School Board, Media, Are Dishonest About School System's Performance

Hi Yupette,

Do you want to know how much the Arlington School System spends to educate 21,000 children? You have to wade through 20 pages of self-congratulatory PR on the School System's budget Web site to discover the School Board will spend $452 million to educate 21,000 children in FY 2011. That's $21,500 per child.

We read press release after press release from the Arlington School System printed by the newspapers with data that are untruthful. The students are being manipulated by the School Board to make the School System look better than it is. Did you know that students who are not interested in going to college were told not to bother taking the SAT tests? Wonder why SAT scores rose this year?

Wake up Parents. We have been repeatedly deceived by the Arlington School Board and a bloated school bureaucracy that increases class size, cuts teachers and instructional assistants, and promotes the personal agendas of School Board members. We can only expect more of the same if Sally Baird is re-elected.


Linda, Arlington Ridge

What Does Barbara Donnellan Do in the County Manager's Office?

Hello, Yupette,

Does anyone know what Barbara Donnellan does in the County Manager's Office besides transfer money from basic infrastructure accounts to vanity projects accounts?

Cindy - 22206

Artisphere Insider - Taxpayers Will Subsidize Artisphere for Many Years

Hi Yupette,

I spoke with a PRCR employee who works at the Artisphere and she said that Arlington taxpayers will be subsidizing the Artisphere way beyond the 3 years proposed by the County Board. And they don't expect much fund raising by the performing arts groups. Thought you'd like to know.

Meghan

O'Leary Rewards Sun Gazette With Confidential Candidate Tax Info.in Return for Supporting O'Leary's Decal Program

Hi Yupette,

Arlington County Treasurer Frank O'Leary rewarded the Sun Gazette for again endorsing Frank's total waste of tax dollars car tax decal program by providing Sun Gazette Editor Scott McCaffrey with extensive and confidential personal and corporate tax information about candidates who oppose Zimmerman and Baird for County Board and School Board. Much of this confidential information was obtained from O'Leary's political ally, Commissioner of the Revenue Ingrid Morroy.

McCaffrey recently admitted, in his personal Sun Gazette blog, that he is seeking all the "comps" he can get when interacting with people and organizations he contacts as Editor of several Sun Gazette newspapers.

Massive Traffic Calming Planned for EFC, Crystal City Adjacent Neighborhoods

Hi Yupette,

No matter what anyone might say at 2100 Clarendon Blvd., the reality is there is no way around massive traffic calming for the neighborhoods near the East Falls Church Metro station and Crystal City. That means many, many, speed tables installed in those neighborhoods.

George

It's Monday Morning, 52 Degrees, and Raining - Let's Bike to Work

Hi Yupette,

So commuting to work, school, shop, recreation, etc., via bicycles is supposed to be the answer to traffic congestion imposed by 'Smart Growth' on Northern Virginia? What do we do between between October and May?

George

Zimmerman's 'Safety Last' Traffic Calming Staff Can't Supply 'Keep Kids Alive' Signs to Neighborhoods

Hi Yupette,

Response from Chris 'Safety Last' Zimmerman's Traffic Calming Staff at 2100 Clarendon Blvd. is that they don't have the 'resources' to provide 'Keep Kids Alive Drive 25' signs to Arlington's neighborhoods that want to install and maintain them.

Same "Safety Last' Zimmerman who approved funding to install art in a stream bed last Tuesday.

Norm 22205