Burke inside Page 8 Rams Win State Sports, Page 10 Classified, Page 13 Classified, ❖ Entertainment, Page 9 ❖ Sports, Page 10 Jack Bass, right, made it all the way to the 125-weight class finals, only to lose a close 4-1 decision to Annandale’s Dane Harlowe, left, at last Saturday night’s Virginia State AAA wrestling championships at Robinson Secondary. Renovation On Horizon? News, Page 3 PERMIT #86 PERMIT Martinsburg, WV Martinsburg, PAID U.S. Postage U.S. PRSRT STD PRSRT Photo by Craig Sterbutzel/The Connection Photo www.ConnectionNewspapers.comFebruary 24 - March 2, 2011 online at www.connectionnewspapers.comBurke Connection ❖ February 24 - March 2, 2011 ❖ 1 News County Executive Proposes $3.38 Billion Budget By Nicholas M. Horrock $110 a year in increased real estate taxes. Does not include raises for county employees, Griffin told the supervisors that the bud- The Connection get still has a shortfall of some $50 million, cuts funds for school raises. but this far less than the $350 million short- airfax County Executive Anthony fall in the current 2011 budget and was in the county) would cost the tax payer an The board’s three Republican supervisors H. Griffin proposed a $3.38 billion designed to maintain “the quality of life” in additional $110 a year. John Cook (Braddock), Michael R. Frey Fbudget to the Board of Supervi Fairfax County, he said. Three members of the board refused to (Sully) and Pat Herrity of the Springfield sors Tuesday which if adopted The board voted Tuesday to “advertise” back the $1.09 figure, offering an amend- District said the lower rate would force cuts would bar pay raises for county employees the tax rate at $1.09 in the 2012 budget, ment to advertise a figure of $1.065, which in services rather than an actual increase and school teachers for another year and beginning on July1, which on a home val- would further tighten the amount of money could cost an average home owner some ued at $443,511 (the mean assessed value the county would have to spend. See Griffin, Page 5 2 ❖ Burke Connection ❖ February 24 - March 2, 2011 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Burke Connection Editor Michael O’Connell News 703-778-9416 or [email protected] West Springfield High Renovation Moves Forward schedule, some community activists and SOAR wants school elected officials want to fast-track WSHS renovations so that the school is completely fast-tracked, seeks overhauled by its 50th anniversary in 2016. alternative funding “The renovation queue has been acceler- ated by a couple of years, but it’s still unac- strategies. ceptable, said Erik Hawkins, who spear- heads the community action group Spartans Organized for Action on Renovation By Victoria Ross by Photo (SOAR). “Even with the new timetable, a The Connection complete renovation of WSHS is still a de- cade away.” ower construction costs and favor Current FCPS estimates are for the school able market conditions have ac- Ross Victoria to be refurbished and modernized by about Lcelerated the timetable for many 2018, and that’s not fast enough for SOAR. school renovations projects, in- “To put that date in perspective, that cluding the $88 million renovation of West means that no West Springfield child cur- Springfield High School, according to rently older than first grade would attend /The Connection Fairfax County School Board officials. a renovated WSHS,” Hawkins said. “What’s positive is that WSHS has a place Built in 1966, the 300,000-square-foot in the queue and is scheduled to be reno- high school on Rolling Road currently en- vated after Langley High School,” said rolls more than 2,200 students in ninth School Board member Liz Bradsher (Spring- through 12th grades and offers many Ad- field). “It has been accelerated due to cost vanced Placement programs. Optimal ca- savings and capital decisions made by the pacity is approximately 2,100 students, and Erik Hawkins, president of SOAR, stands in front of West Springfield School Board.” that number is expected to jump to 2,500 High School with Monique Craft, a 1972 alumna, and Hawkins’ chil- Renovation for WSHS is slated to begin students in 2014. Like Herndon and Oakton dren, Anya, 10, Luke, 8, and Ainsley, 5). Fifth-grader Anya and second- in 2016, four years ahead of when origi- high schools, WSHS is laid out on two sto- grader Luke attend Cardinal Forest Elementary and Ainsley attends nally anticipated in 2009, Bradsher said. ries with the library, planetarium, adminis- Grace Weekday Preschool in Springfield. The closing of Pimmit Hills Alternative tration offices and cafeteria in front and School and Clifton Elementary School, struction, enabling us to speed up our reno- renovations and additions over five years, auditorium and gymnasiums in the back. which the School Board approved last July, vations,” said FCPS Superintendent Jack D. totaling $804.9 million — $199.4 million In the summer