Stafford School Board needs proper funding

July 29, 2009 12:36 am

I agree with the belief that teacher salaries are "a slap in the face" ["Teacher salaries in Stafford County are a slap in the face," July 9].

However, two points need to be raised. First, the School Board did not vote on incoming teachers getting the step raise. Second, without adequate funding, the School Board can do little.

The supervisors determine how much money the schools get. The School Board presents a budget that shows the needs of the system. The supervisors then determine how much they will give. Since FY '05, the supervisors have reduced the school budget by $58 million.

Be aware that at the end of each fiscal year, any unspent money must be returned to the county. This is because School Boards may not go into the red.

Further, money is unspent as experienced teaches are replaced by new teachers, etc. Since FY '04, the county will have kept at least $15,568,969 of unexpended money.

While some supervisors claim the schools "spend like drunken sailors," Stafford ranks 104th of 132 districts for school funding in Virginia. Stafford's FY '08 total per-pupil cost of $9,335 is 15.4 percent below Virginia's average of $11,037.

Stafford has the 11th-highest median household income in the U.S.; yet in FY '08, our local government contribution of $3,861 per pupil was 28 per-cent below the state average of $5,508 per pupil.

At the same time, in two of the last three years, the Board of Supervisors has spent more money than its revenue despite millions in savings in the last five years from our schools.

At present, the county is still holding $11.89 million of additional school funds. These funds come from money the schools held back from spending last year and the FY '10 county funding.

You decide if you want adequate schools. Your schools, your choice.

John C. LeDoux

Stafford

The writer is a member of the Stafford County School Board.