More on the 2009 Falls Church Fall Festival in a minute. Before we get there, let me say how odd it was to see city school officials handing out a 1000 free cupcakes (to celebrate the 60th anniversary of our public school system).
You might remember the controversial school budget request from a few months ago. While surrounding jurisdictions froze salaries and cut school positions, our school officials proposed a $30 million dollar budget out of a $64 million total budget; representing a nearly unprecedented tipping of the city-to-school funding ratio in favor of the schools. The school budget included a half step salary increase for every school employee (which was in addition to another half step increase to be provided with federal stimulus money). While the city manager cut seven city positions, froze city salaries, and proposed the first real dollar reduction in city costs in a generation, the schools ate through a $1 million dollar reserve fund and marshalled forces to angrily refuse a city council request to cut a meager $170,000 from its $30 million dollar request. School officials failed to acknowledge fundamental weaknesses in their budget process (e.g., the school budget is devised before the city is put together ... which forces the city to budget with whatever the schools leave the rest of the city) or to consider simple operational efficiencies (e.g., sharing finance, information systems, and human resource personnel with the city rather than having city taxpayers pay for both).
"Not a dime to spare from our school budget!" yelled school officials. And the city council caved. Setting the stage for a knee weakening city budget disaster next spring.
Watching school officials hand out a 1000 free cupcakes left a bad taste in more than a few mouths. The schools continue to find funding for the oddest things and manage to display those treasures in the most peculiar of circumstances.
