to look at all measures and rankings.  You have to make sure you are comparing equally sized school systems and counting things the same.  If you look at the rankings from Jay Matthews’ poll, Falls Church ‘s score hasn’t changed; surrounding school systems are just now focusing more on the measures of those rankings.  Falls Church was the first system in the area to let any student take an IB course.  So now we have 74 percent of our juniors/seniors taking at least one IB class.  It’s self-selected, and an option for everyone.  Another measure that is a goal for the school board is extracurricular activities.

BERLIN:  We have not dropped in terms of tests taken or scores.  We’ve gone up in both.  But because other schools are promoting more test taking, it appears we have gone down a little compared to others.  But again, the ranking doesn’t consider tests passed, just tests taken.  If one looked at the number of tests passed, we would be higher.

PEPPE:  It is a good thing to have more students taking advanced classes, and for them to take advanced tests.  The Board has a goal of having our students take more advanced classes generally because we believe that creates a more rigorous environment.

BERLIN:  65 percent of our students are involved in a sport —  I don’t remember the percentage of students involved in ANY extracurricular activity, but we’ve recently developed a matrix dashboard that shows a lot of these measures.

PEPPE: But rankings aren’t metrics.  The Board wants to look at metrics.  Metrics are an important tool, and we have developed a web page so anyone can see them.  It was developed by staff internally and just went live a few weeks ago.

How do we find it?

BERLIN:  It’s at www.fccps.org/metrics.  [Interview continues below.]

How much has the recent financial crisis affected your decisions? Do you agree that the budget process with the schools releasing their budget request before the City’s budget is released needs to be reviewed?

PEPPE:  We kept the same set of goals, but we really had to prioritize them.  The school board has a strategic plan with goals and objectives, and we have to stick with them over the long-term.

BERLIN:  Keep in mind that we really are in the people business.  87 percent of the school budget is salary.  We have to have teachers.

What about the budget process?  Do you need to be communicating earlier with the City Council about the school budget?

PEPPE:  Dr. Berlin meets with City staff in October and gets revenue projections.  This year, it was pretty clear that there was no increase.  So she pulled together her budget and presented it to the board in January.  We made more cuts, and then it was released to the Council.  But there was interaction throughout the process with the City staff.

BERLIN:  I also work to make sure that the school revenue is accounted for. The school system gets a percentage of sales tax from the state based on the number of children living in the city between the ages of 5 and 21.  And the City Charter mandates that any leftover monies from a previous year are carried over as the starting balance for the next year’s school budget.

PEPPE:  As I said earlier, it’s for those reasons that we try to make our request as transparent as possible.  We’re not playing games and hiding money for the end of the year.

What about next year?

BERLIN:  Next year could be worse. Every two years, the city has to pay a mandated contribution to the Virginia Retirement System.  I’m afraid we may see a large increase in 2010-2011.

PEPPE:  One of the things that makes the budgeting process so uncertain is that the city assesses property annually.  So, for example, in Frederick which is on a three-year re-assessment schedule, right now people are seeing their property values down but their assessments are remaining the same. There’s a little lag.  In Falls Church, property is re-assessed every year, so the revenue fluctuates yearly.

How has your educational philosophy evolved over the years?  What’s different now than when you first got involved in education?

BERLIN:  I don’t think the philosophy has changed.  The philosophy has always been, “What’s good for kids.”   What has changed is that we have evolved in our understanding of how kids learn.  And the tools and techniques of education have evolved over time.  For example, place-based versus non-place-based learning.  The idea used to be that a student goes to a class and that’s the place they learn.  But now we have come to understand that it’s not the place that brings learning.  You may have outdoor classes, you may have a watershed study, you may do all kinds of things outside the classroom, and those can be very effective.  So that’s an example of an evolution of technique.  Also, there is more work in teams.  We used to rarely work in teams; it was all individual.  Now kids work in teams all the time.

PEPPE:  I think that’s very important.  Kids need to learn to do things in a way the workplace would expect them to do it, and in the workplace, you work with other people.  We have to remember that we are training kids for jobs, not just educating them for the classroom itself.  And think about this — today we are training people for jobs that did not exist a few years ago, and in a few years there will be jobs that do not exist today.

BERLIN:  We spend a lot of time teaching kids to be problem solvers.

PEPPE:  Absolutely.  It’s about critical thinking.  That’s essential because the question is how to compete in a global environment.  We are not self-contained anymore.

BERLIN:  Our kids spend a lot of time writing.  Much more than in the past.  In the IB program, they write and write and write.

PEPPE:  Very important.

BERLIN:  So, again, the philosophy hasn’t changed, but the tools and techniques have changed.  They evolve as you learn better ways of educating kids, and also as the world changes.

The city’s schools are arranged by age, not neighborhood, so that grades are clustered in schools.  What are the advantages?  Disadvantages?  Cost-savings?  Inefficiencies?

BERLIN:  Can I just say, having lived through a redistricting in Alexandria , I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this system.  And it fits the community well.  Actually there are very few students who stay in this school system from kindergarten through 12th grade.  When they do we call them “lifers,” and I think this year we have 35 lifers out of 170 graduates.

The cost per student now is approximately $19,000 per year, higher than some private schools.  What can be done to hold the line or reduce costs?

BERLIN:  If you compare it to other schools our size, it will be about the same.  In small schools, the administrative cost per student is higher because it’s a fixed cost.  So the fixed administrative cost makes the average higher.  In larger schools you have an economy of scale that we don’t have here.  You have to look at factors like class size and how much money goes into personnel.

