Fighting the LCI Freeze on the Senate Floor
Today, on the floor of the Senate, I spoke against the plan by our previous Governor to "freeze" the Local Composite Index and thus lock Fairfax County and the other NoVA jurisdictions into economic figures which are fundamentally false and threaten to divert $100 million in state funding away from our public schools.
I've written previously on the LCI freeze -- as have other legislators -- so I won't rehash the entire issue. Today I talked about the localized impact on Fairfax County Public Schools and the need for the new Governor to make a stand as a "middle class kid from Fairfax County."
After my remarks, Senator Mark Herring (D-Loudoun) also spoke about this unjust proposal. Hopefully, we can turn the tide on this issue by getting some outside attention and putting more pressure on the new Governor and legislature to reverse this fundamental wrong against our school kids in northern Va.
I've cut and pasted the gist of my remarks below (the beginning was ex tempore) ...
You cannot discuss these issues without some straight talk about the Local Composite Index. The LCI may be complicated. But it’s outcome is simple, i.e. to transfer enormous sums of money from northern Virginia to the rest of the state.
For example, this fiscal year we will spend about $5 Billion on Direct Aid for Education. A quarter of that will come from Fairfax County. In return, our school system will receive about $450 million. In other words, the LCI transfers $800 million from Fairfax alone to the rest of state, thereby effectively subsidizing the K-12 system everywhere else.
Now to call this system unpopular in my part of Virginia is – to put it mildly – an understatement. So every election politicians in Fairfax run for office pledging to “fight the Richmond formulas” and “bring more money back to Fairfax.”
And each year, of course, those efforts are derailed. Those of us who dispute the formula are told various things:
Well in 2009 a funny thing happened. Over the past few years, the real estate market collapsed in Northern Virginia. And as our values decreased, our standing under the LCI actually changed.
That was until last month when the outgoing administration decided to “freeze” the LCI. The consequences of this are striking:
But that’s old news.
Because we have a new Governor. A Governor who campaigned as “Northern Virginia’s Own”, as “Fairfax’s Own.” A Governor who described himself last night as a “middle-class kid from Fairfax County."
I will humbly tell our new Governor that this is now your issue. And middle-class families and middle-class kids all over Fairfax are watching.
Because this is not just an issue of funding – it’s now became an issue of integrity. And whether kids in my part of the state will be counted fairly by this Assembly.
I've written previously on the LCI freeze -- as have other legislators -- so I won't rehash the entire issue. Today I talked about the localized impact on Fairfax County Public Schools and the need for the new Governor to make a stand as a "middle class kid from Fairfax County."
After my remarks, Senator Mark Herring (D-Loudoun) also spoke about this unjust proposal. Hopefully, we can turn the tide on this issue by getting some outside attention and putting more pressure on the new Governor and legislature to reverse this fundamental wrong against our school kids in northern Va.
I've cut and pasted the gist of my remarks below (the beginning was ex tempore) ...
You cannot discuss these issues without some straight talk about the Local Composite Index. The LCI may be complicated. But it’s outcome is simple, i.e. to transfer enormous sums of money from northern Virginia to the rest of the state.
For example, this fiscal year we will spend about $5 Billion on Direct Aid for Education. A quarter of that will come from Fairfax County. In return, our school system will receive about $450 million. In other words, the LCI transfers $800 million from Fairfax alone to the rest of state, thereby effectively subsidizing the K-12 system everywhere else.
Now to call this system unpopular in my part of Virginia is – to put it mildly – an understatement. So every election politicians in Fairfax run for office pledging to “fight the Richmond formulas” and “bring more money back to Fairfax.”
And each year, of course, those efforts are derailed. Those of us who dispute the formula are told various things:
(i) it’s ordered by the courts, orAlthough none of those things are true – the efforts are still defeated every year.
(ii) it was invented by Thomas Jefferson, or
(iii) it was carried down on a tablet from Mount Sinai.
Well in 2009 a funny thing happened. Over the past few years, the real estate market collapsed in Northern Virginia. And as our values decreased, our standing under the LCI actually changed.
- For Fairfax County, the rating went from .77 to .71
- For Loudoun County, the rating went from .67 to .58.
- For Prince William, the rating went from .44 to .41.
