F.C. School Board Urged to Provide Raises
At a public hearing Tuesday on the proposed Falls Church School System budget for the coming fiscal year, the Board heard from the new president of the Falls Church Education Association. Amanda Blanchard urged the board to provide the increases in teacher salaries in the face of regional competition for good teachers, and to maintain small class sizes to insure the quality of the schools. Following a three-hour work session on the budget, using the recommended budget of Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones as their model, the Board determined to visit all four schools in the system to tour the facilities and hear directly from teachers and staff. Two schools will be visited this Friday, and two next Friday. The board is slated to have a third public hearing on Feb. 26 and to adopt its budget and request for funds from the City on March 5.
1:20 PM
It would be nice for everyone – public and private – to get a nice raise … but budget pressures say otherwise. Plus, small FCC (tax base very small – and mainly fueled by homeowners, not businesses) cannot compete directly against wealthly Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax – with much larger business communities (i.e., tax base). To try to stay on par with other richer jurisdictions is NOT reasonable.