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Upcoming FCAG Events
Public Hearing January 25-26, 2010
Register to speak at the School Board's public hearings on the budget (read more below) on January 25-26, 2010 here.
FY2011 Proposed Budget
Superintendent Dale presented his recommendations for the FCPS FY 2011 Budget on January 7, 2010. View the FY2011 Proposed Budget.
Superintendent Dale again is proposing to eliminate school buses to/from Advanced Academic Program Centers (a/k/a GT Centers) for students who have a Local Level IV services at their base school. If the Fairfax County School Board accepts Dr. Dale's proposal (the School Board rejected this very proposal last year), parents retain the option of driving their children to the AAP/GT Center based program or moving their children to their base school's Local Level IV class in order to obtain bus service. This proposal will likely result in an increased school population and larger class sizes in base schools that offer Local Level IV services (over and above the +1 increase that Dr. Dale is proposing for all schools). If families are forced to leave AAP/GT centers due to a lack of bus service, this may well result in a deterioration and possibly the eventual demise of Center-based Advanced Academic Programs.
The proposed budget also includes a $75 fee for each AP/IB exam.
The budget also requests an additional $57.8 million from the Board of Supervisors. If they do not receive this amount, they will increase class sizes in AAP/GT centers and at TJ High School for Science and Technology. Prior discussions included a four student increase in AAP/GT centers. Please read the letter here from parents at Stratford Landing Elementary who are very concerned about how increased class size would affect them.
If you have similar concerns at your school, you can contact your local school board member or any of the at-large members here to share your concerns.
The Advanced Academic Program Advisory Committee (AAPAC) to the Fairfax County School Board has recommended that the School Board keep bus transportation to the AAP/GT centers. The letter dated December 2, 2009 can be found here.
Public Hearing January 25-26, 2010
Register to speak at the School Board's public hearings on the budget on January 25-26, 2010 here. The sign up list fills up very quickly and opens Friday January 8, 2010 at 6 am.
FCPS Class Size Changes
In the budget discussions for FY 2011, the Fairfax County Public School staff is proposing to increase all class sizes by 1 student and increasing class sizes for Advanced Academic Center (a/k/a GT Centers) by 4 students. Read the letter here here from parents at Stratford Landing Elementary who are very concerned about how increased class size would affect them. If you have similar concerns at your school, you can contact your local school board member or any of the at-large members here to share your concerns.
FCAG Logo Wear
Show your support of FCAG and gifted education in Fairfax county by purchasing logo wear at our new online FCAG store. Proceeds benefit FCAG.
FCPS ES/MS Boundaries
Maps of the Elementary and Middle School GT Boundaries from the FY 2011-15 Capital Improvement Program (FCPS Office of Facilities Planning Services) can be found here on pages 70 and 71.
FAIRGRADE
The School Board has adopted a new 10-point grading scale with pluses and minuses, to be used starting in 2009-10. For more information, see FAIRGRADE.
The Misplaced Math Student
Read the Brown Center report about students taking algebra in grade 8 and getting lost.