We have an amazing town. I went to a meeting today of the Manassas Education Foundation. Heck, I’m not sure I was aware we had such a thing until about a month ago. The foundation, comprised of volunteers, raises money each year to help fund the needs of the schools. Much like the way that I am now forced to read, they are trying to hold their organization at arm’s length and see if they believe they are going in the right direction.
Reflection is always a healthy, if not easy, thing to do. Sometimes you discover some things about an organization (or oneself) that you aren’t wild about. I do not believe that the foundation will end up gazing upon a distorted reflection in the final analysis but they may discover some things they want to change and that’s ok too. They’ve been around quite awhile and a little change from time to time ain’t so bad.
Thanks to the foundation for all of their hard work and to those not directly affiliated with the foundation who attended today for their expertise and experience. Judging from what I saw, it will be a productive process!
January 23, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Ms. Spitler and others have put good energy into this. I would have attended today except for some long-planned church-related obligations. I look forward to hearing about what transpired and for ways to contribute.
Typical conversations in Manassas and elsewhere frequently proclaim that “it’s all about the kids,” and it seems to me that the Foundation is a good place to put the pedal to the metal, where there is real potential for more walk than talk.
While we’re on the education topic, I sure hope we are not otherwise balancing the city budget on the backs of our kids. A corollary is that I also hope we are not relying on the Foundation to be a substitute for appropriate taxpayer support for education.
Speaking for myself, taking money away from education should be a last resort, not a first or even a next to last resort. Businesses will not move here if we offer a crummy education system. Just look at the respective values of identical houses distinguished solely by favorable and unfavorable schools districts. The distinction is clear even in a down property market.
I want the Foundation to do well. But it cannot be, nor does it purport to be, a substitute for appropriate public monetary support. That support must come from the school board and city council and, ultimately, from all of the good citizens in our fair city.
As the Foundation appropriately examines its mission, no doubt several of these topics will directly or indirectly come up. In the meantime, my thanks goes out to citizens like Ms. Spitler who are doing their part to help focus and maximize the work of the Foundation.
January 23, 2009 at 10:52 pm
The school system already gets too much money. The ESL classes are a waste of time and money. Many of those students are illegal and their parents do not pay their fair share of taxes, yet cost the school system much more than it does for kids who are not in esl classes. That simply is not fair and needs to change.
Anyone who thinks the school system is not wasting money is simply not living in reality. Too often we hear that schools need to be fully funded, and ya that makes for a good campaign pitch, but has anyone provided exactly what fully funded is?
I bet the Chicago school system says the same and they most likely say they have cut to the bone. Yet, somehow they were able to spend $60,000 on coffee makers. I’m not saying that is going on here in the City, but we should not just listen to the NEA when it comes to figuring out how much money the school system needs.
We need to end the agreement with the school system of paying them a fixed amount of the budget and start over. An audit of the system needs to be done in order to find savings.
January 24, 2009 at 11:41 am
COM:
I’m sure the school board would welcome your input! I’d be happy to post a schedule of their budget meetings.
As for the Education Foundation, I applaud their efforts. They clearly believe that they can help and are way past sitting on the sidelines and complaining. I think it is great.
Rich:
As a practical matter, the foundation could never scale to be a replacement for public support. My humble opinion is that the foundation should operate kind of like the schools part of Manassas Next – coming up with innovative new programs and helping the schools to fund them. The Fairfax Education foundation has given over $20 million to the FFX schools over the last several years and was the original impetus for Thomas Jefferson…..
January 24, 2009 at 1:53 pm
FYI-
-Suggest looking at the Virginia Education Association (VEA)
web site under changes in state payments per student to local
governments -based on a composite index of a “local ability to pay”.
Unfortunate for many jurisdictions, the index is based on housing
prices and average income data from two years ago. In the
Gov.’s proposed budget Manassas will see a drop of $56 per student,
Manassas Park $67 and PWC $85. Consequently the new
state support per student would be Manassas ($5,499), PWC ($5,354)
and Manassas Park ($6,227). Of course, since this a proposal,
it may well change in the GA – up (we hope) or down.
January 24, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Also, the “Comparative Report of Local Government Revenues and
Expenditures” has some interesting information. It is on the web site
of the Commonwealth of Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts.
(apa. state.va.us). Find out how your jurisdiction compares.
January 24, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Andy,
I’d love to speak to the school board, as I have spoken in the past to you and the rest of the Council.
January 25, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Thoughts-
– The Manassas Education Foundation was founded in 1994
and has done a great job in helping our school system and students
over the past fifteen years. They deserve our thanks and support.
– I’m disappointed our local paper – the News-Messenger –
doesn’t do a better job of covering local sports. Last night I
attended an exciting OHS boy’s basketball victory ( 71-70 here
over a good Brooke Point team). The Black Hawks shot ahead
by a dozen points and then the Eagles took a ten pont lead late
in the game only to see a pressing three-point shooting spurt
by the visitors turn it into a barnburner. Having recently endured
a Wizards game, it was great to see so much desire and energy
on a b-ball court. I certainly got my five bucks worth. Thanks to
Coach Mike Dufrene and his team for two victories this weekend.
Of course, you wouldn’t know any of this from reading our local
paper this morning. The News-Messenger shot another air ball.