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ESOL Funding Whammy In Loudoun
By Greg L | 22 March 2008 | Loudoun County, Illegal Aliens | 63 Comments
I’ll bet a lot of Loudoun County residents are wishing right now that their Board of County Supervisors had undertaken an effort last summer to reduce the number of illegal aliens unlawfully residing in their jurisdiction. Now that the budget proposal for the Loudoun County Schools has been published, it’s evident what this failure to act is doing to the budget. While Prince William is seeing some substantial fiscal savings materialize, Loudoun County is watching ESOL funding requirements begin to dwarf spending for core educational programs.
The Loudoun County School Board’s proposed fiscal year 2009 operating budget contains a massive increase in spending on English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction which dwarfs the percentage increases in other areas of the schools budget (and in the overall Loudoun County operating budget as well). In fact, in real terms the proposed ESL budget of $20,682,481 is 34% higher than proposed school expenditures for English, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education, Music, Foreign Languages and Gifted/Talented Education combined ($15,341,354).
Maybe this is just the result of legal immigrants coming into Loudoun County, and these costs are entirely unavoidable? Joe’s article concludes that scenario is pretty much impossible:
As Loudoun School Superintendent Ed Hatrick notes below, 63% of ESL students in this county come from households where Spanish is the primary language spoken at home. According to national surveys also detailed below, the vast majority of Spanish-speaking immigrants who have arrived here in the past ten years and / or are not fluent in English are here illegally. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to assume that the increase in ESL students in Loudoun County public schools is directly related to the influx of illegal immigrants in Loudoun County.
In fact, to make the only alternative argument - that Loudoun County has seen a massive influx of LEGAL Spanish-speaking immigrants in recent years - would fly in the face of all statistical data as detailed below. There is no controversy or national debate over legal immigration from Latin America. The entire debate is over the reality of illegal immigration. The incredible increase of Spanish-speaking households in Loudoun County - as politically incorrect as it is to say so - is certainly a result of illegal immigration.
Bottom line: Loudoun County’s legal residents are paying for the children of illegal immigrants to attend our public schools.
Loudoun County taxpayers could decide that it is a priority to provide taxpayer-funded education for illegal aliens and the children of illegal aliens. I’m sure there are a couple of not terribly ridiculous reasons why taxpayers might decide that this is their appropriate contribution to our “global village”, or that because of some dedication to ensuring that nothing would cause illegal aliens to return to their own countries, the appropriate response is to reward them with the same benefits generally reserved for citizens. The voters in Loudoun County never got to make much of a choice in that decision, though. When they cast their votes in the most recent election, voters heard from none of the supervisors who are now trying their hardest to make Loudoun a welcoming place for illegal aliens about what these policies would cost. None of those supervisors explained how educational resources will be diverted from the children of legal residents to the children of illegal aliens. The true effects of these policies are now on display, and certainly more than a few voters are going to feel they were lied to.
The real costs of inaction in Loudoun County continue to mount, and it’s fuel on the fire for a growing number of residents whom have clearly had enough. Loudoun could easily become the political battleground that Prince William County was last year, which is what it will clearly take for these fiscally and morally irresponsible policies to be reversed.
The opinions expressed here are solely the views of the author, and not representative of the position of any organization, political party, doughnut shop, knitting guild, or waste recycling facility, but may be correctly attributed to the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. If anything in the above article has offended you, please click here to receive an immediate apology.
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They made their choice for their BOCS so let them revel in it now. Enjoy. More of the same on a national level once Obama bin Laden, Hillarah Clinton or Juan McAmnesty are elected.
If you looked at what and how they run their schools you might see why the costs are so high in many different areas not just ESOL. The spending is out of line with not such good management of resources as well. Not my opinion but that of a very experienced teacher who works in the system
I’d like to see the ESOL budget figures for Manassas and Prince William too. Does anyone know the numbers?
I work in a Manassas City school and I have to say the entire ESOL thing is very confusing. I do know that the state ratio of ESOL teachers to students is 1:95. No kidding. My school shares ESOL teachers with other schools b/c City of Man hires teachers according to the entire population of ESOL students, not according to how many ESOL students are in each school. During a budget update by our superintendent (and you can find this online on the Manassas City sch website) Manassas City (during FY 2008) has an ESOL population of 27.5%, Loudon has only 8.2%, and PW has only 13.8%. In 08-09, the superintendent wants to add 3 full time positions, but it was noted that these positions would be “federal grant funded”. I could not find out how much money is actually spent on ESOL instruction. I know that in my school, instruction is done on the push in model, and all instuction is in English. Kindergarten students do not receive ESOL services. I wonder how much schools pay for testing as all ESOL students Level 1 and Level 2 are tested in the fall and again in the spring per fed govt requirements of NCLB.
