We understand the revenue pressure you are under and we are very willing to change the Budget Process so that it is less confrontational and more collaborative. This should be a marriage that is headed for a 4-year honeymoon – not Family Court. Our budget is not just our agenda; it should be your agenda, too. These are not just our schools; they are your schools, too! Our budget is tied directly to the values that parents and taxpayers have supported over and over again. Taxpayers are interested in having a quality teacher in each classroom and classroom sizes that can be lower in the future than they have been in the past. These are the families who may find it hard to shoulder a property tax increase, but these are also the families for whom a good education for their children has the most meaning. These are the families who are most dependent on us to invest in education. These families are counting on us.
I would like to read an essay that Rigoberto Castaneda wrote for his application to the Academy of Science, which he gave to me that day:
I would like to go to the Academy of Science because I would like to go to Virginia Tech and then become an architect. I feel the Academy of Science will help me achieve my goals. I also like math and science a lot. Math and science I comprehend well. They are also two of my favorite subjects and my best. Also for the past two years I have done Continental math. Another thing I have done this past year was sorting food for Thanksgiving for those with no food, with my church. I also like the idea of going to Park View and the Academy of Science so I can see my friends and play sports at Park View, and still get a great education. I would learn how to write essays a lot better than this one, as well as a lot of college math and science.
Rigoberto is counting on us to invest in education.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Warren Geurin's Budget Presentation
My colleague Warren Geurin has provided his comments to the Board of Supervisors for publishing here. The full statement is over two pages long, so I am providing a link to his remarks here and excerpts below:
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How much does it cost the county to run the Academy of Science? My understanding from Mr. Wolfe and Ms. Fonash is that AOS is no different than any other math and science program in Loudoun high schools. They also do not think very highly of AP level courses.
ReplyDeleteI would caution any student before applying to this program. It is not in the same league as Thomas Jefferson.