Fairfax Schools Find Funding Help In Local Businesses

As public schools across the country struggle with finances, school districts are looking more and more to the private sector for help. In Fairfax County, that's meant relying on a foundation created in 1983 to boost funding for science and technology in classrooms, according to The Washington Post.

Officials announced Monday the creation of a second organization, which will partner schools with the county's largest business association.

According to school officials, the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce Public Schools Education Foundation is meant to attract financial help from local businesses to support the area's public school system.

Jack D. Dale, superintendent of Fairfax County public schools, told The Post:

"This foundation is a vehicle for much broader philanthropic contributions than the other organization, which had a singular focus on technology."

The school board said that the financial support from Fairfax businesses will help local schools in a number of ways.

Bloomberg reported Wednesday:

Officials hope to raise $5 to $10 million that could be used to help seniors through the college admissions process and support programs for underrepresented students.

Read more about the new education foundation at The Washington Post.

Comments

[researcher]

02:17 AM on 01/07/2011

money is not the problem.

paradigms are the problem.

the same thing wrong on wall street and our big banks is the same thing wrong with our schools.

until americans figure that one out nothing will change. they wont nations never do.

in a results only, competitive, internal competition for grades and raises, pay for performance above average mentality wins the prize, and individualistic culture, a nation will move towards third world status. ie usa.

[PeterNPaul]

08:44 PM on 01/06/2011

I recently was summoned to a meeting at a local school to initially discuss a new phone system. I counted, there were 13 people in the room, 11 from the school district, myself and my wiring technician. The superintendent, the business manager, the principal, 2 vice-principals, the technology committee (3 teachers), two "computer guys" and a couple who never introduced themselves. After a brief question and answer, I determined their current phone system was less than 5 years old and their superintendent informed me that it "needed an upgrade" because their voicemail wasn't integrated with their email, but other than that it "worked well".

As I sat there in a tastefully decorated well-appointed conference room, around a 20 ft long cherry table with a beautiful view of the local river from full length picture windows, listening to construction crews across the road building the new gym, I pondered the plight of the public schools and educational spending, feeling sick that the mission of public schools had been lost long ago, perhaps never to return. Nothing has come of the deal, and to be honest, I hope they redirect the funds where they are actually needed.

[FredKnowsBest]

07:38 PM on 01/06/2011

The Fairfax country school budget for 2010 was 2.2 billion dollars.

http://www.fcps.edu/news/fy2010.htm

[FOXYROSE]

07:23 PM on 01/06/2011

Look - here is the facts - I pay over 4000/yr just for the part for school taxes - how much more do you want me to pay! Would 10,000 be enough - maybe I should stop eating and turn my heat down to 59 - so someone who has a pascal of kids can get an education. Make people that have more kids pay more taxes - I only had one, because that was all I could afford.

[FOXYROSE]

07:19 PM on 01/06/2011

The sad thing is, the "private sector" has been screwed by regs and taxes along with many home owners who pay high property taxes - most of which is school taxes - where the hell does all the money go?

[karma5230]

07:16 PM on 01/06/2011

Education is the foundation for the future. It's too bad that there are some so short sighted that they can't see the importance of funding the education of the next generation. The fact that public schools cannot get enough funding through local or state taxes is pathetically sad. It should be a priority not the first thing that gets cut.

[Scott23]

07:23 PM on 01/06/2011

The question is if the majority of people are uneducated, do you feel safer? That is the only thing these greedy pubs understand. it is all about fear.

[FredKnowsBest]

07:33 PM on 01/06/2011

This is Fairfax county. Once of the richest counties in the national. Funding is not an issue at this local.

[karma5230]

10:32 PM on 01/06/2011

If that is the case why are they looking to business to fund? Are they not approving the budgets that come up for vote and if so why? If they are rich enough to fund then why aren't they?

Why? It's not a priority and it should be. Either that or they are a bunch of short sighted cheapskates or a county full of older taxpayers who aren't willing to fund the schools now that they no longer have children in the schools. Sorry, if this was all okay they would not be turning to business to look for a hand out.

[LAteacher]

06:58 PM on 01/06/2011

So what happens when businesses stop funding the schools?

It is sad to see our public schools slowly be sold off to private corporations or having to rely on private industry. Schools should all be equal and accept anyone who lives in their district.

[WiseGoat]

06:50 PM on 01/06/2011

EDUCATION SHOULD BE FREE.
From Elementary to University, they should all be free -- You can't put a price tag on education.

Our higher education system has essentially turned into a breeding ground for modern slavery; that is Financial Slavery. And now, they want to do the same to our public education system.

When proper education is within reach of everyone, the rewards will be far more greater to any society than any amount of monetary reward. -- The smarter your kids are, the more they'll be able to contribute to society; therefore the better my life will be, and vice-versa.

