Our Community's Highest Priorities

Teachers and other school employees, as well as firefighters and other county employees, have had an effective pay cut as they have endured denial of a deserved pay raise year after year during Sharon Bulova’s time as chairman of the Board of Supervisors.

We understand the impact Sharon Bulova has had on their quality of life when we consider the pay freeze she advocated in the shadow of rising food costs, gas prices and real estate taxes.

This year our School Board has not overcome the effective pay cut, but has helped lessen the impact of Chairman Bulova’s failed leadership on the quality of life for our school employees by awarding a token 1 percent pay raise.  Inflation still gnaws at a faster pace.

The limited pay increase is largely symbolic – this is an election year – when year after year the Board of Supervisors has not enabled county and school employees to maintain their quality of life.

School Board members also voted to provide for the costs of new disciplinary procedures, to fund full-day kindergarten in every elementary school, and to limit the burden of student fees.

Despite a lack of support from Chairman Bulova, our School Board has generally kept a steadfast commitment to community priorities.

The relationship between the School Board and the Board of Supervisors has clearly deteriorated during Sharon Bulova’s term as Board of Supervisors chairman.

Frankly, Chairman Bulova has not advocated effectively for our community.  In fact, she has been silent as Fairfax County taxpayers are forced to subsidize other taxpayers in funding a state mandate at an annual cost of over $501 million annually.  This amount represents over 24 percent of the revenues we generate through our real estate taxes.

Because of her choice to favor silence over advocacy, she has led the Board of Supervisors year after year to deny needed resources to our schools’ growing student population.

Now, as the majority of School Board members have decided to end their service, they seek more fervently to vote for the priorities they consider important to their legacy.

The question remains, of course, what are the consequences of their vote.  For example, how many children will be moved to substandard facilities to accommodate full-day kindergarten?  The Board of Supervisors did not provide the necessary $12 to $14 million for a preferred transition to full-day kindergarten.  Some students will be displaced to accommodate the changes.

In a challenging time our School Board members have done their best with a few missteps in the past four years.

If given the privilege and responsibility of serving as chairman of the Board of Supervisors, my driving focus will be advocating for fair treatment of Fairfax County taxpayers and students.

Within this framework, a high priority remains restoring and strengthening the relationship between the Board of Supervisors and the School Board.  Together we will invest in our community’s highest priorities.