Budget, Director's Search Discussed By Board Part 1

Mr. Hunt’s Resignation Accepted by Board, Search for Replacement Continues

By: Charles Condro, Jabberwock Staff Reporter

Change was the focus of the December 18 MLWGS Regional School Board Meeting.

The first of these changes was that this meeting was the last for Richmond representative Ms. Lisa Dawson. She lost her second district school board seat to Ms. Kim Gray. Richmond has not yet stated, however, who will replace Ms. Dawson on the Regional Board.

Mr. Ivan Mattox, chair of the Regional Board and a representative from Goochland County, presented Ms. Dawson with a silver plate from the Regional Board to commemorate her service.

“A very fine board member,” said MLWGS Director Mr. Doug Hunt. “To say we’ll miss her is an understatement.”

While it did not come as a surprise to those in attendance, Mr. Hunt officially gave his letter of resignation to the Regional School Board.

Line item 140 of the proposed state budget addresses education. A sub-section of this document lists funding for programs, like MLWGS, which exceed the “Virginia Standards of Educational Quality.”

In the proposed budget, there is approximately $13 million allocated to Virginia’s Governor’s Schools. This figure, however, represents a reduction of about $715,000 for FY 2009 and nearly $300,000 for FY 2010 from what had originally been discussed.

Of this lump sum, the three full-day academic year Virginia Governor’s Schools are the greatest recipients, but some of this funding is also distributed to the fifteen half-day programs.

“We, [Maggie Walker], Appomattox, and T.J. Fairfax will take the main hit on this one,” said MLWGS Parent and Friends of Virginia Governor’s Schools (FOVGS) representative Mrs. Sarah Hillgrove.

With the proposed state budget now in the hands of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees, much attention will soon be devoted to editing, altering and possibly overhauling the state financial package.

On January 14, the General Assembly will reconvene for the 2009 session. This year, the objective of both houses will be to revise the proposed budget and search for new revenue sources.

In addition to his controversial suggestion to double the state cigarette tax to cover Medicaid expenses, Gov. Kaine has also proposed a re-allocation of proceeds from the Virginia Lottery. Instead of using the $55 million of lottery funds for new school construction, next year’s lotto tickets may be directed to cover general education costs.

“I don’t expect local governments to love the 400 million taken out of the school budget,” said Gov. Kaine, speaking to reporters after his announcement. “…But there needs to be some sharing of this burden, and I think most people understand that.”

Mr. Gordon Hickey, Gov. Kaine’s press secretary, told the Jabberwock that the cuts are being aimed at non-instructional personnel.

“The Governor is trying to avoid having these cuts affect anything inside the classroom,” said Mr. Hickey.

MLWGS students, parents and administrators will make their own trip to the state capitol on January 29 for the FOVGS lobby day and luncheon reception. The purpose of this event is to encourage state legislators to minimize funding cuts for Virginia’s Governor’s Schools.

“Our challenge is to make our voice heard,” said Mrs. Hillgrove. “With our last call to action we sent more than 75 emails to just one person at the DOE (Department of Education)… we just have to kind of keep the pressure on.”

Regional Board Chair Mr. Ivan Mattox presents a certificate of recognition to departing Richmond member Ms. Lisa Dawson. Picture by Danny Yates.

Gov. Kaine proposed his budget to a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of www.governor.virginia.gov.

Budget, Director's Search Discussed By Board Part 2

Local Funding from Has Been Promised, But State Funding for Virginia’s Governor’s Schools Will Likely Be Reduced By 6%

By: Danny Yates, Jabberwock Staff Reporter

Budget cuts for MLWGS are no longer a possibility, they are becoming a reality.

On Wednesday morning, Governor Kaine submitted his proposed fiscal year 2009 and 2010 budgets to a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly.

For the first time in years, the Commonwealth will be significantly cutting funds for secondary education.

“The revenue reductions for 2010 are big enough that we cannot ignore the single largest state expenditure in the budget,” said Gov. Kaine, referring to the $6.3 billion state education allotment.

Gov. Kaine has proposed a nearly $340 million reduction for state education.

6% Cut From MLWGS

At yesterday’s Regional Board meeting, MLWGS Director Mr. Doug Hunt estimated the proposed state cuts for MLWGS at approximately $78,000 to $85,000.

