‘We won’t be Fairfax anymore’
Fairfax County Schools Superintendent Karen Garza (Photo by Donnie Biggs / Fairfax County Public Schools)
“We won’t be Fairfax anymore.”
There’s something poignant about that statement, made by Fairfax County school board Chairman Ilryong Moon (At Large) and quoted in my colleague T. Rees Shapiro’s story about a projected $140 million budget deficit that new Superintendent Karen Garza is proposing to close with major cuts for programs and staff.
If every one of these cuts is actually made, he is essentially saying, the fabulous reputation that Fairfax County Public Schools has enjoyed for many years will be irreparably harmed. Is it true?
Shapiro’s story says that Garza is proposing a list of cuts that include eliminating a foreign language instruction program for elementary school students, increasing class sizes, ordering furloughs and cutting employees contracts cut by one day.
There are consequences, of course, to each of these. Research shows it is easier to learn another language when young, and we live in a world where it is imperative for