This year's General Assembly session has earned a mixed report card from Fairfax County school officials and the PTA.
The Fairfax County School Board sent staff lobbyist Judith Singleton to Richmond armed with nine initiatives — ranging from equal taxing authority for counties to policies governing personnel working after retirement — to push for, six of which passed. In addition, Singleton pushed for the General Assembly members to approve the governor's proposed budget without making cuts to basic education funding.
So in a sense, the session was a success for the school system, however, the county still faces an uphill battle when it comes to convincing the Assembly members the school system needs additional financial support. And knowing money was expected to be tight this session, the school system did not pursue any bills that included increased funding.
"Actually, we came out OK," said Singleton, a lobbyist for the school system since 1990. "We generally don't lobby in general terms such as 'we need more money,' we try to find the mechanisms that will help us. I feel there is a tendency to not like things we put forth because they're from Fairfax. I think there is respect and envy for our education system here. Look at all the programs we have here."
Christopher Schmitt, the first vice president of the Fairfax County Council of PTAs (FCCPTA) and its legislative chair, is more blunt about the session, which ended Feb. 22.
"It was very disappointing," Schmitt said. "As localities like Fairfax continue to have huge issues [such as the dependency on property taxes], the General Assembly doesn't have the desire or the will to step up. If there is a year to do it, this was the year."
The FCCPTA pushed for its own legislative agenda, which included protecting current K-12 state funding, equalization of city-county taxing authority, allowing localities to add a local education piggy back onto the state income tax and to avoid actions that hurt K-12 education. In addition, business and homeowner associations joined the FCCPTA's efforts in lobbying for its agenda.
"ONE THING we're at least pleased with is the General Assembly held with the governor's K-12 education funding. We were at least hoping that wouldn't be touched," said School Board member Catherine Belter (Springfield), the board's legislative committee chair. "We're concerned over the lack of funding for teachers and it doesn't look likely that we're going to get any construction money."
Belter said there were many issues that the board was just looking for support on, knowing there was no money available. She said in asking for support rather than funds, it was possible to focus attention on education. One strategy that helped was other school division joining forces on issues to show that what affects one division eventually affects the entire state.
"The bottom line is some of the doors are not always open to us. Quite honestly, when it comes to education in Fairfax, there are some delegates that don't want to look at us," Belter said. "There is this perspective that Fairfax County has everything. Some other jurisdictions, such as Virginia Beach and Henrico County, do a good job getting to their delegates and pushing for educational needs for everybody, not just locally."
Singleton said part of the misconception comes from the fact that Fairfax County is one of the few school systems that has "nine figures" on education funding spread sheets.
"We are so much larger than anybody else and that obscures things. But there are those who think they more money we get has to come out of someone else’s pockets," Singleton said.
She went on to say that she thought many of the people in power in the respective finance committees understand that along with the spread sheets, student population and the needs of that population have to be taken into account, however, that does not translate into 100 votes in the House or 40 votes in the Senate.
"The highlights of the session lay in that the General Assembly did not eat away from the governor's budget. There was no reduction in funding, but there was no new funding either," Singleton said. "Our costs keep going up and because the state does not recognize that we have an immediate need, we're always behind the eight ball."
Singleton said part of the problem is the General Assembly is determining spending for 2004 based on figures from 2001 and 2002.
SCHMITT SAID the FCCPTA's agenda reflects a growing concern about the continued dependency on property taxes, which is why the organization, along with the school system, pushed for counties to be given the same taxing authority already enjoyed by cities and towns.
"Several of the things that were talked about like the equalization of the city-county taxing authority got put off for studies. This is the third or fourth year major issues just got past on. JLARC [Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission] is two years old now. Everyone agrees it is the blueprint for financing our education system, but nobody has done anything," Schmitt said. "Whatever the failures have been this session, they have not been failures because of too little time, but of will."
In addition, the focus on social issues, especially after most legislators campaigned on making education the No. 1 priority, drew mixed reactions.
"Politicians always promise education as a priority. It sells well, but very few hold to it," Schmitt said.
While the members of the Council of PTAs may not have been surprised, school officials were taken a little off guard. Belter said she was somewhat surprised by the focus on social issues this session, however, she says it was actually a small group of people pushing their own social agenda. They just happened to generate a lot of attention.
"Overall, it was not an encouraging session and unless there is a tremendous swing in 2004, there won't be mush interest in education next year," Singleton said. "I think you'll continue to see more inaction to raise funding. The unwillingness to allow localities to have taxing authority. And the mistrust of school divisions. I think you'll continue to see the bills that try to micromanage school boards that we've been seeing since we went to elected school boards."