We need to get rid of ESOL all together. My ancestors had no ESOL and they did fine. Of course, they came here legally.
A report of the NJ labor commissioners of 1885 noted that of an estimated 343,897 children of school age in the state, 89, 254 attended school. In NY out of 1,685,000 children between the ages of five and twenty, only 1.041,089 were enlisted in “common schools”, and average daily attendance was 583,142. In other words, on any given day an average of 1, 101,958 were absent from school. The commissioners declared “An army of uneducated and undisciplined children is growing up among us.” Article: How the Other side Lived. Author Page Smith. Text, Portrait of America, copyright 1999.
Hey, who needs silly things like math, reading, and gifted/talented programs when you can be spending all that money on the children of illigal aliens.
Whats all the fuss.
Of course there is not a need for esl. Put the kids in regular class and they can sink or swim like it is expected of other children. But again, lets keep in mind that illegals just want to be treated like everyone.
The school board here in the City is nothing but a bunch of nea lackeys who do only one thing good and that is to spend money like it grows on trees.
I’d like to see any of the school board members run the type of budget that my son’s school has. They would be absolutely lost without being able to waste our money.
What part of NCLB do some of you not understand? The requirements of NCLB mandate, require, whatever words you want to choose that mean MAKE you educate ALL children or suffer the consequences. It is not an option.
Children who do not speak English as their first language must be given assistance and must be tested using state testing materials after being in the program a year.
That is why we need ESOL. It simply is not an option. Also, many students who are in the ESOL program are not necessarily ‘illegal.’ Some are, some aren’t. On the other hand, many are American citizens.
“Illegal immigrants cost local governments money
even as they fill federal coffers with income, especially
from payroll taxes. ‘ The tax cost are local,
but the tax windfalls are national.’ says Cecilia
Munoz, vice president for policy at the National
Council of Raza. ‘ There is a local-national
imbalance. It becomes a potent political issue
locally, and there is nothing local governments can do.’ ”
“A National Academy of Sciences study found that the
average illegal immigrant puts a net lifetime cost
of $25,000 on local governments. ‘ Estimates are
that localities are forced to pay millions of dollars in
education and healthcare for noncitizens,’ says
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)”
E.J. Dionne Jr.
(WaPo op/ed 5-25-2006)
Even Hillary and a Raza VP see the proplem, but
almost two years later - zip.
Dolph,
Stop making excuses for bloated school budgets, and wasted programs. I would venture to say the vast majority of students in ESL programs are illegal. Stick these kids in regular classes and have the same expectations of them as we do other students(we expect them to learn the subject by the time the end of the semester rolls around).
Have you paid attention to the budget this year in the City of Manassas? The fire Levy can be handled two ways, add the Levey on top of the tax rate, or the second option is to increase the tax rate to not only cover the taxes that are supposed to be directed to hiring new members of the fire department, but also because of the stupid and wasteful school budget formula, the tax rate would have to be higher in order to provide 55% of the tax to the school budget.
That is just insane that the school board gets a cut of any and all tax increases simply because the tax rate has been increased. That does not mean the school budget has a need for more money, or has been increased.
I have to agree with Dolph that No Child Left Behind is causing this mess. If the ESOL kids can’t pass the state tests the school involved in labeled as a FAILURE. That makes the community look bad and who would want to move in to an area with a failing school. Herculean efforts have to be made to get the ESOL kids to pass. ESOL eats up far too much of the school budget, but what else can we do?
CJC,
Many schools are already a failure, with the program in place or without it(before NCLB). There will always be an excuse by the NEA for why they want more money for education. They just happened on NCLB this time.
It is wrong to put a failure label on schools when in some cases over 75% of the students are ESOL students. YOU try getting getting everyone up to grade level. The teachers have a very difficult job.
Dolph and CJC,
You both are correct.
COM,
You are blind and one sided as usual. Your son’s school must be private. They have none of the costly problems public schools have. How many ESOL kids do they educate? How about kids with single parents? LD kids? EMR kids? ADHD kids etc.? How many buses do they run? How many state mandates do they not have to meet? How about Federal? How many of their teachers are not certified? How many kids come from the poorest neighborhoods? Private schools are great for some, public schools strive to be great for all. Remember COM, if you don’t pay for public schools and work to get all children a good education you can always pay for more jails.
