Moonhowlings

Poll Pooch 2008

The town of Herndon apparently takes its poll pooches seriously.  This great dane puts in an appearance at every Herndon election according to sources.  He was there bright and early this morning when the polls opened at 6:30. (above picture from 2008)

I also understand that one of the founders of Help Save Herndon is on the ballot for town council.  Hopefully our Herndon friends will keep us apprised of how election day is going over in Herndon. After viewing the town council meetings, it appears that peace and tranquility isn’t part of the main objective.

Is that a donkey lying down or a great dane running for office on the Jones’ sign?  Perhaps he will further explain this logo on the candidate website: 

http://www.herndonunited.com/

For several decades, Virginia has used a  formula called the  local composite index (LCI) to  ensure that very poor localities had the funds to operate their school systems and that all children in Virginia had a shot at an equal education.  Basically the formula directs revenues  from wealthier areas into poorer districts.  Because situations change, the LCI is calculated yearly. 

From Del. Dave Albo’s website:

School funding in the Commonwealth of Virginia is determined by the Local Composite Index, or LCI.  The LCI is a result of a Supreme Court of Virginia ruling which stated that the Virginia Constitution requires all children to receive, to the extent practicable, and equivalent education.  Thus, the Court ruled that some funding formula must be used to direct money to areas that can’t afford to educate children. (The Court did not say what the formula has to be only that some redistribution must occur). Consequently, the purpose of the LCI is to ensure less affluent localities are able to provide for their students. The LCI is a figure that determines how much a school system must pay for its own basic education. (“Basic Education” is a set of minimum standards. For example, math must be taught, but band does not.)  The LCI, has a cap of .8000 (a locality must pay 80% of its own basic education) but has no minimum. Only 27 out of 136 schools are required to pay more than 50% of their basic education (e.g. have above a .5000 LCI).

The LCI is calculated through a complicated formula. The formula attempts to determine which school systems can afford to may more of their own basic education, and which systems cannot afford to pay. In determining who can pay, a formula has been developed which considers a bunch of different variables.

So what’s the problem? The LCI is changed yearly because conditions change. Governor Kaine placed a freeze until 2012 on recalculating LCI. Governor McDonnell is considering upholding this freeze. Northern Virginians are having a fit because it was hit harder than the rest of the state by foreclosures and a deflated housing market. They will lose millions on the old plan:

According to the Dixie Pig blog (Delegate Scott Surovell’s blog) the Northern Virginia School losses from not adjusting the formula this year  are as in the millions.  According to Delegate Surovell:

McDonnell’s office confirmed Friday that he would uphold the freeze implemented by Kaine. The outgoing governor proposed freezing the index until the 2012 fiscal year. He theorized that this would protect 97 school divisions that would lose money if the formula were re-calculated. McDonnell Freezes School Funding Formula, The Virginia Gazette (Jan. 25, 2010).

Yesterday, Governor McDonnell who campaigned on the idea that he was from Mt. Vernon and understood Northern Virginia’s needs confirmed that he is going to affirm this policy decision, not just for one year but at least until 2012.

This decision is a breach of the state’s responsibility to Northern Virginia’s children. Here are the top six affected jurisdictions according to the numbers I was given yesterday.

Fairfax County	$61 Million
Loudoun County	$34 Million
Prince William County	$22 Million
Stafford County	$4.5 Million
Fauquier County	$4.3 Million
Manassas City	$3.1 Million
TOTAL	$128 Million

 Northern Virginians are furious as well they should be.  They will have to make up the deficits and jurisdictions are already strapped.  It appears that we have been sold out by 2 governors.  So much for either Kaine or McDonnell being education governors.  And regardless of where he is from, Governor McDonnell obviously does not understand the educational problems of his own county.  According to Del. Surovell in an update, the new total is a $144 million dollar shortfall.  I hope Prince William and City of Manassas are prepared for 40 kids per class.  That number definitely is not considered ‘best practice.’ 

