Evening star., 1951-03-17
: fairfax Schools
Ask S. Million in
Record Budget
Sum Is Greater Than
Entire County Fund
For Current Year
By Mary Lou Werner

The Fairfax County Schoo.
Board today proposed a 1851
budget of $4,919,245, nearly double
that Of the current year anc
greater than the entire operating
budget of the county for 1861.
A school tax levy of $2.56 pei
500 of assessed valuation is asked
to finance the record proposal.
School officials are forwarding
their request to the Board of Su-
pervisors for inclusion in the
county's 1872 budget on which
a public hearing will be held next
month and which will take effect
July l.
New Revenue Actually Higher.
The school budget for the cur
rent fiscal year is $2,614,951 ano
the total county budget for this
year is slightly over $3.4 million
Although the proposed new
school levy is slightly below that
of the current year, tax revenue
for school purposes actually would
be higher. Fhis is because Of q
recently completed county reas-
sessment which raised valuations
from nearly $64 million to over
$123 million.
The proposed new school levy is
expected to raise $2,842,071, while
the old rate was budgeJed to
raise only $1.525 ,346 fer the cur
rent fiscal year. State grants
and other miscellaneous sources
of income account for the remain
der of the school revenues.
AS required by Jaw, the sctoo.
budget is prepared in two major
sections: Operating fund anC
capital outlay and debt service.
The total proposed operating
budget for 1872 is $3,387. 168
The current years figure is $2,-
320,890. Of the total proposed
school tax rate. S2.05 would be
required for the operating budget
Institutional Costs Higher.
Biggest increase in operations i:
a $681 900 raise in instructiona,
costs. This principally is a result
of a higher teacher salary scale
and the addition of some new
teachers. The new proposed
teacher salary scale is $500 tc
$4,000, while the current scale is
200 to $4,000. Altogether, in
struction costs account for So, ,340,-
100 of the total proposed budget.
Other items that account fol
increases in the operating budget
are $4,000 additional for admin
istration, $50,000 for additional in
Structional costs such as supplies
and 100000 additional for trans
portation.
Capital outlay and debt service
expenditures in the proposed bud
get amount to $1,532,077, and the
tax levy required for that purpose
lis 81 cents. This portion of the
current years budget is 1921, ass
The school board pointed out
however, that more money will be
spent in the current year thar
was budgeted.
State Fund Will Help.
The big increase in this portion
OF the new budget is principally
because of $812,543 included fol
new buildings and additions
$4,000 for architects fees
$l05,000 interest on bonds anc
S50,000 to buy school sites.
School officials said an $500, ,0o(
grant from Gov. Battles schoo
construction fund will take care
of the amount included in thu
capital budget for new building:
and additions.
At first. School Board members
considered budget of over SIS mil
lion that would have required 6
$3.50 school tax levy. This bigger
budget included an additiona
$95l,000 for school construction
A sos million bond issue ap.
proved by the voters last May fol
school construction still is tiec
up in litigation.
Some Items Eliminated.
The extra money for school con-
struction and several other items
were cut out by School Boarc
members, however, after they con-
ferred with the Board of Super
visors yesterday. Responsibility
for fixing the total county taz
rate rests with the supervisors
They pointed out that the current
county tax rate for schools ano
everything else is only 1919 or
the old assessment, and a $3.50
rate on the new assessment woulc
result in tripled tax bills for some
county residents.
The supervisors still have the
power to make a further reduc-
tion in the total school budget
Any cut they make may be re-
stored if the school budget is ap-
proved in referendum called by
a petition by 20 per cent of the
county voters.