The Charlottesville City Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night calling for the Virginia General Assembly to invest more state funding in public education.
A decade of staggered revenue-depriving tax cuts coupled with recent economic downturns have left public schools adrift in an economic quagmire, according to City Council members.
Because the state is using what local leaders consider an antiquated formula for determining a school district's need, Virginia's localities, particularly the Commonwealth's cities, are attempting to shoulder the burden to meet the educational needs of its students.
"The bottom line is that localities are subsidizing the state because the state is not meeting its obligations to fund public education," said Vice Mayor Meredith Richards, and executive board member of Virginia First Cities.
VFC is a coalition of the state's 15 oldest and most fiscally stressed cities, including Winchester, Hampton and Norfolk.
While stressing Charlottesville schools are not in dire straits, Ed Gillaspie, director of business and finance for Charlottesville Public Schools, said the schools have been shortchanged by the state. The present formula used by the state does not take into account many of the costs demanded of the public school system, such as a greater emphasis on technology education, he said.
Typically, localities are forced to pay upward of 56 percent of the cost of meeting the Standards of Quality -- the state's minimum requirements of school districts -- a cost which the state is constitutionally obligated to meet, Richards said.
"It's easy for the state to pass the buck to localities when there are budget problems," Council member Kevin Lynch lamented.
Throughout the budget slashing of last year, however, Gov. Mark R. Warner and the General Assembly were more judicious in addressing the educational wants of the state, sparing the Department of Education's budget from the worst of the slashing, said Department Spokesperson Julie Grimes.
Warner said, in unveiling his "Education for a Lifetime" initiative Wednesday, that his next budget will include complete funding for the $525 million requested by the Board of Education in order for the school districts to meet the Standards of Quality.
"Our commitment to the overdue revisions of the Standards of Quality will eventually mean more reading specialists for kids who are having problems, better prepared teachers, enhanced school safety and better use of technology in the classroom," Warner said in his speech. "It will mean that our children will get a better education."
Presently, Charlottesville funds 200 percent above what is mandated by the Standards of Quality because of the impossibility of meeting such low standards and still providing quality education, according to Richards.
These additional costs come at the expense of other local services, such as transportation and public safety, Richards said.
In the resolution, Council members also stressed state higher education may fall by the wayside if further funds are not found.
The state also has been forced to cut back on funding for at-risk students' education.
Richards said Charlottesville has a large percent of at-risk students in danger of not meeting general educational indicators such as passing Standards of Learning exams and reading at grade level.
According to statistics compiled by First Virginia Cities, 17,600 Virginia seniors will fail the Standards of Learning exams in 2004 if educational funding is not raised.
Read More
Virginia primary elections feature contested race for Democratic Lt. Gov. candidate
By Nicolas Biernacki | 11 hours agoEligible voters can find more information about early voting by consulting the City Department of Voter Registration & Elections website or the County Department of Elections website.
Professor and researcher Daniel Flannery discusses youth violence and prevention
By Jackie Bond | 19 hours agoDr. Daniel Flannery discussed the cycle of violence from adolescence to adulthood, and the correlation between unrestricted gun access and mass violence.
Board of Visitors ends support for racial diversity goals
By Brendon Bordwine | YesterdayThe newly approved resolution, titled “Advancing Free Inquiry and Viewpoint Diversity at U.Va.”, calls for efforts to create a campus environment that supports open political dialogue, constructive debate and respect for differing perspectives.
