OPINION: Sharing the Budget Pie

By ANNETTE HENNESSEY
Falls Church Times Staff

February 22, 2010

For the last 10 years, the schools’ part of the budget pie has hovered around 40%, give or take a percent or two (if you include debt service, the piece of pie grows to 44-48%).  With the projected budget shortfall at $9 million, to keep the schools at 40% of the pie would mean a $3.6 million reduction in the school budget.  What will that mean to Falls Church City Schools?

With no target budget given to the schools by City Hall this year, Dr. Lois Berlin, at the request of the School Board, outlined four tiers of budget cuts at the beginning of the budget process.  Her four budget reductions ranged from 1.8% (accounting for all the federal and state budget cuts) to 8.6% (accounting for the almost $9 million budget shortfall experienced by the city).  The Tier 4 reductions came close, but only equal $3.1 million, and the public outcry against such draconian measures included at this tier such as moving to half-day kindergarten; eliminating elementary-level art, music, and foreign language; and increasing class size by as many as five students has indicated the improbability of that scenario.

Let’s face it.  The economy is not going to rebound in one year.  Unless something drastic happens, we’ll be facing, at the very least, a flat budget for FY2012.  Can the schools withstand these cuts this year, and then even identify new budget cuts for a second year?

Most people engaged in the current budget debate seem to agree that strong schools add value to our Little City (except for those who feel the City School System is doomed, doomed, doomed and we should sell out – quick – to our friendly neighbors).  The debate should now be how much more of the pie we give the schools to maintain the quality of the education for our children and retain the staff the school system has worked hard over the last few years to recruit.

The City budget work sessions have been structured to identify citizens’ priorities.  But groups at recent meetings have been given a list of 68 “lines of service” to prioritize.  By focusing on such a large number of options, it’s easy to focus on pet projects and harder to identify the core functions of the Little City that citizens value most.

With such a dramatic budget reduction, hard choices will be need to be made.  The questions we should be asking are:  Where can we let things slide a year or two?  What are luxuries and what are necessities?  Where can cuts be made, and where do we have to meet legal or moral obligations?  By looking at the major themes, it may make it a little easier to identify those areas:

1. Community Outreach
2. Development
3. Education
4. Environmental
5. Human and Community Services
6. Library
7. Public Safety
8. Recreation and Parks
9. Transportation

And then we should ask the experts – the city staff who run these programs. Acknowledging that all decisions are difficult, where could there be cuts and how would those cuts realistically affect your program?  How easy would it be to rebound after suffering those cuts?  What would be your four tiers for reductions?

As Dr. Berlin constructed her four tiers of budget scenarios, she worked closely with the school administrators and staff to identify cuts and how those reductions would affect the education given to the city students, the staff, the infrastructure of the school system, etc.  The process was a painful one for staff and administrators alike.  Departments were pitted against department; staff continue to feel vulnerable and that many of these budget reductions rest on their backs.

Last week, School Board Chair Ron Peppe stated, “We want to keep any budget reductions as far removed from the classroom as possible,” and indicated that the School Board budget request to the City Manager would be in the neighborhood of a $1.1 million reduction.  Those cuts fall within the Tier 2 range, and the principals’ assessments on how those cuts will affect their schools are available online on the Falls Church City Schools budget page (http://www.fccps.org/board/budget/fy11/index.html).

I can only assume that the City Manager is going through the same process with his staff as he formulates the City’s FY2011 budget scheduled to be released on March 8^th.  Clearly a tax increase is in the Little City’s future.  The question now is how large and where will the increased revenue be spent?  Citizens will be more supportive if they know what the funds will be used for, and how City Hall and the School Board arrived at those priorities.  I am hopeful that the city budget presentation will be as transparent as the school budget debate has been. Read more

It Takes a Village… to dig out a playground

By ANNETTE HENNESSEY
Falls Church Times Staff

February 19, 2010

An e-mail blast was sent.  People responded.  And students at MEHMS enjoyed recess outside for the first time since the Big Snows of 2010.  And that’s the way it works in The Little City.

Read the full story on the MEHMS website or watch and listen to the Rockin’ talents of MEHMS Technology Specialist Brett Sparrgrove.

Special thanks to Kathleen Donovan for the photos and inside scoop!

OPINION: The Gift of a Snowy Day

By ANNETTE HENNESSEY
Falls Church Times Staff

This is such a busy season.  As we rush around gathering gifts, attending parties, studying for midterm exams, it’s hard to enjoy our days.  But today, we were all given a gift of time stopping…a blanket of snow slowing life, bringing people together, giving us a break from the hustle-bustle.

