Town Hall with State Senator Edd Houck

This was the message I received from Senator Houck: "Dear Friends, In the wake of sagging economic revenues and its negative impact on public and higher education funding, I am hosting a town hall meeting on January 9, 2010 at the Germanna Community College, Locust Grove Campus from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. My purpose in hosting this meeting is to begin communication with individuals concerned with public and higher education prior to the General AssemblyÂÂ's work on the GovernorÂÂ's introduced budget, which is expected to close a $3.5 billion shortfall in revenue. With many difficult decisions facing the General Assembly, it is important that I receive your feedback. Specifically, I want to hear from citizens concerning the budget reductionsÂÂ' effects on education in the 17th Senatorial District and the Commonwealth. Clearly, our communication has never been more important. Educators, parents and other interested citizens from Culpeper, Louisa, Madison, Orange, and Spotsylvania counties as well as the City of Fredericksburg are invited to attend. Likewise, Germanna Community College, Piedmont Virginia Community College, and University of Mary Washington representatives are invited to participate as well. The meeting will be open to the public and the media. It is my sincere hope that you will be able to join us. If you have any questions about the meeting or any other issue, please do not hesitate to contact me." Now, as I am sure you are aware, there is a shortfall in the State budget and our legislators want to impose another tax hike. The way they always do this is to cut, or threaten to cut, essential services until we cave in and submit to the tax hikes. They never cut the pork, bloat or waste. They always complain that there is not enough money for education, but check out this article from the Richmond Times-Dispatch: Va. ranks 17th in per-pupil spending By Jeremy Slayton Published: July 28, 2009 "Virginia ranks 17th in the country for elementary and secondary per-pupil spending, according to a report released yesterday by the U.S. Census Bureau. School systems in Virginia spent an average of $10,210 per student during the 2006-07 school year, the most recent year for which complete information is available. That's an increase of $763 from the 2005-06 school year, bumping Virginia up two spots. New York spent the most per pupil at $15,981, while Utah spent the least at $5,683. The national average in 2006-07 was $9,666. Virginia's per-pupil spending increased again during the 2007-08 school year to $11,037, according to figures from the Virginia Department of Education. Despite the steady increase in funding, one central Virginia superintendent said he believes more should be spent toward public education. "We need to spend more per pupil if a school is going to deliver on the promise of equalizing the playing field," said Charles Maranzano Jr., Dinwiddie County school superintendent. "There are more students with more diverse backgrounds and special needs than ever before." The Census Bureau releases its study of data each year after analyzing information from each public school system in the country, said Tom Edwards, public information officer for the Census Bureau. Locally during the 2006-07 school year: •Richmond spent $12,728 per student. •Hanover County spent $8,378. •Chesterfield County spent $8,279. •Henrico County spent $8,161. The report included only public school systems with enrollments of more than 10,000 students. Per-pupil spending in Virginia is determined by the average daily attendance in the school systems across the state. The funds go towards the daily operations of schools: regular school day, food services, summer school and adult education." Who would like to venture a guess how the kids in Utah stack up against ours? According to "Measuring Up" Utah scored better than Virginia on almost every performance index. If you would like to let Senator Houck know how you feel about the State budget and education spending in Virginia, RSVP to attend.