COM,
NEA has nothing to do with NCLB. These are 2 distinct issues with very different goals.
I am just going to do the bvbl thing and just repeat the same old tired slogan, what part of NCLB do you not understand. The depot’s heel is on the shore ….of each and every state. There is no choice. You play the game or you get labeled a failure. A school labeled a failure can ruin the best principals. teachers, communities, housing markets, etc.
I am not ready to say that our local schools are failures. They are not.
It’s fine that you do not like them. But according to surveys over the past few years, schools are getting public approval ratings of B.
Meanwhile, ESOL is just something that has to exist. It doesn’t matter who approves or disapproves.
No, I haven’t paid attention to City of Manassas’s budget. I live in the county. My plate is full in that regard.
The question of ESOL costs is, by far, the best argument made in the immigration debate. This has nothing to do with the quality of the teachers. It has nothing to do with the NEA. It is a simple fact that children who speak English as a second language cost vastly more to educate than children who are native English speakers. It is not a moral judgement about the children or their parents. It is just a fact. And in a world where real estate values are plummeting and real estate taxes are follwing suit - can we really afford to spend a fortune on ESOL education? NCLB may require that we educate all children. However, nothing requires that we continue to allow illegal immigrants to cross the border and bring more children into the USA who we can’t afford to educate.
Groveton,
You are absolutely right. We need to roll up the welcome mat. ESOL students should not be the MAJORITY of students in any of our schools.
The discussion is about budgets and ESL money, not the NEA or NCLB. They factor in but the issue is as stated in the article. Clearly, Loudoun has a problem growing as we did here as well. The NEA is in a constant left turn and a political power that needs to feed itself but is not the problem in Loudoun. NCLB rules have requirements and since Loudoun and the voters have not had the courage to stand up to the illegal lobby, they will continue to pay the price; by choice, not law.
Another issue that is a growing problem of which there is no immediate answer is the anchor children - born here of illegals but are now citizens who can’t speak the language (english).
I agree that and affirm that ESL programs should be paid for separately by the individuals taking the classes but the Feds and State legislatures have sought to legalize ESL as a “free” institution apparently thereby sticking it to the taxpayer.
Someone mentioned money for jails if we fail to educate folks. That too, is ludicrous. If we can begin to enforce laws and force illegals to leave, no one is suspending any programs. We just have fewer “enrollees” because we have fewer people. Loudoun and many other areas have forgone their oaths to uphold the laws of land and they are simply paying for it.
We have done nothing here to either be ashamed of or apologize for- nothing.
I like the teacher and their comments. It is refreshing to here from folks who are right there and I thank you for your comments and insight.
I think the cost of the ESOL program budgets should be in the headlines of the local paper. People need to get a true picture of what it is costing us.
CitizenofManassas said on 22 Mar 2008 at 10:49 pm:
Dolph,
Stop making excuses for bloated school budgets, and wasted programs. I would venture to say the vast majority of students in ESL programs are illegal. Stick these kids in regular classes and have the same expectations of them as we do other students(we expect them to learn the subject by the time the end of the semester rolls around).
COM, stop picking on Dolph just because she is pointing out a reality which has been thrust upon the state and local governments by the far more bloated Federal Government! NCLB may look good on paper, but the reality is that the Federal Government has once more mandated something of marginal value and enormous cost without picking up the tab.
So what? It’s decimal dust in the overall budget.
Why don’t you get mad about oil prices?
This web sight is getting less and less relevant. Lots of noise about an issue that decreases in relevance each day relative to everything that’s going on in the World.
As for the upside… at least you’re channeling your anger and invective into areas that have less relevance every day, which, therefore tends to diminish your voice.
Keep up the screaming and scratching and clawing and howling about how awful Manassas is as a place, please.
Next important issue in Manassas.. saving the Rebel Flag. Then, we need to go after the other threats to humanity.. like plastic, computers, distilled spirits, artists, homosexuals, and other outsiders.
TGFPDR… Thank God for poor Dumb Rednecks… the backbone of BVBL!!!
Here’s something to get worked up about:
N.Va. Foreclosures Form ‘Ring of Fire’
Chain of Housing Crisis Hot Spots Indicates Disparity in Market Downturn
By Nick Miroff
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 23, 2008; Page C06
When foreclosure specialist John Thompson looks at a map of Northern Virginia, he sees a flaming archipelago that stretches from Dumfries to Sterling. Parts of Dale City, Woodbridge and Herndon are engulfed; Manassas and Manassas Park are “a volcano.”
