Loudoun School Budget 2014

Boards discuss FY 14 schools budget

At the initiation of the Joint Board of Supervisors/School Board Committee, which I co-chair, both boards met Dec. 19 to discuss the upcoming FY '14 schools budget. This meeting may have been a first. Naturally, the School Board feels it is in a tough position to make $56 million in cuts out of a nearly $877 million proposed budget in order for the Board of Supervisors to deliver on cutting taxes a second year in a row. There is a good article linked below, but some other comments at the meeting were omitted: 1. Both At-Large School Board Member Tom Reed and I reminded everyone about the pending sequestration "Fiscal Cliff," which could raise taxes on all Americans come Jan. 1 AND force layoffs of thousands of Loudoun County residents who work for the U.S. government or federal contractors. Tom said: "The fiscal cliff in Loudoun will be a higher cliff with rocks at the bottom." He is correct. 2. Because of this, I told the panels I would not be interested in any increases in taxes or spending on the County side - -except what the Schools need to accommodate about 2,550 more new students, and funds to meet higher costs. No-one in LCPS could give me a targeted cost-per-pupil efficiency, or provide any data on where funds can't be cut due to mandated state and federal programs. 3. The desire of the Board of Supervisors to cut taxes has been known to the School Board since September when it was unanimously approved by our Finance Committee. The School Board has had ample time to review benefits and personnel -- in reality since last spring when the last budget closed. This is a great School Board, which made heroic cuts last year, and I continue to believe they are going to make Loudoun Schools better -- in large part because they are a diligent bunch of people. 4. The Government Reform and Restructuring Commission has tried since the summer to get cooperation from the LCPS staff on its efforts to SAVE tax dollars by consolidating duplicative staffing in County and LCPS -- like construction, mapping and printing. Dr. Hatrick has pretty much stonewalled this effort, which came to light at our Joint Schools Committee meeting. As a result, the School Board has nothing concrete it can get from the Reform Commission on areas to cut in the coming budget. 5. I floated the idea at the meeting of using special tax districts on new developments to defray some of the cost of future schools construction. It is capital costs, both on the County and Schools side, that is what leads to more debt and higher taxes. My 2011 campaign platform was NOT to "hurt the schools" but to HELP THE TEACHERS and STUDENTS and cut back on administrative areas, capital construction by expanding school sizes and programs that do not add value. All of these ideas, so far, have not received much acceptance from the School Board, nor some of my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors. But so far, neither my BOS colleagues nor School Board members have taken up the charge on these ideas. Furthermore, if you talk to classroom teachers, they will tell you how much they are gypped on supplies and other needs -- some of which they have to pay for out of pocket! I believe this is unreasonable, yet to not require more out-of-pocket for health insurance for part timers. Finally, it is very possible - unless we are pushed over the "Fiscal Cliff" -- that Loudoun could get MORE tax revenue in 2014 due to rising assessments and all the resistance from the School Board will be for naught. But even if Loudoun were awash with funds, I would not waiver one bit, nor should my colleagues, on the goal to INCREASE FUNDS for the CLASSROOM and REDUCE funding in areas that add little value -- like administration. Therefore, I sincerely hope this great reform-minded School Board we elected will make the necessary cuts and reallocations to areas most in need -- our teachers and students. Article on joint meeting on budget