tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post8342070739203013989..comments2024-02-29T14:00:40.184-05:00Comments on Restonian: News blog from Reston, Virginia, the mauve-colored New Town (tm): School Budget Cuts Could End Language Immersion, Full-Day Kindergarten at Lake Anne Elementary and ElsewhereRestonianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15519884797760354007noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-73849934271340440172009-11-17T12:52:59.170-05:002009-11-17T12:52:59.170-05:00C'mon now - cut the hundreds of admin staff an...C'mon now - cut the hundreds of admin staff and "instructional specialists" in Gatehouse and keep these programs. These costs are buried and somehow it seems that certain staff and "pet" programs are protected from cuts. They try to fool you claiming these admin positions are "school based" skewing the real portions of funding going toward these staff. I'm not saying that admin. isn't necessary, it's just bloated, still. We shouldn't increase class size yet again and cut teachers and truly benefical programs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-3775176887509743912009-10-26T16:15:30.063-04:002009-10-26T16:15:30.063-04:00anyone concerned about the other cuts? The teacher...anyone concerned about the other cuts? The teachers havent had a raise in who knows when, with none on the horizon. Getting rid of immersion doesnt mean 1 student increase it means more, and oh by the way, get %100 on those SOL scores...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-2839046149943689012009-10-25T19:19:17.239-04:002009-10-25T19:19:17.239-04:00I went to the community dialogue meeting on Saturd...I went to the community dialogue meeting on Saturday at RRegional Library. There were many parents there very anxious about what will happen to Language Immersion programs. Bottom line is: EVERYTHING is on the table for budget cuts -- the exceptions are the things they would get sued for (i.e. Title 1, ADA, etc.)<br /><br />Although my heart was sad for those parents being so stressed, I reflected upon the thought that only a small percentage of the children in the county are served by LI programs. Yes, they're good. Yes, they serve an important purpose. But are they a luxury we cannot afford? If not, then we have to cut somewhere else. EVERYONE is in favor of cutting the budget unless it hits close to home.<br /><br />One of the school board members mentioned that Virginia's historical legacy of avoiding integration by closing schools and diverting funds to white kids shackles any point-to-progam fundraising. Sins of the fathers ... and all that.<br /><br />I came out of the session really disheartened. It is clear the County committed to a lot of things that we couldn't afford in the long term. Many of them are, on their own, GOOD THINGS.<br /><br />But, again, EVERYTHING is on the table.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-76412989610144083442009-10-25T18:48:37.364-04:002009-10-25T18:48:37.364-04:00Few more points -
If a child is fluent speaking a...Few more points -<br /><br />If a child is fluent speaking a language, that does not necessarily make them literate (reading/writing) in that language. And they still need to learn and be tested on the material (Science and Mathematics). Speaking Spanish is not a huge advantage in the Immersion program. <br /><br />The budget proposals are for next year 2010-2011.<br />The first phase of this process is with the Board of Supervisors, who will determine how much money the FCPS will receive for that year, then the School Board has to determine which programs are curtailed/eliminated. Immersion is just one of many valuable, effective programs in danger. <br /><br />I wonder how many immersion schools would become Title 1 schools without the Immersion families. Not sure of the answer - or if anyone really knows.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-29303798328417902442009-10-25T18:40:56.277-04:002009-10-25T18:40:56.277-04:00Points -
No busing is available for Spanish Immers...Points -<br />No busing is available for Spanish Immersion students when their base school is other than Lake Anne. Immersion parents outside the boundary drive or carpool. <br /><br />The savings projeted by the School Board would be mainly staffing. The class sizes get smaller as the students get older (attrition from families moving, students decided to join GT Centers, opting outof SI program for variety of reasons) - but they still require a Spanish Immersion teacher. Lake Anne mitigates this somewhat by combining classes (the 5th and 6th grade students have the same Science teacher and Math teacher).<br /><br />Not having full-day Kindergarten is not really a "Child Care" issue - it is a important remediation step for the most disadvantaged of school population.<br /><br />The Spanish Immersion program does not aim for fluency - my children aren't fluent, but comfortable with the Language. But study after study show that learning a language (any language) at an early age is a benefit for learning a language later in life (even a different language) and facilitate other connections (mathematics, for example) that use those same skills.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-20863109502316115692009-10-23T17:30:21.964-04:002009-10-23T17:30:21.964-04:00I propose all section 8 voucher programs are elimi...I propose all section 8 voucher programs are eliminated in support of language inmersion programs. Geez! No brainer, you get productive, talented kids ready for college and the challenges of the future. With section 8 you get nothing, just Cathie's elite society of future drug dealers and single parents with an entitlement mentality!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-63382932358516105072009-10-23T16:09:34.767-04:002009-10-23T16:09:34.767-04:00anon 10:17- doesn't that mean that 2/3 of the ...anon 10:17- doesn't that mean that 2/3 of the kids in the program are NOT spanish speakers?<br /><br />I was considering sending my daughter to LAES for the immersion program when she's old enough, since she wants to learn Spanish and I'd like her to have the advantage of early fluencey (both my husband and I speak Spanish, but neither of us is fluent). I do with they had more launguage choices, though... I'd bet their would be a huge demand for Mandarin Chinese or Arabic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-41322286045521285932009-10-23T15:45:22.822-04:002009-10-23T15:45:22.822-04:00Anon 10:17 - My boss' child is in the immersio...Anon 10:17 - My boss' child is in the immersion program at LAES and I can tell you, they are not already fully-fluent in Spanish. They actually opted to send her there so she could have the advantage of learning another language at a young age since they aren't in the LAES district. The county has immersion schools in other languages as well. I think Fox Mill is Japanese ... think it's only for all those local Japanese children that just need to get another A?