A pair of Democratic supervisors Tuesday said plannedcuts to education programs for poor Fairfax County students could keep them from approving the county’s proposed $3.3 billion budget next week.
If they follow through, it would create a voting deadlock among the 10 supervisors just days before the county is required by law to adopt a budget. The three Republican supervisors say they will vote against the budget.
Democratic Supervisors Catherine Hudgins, Hunter Mill, and Gerald Hyland, Mount Vernon, railed against cuts to the schools’ Excel and Focus programs, which provide extra financial aid and staff for students from low-income families.
“I am very sincere,” Hudgins said, of potentially voting against the budget if she didn’t see a renewed commitment from the school board for the programs. “We can’t do this. This is taking away programs from the neediest kids.”
The Board of Supervisors decides how much money to allocate for schools, but the school board decides how to spend it.
Excel funds longer days of instruction, while Focus provides extra support for specialized academic programs.
Schools Superintendent Jack Dale is scheduled to meet with individual supervisors this week in hopes of reaching a consensus before supervisors vote to adopt the budget Tuesday.
But he said the school board’s proposal wouldn’t hurt students.
“What we are doing is changing from giving a program permanently to a school to putting programs and resources in schools based on the needs of the year,” he said. “I know we are doing the right thing.”
Dale said more than $30 million is slated for low-income students between county and federal funding. He added the current programs are tied to schools rather than students, meaning some will continue to receive help regardless of whether they need the money the most.
The county’s three Republican supervisors said Tuesday they will vote against the budget, citing the return of a $33 vehicle registration fee and increases in property taxes and sewage rates as unfair to county residents bogged down by a sluggish economy.
County and school board leaders have sparred over funding throughout the year.
The school board initially requested an increase in funding from the previous year, much to the chagrin of supervisors slashing the budgets of most county departments. Then the board asked for the same amount as last year.
Ultimately, supervisors decided to give the school board $16 million less than requested, saying an increase in state aid would cover all the necessary programs.
