Increase in Pr. Wm. School Funding Would Mean Cuts in County Services

By URIAH KISER

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. – In the nation’s seventh wealthiest county Tuesday night, officials from county government and schools went back and forth over how much money to invest into education.

Prince William County lags behind others in the Washington, D.C.region, spending about $10,000 per student in it’s public school system. Neighboring Loudoun County spends about $1,400 more per student, and Arlington County spends $18,000 per student, according to information presented by Prince William County School Board Chairman Milton C. Johns.

So, as officials hammer out a budget for fiscal year 2014 to be approved by May 1, some have called into question a unique agreement between the schools and the county government forged in 1998 – an accord that automatically funds the schools with 56% of Prince William’s annual budget. The money is simply transferred and the county’s School Board and they spend it how they see fit.

But is 56% enough?

“It’s my personal opinion that having the highest classroom sizes in the commonwealth of Virginia is unacceptable, and we have to do something different,” said Gainesville District Supervisor Peter Candland, whose wife is a former Prince William school teacher. “A revenue share agreement designed in 1998 has served us well… but we are a completely different county than we were then, and we are in a different postion, and the 56.5 percent share is not enough.”

School officials agree, and they like a plan put forth by Candland that would give schools 62% of the county’s budget, about $15 million more each year to a school budget that’s already projected to be $1.3 billion.

“I think it was once said a billion here and a billion there, put them together and then you’ve go real money. We’ll, our budget is now in the real money category,” said Johns, who said the revenue sharing agreement should be “revisited.”

At a rare meeting of both the School Board and Board of County Supervisors last night, the schools made their case for additional funding. Prince William County Public Schools:

–Receive 2,000 new students each year (the equivalent population of an entire high school)

– Is the second largest school system in Virginia, 39th in the nation

– Has a student population where 17% of children qualify for free or reduced lunch

– Needs to hire 121 new teachers to keep up with pace of growth

– Has not seen revenues (dependent upon tax dollars) keep pace with growth

So, they’ve made cuts, according to Johns.

— $25,000 cut from elementary schools

— $40,000 cut from middle schools

— $70,000 cut from high schools

— 1% cut to the schools’ central office

And, as enrollment continues to grow by 3% each year, teachers salaries– unlike those of some county government employees – do not.

“We have been to mirror the county’s pay plan but, so far, but we have not found the revenue to match it,” said Johns, and added the school system is eying a 2% pay raise for teachers in the coming year.

The Prince William County Board of Supervisors in February set the advertised tax rate at 3.59 percent (instead of a projected 4% rate), which, if approved, residents will pay an average $3,435 tax bill next year. Tuesday night, some of those same officials said the current revenue transfer agreement works, and that officials should do a better job sticking to a five year plan that consistently projects higher revenues for the county based on growth.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart said it’s easy to say we need more funding for students and schools, but doing it without thinking it through could bring unintended outcomes.

“If we’re going to change that percentage there are very real life consequences to other county services that will have to be specifically enumerated before we can consider changing the percentage,” said Stewart.

Under Candland’s 62% / 38% revenue split, it’s clear schools win. But so do people like police officers, fire and rescue workers, public safety communication workers, librarians, parks and recreation employees, and those whom the county owes money – all would be continue to be funded at current levels.

But, according to county budget officials, the plan would shrink the remaining portion of the county’s budget to just $92 million after things like insurance, judicial costs to operate a courthouse in Manassas, and federal mandates are all paid for. Other services like the public works, planning, economic development, budget, senior citizens care, even cuts to the County Executive’s office would become a reality.

Overall, if the revenue share agreement with the schools is increased, $41 million in cuts to the county’s budget must be made by July 1. Candland assured many in the audience, as well as fellow Board members, that those cuts can be found and executed in order to provide children a better education.

*This story has been corrected.