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-21558214529259998232009-10-23T10:53:41.413-04:002009-10-23T10:53:41.413-04:00everyone relax! obama is going to have his school ...everyone relax! obama is going to have his school czar look into this matter and then they will inform us of what schools offer what programs and who is eligible.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-80912492766996615892009-10-23T10:17:05.580-04:002009-10-23T10:17:05.580-04:00My kid goes to LAES. I can tell you that the lang...My kid goes to LAES. I can tell you that the language immersion seems to me to be a cover for full-day ESOL. About 1/3 of the kids in the program are already fully-fluent in Spanish because they come from homes where Spanish is obviously the first language.<br /><br />It reminds me about college where we had several native speakers in my Spanish class. For them, it was all about getting easy foreign language credits. I doubt that they learned very much from it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-84280583717361871892009-10-22T21:06:05.382-04:002009-10-22T21:06:05.382-04:00It's a little unclear to me from looking at th...It's a little unclear to me from looking at the fcps website whether these changes (which are for FY 2011) would take place during the 2010/2011 school year or the year after. I'm assuming it's next year- does anyone know for sure?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-90204730492657061882009-10-22T18:49:02.223-04:002009-10-22T18:49:02.223-04:00Anon 4:37 - 2:34 here -- no my kids weren't in...Anon 4:37 - 2:34 here -- no my kids weren't in either program, they were in private school. But I can see the neighborhood kids and what the program has done to the different families.<br /><br />Anon 2:46 -- I didn't realize there was no busing for out-of area immersion. They send the gifted all over the county with our tax dollars...but you're right that the program is politically untouchable.<br /><br />Re: Kindergarten -- I like the solution Anon 4:52 offers -- opting out of full day. Probably considered too difficult to differentiate?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-88405965219779806612009-10-22T16:52:13.352-04:002009-10-22T16:52:13.352-04:00What about the parents who don't want their ki...What about the parents who don't want their kids in full-day K, but have no choice given to them by FCPS? There are a lot of people out there who think full-day K is developmentally inappropriate. FCPS could have saved a lot of money over the years by allowing parents the choice of opting-out of full-day.<br /><br />If parents want their kids in an institutional setting all day, they have the option of paying for daycare. Full-day K (for English-speaking kids who are not living in poverty) is just a convenience for parents, it isn't an academic necessity. Witness the fact that many of the schools in the county do without it just fine, and most of the schools in the county did not have it until recently.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-74261115142031005132009-10-22T16:43:34.810-04:002009-10-22T16:43:34.810-04:00What is elitist about the immesion programs? They...What is elitist about the immesion programs? They give kids from all backgrounds the chance to become fluent in a foreign language. At Lake Anne, the 2-way immersion kindergarten gives native English and Spanish speakers a good way of learining each others languages.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-8740345869409026232009-10-22T16:37:52.052-04:002009-10-22T16:37:52.052-04:00Anon 2:34, I guess we know what kind of kid you ha...Anon 2:34, I guess we know what kind of kid you have...<br /><br />Anon 3:52, it is not a good thing when a single parent has to work or both parents need to work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-83946937058077949892009-10-22T15:52:47.770-04:002009-10-22T15:52:47.770-04:00Many children are not ready for full-day kindergar...Many children are not ready for full-day kindergarten. Half-day classes will give children time to be children before they are forced into the straight-jacket of FCPS curriculum demands. It's a good thing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-10949133554772060162009-10-22T14:46:08.244-04:002009-10-22T14:46:08.244-04:00Actually, students who enroll in language immersio...Actually, students who enroll in language immersion programs at schools other than their home school are responsible for their own transportation. There's no busing. There may be other cost savings, but that's not one of them.<br /><br />We had the choice between a GT program and language immersion program for our own child. We picked language immersion, as we thought it offered a more real form of "enrichment." Sadly, GT is politically untouchable in this county.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-51019747779589388882009-10-22T14:34:34.491-04:002009-10-22T14:34:34.491-04:00Eliminating immersion programs would save money in...Eliminating immersion programs would save money in that there would be less busing to immersion schools and there would be no need for differentiated curricula. They are a bit of an elitist type of program, which leads me to where the real reductions need to take place:<br /><br />I would love to see the ridiculous "gifted" programs take big hits. They are so wasteful of resources, and create huge divisions in student populations between 'gifted' and 'stupid.' Now I know the kids in the general population classes are not stupid, but they think they are because they're not 'gifted.' The kids in the program treat them that way, some teachers treat them that way and PARTICULARLY the parents of the kids in the gifted program treat them that way. And if you spend time with the students in 'gifted' you realize that many of them are just obnoxiously ADD...and far from gifted, but in the name of 'inclusion' the county has made the program a JOKE.<br /><br />Full day kindergarten is essential for those kids from lower income families and from homes where English is not the primary language.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412900754136064810.post-56589654548604448782009-10-22T13:57:58.093-04:002009-10-22T13:57:58.093-04:00I don't actually understand how eliminating la...I don't actually understand how eliminating language immersion programs is going to save the county much money. These kids are being taught foreign languages by their primary classroom teacher, and they have to be taught by SOMEONE, whether that person teaches Spanish or French or not.<br /><br />I believe the intention in regards to kindergarten is to revert the entire county to half-day with the exception of the Title I schools. So in Reston, Dogwood would remain full-day but the rest of the schools would be half-day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com