That was until last month when the outgoing administration decided to “freeze” the LCI. The consequences of this are striking:
- For Fairfax County, a loss of $61 million.
- For Loudoun County, a loss of $36 million.
- For Prince William, a loss of $23 million.
But that’s old news.
Because we have a new Governor. A Governor who campaigned as “Northern Virginia’s Own”, as “Fairfax’s Own.” A Governor who described himself last night as a “middle-class kid from Fairfax County."
I will humbly tell our new Governor that this is now your issue. And middle-class families and middle-class kids all over Fairfax are watching.
Because this is not just an issue of funding – it’s now became an issue of integrity. And whether kids in my part of the state will be counted fairly by this Assembly.
Well done! It's about time we started getting the facts in front of the voters in NoVa. Are the 3 NoVa districts the only ones getting screwed? We need to find allies in Tidewater, Charlottesville, etc.
It seems we have kind of an ally in Roanoke already:
http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/wb/233167
Groveon:
Yes I noted the Roanoke column in an earlier post. They are on it (where is the Post??!!)
Unfortunately, there are no "allies" on this as Fairfax, Loudouna and PWC bear the overwhelming brunt (95%) of the LCI freeze. That's why it's so discriminatory in impact.
Thank you for fighting for Fairfax Schools, Senator Petersen. I linked your blog to our FB page, which reaches 180+ Fairfax County parents who are concerned about the FY2011 budget crisis. We really appreciate your continued efforts.
CPES parents on facebook
It's my understanding that the situation is even worse than you describe, as enrollment in Fairfax County schools is actually INCREASING, while the enrollment at the downstate school systems is dropping. So not only do we lose that $61 million, but we have to contend with serving ADDITIONAL students with LESS money. This whole formula needs to be scrapped and replaced with something with even a hint of fundamental fairness.
Please keep pushing anywhere you can for a fair share for Fairfax. The public libraries need help too. Fairfax for years got less than half of what we should have gotten because the most that any library system could get was capped at about 1/2 the population of Fairfax. Now that we have finally gotten that changed- State funding is being to everyone.
Please keep fighting this, it is just the beginning of more problems to come. Why do our children absorb the state's expenses? Who funded state university's explosive expansion in northern Va this year? Why is it ok FCPS takes small amounts of federal $ for ESL and start a PDL, call it a "school" yet overenroll students, cut teachers, increase central staff? This is getting a little sloppy, don't you think?
Keep fighting Chap, we're on your side.
I am a teacher at Fairfax County Public Schools. I wanted to thank you for fighting for the fairness. FCPS is making cuts to many of its programs, and the high school I work at is being recommended to close due to budget crisis. FCPS is at the point of closing a high school and making cuts to valuable programs. Hundreds of employees are at risk of losing their jobs, and the students we serve, will lose their only opportunity of earning a high school diploma (through Pimmit Hills Alternative High School) while other school systems are supported by us. It is unfair! I would do anything I can do help you in this fight. Just let us know what we can do. God Bless.
I just wanted to say thank you for staying on top of this and speaking out against this unfairness to the children in northern virginia. Hopefully the Governor will reverse this decision.
I want to briefly say "thank you" to everyone who took the time to post a comment here (or who came to our town hall yesterday in Vienna to express the same opinion). Please contact your elected leaders to let them know your position! (If I'm your elected leader, you're OK. I hear you). Also it would be very helpful if our D.C. area media got involved and interested in this issue. It's critically important. Thanks again, Chap
Thank you, Chap, for taking a strong stand on this issue. We need more representatives like you who are willing to fight for their constituents, instead of trying to mollify everyone. I am a high school teacher in eastern Loudoun County, and education here is in a similar situation to Fairfax County. It is discouraging that we have to take yet more money from local property taxes to fund our schools, unfunded state and federal mandates, and necessary additional schools, while teachers and underpaid teaching assistants will most likely have to go yet another year without so much as a cost of living raise and still be teaching out of ten-year-old textbooks. Getting back more of our money from the state would be a great help - and only fair. Thanks to you and Sen. Herring for standing up for us!
Welcome to Southside VA.
The entire school budget is around $63,000,000.
If we're going to have to pay some for your roads, how about you pay some for our schools?
Northern VA does pay for schools all over the state through the local composite index.
Life is consciousness.