What did I do with my gift of a day?  Wrapped Christmas gifts with my husband.  Talked with my brother in Pahrump and my sister-in-law in Charlestown for as long as I wanted.  Baked Christmas cookies (even though it wasn’t on my To Do list this holiday season — not enough time).  Bundled my kids up multiple times so they could a) build snow forts b) shovel a path for our dog c) go find the newspaper under the hill of snow.  Read several chapters of “My Life in France” while sitting in front of a fire.  Made grilled cheese sandwiches and hot chocolate.  Played a family game of Life.

I even took a break from the computer, but luckily other Falls Church Times staff did not. Poised at their computers when not shoveling or sledding, they’ve captured the day with readers’ photos.  I enjoyed seeing the day through others’ eyes and experiences…of everyone enjoying the gift of this very special day. 

Tomorrow, we’ll deal with digging out in earnest.  Start thinking about whether there will be school again before winter break and who will stay home with the kids if schools don’t reopen.  Sort out the logistics of buying those last-minute gifts or getting stranded relatives to where they need to be.

But for now, my tea kettle is whistling…and I plan to enjoy a cup of tea with my daughter.  I hope you are enjoying your break as well.

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town — Tonight!

A favorite Falls Church tradition begins tonight.  The Santa Mobile, the decorated reserve pumper from the Falls Church Fire Department and staffed by volunteers, will parade Santa Claus through the streets of the Greater Falls Church area between 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. for the next week. The first five nights are dedicated to specific areas within the City of Falls Church, with the 20th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd reserved for make-up nights and excursions into neighboring Arlington and Fairfax Counties.  Weather can cause the schedule to shift slightly, so to confirm when the Santa Moblie will visit your neighborhood, visit the Falls Church Virginia Volunteer Fire Department’s web site for an updated map and schedule.

PLEASE NOTE: Santa’s helpers will be handing out candy canes and fire safety literature during Santa’s rounds. Anyone who wishes to receive these free items is encouraged to greet Santa at the curb if possible. This provides the safest conditions for Santa’s helpers and ensures they have an opportunity to visit the largest number of our friends and neighbors.

Photo Credit: Thanks to Shelbi Taylor for the Santa photos.

Affordable Housing 101

By ANNETTE HENNESSEY
Falls Church Times Staff

Our two most recent articles on City Center South Senior Apartments (CCSSA) — Housing Corp. Seeks $2 Million City Funding for New Project [October 25, 2009] and Housing Corp Application Generates Questions [November 5, 2009] — have generated over 50 comments, and many requests by readers to have someone clearly outline the project, the issues surrounding the financing, and next steps.  Using information from the articles and the many comments made to each story, the Falls Church Times has pulled together this guide to the CCSSA project.  In order to ensure that we had captured the facts, we had it reviewed by Carol Jackson with the Falls Church Housing Corporation (FCHC).  Read more

Falls Church PTAs Seek Combined Federal Campaign Dollars

The Falls Church PTAs — Mount Daniel/Thomas Jefferson Elementary Schools, Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, and George Mason High School — are reminding parents who are federal employees that they can designate part or all of their Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) contributions for their local PTA/PTSA chapters.  All three organizations are charities associated with the campaign, and federal employees have until December 15 to sign up to contribute through the CFC.   Designation codes for the three PTAs are:

• Falls Church Elementary PTA: 14598
• Mary Ellen Henderson PTA: 40097
• George Mason PTSA: 79191

OPINION: Defining Moments

By ANNETTE HENNESSEY
Falls Church Times Staff

Recently, people have been struggling to define the Falls Church Times.  Is it a blog or an online newspaper; a community forum or a political website?  Is its tone conservative or liberal, progressive or reactionary, or assertively independent?

I guess that’s to be expected.  We recently hit over 500 readers a day, so our audience has grown far beyond our circle of family, friends, neighbors, and a few regular visitors.  With so many readers it’s inevitable that there will be different views.  I think it’s time I defined mine.

I started the Times with my neighbors, Stan Fendley and Dave Witzel, after a conversation about how under-informed we felt during the May 2008 election campaign.  Although we found it easy to obtain candidate-generated information, we all had difficulty objectively evaluating incumbents’ positions since none of us had regularly attended City Council or School Board meetings.  We also were unsure of what relevant experience new candidates might bring to office, beyond what was stated in their campaign literature.  With limited time and competing priorities in all our lives, we made our final decisions at the polls based on personal conversations with the candidates and word-of-mouth recommendations.  I felt there should have been a better way.

I also found myself spending more and more time on the Internet trying to track down essential information for schools, leaf collection and trash pickup (during holiday weekends), sports, and  community events.  Wouldn’t it be great, I mused, if it all could be in one place? Read more

Back to School: Watch Out for Buses!

Read more

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