Northern Virginians should contact their delegate and senator immediately to require the  LCI formula to be recalulated as it is supposed to be.  This issue is definitely bipartisan.  Democrats and Republicans all have kids. So do Independents. 

A big thanks to Poor Richard for bringing  the Local Composite Index freeze to my attention and for providing background information.

[Ed. Note:  The LCI is calculated every TWO years rather than one as stated above.]

Apparently Pat Herrity is rather contemptuous of PWC’s handling of

According to the DC Examiner, Fairfax Chair-hopeful Pat Herrity pretty much relegated illegal immigration to a less than important position on the Fairfax County political spectrum. An economic crisis and a $500 million dollar budget shortfall seem to be taking up all the attention of the leadership of our neighbors to the north.

Herrity was rather critical of PWC.

Herrity on Thursday criticized as “mean-spirited” the policies of Prince William, which in fiscal 2008 turned over more suspected
Illegal immigrants to federal authorities than any other government in the region. The measures led to an exodus of Hispanic residents.

“I don’t think they looked out for the legal immigrants,” Herrity said Thursday. “They were perceived as attacking immigrants period, versus making the strong distinction between illegal and legal.”

At the same time, he leveled charges of inaction at his own board. Herrity said illegal immigration has brought about “significant budget impacts,” and he criticized supervisors for taking years to begin combating illegal boarding houses.

Not to be upstaged, Corey Stewart, Chairman of PWC BOCS retorted, calling Herrity’s comments disappointing and surprising:

“He’s got to do what he thinks he’s got to do in order to win,” he said. “That’s kind of an ignorant statement to make, frankly.”

>

While I don’t necessarily agree that the Immigration Resolution had that much impact on the situation in PWC, I find it disturbing that other jurisdictions have the perceptions that they have.

How odd that this article should appear today, in light of the debate raging on Anti. Here’s a new thread for its continuation. Do you feel the Resolution did, in fact, drive off Hispanics, legal or illegal, or was it the economy and the jobs drying up? Did PWC fail to distinguish between legal and illegal in their operations?

[Thanks to Censored for sending the article my way.]

My friend just came over with a pretty dreadful story. One of her employees called today to say he would be late for work. Let’s call him Joe, although this is not his real name.

No problem. Joe is one of her most reliable employees. He works 2 jobs and drives an older car. He was coming in to Manassas from the Fair Oaks area and was in the process of getting a ticket for going 7 miles over the speed limit.

As the Fairfax County officer walked away from the car, after giving him the ticket, he uttered the words, “Learn the rules of the road, Spic.”
This employee is Italian! His last name ends in ‘O’

Joe came into work in Manassas late, speechless, and in shock. He said he had never had anything like this happen to him.

Fairfax County needs to do better. This would never happen in Prince William County. Our officers are far more professional than this Fairfax officer. This is, however, what happens when certain groups are so vilified and demonized that people begin to think behavior of this nature is acceptable. This incident appears to have gone beyond racial profiling.

An invitation from the desk of Alice Foltz - Community Outreach Committee, Wellspring Church
As part of an ongoing ‘Immigration Dialogue’ in Fairfax County :

How does Fairfax County respond to overcrowded housing?

What happens to the immigrants and other low-income families who are forced out?
These questions and others related to housing and demographics in Fairfax Co. will be the lead-off topics at the Immigration dialogue this Thursday, March 27,  7-9 p.m. at Sully Government Center, 4900 Stonecroft Dr.,Chantilly.

David Ellis, community relations director for the County administrator, and members of the Housing Strike Force,  will be on hand to describe their work and answer questions about housing and eviction procedures in Fairfax Co.

Also on the program will be Tim Freilich, an attorney for the Legal Aid Justice Center, will present a summary of immigrant-related legislation at the recently-adjourned General Assembly.

Join us as we continue to work on bringing facts to the discussion of immigration policy,  to strengthen our community.