of 2009, the school re- coupled with historically low construction Dale. “This makes it possible for us to reno- is currently funded with approved school ceived $2.4 million to fund repairs that in- bids, enabled FCPS to save $31 million over vate our schools more quickly than origi- bonds. To complete projects as scheduled cluded new carpeting, a new $400,000 state the past three years and pushed up the reno- nally planned while saving money.” in the new CIP, the schools would require a of the art running track and $55,000 for vation of many schools. On Jan. 20, the School Board approved bond referendum in November 2011 to stadium improvements. “One bright spot in the economic down- the FY 2012-16 Capital Improvement Pro- cover the $600 million shortfall. turn is that we’re seeing lower costs for con- gram (CIP), which includes new schools, Even with the accelerated renovation See Renovation, Page 4 Fairfax County School Discipline: Broken or Perfect? of tackling teen depression in general. Hudgins’ link of two teenage suicides to the Jack Dale criticizes concerns linking recent “I believe our efforts would be far more school disciplinary process. productive if we focused on the incidence “For Supervisor Hudgins to link the two teen suicides to suspensions. of depression among our county youth and tragic student deaths to their disciplinary how our agencies can work together to processes for the purpose of furthering a By Julia O’Donoghue whether the Zero Tolerance disciplinary tackle this problem,” wrote Dale in his state- falsehood is unconscionable and a blow to The Connection policy of FCPS lacks the ability to recog- ment. those who have already suffered great pain nize the emotional difficulties students ex- Dale said Fairfax County schools do not and loss,” wrote Dale. n the last 22 months, two Fairfax perience,” she said in a written statement. have a “zero tolerance” approach to disci- Dale and Hudgins did not speak to each I County students have died of suicide Supervisors plan to invite the Fairfax Part- pline and consider every proposal for ex- other directly; each issued public state- while coping with their removal from nership for Youth and par- ments. their local high school for disciplinary mat- ent groups to put together Last month, sophomore Nick ters. a forum about student dis- Stuban died a few weeks after When the Fairfax County Board of Super- cipline, including how ex- “I strongly recommend that all members he had been forced to leave visors voted unanimously Feb. 8 to “make pulsions and suspensions of the Board of Supervisors learn more Woodson High School for outreach efforts” to the local school system are handled, for both Fairfax High School because of about student disciplinary tactics,” members county and school system about FCPS’ practices and policies ...” an infraction. In 2009, South hoped to begin a friendly and ongoing dis- officials. Lakes High School junior Josh cussion about possible reforms to the — FCPS Superintendent Jack Dale Anderson took his life a few schools’ current system. THREE DAYS LATER, hours before he expected to be “I want us to come together and ask ‘Can Fairfax County Superintendent Jack Dale pulsion or suspension on an individual ba- expelled from the entire Fairfax County we find a better way to do this?’” said Su- made it clear he had no intention of dis- sis. school system at disciplinary hearing. pervisor Cathy Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill), cussing the disciplinary system with the “I strongly recommend that all members According to last year’s Fairfax County one of two sponsors of the county measure. county. Dale said in a statement that of the Board of Supervisors learn more Youth Survey, 14 percent of local students Hudgins is concerned that the school’s Hudgins’ resolution demonstrated a “seri- about FCPS’ practices and policies before had considered suicide and 3.6 percent had current disciplinary process may have ous misunderstanding” among the supervi- making public statements that are misin- attempted suicide at least once. The youth caused these students to feel more isolated sors of the school system’s current disciplin- formed and damaging to our students, fami- survey shows that students who report abus and could have contributed to their deaths. ary policies. lies and community,” wrote Dale. See FCPS, Page 7 “Many parents and students are asking Instead, he suggested a broader approach Dale also objected in strong language to www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Burke Connection ❖ February 24 - March 2, 2011 ❖ 3 Week in Burke News Elizabeth Bradsher To Become a Democrat? Renovation Moves Up the List Fairfax County School Board Member Elizabeth Bradsher From Page 3 ing the construction timetable to take advantage of (Springfield) is considering joining the Democratic Party unprecedented low construction costs.