Sentinel

This Month

Note from the Editors

Proposed changes to school times

A Letter from Delegate Mark Sickles

Message from Supervisor McKay

Digging on Stoneybrooke

Announcements

Babysitters

Classifieds

Board and Committees

Sentinel Archives

Proposed major changes to
school start and dismissal times

The School Board is considering changing school start and dismissal times beginning next year. The bell schedules for SLES and feeder schools would be changed as follows:

Stratford Landing 9:20am-4:00pm
Belle View 7:50am-2:30pm
Bucknell 7:50am-2:25pm
Preschool 9:40am-4:20pm
Fort Hunt 8:10am-2:50pm
Groveton 7:50am-2:25pm
Hollin Meadows 8:10am-2:45pm
Hybla Valley 7:50am-2:25pm
Waynewood 8:35am-3:15pm
Carl Sandburg 9:40am-4:30pm
West Potomac 8:30am-3:20pm

Because changing school start and dismissal times could affect work schedules, child care arrangements, and after-school activities—including athletics—the School Board wants to hear from the public about the pros and cons of the changes.

Seven community dialogue meetings have been scheduled during the last week in February for families and community members to share their thoughts about the proposed changes. Please consider attending one of
these meetings. The closest one to our area is Whitman Middle School, on Thursday, February 26, from 7-9pm. To see the complete schedule of meetings, as well as the list of bell changes for all county schools, go
to www.fcps.edu/news/start.htm.

What’s the Digging on Stoneybrooke?

Why is there a "Utility Work" sign, yards being dug up and lots of colored flags and markings on Upper Stoneybrooke?

Have you noticed all the digging and the flags and the marks on the pavement and lawns in Upper Stoneybrooke and wondered what they are for? Verizon has hired a contractor, MasTec, to install fiber optic cable for state-of-the-art voice, data, Internet and other services. That process requires MasTec to dig some holes and conduct some underground drilling, which means that public utility lines in the relevant areas must be marked with flags and paint. MasTec also put down white markings and flags to indicate the locations it planned to dig. Verizon/MasTec is required to put back anything that is disturbed in as close as possible to its original condition. If you have any questions or concerns about MasTec's digging, you can call MasTec at 1-866-686-3703. You can also contact the Fairfax County Consumer Protection Division via their website, http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/consumer.htm

Note From the Editors

We would like to hear from you!
Please email or call the editors with your thoughts and suggestions, as well as any news items you’d like to include. Sentinel editors are Carrie Wehling Michaud and Jessica Kaplan. You can email us at (Jessica) and (Carrie), call us at 703-765-9448 (Jessica) and 703-768-9723 (Carrie), or drop us a note at 6823 Stoneybrooke Lane (Jessica) and 6820 Lamp Post Lane (Carrie).

A Letter from Delegate Mark Sickles

Message from Supervisor McKay

A few months ago, I wrote about the challenges of crafting a County budget that erases a projected $650 million deficit, funds our educational system, and provides the numerous other services that our residents expect.

Unlike the federal government, Fairfax County is legally required to have a balanced budget; that leaves us with very few options so cutting or reducing services that do not fit our core mission will certainly be on the table. How did Fairfax County get to this point?
Under state law we have only a few ways to raise revenue. The bulk of our revenue sources are real estate and personal property taxes and sales taxes—all of which have plummeted with the economy. We’ll have our first solid view of fiscal reality on February 23 when the county executive unveils his proposed budget at the Board of Supervisors meeting. (February 23 is also the day when real estate assessments for 2009 are released; they’ll be available on the County’s website at http://icare.fairfaxcounty.gov/Main/Home.aspx )

The Board of Supervisors has been working on budget issues since last summer and concluded its lines of business review earlier this year. (Information on the process and the proposed service cuts are available at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dmb/lobs/agency_presentations_context.htm

We’ll continue our work until April 27 when we adopt the budget that will go into effect with the start of the fiscal year on July 1. Budget hearings will take place on March 30 (beginning at 7 pm), March 31 (beginning at 3 pm), and April 1 (beginning at 3 pm). If you would like to testify, you’ll find information on how to do so on the County website at: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/bosclerk/public.htm

Frankly, the next few years are going to be very difficult and we are going to be looking at a County very different from what our citizens expect. I would welcome your thoughts and recommendations as we navigate this economic storm. What’s important to you and your family? What’s nice-to-have and what’s have- to-have? How do you think Fairfax County should balance the services it provides and the property taxes that fund those services? You can reach me at (703) 971-6262 or at .