From: Charles & Linda McAndrew / 12808 Willow Glen Ct / Oak Hill, VA 20171
To: | Mrs. Sharon Bulova Chairman, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors |
Mr. Michael Frey Fairfax County Board Supervisor Fairfax County Government |
Mr. Ilryrong Moon Chairman, Fairfax County School Board |
Dear Mrs. Bulova, Mr. Frey and Mr. Moon:
COUNTY BUDGET PROPOSED INCREASES
We want to protest the increases in the budget that amounts to more than
twice the rate of inflation. The County Executive has proposed for FY 2015
General Fund Disbursements totaling $3.704 billion which will increase
$118.02 million or 3.29% over the FY 2014 Adopted Budget Plan. This
is an increase over twice the current inflation rate which, for the first two
months of 2014, is 1.3%. Of course, these increases over twice the inflation
rate have been going on for at least 40 years that we have been involved in
reviewing the budget of Fairfax County. The FY 2015 General Fund Direct
Expenditures of $1.361 billion will increase by $51.89 million or
3.96% over the FY 2014 Adopted Budget Plan. Again, this is three
times the current inflation rate. All of this data is quoted from the
"County Executive Presentation of FY 2015
Advertised Budget Plan". Much of these increases are brought about in
retirement and health benefits. Isn't it time for the county officials
to change the retirement plan for new employees to a 401(k) type retirement
plan and raise the retirement age to 62? The Federal Government changed
their retirement plan for all new employees from the generous Civil Service
Retirement System (CSRS) to the
Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) in 1986. FERS is a hybrid
retirement plan much less generous than the CSRS.
BUDGET CUTS
The County Executive has provided a list of $20 million in possible cuts.
Supervisor Herrity has also provided a proposal to cut $34 million. Cuts
can also be made in the School-Aged-Child-Care program (SACC) to make it
more cost neutral for the county. Currently, the SACC program only recoups
about 80% of its costs and the county pays $9 million according to the
Fairfax County Times article titled, "County board weighs budget
cuts as an alternative" dated March 28, 2014. The county should make
the residents who use the SACC pay the full price! If the county
officials cannot figure out what to cut in the entire $7 billion budget,
then implement a 5% across-the-board cut.
SCHOOL BUDGET
Superintendent Garza has proposed a $98 million increase in the school
budget, or 5.7%, which is more than three times the inflation rate. In an
editorial in the Centre View newspaper dated February 6, 2014 titled,
"Paying for the Schools", the writer mentioned that there are approximately
6,000 students of illegal parents in the Fairfax County School Public System
(FCPS). We have been informed by the FCPS budget office that the average
cost per pupil for 2015 is $13,535. For English for Speakers of Other
Languages (ESOL), the cost per pupil cost is $14,264. For Special Education,
the cost per pupil is $21,721. If you take the average of the two cost
factors ($14,264 + $21,721 = $35,985 divided by 2 = $17,992 x 6,000 students
of illegal parents) and compute this you will get about $108 million that
cost the FCPS per year. Then send the bill to the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security for reimbursement. This is a Federal problem and the
Federal Government should be paying for this. This sure would cover the
budget shortage in the FCPS. The FCPS officials should be reviewing why the
higher officials in administration are receiving greater pay increases than
the teachers? Why are their Cluster Directors? What purpose do they serve?
Why do they need so many Assistant Principals? There could be some cost
cutting in these areas! According to the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance
(FCTA), between FY2000 and FY2015 public school spending and staff will have
increased faster than enrollment. The school budget increased 32% while the
school staff increased by 25%. In the meanwhile, enrollment increased by
22% during this period. Why is this happening?
We look forward to your comments.
Sincerely,
Charles McAndrew and Linda McAndrew