Response to "Runaway schools" editorial

Dear School Supporters,

If you are a first-time recipient of notices from Support Schools Now, welcome! Notices from the recent past can be found at:
http://supportschoolsnow.org

Part of SSN's mission is to support our schools through education. You may have seen an editorial recently by Virginia Gazette's publisher regarding our schools. Some commentary has been added below to help correct or clarify the statements made. (For the links used below you may need to cut and paste them into your browser address line if they wrap into a second line):

> Runaway schools W. C. O'Donovan
>
> January 25 2006
>
> The difference between candor and naivete is $2.4 million. WJC
> Superintendent Gary Mathews proposed one budget of "need" nearly $14
> million higher than this year, and another "back-up" budget
> considerably less.

Dr. Mathews dual budget approach is an unfamiliar one to this community. One thing his approach does, though, is to frame the debate as to what he and the administration thinks WJC needs and what they will recommend be reduced if necessary.

> Within days, the James City supervisors cheerfully settled on the
> lower number. (Williamsburg might have gone for the bigger tab,
> since it's comparatively loaded and has a smaller stake in the
> school budget.) Most School Board officials were displeased with
> Mathews for showing his hand, but the damage was done. A few weeks
> earlier he had served notice of the two options, so they shouldn't
> have been surprised.

On the contrary, nothing was "settled" at the supervisor's retreat. The supervisors appreciated the heads-up, plan on allocating existing funds to the budget, and have a better idea of what is going to be ultimately requested. Both budgets are still considerably above what Boards in the recent past would even entertain.

One can appreciate the School Board's concerns about the dual budget approach. This budget information is out seemingly before the School Board has had significant input. Even so, a lot of work still needs to be done on the budget. The public and School Board will weigh in, with the School Board ultimately adopting a budget to send to the supervisors.

> Mathews offered no apology and pointed out that his lesser budget is
> 9.3% over this year, which is more than the 7.2% suggested by the
> county administrator. Lucky for him, a new moderate majority among
> the supervisors might fund the lower tab and a little more.

It is true that Mathews should count himself lucky to be in an environment where the supervisors even care about having this information. Previous Boards of Supervisors in recent years built budgets with little regard to the superintendent or School Board's requests.

> Mathews has hardly cut to the bone. Teacher raises are trimmed only
> slightly from 5% to 4.5%, on top of 5% this year.

There should be no need or desire that WJC should have to cut to the bone or even into muscle. Fat, of course, can be cut but the efficiency report showed very little of that.
A 5% raise for WJC teachers is absolutely justified for at least three reasons: 1) WJC must stay highly competitive in order attract and retain the best individuals possible; 2) if we want people who work in WJC to be able to live here we must take into account how much more expensive it is live here than other areas; 3) they deserve it for all the hard work they do despite the already low pay.

Of concern is the fact that the superintendent is only requesting a 3.5% salary increase for support staff such as teaching assistants, school nurses, bus drivers and custodians. The three reasons above apply to them, too.

> This is a mere dust-up compared to the larger problem looming in the
> form of runaway growth. Staffing costs will be going up as much as
> $2 million a year for the next four years to cope with a burgeoning
> student body, now projected to balloon by 42% out to 2016. Families
> are streaming in.

Can't argue with that and we must do right by these families by maintaining top-notch schools.

> If ever there was collaboration needed, this is it. School and
> county officials need to rethink how to build new schools to bring
> costs down and avoid a stampede by taxpayers.
>
> Recount. Check your numbers, because an erroneous projection can
> cost more than money. Former Superintendent Gayden Carruth got
> caught up in a series of inflated numbers that hurt her credibility.
> This time that doesn't seem the case, but the county is weighing in
> anyway with a full committee to review the numbers.


WJC's enrollment projections consultant, DeJong, has an updated
enrollment report here:
http://www.wjcc.k12.va.us/content/admin/finance/Enrollment/111705-enrollmentprojectionsreportupdateDejong.pdf

A consensus of support has developed behind these projections because of to the data used to compile them (housing data from the county) and because they are done independently. The division's enrollment has surpassed even the high projections developed by DeJong.

> Co-location. Building two or more schools on one site saves land
> costs and reduces infrastructure costs. The schools don't have to be
> attached, though that saved York money at the Grafton Middle/High.
> Surry has all three schools on one campus. WJC is already
> co-locating the third high with Thomas Nelson Community College, but
> the commercial property at Warhill may have to give way to another
> school.

Co-location is a fine idea if it can meet everyone's needs
appropriately.

> Expansion. Build all future schools for vertical or horizontal
> additions. That's a no-brainer, but the temptation when cutting
> costs is to downsize the cafeterias and libraries, essentially
> precluding expansion. That's why Jamestown High is stuck.

This is NOT a no-brainer if you care about the impact on students
academically and socially. The body research is large and growing
that smaller schools serve students better.

Here is a taste of the research on smaller schools:

http://www.asu.edu/educ/epsl/EPRU/documents/EPRU%202002-101/Chapter%2003-Howley-Final.htm

We should resist expanding our existing schools or building new schools to expand to undesirable sizes. Some would argue, supported by research, that elementary schools with a capacity of 700 students (as is proposed for the 8th elementary) don't serve students as well as schools of smaller sizes.

> Template. Save millions in engineering and architect fees by
> replicating designs for new schools instead of reinventing fancy
> buildings.

Sounds good, but programming and topography can scuttle such designs.