“It’s really limited to the ring of fire,” said Thompson, an agent with Samson Realty who specializes in REO, or “real estate owned,” properties. “There is no foreclosure crisis in McLean, Great Falls, Vienna, Oakton, Fairfax Station and most postal areas of Northern Virginia,” he said.
In those areas, prices have dipped slightly, remained stable or, in some cases, increased. Average sale prices in some Arlington County neighborhoods have risen 7 percent in the past year, and one McLean neighborhood’s average price has increased 13 percent.
But drive with Thompson through the hardest-hit areas of Prince William County — the epicenter of the region’s foreclosure trouble — and the loss of value has been precipitous.
“That one’s listed at $125,000,” Thompson said one recent afternoon, sizing up a dowdy green rambler in Manassas Park that had been foreclosed on. It wasn’t the fanciest house on the block, but it wasn’t a shack. Two years ago, homes in the neighborhood were selling for $300,000 to $400,000, Thompson said.
On a tour of Manassas and Manassas Park, Thompson pointed to telltale signs of foreclosure: utility notices posted on windows, newspapers yellowing in the driveway, realty signs staked in the lawn. On some blocks, every third or fourth house sat empty.
The losses in value have been extreme. A townhouse in Manassas was being offered at $94,900 even though it was assessed at $253,900. Dozens of bank-owned properties were listed for less than $150,000, far below their assessed worth.
“Banks are slashing prices, and that’s causing value of properties to go down with every sale,” Thompson said, noting that every time a bank unloads a house at a steep discount, it further devalues other houses in the area that it might also own, fueling the downward spiral.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032202086.html?hpid=topnews
People are fleeing your community in droves. This crisis impacts just about every aspect of life where you live.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032202086.html?hpid=topnews
Seems pretty relevant to me still Lee. Every one of these areas is an area that is an illegal haven or sanctuary city. These 2 issues go hand in hand. Get rid of the illegals and the economy will reset itself in 2 years. More jobs for working Americans, less taxes for Americans, less traffic for Americans. Why people like you and the government can’t seem to tie this together is beyond me. Maybe only people with IQ’s above 100 are capable of that?
Selective application of rule of law and made up numbers are now standard policies on BVBL.
TGFPDR and “upstate” trash.
Post or not
Funny you should mention the Rebel flag. I’ve often wondered how it became a symbol of slavery. After all, most of the people who fought for the South weren’t rich enough to own slaves even if they wanted to. No, they weren’t fighting for the right to own slaves. They were fighting for the right to govern themselves without influence from the Northern states. Simple as that, and yet somehow that has all been displaced by linking the flag to ONLY slavery. This is how we rewrite history to fit our present day views. Just as some are trying to form the fight against illegal immigration into the Rebel flag of today.
I think ESOL should go, and I think a local movement against it should be created. The parents should teach English to the kid, not the taxpayer.
Disturbing article in today’s WaPo metro section:
“When foreclosure specialist John Thompson looks
at a map of Northern Virginia, he sees a flaming
archipelago that stretches from Dumfries to Sterling.
Parts of Dale City, Woodbridge and Herndon are
engulfed; Manassas and Manassas Park are a
‘volcano’ “.
In the months ahead, as PWC and Loudoun take
different stances on “the rule of law”, it will be
informative to see who does best in turning
around their troubled areas and at what cost.
The cost of ESL is one piece in a much larger puzzle.
Big Dog said on 22 Mar 2008 at 9:53 pm:
Even Hillary and a Raza VP see the proplem, but
almost two years later - zip.
…….and 10 years later - still zip.
CJC said on 22 Mar 2008 at 11:05 pm:
If the ESOL kids can’t pass the state tests the school involved in labeled as a FAILURE. That makes the community look bad
Maybe it’s past time to be labled FAILURE. Perhaps then, the Feds will take notice and do someting about the costs of providing a free education (at the expense of our kids) to illegals.
AWC,
Thanks for pointing out that I am just addressing the reality of what has become of education. In my opinion, NCLB is the worst thing to hit education in the history of this country. The law has simply turned education as we know it upside down.
All emphasis now is on special education kids, economically disadvantaged, non-English speakers and minorities. There are other sub groups but in our area, the 4 are the biggies. Some students can actually fall in to all 4 categories.
