We won’t fix the challenges Prince William schools face overnight

Opinion

When I moved to Dale City in 1978, I was a nine year old rising 4 th grader. 

Enterprise Elementary School opened its doors for the first time that year, and I was in Ms. Stoneburner’s class. After two years at Enterprise, a school my children would later attend and where I would eventually serve as PTA President and Treasurer, I went to Godwin Middle School and graduated from Osbourn Park in 1987. During those years, I received a great education from some incredible teachers. And I chose to raise and educate my children here in Prince William County.

Since 1992, I’ve had children in our schools continuously, with another five years to go. When my two youngest graduate, my children and I will have a total of 74 years in Prince William County Public Schools. I’ve had the opportunity to witness, firsthand, the changes in our schools and the commitment to education in our community. And those changes, in recent years, have not been for the better.

Prince William County schools currently have the largest classroom sizes in the entire Commonwealth of Virginia. That’s a dubious and dangerous distinction. Some will argue that class sizes don’t matter. I believe that they do. I believe that asking a middle school teacher to give 38 young teens the personalized attention that they need to truly thrive is simply asking too much. It puts our teachers in a no win situation, and it threatens our children’s’ futures.

Here in Prince William County, we currently invest considerably less per student than our counterparts in Northern Virginia, and our teachers are compensated at significantly lower rates than other neighboring counties. Our teachers have been asked to work longer hours for the same pay, and all too often have to pay for vital classroom supplies out of their own pockets. A friend who teaches 7 th grade science in one of our middle schools got several reams of paper as a Christmas present from her husband this year. We simply have to do better.

The challenges we face in providing our children with the education they need and our educators with the working environment and compensation they deserve are, quite frankly, self inflicted.They are not someone else’s fault. They are the result of land use decisions by the Board of County Supervisors that have put residential growth ahead of infrastructure needs and a lack of resolve in ensuring that our schools not only receive the financial support they require, but that funding is used where it belongs: in the classroom.

To address these issues, we need make some important changes.

First, the Board must do a better job in sticking to the Strategic and Comprehensive Plans when making land use decisions. Deciding whether or not to approve a rezoning or special use permit has to be based solely on the impact that approval will have on the community as a whole, not for the benefit of special interests. More importantly, we must eliminate the revenue sharing agreement between the Board of County Supervisors and the School Board. This agreement has been in place for decades and has allowed both Boards to shy away from the hard discussions needed on funding our schools instead of addressing them. School funding shouldn’t be based on an arbitrary formula.

Interestingly, we are one of only two jurisdictions in the entire state that do this. School funding should be based on detailed, prioritized budgets presented by the School Board and administration that give the community the opportunity to have their voices heard on how much to invest in our schools and where the money is spent each year based on specific needs. These discussions won’t be easy, nor should they be. But leadership is about engagement and tackling the tough issues, not using legislation to avoid responsibility.

After a decade of questionable decisions, we won’t fix the challenges our schools face overnight. It will take time, tough decisions and real leadership. My own children will hopefully see some progress, but it’s my grandchildren that I hope will see the real benefits. I chose to raise and educate my children here in Prince William County because I believed that our community was the best place to do that. I want my children to believe this when they also have to make that decision. We’re not there now. But I know that with the right changes and the right leadership, we can get there.

*Rick Smith is running for Chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.