> Bigger. Redefine the upper limits of the student body. The ideal
> 1,250 of our high schools is hardly affordable when we have
> thousands of new kids streaming in. Columbine-size at 2,000 may be
> too big, but 1,500 and 1,600 should be re-examined in light of
> fiscal practicality.

How is the 1250 high school not affordable? What data substantiates this claim? The county's financial consultants do a study every year of county debt levels. That report will provide real information about the debt the county can carry and what it might cost us. Again, while some might argue our high schools should be even smaller, 1250 has served us well and we should not build any larger than that.

> Partnerships. WJC needs to find more resources like the $2.3 million
> from the Williamsburg Community Health Foundation for the
> wellness/nutrition initiative. Officials have yet to detail what
> exactly the partnership is with Thomas Nelson and how that saves
> money or helps students.

Partnerships can be great and they can also cause terrible headaches if handled improperly. As for Thomas Nelson, while we don't know the details the idea is that our students could utilize TNCC's facilities nearby that they wouldn't have access to otherwise. Having TNCC next door should provide opportunities for students and relieve the division of having to build these facilities on its own.

> Re-prioritize I. The county should scrap the sports stadium at
> Warhill District Park and divert the $6.5 million in the capital
> budget to schools, notably to cover the third high steel and
> concrete overrun.

With three high schools we will need that stadium very soon. Cooley Field is already quite overused.

> Reprioritize II. By the same token, the School Board should follow
> through with a full-scale reordering of priorities. Differential
> funding, which would throw cash to "needy" schools, should be the
> first thing thrown overboard as noble but unaffordable.

The differential funding concept could be removed completely if WJC redistricts along socio-economic lines. That way no school has that many more disadvantaged students than any other.

> Efficiency Commission a panel of retired CFOs to do a thorough
> review of the budget and operations, now moving north of $100
> million. Last year's efficiency lite study paid by Gov. Warner was a
> token gesture that actually wound up costing us money instead of
> saving any.

It boggles the mind that anyone can call a 315-page indepth report filled with data, commendations and recommendations that have been dissected and analyzed by the administration in terms of academic and operational effectiveness, "a token gesture." Here's the link if you are interested:

http://www.wjcc.k12.va.us/content/admin/schoolboard/Reports/MGT-Final%20Report-WJCC-06-23-05.pdf

See the administration's detailed responses to the report:

http://www.wjcc.k12.va.us/content/admin/superintendent/index-powerpoints.shtml

The report pointed out WJC is very efficient but it needs to spend more in some areas to be more effective. One could argue it would be better to spend more money and be more effective than to spend slightly less and be less effective.

If retired CFOs want to go through the budget they are welcome to do so and their input would be appreciated. All the information is available here and eventually the proposed budget will be as well: http://www.wjcc.k12.va.us/content/admin/finance/

> Motor pool. Throw in with Penske and Colonial Williamsburg with the
> bus maintenance facility off Pocahontas Trail. It's state-of-the art
> and built for buses.

Creative idea, but WJC already has a busy maintenance facility of its own with one of the best crews in the state.

> Year-round. Rethink the opportunity to use schools more efficiently
> by going to equally weighted trimesters. This is highly contentious
> but would still provide the same number of vacation days while using
> buildings to better capacity.

This is reminiscent of former supervisor Michael Brown's idea to shuffle grade levels around in existing schools as a way to avoid building a new high school. Using buildings better is one thing, but what would the impact be on the academic program, student's lives or parent's lives? Maximum efficiency, while a laudable goal, isn't necessarily practical or best for kids and families.

> Ask around. Surely we're not the only fast-growing community in the
> country. Consult counterparts in Fairfax and Las Vegas for creative
> ideas they've discovered.

No problem here. Good ideas from elsewhere are always welcome. They may or not work here for various reasons. Dr. Mathews looked to Missouri--that's "around"--for the reading renewal program. But really WJC is not growing nearly as fast as other areas like Loudoun County where seven schools were reportedly opened last year. By the same token, the administration has to focus on serving students best and doesn't necessarily have time to follow every single lead. It has to prioritize it's time, too.

> Shared services. Get serious about combining a dozen or more
> redundant operations with James City, beginning with payroll.

The schools and the county already share quite a bit. At one time county administrator Sandy Wanner generated a list of all the ways they work together. There are good reasons why some areas should be distinct. Payroll may be doable but is it really worth the time and effort? Would it really save money? It's probably already been studied.

> Contiguous. Pull in York Schools to discuss expansion and
> construction in upper James City, which borders York. Examine the
> opportunity to join forces on a single school.

Again, creative idea but aren't WJC and York busy enough with their own business? WJC needs enough schools of its own without drawing York into the mix.

> Ante up. Apart from student population projections, calculate the
> per-household impact of a $30 million school built every other year.
> Show taxpayers what the impact is so they can't say they weren't
> advised.

Dr. Mathews clearly laid out a long-term preliminary budget plan: http://www.wjcc.k12.va.us/content/admin/finance/

The only schools not already accounted for in the county's budget are the 9th elementary to open in Fall 2009, a 4th high school in Fall 2014, and 5th middle in 2015. Of course higher enrollments could require schools to be built sooner.

The county's consultants will lay out the financial consequences of all of the needs of the schools in terms of tax rates next time they roll into town. Stay tuned.

Thanks for reading this far and for supporting our schools!

Mike Ludwick