NCLB also has its own subsets of rules so that you never figure out exactly what it is you are trying to achieve. You just do what you are told by someone who at least pretends they understand. So lets see, the parents, the kids, the teachers, the principals and most of the supervisors don’t understand the fed rules. However, if you don’t make benchmark standards, you and your school are deemed a failure.
Does anyone see something wrong with this? You and I sure do. The feds have taken over an area, not designated as theirs, dictated the rules, and left us, the local taxpayers with a huge bill where we have no say so.
Billy Boy,
Wave!!! ~~splash~~ You have been missed.
You hit the nail on the head. Private schools pay for very few of the special programs that have been mandated by state and federal government. Why? Because they don’t have to. Thank you for bringing this up and out in the open.
park’d said on 22 Mar 2008 at 12:29 pm:
They made their choice for their BOCS so let them revel in it now. Enjoy. More of the same on a national level once Obama bin Laden, Hillarah Clinton or Juan McAmnesty are elected.
Park’d,
Please don’t insult our next president John McCain. If you listen to his interview with Hannity, he said he got the message loud and clear. He will make strengthening our border security his number 1 priority.
You must be watching the Challenged News Network CNN.
Lee,
The City School budget gets 55% of the general funds, I hardly think that makes up just a tiny portion of the overall budget.
The price of oil is high, but when we have people buying 4.00 dollars for a 16oz cup of coffee, or 5.00 for “spring” water, and they are the ones bitching about 3.00 dollar a gallon gas, it simply boggles the mind.
Billboy,
You are the one that is blinded. Do you understand what I posted? No matter what the tax increase might be for, or directed at, the tax rate must be higher just to account for the share that must be given to the school board, even if the school board does not need the money.
Now, you tell me how that is not screwed up.
Of course my son goes to a private school, they have to work on a budget without having the thought of wasting money. The school is very orderly, they graduate students that are well rounded, very educated, and have very few disciple issues. They do not segregate students by ability, all students are expected to learn at the same rate. All the teachers are college educated with advanced degrees.
The school is run without the NEA, and that is why it is successful.
COM,
I am quite sure it is successful, I am happy for your child. I am suprised, however, to hear that all students are expected to learn at the same rate. I guess that means they have no LD students or GT students. I am glad my kid is not part of a cookie cutter assembly line. And I am sure all the teachers are college educated, but are they certified in what they are teaching? Did they pass the Praxis text? They ALL have advanced degrees? Better check that one COM.
Ari: McCain claims he will make border security a number 1 issue. Then what? That weasel then wants to give amnesty to 20-30 million illegals who are currently within our borders. He hasn’t talked about that.
Private school parents pay for everything. We also pay for your children to attend public schools, with no direct benefit to ourselves. Things aren’t perfect, and we often do without many things that are commonly furnished in a public school. I understand that the comments were made in the context of ESOL programs, but some of the chest beating from the education experts out there is a little nauseating.
Ari Stotle said on 23 Mar 2008 at 7:56 pm:
Juan McCain is an out and out distorter of the truth. He NEVER did get the message and avoids the subject like the plague. I am no lover of Obama or Clinton but both have stated their true intentions —AMNESTY. McCain is a LOOSER.
Billy,
It is not cookie cutter, it is expected, as in the students will be ready to learn each and every day. The children are well mannered and have respect for their teachers. I know the teachers have advanced degrees, because we were furnished with proof when we enrolled our son.
I suppose if my child was going to public schools(examples of what has happened in the County and City over the last year) he would have been exposed to sex in schools, drug selling teachers and who knows what else that is not reported. Now, how is it that those well regulated by the book public schools could have such nonsense going on?
Why don’t you answer my questions regarding the budget and how the school board receives a cut even though they did not ask for it, and the tax in question is for another concern.
Parents of children in private schools should be getting tax credits as should parents who home school. The teacher union wouldn’t like that and would be howling about how only they can teach because they’re certified by the state. It’s the only way to clean up the education establishment AKA “The Blob” By the way, there’s nothing in The Constitution that establishes a state school system.
- ESL students as a percent of FY 2008 total enrollment:
Loudoun County - 8.2%
Fairfax County - 13.2%
Prince William County - 13.8%
Manassas City - 27.5%
- MCPS Student Ethnicity:
2004 2008
Hispanic- 26.8% 41.6%
Afr-Amer- 17.1% 15.4%
White- 51.3% 37.9%
Other- 4.9% 5.1%
(Source: Superintendent’s Proposed Budget
- Presented to School Board 1-22-2008)
John McCain does not support amnesty.