-- We must stop looking at people as Dollar $igns.

[Tristman]

06:46 PM on 01/06/2011

Might work...I know a private catholic school in my hometown that did this and it saved them...the tuition alone wasn't enough and raising it sent parents to other schools.
I mean, how come we have all these professional sports stadiums named after larger corporations but no-one seems to care about the education in this country.
example: Busch Stadium, Staples Center, Tropicana Field, St. Pete Times forum...etc, etc.

[Dante in Madison]

06:43 PM on 01/06/2011

If private companies want to give money to help Public schools afloat, great--as long as they (the private companies donating money) don't expect Public schools to alter history books, buy from specific vendors who have written or published alternate-reality history books (think Texas), or start putting "This history book sponsored by..." on book covers or other such academic materials.

Give for the sake of giving and doing good in the community in which you were given the privilege to open a business in. That is a privilege--not a right.

[Andy Clark]

08:23 PM on 01/06/2011

some of the companies in the cincinnati area take a vested interest in the content being taught because they donate money and technology to the schools...

[Dante in Madison]

10:08 AM on 01/07/2011

@Andy - and there's nothing wrong with having a vested interest in fostering the education of kids in your local community--but the companies investing money in those technologies should not try to unduly influence the direction or content of the curriculum. Otherwise what you have is corporate sponsored indoctrination.

There's a fine line between investing money in a technology program and dictating a specific curriculum to a school (i.e. "We're going to give you boatloads of money but you have to use it to develop a class that ONLY teaches what we say it should."). Does that make more sense in the bigger picture?

[corwin]

08:29 PM on 01/06/2011

This is a very disjointed post.First,might I point out (difidently) ,it's not a privelege to open a Business.It's a freedom thing Secondly,why would a business want to advertise in a public school class.That's where tomorrow's failures will originate.

[Dante in Madison]

10:05 AM on 01/07/2011

There is absolutely nothing disjointed about it at all. I think you simply don't have an understanding of how business works.

Being able to open up a business in a city is a privilege, not a right or a "freedom thing" as you put it. Our Constitution does not guarantee you the right to open a business. There is no protected right or guarantee that says "You have the right or freedom to open a business in a specific community" so get your facts straight.

You cannot (legally) simply open up a business anywhere you want--you have to get approval by specific local and state governmental agencies (business licenses, zoning permits, etc. etc. etc.).

Regarding your second question, many businesses would LOVE to advertise in public schools. It's called marketing. Maybe you've heard of it. Coca Cola fought hard for years to get soda vending machines into public schools. That's advertising and marketing. They want to hook future generations of consumers. It's not hypothesis or theory, it's fact and it's something that numerous parent groups and consumer protection groups have been fighting against (commercialization of public schools by way of paid sponsorships and/or advertising).

[Chimichurri]

06:41 PM on 01/06/2011

Good morning, Children.Today's science lesson is brought to you by Exxon. Please turn to Chapter 6, Global warming: A Dirty Hippy Mythical Agenda.

For homework, read The Gulf Oil Spill and How It Benefited The Environment in your workbooks!

[WiseGoat]

07:38 PM on 01/06/2011

Haha, this is funny!..well done.

But could be a very sad reality, IF corporations are allowed to have their way.

[corwin]

08:29 PM on 01/06/2011

SOme of my best friends were liberal arts majors

[creoleguy32]

06:37 PM on 01/06/2011

Just like in China. The corporations own the public schools, teach what they want to teach and then keep the students as workers in these closed city which has resulted in sky high suicide rates

[plankbob]

06:18 PM on 01/06/2011

Mustn't raise taxes though. They've demonized government SO much and aren't about to stop. Some on the right are now saying "government" schools, which must be one of Frank Luntz's preferred phrases.
In other states, public schools are relying on churches, which of course are only doing it out of their goodness of their hearts, not to proselytize.

[postpostmodern]

06:35 PM on 01/06/2011

Here's a question for you to ponder: If private schools can manage to educate their children, add new buildings and attract teachers, why can't public schools? The latter has far more funding.

[Scott23]

07:20 PM on 01/06/2011

Here is a question for you... If the masses are not educated are you safe?

[Andy Clark]

02:54 PM on 01/06/2011

starve education of public funds and force us to look for private funds to keep students' learning first. Sound about right for their 3rd prong in the "3 Prong Privatization Attack".

[postpostmodern]

06:34 PM on 01/06/2011

"Starve?" Have you looked at the education budget lately? Can you point to a year in which federal education dollars were lower than the previous year? I didn't think so.

[Scott23]

07:19 PM on 01/06/2011

And so has not the gnp? where do you think the innovation comes from? I feel like calling you names.