Educators from all regions except Northern Virginia on Thursday urged Gov. Bob McDonnell to rethink his support of changing the state formula for funding schools.

Although the change would help 39 localities, the vast benefit would go to Northern Virginia schools which stand to gain $134.4 million. In contrast, 93 school systems – including those in Hampton Roads and metropolitan Richmond – would lose a total $119 million. Educators from 87 of those losing districts signed a letter of complaint to McDonnell.

The formula, as noted frequently on this blog, measures the wealth of localities and determines the amount of state aid each school system receives. It is computed every two years. But former Gov. Tim Kaine recommended skipping the reset this year to spare Virginia a $29 million increase its overall share of education costs. That upset Northern Virginia lawmakers because tumbling real estate prices cut their region’s wealth and entitled it to more state aid. They lobbied McDonnell, who took office in January, not to freeze the formula.

Here’s the letter:

Dear Governor McDonnell:
We, the undersigned school districts, are among the 93 that stand to lose a combined $116.4 million in funding if the Local Composite Index (LCI) is not frozen for Fiscal Year 2011. For the past several months, school districts have been hard at work developing operating budgets for next fiscal year that take into account the dire economic circumstances affecting state and local revenues and thus school funding. Your initial support of Governor Kaine’s proposal to freeze the Local Composite Index promised to bring much needed fiscal relief to many school districts already facing significant revenue losses. Unfortunately, your recent decision to change your position on this issue leaves the majority of Virginia’s school districts with little choice but to recommend more substantial cuts which ultimately will prove devastating to both classroom instruction and staff.

We want to make it clear that we do understand the need for an accepted funding structure such as the Local Composite Index. We also understand why the Region 4-Northern Virginia school districts (which stand to gain $134.4 million) pushed so hard for elimination of the proposed freeze, citing the importance of adhering to this historical funding arrangement. Indeed, all school districts are facing cuts and even the most affluent are suffering. However, we believe there is a moral imperative to protect as many children as possible from irreparable educational harm. We also believe that unprecedented fiscal times call for extraordinary measures and creative solutions. The need exists to find solutions, such as freezing the LCI, because in our districts the proposed freeze would immediately help to protect educational programs while giving us time to plan for the eventual losses that a change to the Index would bring in FY 2012. Moreover, a decision to freeze the Local Composite Index benefits the Commonwealth financially, saving approximately $29 million at a time when Virginia is arguably in the throes of its worst fiscal crisis ever.

Certainly you must realize that more school districts will be hurt than helped (only 39 would gain). The extensive cuts many of us now have to consider are so drastic that they threaten the health of public education in our communities. In addition, these cuts are often on top of program reductions that are already proposed or in some cases have already been executed. For example, in the past 18 months Roanoke City Public Schools has closed four of its 29 schools; privatized transportation; eliminated 88 positions; eliminated early retirement; frozen wages; and eliminated health insurance for retirees. If the elimination of the freeze becomes a reality, that school system will lose an additional $1.4 million. The Roanoke City School Board is now contemplating the elimination of up to 146 more positions that directly affect classroom instruction as well as the elimination of some academic and athletic programs; and is also examining staff furloughs.

Albemarle County is facing a $15 million reduction to its budget ($5.2 million would be directly attributable to elimination of the proposed freeze). Just a few of the budget reduction strategies now under consideration there include increasing class size up to three students; elimination and reduction of intervention support including K-8 summer school and in-school and after-school tutoring; a five-day furlough for all employees; a 50 percent reduction of the learning resource/textbook adoption budget for all schools; and elimination of funding for most co-curricular and extra-curricular activities beyond athletics for which a student fee is proposed. These are just a few examples. Scenarios like these are under consideration in cities and counties all across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Should they become a fact of life, we believe our communities will erupt with dissatisfaction.

We also ask you to take this important point under consideration: There is a considerable difference between having to cut real money from budgets as we will be forced to do versus not gaining additional money (as would be the case in Northern Virginia). And finally, among those 93 districts negatively affected are some of the most fiscally stressed in the Commonwealth of Virginia. They include many urban and rural districts with high concentrations of poor and at-risk children.

We implore you to do what is right for the majority of school districts across Virginia; what is the most fiscally responsible for the Commonwealth’s budget; and most importantly, what is best for our children. Support a freeze to the Local Composite Index for Fiscal Year 2011. We can’t afford for you to do anything less.

Return to the blog home page »