Yeah, right…that’s why he co-sponsored an amnesty bill with Teddy Kennedy.
Billy Boy,
Correct me if I’m wrong. Maybe I misunderstood your previous post. Even if someone sends their child to private school or homeschools, they still pay taxes to educate those children who go to public school. We all should have a say on how are tax dollars are spent. I do believe that a child who has been in ESOL for more than two years has been there too long. I really think because of NCLB there is no incentive for children to understand and speak English. In that regard our public school system is an enabler. I really think that two years is the max and after that the parents of those ESOL children need to fund their own classes.
Ducky said on 24 Mar 2008 at 2:02 am:
John McCain does not support amnesty.
Please provide proof for that asinine statement above. The last “comprehensive bill on immigration” proposed by the Senate showed where Juan McCain stood (and still stands despite his denials.) He avoids the subject of his position on amnesty since he got his a$$ kicked along with Sr. Kennedy with the defeat of the bill. He throws out “I support securing the border” and stops there. Ask him if he still supports amnesty and you will be met silence.
Actually…its all in the words…..John McCain supports a “pathway to citizenship”…..which = AMNESTY.
“Yeah, right…that’s why he co-sponsored an amnesty bill with Teddy Kennedy.”
(Jedi mind trick)
McCain did not sponsor an amnesty and will secure the borders.
Come on DUCKY, YOU KNOW IT ALL! Answer my 9:06am post. DON’T HAVE A CREDIBLE ANSWER DO YOU?
NCLB is a popular excuse to say these students need to be taught in ESL classes, and lots of apathy and well it has to be done, etc etc. What happened before NCLB? There were still ESL classes and out of control school budgets.
It seems to me like we had NCLB before we had the invasion. Maybe I’m wrong though.
If I am not mistaken, NCLB was Bush’s attempt to show he could work both sides of the aisle. He teamed up with Kennedy to come up with the plan. We have had illegals for more than just the last 8 years.
NCLB came in under Bush. NCLB is hardly an excuse. It rules supreme. It is a good reason to not ever allow the feds in local matters. Don’t forget it governs special ed, economically disadvantaged, and minority education just the same as ESOL.
To my knowledge, there has always been ESOL in modern times.
Dolph,
Thanks for supporting my point of view, NCLB is just a new excuse for the NEA to use to cover for failing schools and bloated budgets.
NEA has almost NO effect on our local schools. Most teachers just belong to it because it offers sompe insurance protection against lawsuits.
They do most of their damage by lobbying the State and Federal Governments. They truly should have no place at all in any education matter.
COM,
The same can be said for the federal government, in my humble opinion.
I really think you put far too much importance on the NEA. How do you feel about the local and state (PWEA and VEA) and why?
Dolph,
I dislike the NEA because they are liberal, a Union, and could care less about the education of our children.
Of course the Federal Government has issues, but we tried to get them off our back once, and well, that did not work out so well.
I’m not familiar with the two other groups you mentioned.
COM
No disagreeemnt, the NEA by definition is a liberal union. However, I disagree that they could care less about the education of our children. If anything, they believe schools should be everything to everybody, and this is demonstrated by the many State and Federal laws that have been passed to “help” public education. It’s also why educators shouldn’t be on School Boards; they’re too close to the problem and have never had to say no we can’t afford to do that.
I care,
Exactly, they simply do not know the word no when it comes to budgets.
COM,
You talk like you know alot about the NEA and what they stand for. If you know so much how on earth do you not know what the PWEA and the VEA are? You talk a big story but you don’t know squat.
Billy,
Nice attempt at changing the subject. I know what the NEA stands for, because they are very good at getting their message out.
Now, what about the budget questions I asked you?
COM
You have no idea what you are talking about. You just make crap up then swear by it. You did not ask me any questions about anything. The budget in Manassas is very tight. I think it went up by 3% or something. Thats with giving employees a deserved raise. The support staff is getting a nice raise to try to catch them up to PWC and the teachers are getting less. From what I have read the superintendent asked for very little and the School Board gave her even less.
Billy,
I know exactly what I am talking about it. The NEA is only too proud to talk about what they believe in.
Again, do you have a problem with the fact that if the City decides to go with the tax increase as opposed to the fire levey to fund the Fire Department hires, they will have to go above and beyond the tax rate to pay for the hires because of the school budget agreement, that calls for the school board to receive 55% of the general budget.