yet another difficult budget cycle. There is a little known element
to the school's budget that we need to address directly to Governor
McDonnell - and it must be addressed today.
In August 2010, Congress enacted the Federal Education Jobs Fund.
This Federal fund was to be used to replace the funds lost due to the
dramatic budget cuts – to restore the quality of classroom instruction
in K-12 schools. Virginia schools received approximately $250 million
from this fund.
Our govenor is trying to REDUCE next year's state funding to the
school districts by the amount of federal aid each district received.
This is absolutely unacceptable. As I explained to my 11-year old
son, it is akin to your Grandmother giving you $20 for your birthday,
but then having that amount deducted from your allowance, as you have
already been paid for that month. Then, your parents get to spend that
$20 on themselves. Goochland schools received about $260,000 in these
Federal funds. We need every penny!
The Goochland Education Parents Association is asking everyone to
please take a few moments and send a message to our Governor in
support of our children's educational dollars. Below is a sample
letter that you are welcome to copy and paste. Gov. McDonnell's email
address and Facebook page are linked as well. (Another interesting
link I have added is a news article written by the VEA President,
Kitty Boitnott, that appeared in the Virginian Pilot in November.)
Penny Palen,
Chairman,
Goochland Education Parents Association
http://www.governor.virginia.
http://www.facebook.com/
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/
Dear Governor McDonnell,
In this time of further budget cuts to our local school systems,
parents, teachers and citizens of Goochland County are requesting that
Virginia not cut the basic State Aid to our public schools by the
amount of federal funds received under the 2010 Federal Education Jobs
Fund.
This fund was created to preserve the integrity of K-12 education in
our country. The goals were to hire teachers, maintain or reduce
class sizes, and preserve & reinstate instructional programs. To use
this federal aid as an excuse to reduce 2011 state funding would be
inappropriate, as it would have the exact opposite effect of this
bill’s original intention. Our teachers and programs would once again
be in jeopardy.
The real victims of this, however, are our children. They deserve a
quality education in Virginia. The use of federal money to replace
state education funds is unacceptable and unfair to Virginia’s
schools, educators, and most importantly the students.
Sincerely,
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