“It’s not as bad as it could have been, I suppose, but that amount of money will have an affect on us,” said Mr. Hunt.

Regional Board Chair Mr. Ivan Mattox shared a similar outlook.

“Everyone is going to be impacted, but we’re hoping for the minimum affect,” said Mr. Mattox.

Overall, however, the larger state reductions in general education funding may have a ripple effect on MLWGS.

Hanover County Superintendent Dr. Stewart Roberson spoke to the Regional Board about his predictions for state education as a whole.

“Salary freezes and lay-offs are a clear dynamic, and now having said that, Merry Christmas,” said Dr. Robertson.

Chesterfield County Superintendent Dr. Marcus Newsome spoke of how some citizens might react to the 6% cut in MLWGS state funding when compared to the greater 9% cut for most other secondary schools.

“Support around this table is unwavering, but when our communities see this [funding disparity], they are going to be pointing fingers,” said Mr. Newsome. “People will say why are we going to save that program when you’re cutting programs for poor kids… that is something we certainly need to be prepared for,” said Mr. Newsome

“Doug’s done a fantastic job,” said Mr. John Axselle, of Hanover County.

“He has raised the bar… It is with regret that I move we accept Mr. Hunt’s resignation.”

Board Leadership Retained

The Regional Board will continue on with the officers they have.

On the Superintendent Steering Committee, there will be some internal change, as Mr. Fred Morton of Henrico County is replaced as vice-chair by Mr. Marcus Newsome of Chesterfield County.

The Regional Board has not been idle about its search for the new director. Mr. Axselle, who is the head of the committee to search for the new director, gave the Board an update on the search.

Director’s Search Progress

“We will be meeting as a team to develop our questions [for the interview process],” said Mr. Axselle. The committee will meet on January 15 to begin formulating the questions, based in part on the results of the surveys filled out by members of the MLWGS community.

Mr. Axselle also addressed the issue of finding a replacement for Ms. Pat Taylor. She will be retiring from her post as Coordinator of Curriculum at the end of the school year.

“The process and focus of the director search will be the director, and that’s it,” said Mr. Axselle. “The new director should be the one who leads the search for the assistant director.”

Mr. Hunt, however, was concerned about waiting so long to pick the assistant director.

“The fear is that if we wait until the new director is in place,” said Mr. Hunt, “Then it might be too late in the season to get anyone.”

Stop the Diversity Study, Save the MLWGS Budget

On Wednesday, Governor Kaine hand-delivered his proposed budget to state lawmakers. For those involved with education in Virginia, Kaine’s delivery wasn’t exactly a Christmas present. The proposed budget contains nearly 400 million dollars in reductions to education funding. Basically, this means that some of the money we were expecting will most likely not materialize.

MLWGS will have to tighten up its belt next year, as state budget cuts will likely reduce the funding for non-instructional, non-essential services. So far, it looks like our operating budget will be reduced by approximately $78,000 to $85,000.

Now we come to the question of – “what will we have to cut to make ends meet?” Two weeks ago we learned that a similar institution, Appomattox Regional Governor’s School (ARGS), has already begun its cuts.

Dr. James Ruffa, Director of ARGS spoke of his reductions in areas like field trips, transportation, and extracurricular activities. At yesterday’s Regional Board meeting, Mr. Hunt acknowledged that MLWGS will be faced with the same scenario and will have to implement similar measures in the months to come.

But before we start slashing away at our “non essential programs,” which arguably constitute some of the most important aspects of student life, let’s take a look at one recent unnecessary expenditure.

Over the summer, the MLWGS Regional Board agreed to pay $70,000 to a group of four U.Va professors for a quantitative study of diversity and our school’s admissions process.

The job description for the diversity consultants stated that the team of four would interview students, parents, and teachers before making any recommendations. In addition the four agreed to compile statistical data about the admissions process and whether it is fair to all, including underrepresented minorities.

Yet not one of these four individuals has ever set foot in the MLW building except for the day when the Regional Board awarded a $70,000 contract to the group. The diversity consultants are supposed to deliver their recommendations sometime this spring, but let’s face it, without any hands-on observation their suggestions will not be very useful.

How can they make an informed recommendation if they have never spoken with students, parents, or teachers? How can they make an informed recommendation if they never attended a MLWGS open house? How can they make an informed recommendation by sitting in Charlottesville and crunching numbers?

