As an “At Large” member of the School Board, I will work to improve decision making that affects the quality (effectiveness), productivity (efficiency), and accountability (to all stakeholders) of the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).
Although the FCPS is not a "business" with a profit or loss bottom line, it is truly BIG BUSINESS with a $2.2 billion annual operating budget, plus a substantial Capital Improvement Program. Business Case Analysis is a discipline commonly used in both private and public sectors to ensure that all relevant variables are considered in decision making, and that the decisions made are in the overall best interests of the organization. In the context of the FCPS, a business case analysis would involve:
• Brainstorming the problem and possible solutions (including "thinking outside the box").
• Defining the status quo plus one or more alternatives that seem to be the most promising.
• Identifying and estimating the costs, benefits, and risks of the status quo and each alternative.
• Evaluating the pros and cons associated with the status quo and each alternative.
• Gathering additional information or data if needed (e.g., surveys, pilot testing).
• Developing a comprehensive rationale for selecting the proposed solution.
• Developing a comprehensive plan for implementing the proposed solution.
• Vetting the proposed solution and plan with the FCPS community and the public.
• Finalizing the solution and implementation for "business case" approvals.
• Executing the plan to implement the solution.
• Reviewing the results to verify expected outcomes.
Because I have not had an opportunity to evaluate the business case for any specific program, I cannot list any programs that I would propose to change, add, or eliminate at this time. I plan to review several areas for possible improvements, including:
• Hiring, development, utilization, compensation, and retention of the FCPS faculty, staff, and administrators.
• Acquisition and life cycle management of FCPS schools and other facilities.
• Acquisition and life cycle management of the FCPS transportation fleet.
• Substitution of technology for labor to enable our employees to work smarter, not harder and our students to learn more rapidly, with better retention.
• Education of the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students and other Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students.
• Education of other learning challenged students.
• Definition of the “normal workday" of teachers and staff.