We have excellent local public schools here in Fairfax County. As an "At Large" member of the School Board, I will accept the challenge to keep them that way, and to make them even better. There are several critical issues facing Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).
One critical issue is increasing political pressures to “do more with less” in public education. These pressures are due to the high costs of housing, long commutes, crowded roads, buses, and subways, high fuel prices, costly parking, high costs of health care, child care, and elder care, and frustrations with politicians who seem unable to deliver relief. Pressures are building to allocate more revenue to transportation and health care (e.g., Medicaid) and less revenue to other services, including public education. Pressures to cut taxes (available revenue) are present also, and possibly increasing, due to the high costs of living in Fairfax County. A recent announcement of substantial Virginia state revenue shortfalls forecasted for this year also suggests a likelihood of increasing pressures to “do more with less” in public education.
Another critical issue is the high turnover rates of teachers and administrators, as well as the resource implications of turnover. The Washington Post reported (Page B6, June 21, 2007) that a recent study by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future estimated that it costs FCPS $28.4 million each year to replace teachers who leave for other employment opportunities, retirement, or other reasons. The Post also reported that a study released last year by the National Education Association showed that, nationally, half of all new teachers leave within the first 5 years of teaching. As more “baby boomers” reach retirement age, the turnover of our most experienced teachers and administrators will become an increasingly serious problem.
There are other critical issues facing FCPS, such as increasing numbers of Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and other learning challenged students, and the achievement gaps of minority students and students from low-income families, as well as the resource implications of these challenges. Drugs, gangs, guns, absenteeism, behavior problems, student discipline, and student dropouts remain important concerns. Another continuing challenge is achieving the proper balance of resource allocations for mainstream, advanced, alternative, and special education.
As a research psychologist and a management analyst with over 32 years of experience developing solutions to problems in the public sector, I have the professional skill set needed to address these issues appropriately.