But there is some hope! The Regional Board has yet to sign the check for the diversity consultants. As with most contracts, the RFP for the diversity study specifies that the researchers will be paid at different intervals, a process usually referred to as “progress payment.”

So, the solution is simple. If we halt the study now, we could use the $70,000 to fill the holes in next year’s budget!

In addition, we could turn over the issue of MLWGS diversity study to an in-house committee of parents, students, teachers, and community members.

Whatever the case, the answer is straightforward. Stop the study and save the budget!

Letter to the Editor: Sports

Dear Editor,

Since the beginning of our public school brainwashing, we have all been forced into playing sports. Random protests to this are greeted with such replies as “It will build teamwork” or “You need the exercise.” But how can something that forces competition be good for us?

Let’s examine some common knowledge. There are always some students, the “jocks,” who excel at sports and plan their whole lives around them. Then there is the entire community who also takes part in this: the cheerleaders, the devoted fans, even the moms who prepare meals for the athletes.

In school there are even monstrous “pep rallies,” designed only for the sole purpose of getting people more obsessed with athletics. By why does every school system set aside entire days for this purpose?

Recently, the answer has become very clear to me. If everyone is preoccupied with fighting their neighbors, then any nefarious government plot will go un-noticed. The whole idea of sports is to get the entire populous to become so obsessed that they completely overlook serious problems. Essentially, the government wants people to fight each other, rather than fighting the system.

So what can we do to stop this? Although it may seem that there is nothing that can be done, there are several options. First of all, you can refuse to participate in Phys. Ed. class. It just takes one person not caring to make everyone else realize the pointlessness of the class. And remember, the next time you want to go see a game, imagine the economy you are feeding.

Sincerely,

Quinten Marsh (‘11)

*Note, the Jabberwock would like to remind its readers that the opinions expressed in letters to the editor are solely the thoughts and words of the letter writer.

A Conversation with MLWGS’ Own Mr. Irvin Charles

Maggie Walker Alumnus and MLWGS Head of Security shares his thoughts

Have you made any Christmas plans?

No, I’m looking forward to staying home and spending my time relaxing with my wife and my daughter.

What are you asking Santa for?

I would like an all black 2009 Lamborghini or Bentley.

What’s the chance of that?

I think the likelihood of that is probably around fifty-fifty.

Talk about Girls’ Basketball

They are definitely coming along. The varsity is doing well. My JV girls, they’re making improvements.

We’re trying to tighten up on some things so that mid-season we can be in the midst of competing with some of the better teams out there.

You’ve been putting posters on the windows of each classroom door...

Well, each year, I have to re-supply each classroom to make sure they have (poster covers) just in case we do have a situation. My experience in past drills was that most of the teachers did real well as far as complying with the different codes.

Advice for the New Year?

I hope that students will go home on the Christmas break with safety on their mind – don’t do anything crazy like drinking and driving. I wish everyone a safe and Happy Holiday.

Any recent security issues?

No, right now, we’re going to close the Christmas break with no major problems, but I do hope that students will pay more attention to their personal belongings – certain things you just can’t leave and come back and expect to find them…


Q&A with Jabberwock Editor Danny Yates on December 16.

Continuing Debate: A Secular Holiday?

Ben Zavelsky (’12):
“I think that it should be religious; people should be able to express whatever they want: you have to weigh secularism and freedom of expression.”



Esther Lee (’11):
“It depends on what people want to do; you don’t have to keep it secular if you do."

Elsa Schultze (’10):
“I think you say what you say and you shouldn’t have to change it for anyone else: you can’t force people to express a holiday wish (just) so no one else gets their feelings hurt.”

Courtney Wynn (’09):
“I think people have a right to put up Christmas decorations: It’s freedom of expression and even freedom of religion.. It’s a beautiful time of year, and decorations just make it more beautiful.”

Production Cancelled

A production of the MLWGS drama department set to be performed on December 12, 13, and 14 was cancelled. The production was student-driven and is not related to the shorter one-act plays drama students put on throughout the year.

"It [the cancellation] was largely just because of scheduling," said Mr. Grant Mudge, MLWGS drama teacher.

The drama department has many shows scheduled for this year, including the recent "Much Ado About Nothing" as well as the Spring production, which Mr. Mudge said will be a contemporary play and, hopefully, a comedy.