This blog has suddenly turned into a watch dog on the current budget issues in Franklin County Virginia, but that is fine with me. It makes for good copy, and I honestly need something to write about that I care for.
A Roanoke Times article printed today gave a wonderful break down of school systems in the Roanoke Valley and how they deal with budgeting. Roanoke City, and Roanoke County were the featured systems but there was an excellent break down of the purposed changes in the budge for Franklin and Botitourt Counties as well. The graph along was worth looking at but the article itself is a testament to the possibilities being missed in Franklin County.
Roanoke City and County had the largest budgets with Franklin coming in third at 83 million dollars. While teachers in both the Roanoke systems are getting 3% raises, teachers in Franklin are not getting anything. The school system under Franklin on the list was giving raises for veteran teachers and perks on the side for those not effected.
In reading this article I began to ask myself questions. How is it that the third largest budget in the Roanoke area is unable to repay their teachers? Why, with that same budget, is FCPS unable to rehire 80 teachers that have received pink slips due to budget concerns? Is it because Franklin County does not have the tax base to draw from as compared to others in the area? Are the teachers in the other counties that much better?
As I asked these questions of myself, negative responses came up on each. It is easy to point figures, and usually the finger points goes to the top, but that is fair. Those in power have the most room for changing a system, and that is there job. Each school system has curriculum directors to manage that aspect. They have personal managers, so what is there left to do but manage the grown (hopefully) of the system. This is where Franklin seems to fall short.
Since I have written extensively about the continuing scandals in the central office of Franklin County, I will not bore you, but the article is a prime example of how well other schools are able to grow and reward teachers in a proper manner (and by proper I do not mean Cheesecakes for the front office). Perhaps Lackey should drive his county car to the visit the Roanoke schools and take some notes on how to run a school system effectively. Then maybe 80 highly qualified teachers in FCPS (for the time being) will not have to ask the question :do I have a job next year. The rest of us would not have to ask the questions I did, and more importantly Franklin County can turn it's attention to the actual education of children. Maybe I'm old fashioned but is that not the job of schools?
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