Opinion

Two school communities are divided between what type of school should be built near Minnieville and Spriggs Roads in Woodbridge. Both communities think that their school should be prioritized — and they are both right.

Citizens fighting for Ferlazzo Elementary School are upset because an elementary school was supposed to be built in their community. Families currently attending Porter Traditional School were later promised that the “Ferlazzo site” would be the home of the new Porter Traditional School building and their current structure would be modified into a community elementary school site. Both have the right to be upset and both have the right to want the school of their choice.

Today is the day we recognize the continuing efforts of women to achieve full equality through the awareness of Equal Pay Day. The women’s equality movement has come a long way since the hard fought struggle to pass the 19th amendment back in 1919, but we still have a long way to go.

In 1996, The National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) established Equal Pay Day to increase public awareness on the pay gap between men and women. 19 years later, women on average still earn less than men and Equal Pay Day is still a necessary observation.

The Ferlazzo Elementary School debate reveals fundamental problems with the Prince William County School system.

Our county has a notorious problem of approving housing before planning and building the necessary infrastructure. However, when the housing around the intersection of Minnieville and Spriggs was approved, our leaders thought ahead. Before a single house was approved, proffered land was secured for a needed elementary school. Citizens and community leaders were involved, and the agreed upon needed infrastructure was secured.

Before and since running for elected office, a politician that continually inspires me is President, Abraham Lincoln. In his short but concise Gettysburg Address, which is ten sentences and 170 words in length, Lincoln preached about his commitment to a “government of the people, by the people, for the people.”

While his speech is over 150 years old, the lessons Lincoln taught are just as relevant today. I urge all the men and women serving in elected office to heed Lincoln’s advice, no matter what political party they represent.

Many in the community should now be aware of the financial challenges facing Prince William County Schools. I want to commend the school system for taking unprecedented efforts to engage and inform the community.

As the division officials have clearly laid out, county supervisors and the state control the funding, and the School Board controls how that funding is spent.

Twenty-two years ago, I held my first job at Pizza Bolis. I made minimum wage, earning just $4.25 an hour.

In the twenty-two years since, our minimum wage has only gone up by a rate of 14 cents per year. We have seen deliberate campaigns at the federal and state level to keep minimum wages low, and Virginians have paid the price.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan recently proposed more centralized control and standardized testing in return for more Federal funding (WSJ, Jan 12, 2015). 

Money with mandates is a false deal for local education.  Further centralizing education policy in Washington, D.C. is a counter-productive policy for Prince William County Public Schools. 

Now that the 2015 General Assembly Session has concluded, I wanted to take the opportunity to share with you the result of our work.

Despite all the gridlock in Washington these days, we actually get things done in Richmond, on time, responsibly, and in a conservative manner. I hope you agree with me that this is how government should work.

The Prince William County School Board’s abdication of responsibility in this current budget cycle shows their refusal to manage our crucial investment in our students’ future and is an outrage to county families.

Every year, citizens of Prince William County pay almost 60% of their property taxes to educating the children in our county.  Educating the next generation is perhaps the most important responsibility of this county that will determine our future.  We have an obligation to do the best job possible to prepare students for college or vocational opportunities.

A JMU student reached out to our Potomac Local staff about a recent article written about the issue of homelessness in Prince William County. 

Dear Editor,