budget cuts

Arlington School Planetarium to Close

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Public Schools will close the David M. Brown Planetarium under superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy’s proposed fiscal year 2011 budget.

Dr. Murphy says the school system, facing a $12.8 million budget deficit, cannot afford the nearly half million dollars worth of mechanical upgrades needed to keep the 40-year-old planetarium open.

The planetarium is named after David Brown, a Yorktown High School graduate who perished in the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Dr. Murphy says the science wing at Yorktown High will be named in Mr. Brown’s honor after the planetarium closes.

The space now used by the planetarium will likely be converted into another educational-use facility. APS needs to use all the space at its disposal given its burgeoning student body, Dr. Murphy said.

DEVELOPING: Arlington School Budget Cuts Revealed

By ARLnow.com

At tonight’s school board meeting, Arlington County Schools superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy will reveal significant cuts in the school system’s proposed fiscal year 2011 budget. Here are some of the notable items in Dr. Murphy’s proposed budget:

  • APS facing $12.8 million budget shortfall (reflects county manager’s tax proposal, but does not take into account an expected decrease in funding from the state)
  • School enrollment is projected to exceed 21,000 for the next school year
  • APS will eliminate at least 57 full-time equivalent school-based positions
  • APS will eliminate at least 36 full-time equivalent support positions
  • There will likely be no teacher layoffs, as the school scales back new hires and shifts affected teachers to vacant positions
  • APS expects 15-20 support staff layoffs
  • The Arlington planetarium will be closed
  • Class sizes will increase by one pupil for grades K-3 and 6-12
  • Staff salaries will be frozen at the current year’s levels
  • Budget does not include funding for new initiatives or program expansions
  • $0.5 million in new school fees will be imposed, including: increased pool fees, building rental fees, drivers education fees, summer program fees, cafeteria meal prices and Montessori tuition
  • Fewer summer school sites and larger summer school class sizes