PEPPE:  That’s right, Falls Church costs are actually in line with other school systems of its size.

If you could change one thing about the system, what would it be?

PEPPE:  Well, the Board has a goal list, and we work for continuous improvement in all our goals.  But if I had to pick one thing, it would be to simplify our goals.

Can you say more about that?

PEPPE:  You have to focus on the things you want to improve on.  You can’t do everything at once.  We get lots of input, lots of advice; one person wants us to pay attention to this and another person wants us to pay attention to that.  So if you’re not careful you can just do whatever the last person asked you to do.  Or you shift back and forth.  One of my favorite quotes from a superintendent is “I can’t drive you to where you want to go if you keep grabbing the wheel.”

BERLIN:  I like that quote. [Smiling.]

PEPPE:  It’s very important, I think, to take all the inputs people have to give you, and then sit down and say, “Ok, what are our priorities, out of everything we have considered?”  And you pick that priority and focus on it, and then you measure to see how you did.  Hopefully you got it right and can then focus on something else.  So if I had to give you one thing to change, I would say we need to simplify our goals.

BERLIN:  I would agree with that.

It’s getting late.  We should let you go.

PEPPE:  As a last thing, I hope you will encourage your readers to come to graduation.  It is a great event.  June 17 at Constitution Hall.  They will enjoy it.

We would be happy to.  Thank you for taking time to talk to us.

More on Mason Boys Soccer Win Over Wilson Memorial

By Jon Brooks

The Boys Varsity Soccer team defeated Wilson Memorial in a “win or go home”
regional match on Monday, May 25.

The Mustangs put away their first goal just 10 minutes into the game, when
Mustang Senior Jack Cashin received a throw-in at the six yard line. His throw
reached Andrew Arias at the back post who headed the ball into the top left
corner of the goal.

The Mustangs continued to dominate the majority of the first half, winning 50/50
balls and pressuring the Hornets’ defense. The first half ended with a score of
1-0.

In the second half the Mustangs scored again off of a throw-in. Jack Cashin
hurled the ball to the six yard line where Senior midfielder Jon Brooks was
able to get a head on the ball, sending it over the goal keeper’s head and into
the upper right 90. The goal gave the Mustangs added momentum but they were
unable to beat the Hornets’ defense again, and finished the match with a score
of 2-0.

The Mustangs play their next regional game tonight (Wednesday, May 27) against Nelson
County. The game is at 6 PM at Nelson.

Mustang Jack Cashin says, “I think we have a good chance coming into the match
against Nelson County. Obviously the travel factor will weigh against us, but I
think we can come out on top.”

Boy Scouts Expand with New Troop 349 in Falls Church

By Steven Valley

Troop 349 Committee Chair

Boy Scout Troop 349 was created this Spring by three Falls Church City residents — Tony Ulses, Scout Master; James Custer, Assistant Scout Master; and Steven Valley, Committee Chair — after the National Capital Area Council of Boy Scouts issued a call to the community to meet the needs of the growing number of graduating Cub Scouts in the area.

Meeting in the American Legion Post 130 on Oak Street, Troop 349 has over 19 active members.  Since it formed three months ago, the Scouts have visited Quantico and Gettysburg and met with the Secretary of the Army, Pete Geren, a Falls Church City resident.

Secretary Geren took questions from the Scouts and gave the troop a tour of his office before having his picture taken with the boys next to the desk that Robert Todd Lincoln used when he was Secretary of War in 1881.

Troop 349 also took a tour of the Pentagon, visiting the 9/11 memorial and several exhibits in the building.

Troop 349 is open to any boy between the ages of 12 and 18 who has graduated from the fourth grade and/or has received his Arrow of Light award. Boys desiring to join the troop are welcome to attend a meeting and present themselves to the Scout Master for admission.

Troop 349 meets every Tuesday at 7 p.m. from September to June at the American Legion Hall on Oak Street. The troop web site contains more information about joining and what Boy Scouts is all about.

Troop 349 plans to work with the Legion Post to offer support to the many City residents who served our country in times of war.

Front Row (kneeling) L to R: Timothy Gilmour – Cub Scout Pack 657, Nick Roberson, Andrew Skomra, Evan Gorman, Preston Custer.
Back Row (Standing) L to R: Matthew Valley, US Air Force Honor Guard, Truman Custer, Ian Griffin, Jack Ulses, Jonathan Gilmour, Sec. of the Army Hon, Pete Geren, Owen Miller, James Coppock, Noah Saberhagen, Davis Hagigh, Neil Johnston, US Army Honor Guard

Complete Memorial Day Scrapbook – 69 Photos – Click Here

Click on the stories below to see the our complete photo coverage of the City of Falls Church 28th Annual Memorial Day Parade & Festival — all together, 69 photos. (SHORTCUT — Click the “Around Town” tab at top left corner of page, and scroll down to your heart’s content.)

Off to the Races! Falls Church Memorial Day Festivities Begin

Everybody Loves A Memorial Day Parade (Scrapbook Part 1)

Memorial Day Parade Scrapbook Part 2 — More Photos!

Memorial Day Parade Scrapbook Part 3 — You Want Photos?

Parade Scrapbook Part 4: Shriners, Clowns and Politicians

The Parade Was Great, But Don’t Forget the FOOD!

Final Memorial Day Scrapbook: Kids, Dogs, Booths and Music

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