Schools

School Board to Address Council Tonight During Budget Hearing

On Monday, Manassas Park City School School Board members discussed what would be said to city council during tonight's public hearing on the city's proposed budget.

Manassas Park City Schools School Board members are planning to address city council tonight during the city’s public hearing on its 2012 proposed budget.

 There was much discussion during Monday’s school board meeting about what exactly would be said to council by school board Chairman Michael Wine and Vice-Chairwoman Brenda Foster.

 Much of Monday’s dialogue was about city council’s decision to implement a two-cents tax levy, which means about $126,000 less for the school division because of the revenue-sharing agreement between the two entities.

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 Wine said he has spent several hours at the school division’s administrative offices mulling over the numbers.

 “… The bottom line is, they are going to take that two cents, we know that,” he said. “ … (Mayor) Frank (Jones) mentioned that his goal right this minute is to get the budgets approve and get everybody moving in the same direction. (He said) let’s get past this and move on to other issues. It is what it is.  The city is in dire straights and money isn’t flowing like it always has.”

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 Jones told Wine and Foster Sunday during a breakfast discussion that if the money is flowing into the city and revenue is being received, then the school board and city council can revisit the two cents tax levy in the middle of the year.

“ … And I trust his word, I believe what (Jones) says,” Wine said.

 Many school board members agreed that that their speech tonight should reflect that the school board has great respect for the school division’s  teachers and other staff members.

 Many educators and community members became angry after Manassas Park City Councilman Bill Treuting said last month that he didn’t want to give money to the school division so they can hire another “mediocre” teacher, but that he is interested in supporting other city employees such as rescue, fire and police.

 Foster said she wants to make sure the message they convey is clear.

 “… It wasn’t about compensation anymore, it was about honor and respect … so one of the most important things is how do we make sure that message is clear ..  As a community, the mediocre word made them feel way worse than not getting the money,” Foster said Monday.

 Earlier this year, the school board approved a budget that included a pay-scale increase for transportation employees and a one-percent salary supplement for most other school district employees.

 The $126,000 that the school district doesn’t receive because of the city’s tax levy is already factored into the school district’s budget.  This means that if city council approves a budget that includes a two-cents tax levy, then the school district will have to go back and recalculate its budget, less the $126,000.

 If the budget changes, certain things may have to be taken away, but it doesn’t change the board’s commitment and respect for faculty and staff—it only means we don’t have the resources to do what we want right now, Wine said.

 The school division’s approved budget represents the school board’s commitment to the job they were appointed by city council to carry out, members said Monday.

 They also want to make sure people understand that the board doesn’t think this school system is the only important thing in the city of Manassas Park, Foster said.

 “But we have been tasked by the city council … to provide guidance for their schools,” school board member Ron Gill said. “Our task is to not provide guidance to the fire department, to the police department or how they spend money for parks and recs.”

 The problem is, Foster said, is that when the school board is doing its job, it appears to some that they are making decisions at the expense of other departments within the city when that’s not the case.

 In other news, the school board also discussed a flyer that was found hanging in Manassas Park Middle School last week that some saw as offensive.

 The flyer encouraged readers to come to tonight’s  meeting and put their “two-cents” in.  The word choice could be interpreted as a knock on the council’s decision to implement a two-cents tax levy.

 School board members said they don’t know if the flyer, which appeared late last week, was produced in the school.

 Creating the flyer was “poor judgment,” and the matter is being reviewed to make sure school policy was followed, Wine said.

The current policy is very general and the flyer was written so simply that it could be considered educational and informative, Foster said. Staff are allowed to use school property for that type of work, Foster said.  

It is a very gray area and that should go away and everybody should understand what works and what doesn’t, Foster said.

 Tonight’s Manassas Park City Council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Manassas Park Community Center at 99 Adams St.


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