FCPS Budget Cuts Community Meeting: September 9, 2015 (today), 7 PM at South Lakes High School

Save FCPS! Immediate online and event opportunities to provide cost reduction and revenue generating ideas.

Due to projected costs for items such as enrollment growth, state mandated retirement, health insurance costs, and employee salary increases are increasing more than projected revenues, FCPS anticipates a significant budget shortfall for school year 2016-17 (FY 2017). To balance the budget, FCPS may have to cut, reduce, or redesign current programs.

As part of the budget process, the superintendent of FCPS, Dr. Karen Garza, has established a Budget Task Force that is developing ideas on what to cut, reduce, or redesign as well as how to increase revenue through fees, with input from the community. FCPS invited stakeholders to submit budget suggestions through the FCPS website this summer, (http://www.fcps.edu/news/fy2017/taskforce/ and go to menu of potential reductions and fees as of 8.20).

Continued citizen engagement and input is critical to this process.  FCPS will be conducting two information sessions to get community input as well as launching a “Budget Proposal Tool” on its website that will allow the community to develop its own proposals.

Information Session Time and Location

Wednesday, September 9, 2015 7-9 p.m.
South Lakes High School, 11400 South Lakes Dr, Reston, VA, 20191

Saturday, September 12, 2015 10 a.m. to 12 noon

Mount Vernon High School, 8515 Old Mt Vernon Rd, Alexandria, VA, 22309

Budget Proposal Tool

Beginning September 9, community members will be able to submit specific proposals for how to balance the budget using a “Budget Proposal Tool” available at www.fcps.edu/SaveFCPS. The proposals submitted via the Budget Proposal Tool will be shared with the Budget Task Force for their review prior to making a recommendation to the Superintendent in October. The information will also be shared with the Superintendent and School Board.

FCPS staff will provide an overview of the budget and demonstrate how to use the Budget Proposal Tool during the Information Sessions.  All the information that will be presented will be available at www.fcps.edu/SaveFCPS.

The format will be as follows:

• Welcome and introductions
• Budget overview
• Demonstration of the Budget Proposal Tool
• Small group discussion to identify clarifying questions
• Opportunity to submit online budget solutions using the Budget Proposal Tool

Please REGISTER to attend the information sessions. 

You may also speak directly to the School Board as all meetings are open to the public. School Board meeting calendar. Or you can reach out directly to Pat Hynes at pmhynes@fcps.edu, or 571-423-1082.

For more information about the Information Sessions, please visit www.fcps.edu.  You can also reach RCA president and FCPS budget taskforce member, Sridhar Ganesan @ sridharganesan1@gmail.com or 202-409-2722. 

  

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The Reston Citizens Association (RCA) is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation, founded in 1967.  RCA’s mission is to promote Reston’s vision and planning principles, to sustain and enhance its quality of life now and in the future, by serving as a non-partisan, action-oriented organization for all Restonians.  Its goal is to educate and engage the community on issues affecting Reston and its future and to facilitate the voice of the citizens by representing the community at local, county and state level meetings and forums.