Politics & Government

City Council Approves Option That Fully Funds Falls Church Schools Request

FCCPS superintendent: 'We are extremely, extremely, extremely thankful for the city council.'

Falls Church City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones was optimistic City Council would approve the budget option that would fund the 14.3 percent city transfer.

With a 5-2 vote (council members Ira Kaylin and Johanna Barry voted against the option), the City Council approved the second scenario that will see the FCCPS request fully funded and a tax rate of $1.305. Jones said the money is needed to help fund the explosion in enrollment in the school system.

“I’m always an optimist and I know what we requested is what we needed to take care of our students,” Jones said in a television interview following the meeting.

Find out what's happening in Falls Churchwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Over the last two years, the FCCPS enrollment has exploded reaching an . Jones said she is excited for the teachers and students who will benefit from the fully funded request.

The packed meeting was filled with people urging council to fully fund the school board’s request and a minority against the move.

Find out what's happening in Falls Churchwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I don’t support funding the school budget in full,” said Bruce Swinson who stated most of the city’s residents don’t have students enrolled in FCCPS schools. “You’re asking the retirees to fund this.”

Councilmember Phil Duncan who brought forth Option 3, removed his budget option before it had a chance to be discussed. Duncan said his option didn’t have sufficient support to go forward. The option would have seen a $1.27 tax rate and would have created a new stormwater/sewer utility with $650,000 funded from surplus to be repaid by fee-collection in June 2014.

The option council approved Monday uses $1.21 million from fund balance instead of operating revenues to fund capital expenditures and funds $900,000 stormwater utility delaying the bill until June 2014.

For more on the City of Falls Church fiscal year 2014 budget, check back with Falls Church Patch this afternoon.


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