County Board, School Board, and County Manager met last night at the School Board offices. Polls had just closed but the County Board was obviously getting reports from Democratic poll workers about the unhappiness of Arlington's Voters.
So, County Board informed the School Board that a real estate tax rate reduction is likely from the advertised rate. County Board also put the School Board on the the defensive about the per-student cost of educating Arlington's K-12 students compared to neighboring jurisdictions.
Because of numerous complaints the County Board hears from neighborhoods, which are not informed about the School System's plans for school expansion until plans are announced by School System planning staff, the County Board told the School Board that the County Board will have to be informed about School System planning decisions before the decisions are announced.
Finally, County Board Chair Fisette told the School Board that, because of the demands placed by New Urbanism, large areas of school open space (like school playgrounds) will have to be 'repurposed' for multiple sports-recreation purposes.
County Board Members Fisette, Hynes, and Tejada put the School Board on the defensive and there were several testy exchanges between County Board and School Board Members regarding County Board vs. School Board priorities.
2100
15 comments:
Keep my kids' school playground a school playground, not an urban hipster recreation area.
Fir$t Hip$ter Fi$ette isn't going to ask his corporate REIT cronies to dedicate anything more than a token amount of 'open space' aka plazas surrounded by mixed use office and retail.
There was major push back by James Lander and Abby Raphael.
Fisette, Hynes, and Tejada were antagonistic and put the School Board on the defensive.
Your school's playground is their multi-purpose sports-recreation-entertainment site.
Same three County Board members who vote for massive urbanization don't want to pay what it costs to educate the increased population.
Latest demands from parents for a new $100 million elementary school? Abingdon School parents who are going to the Civic Association and School Planning Staff to obtain plans from school facilities staff and approval from Fairlington's 'community leaders'.
Hasn't the School System learned anything from the Ashlawn and Williamsburg fiascos?
Of course, people who live around Abingdon school who would be affected by traffic, parking, noise, etc., are the usual 'neighborhood nuisances'.
Didn't we just have an election where the voters gave County Government a loud-and-clear message that it's time for a change?
John Vihstadt? He's just another neighborhood nuisance on the County Board.
How many of Arlington's older schools have ad hoc parents' groups who are doing end-runs around neighborhoods to obtain big new campuses to replace older schools? Five? Ten? Fifteen?
The ad hoc groups who are making end runs to lobby the School Board and School System Staff for big new elementary school complexes are completely unrepresentative of the diversity of the school system. I am sick and tired of all the decisions in Arlington being made by 100 people who only talk to each other.
What is the relationship between the county and the school board? Can the county tell the school board what to do?
It's not going to be a School System CIP process, it's going to be a School System BRAC process.
There is a formula that gives the school system a fixed amount of tax revenue every year...think it's 46%. School Board has to ask the County Board for supplementals.
Post a Comment