Manassas Park City Schools Hosts Community Forum

Manassas Park residents and the parents of children attending classes in Manassas Park City Schools got an in-depth glimpse into the inner workings of the school district Monday during a community forum hosted by district administrators.

Twenty of the 361 employees of the school district and its board were introduced to the community during the forum held at Manassas Park Middle School in the

New superintendent of schools introduced himself and later revealed it is he who decides whether to declare a snow day for the city's schools—a decision many Manassas Park school children either whine against or welcome.

McDade told the crowd that he was up at 4:15 a.m. Monday driving through the city and assessing the streets and talking to police before giving the go-ahead to hold classes despite the snow.

The superintendent is the general manager of the school district and supplies the educational leadership for the five-member School Board, said School Board Chairman Michael Wine.

The superintendent handles all business transactions for the board, protects the schools from exploitation and propaganda, among other things, Wine added.

The School Board is responsible for hiring the superintendent, which Wine said was a difficult decision because they had so many good candidates apply for the job, which came open this year after Thomas H. DeBolt announced his retirement.

The Manassas Park five-member School Board—Wine, Brenda Foster, Rachel Kirkland, Ron Gill and Tricia Rhodes—also introduced themselves to the crowd and gave short speeches.

Wine said that the board members may not always agree, but they get along very well and work together to do what's best for the schools.

Manassas City Schools financial officer explained to the assembly Monday that the school district operates on a $34 million annual budget.

Of that $34 million, about $28.1 million goes to operations, which includes administration, transportation and instruction, which is 60 percent or $20 million of the operations budget, Kelly said.

Of the $20 million in instruction funds, about $14 million is spent on salaries.

The salaries of the school district administrators such as the superintendent and deputy superintendent are not included in that figure, she said. Administrators are paid out of the $1.7 million administration budget.

Schools officials said the budget is fluid and they are constantly recalculating because of changes.

About 7 percent of the $34 million the school district receives comes from the federal government through reimbursement grants, which  means the school district has to spend its own money first before can it get any federal funds. Even after the school district's money is spent, reimbursements from the government aren't necessarily guaranteed.

About 45 percent of the school district's money comes from the state while 43 percent or about $15 million comes from the city of Manassas Park.

The school district has a revenue-sharing agreement with the city, whose officials have agreed to give them 57 percent of its money.  Not all school districts in Virginia have such an agreement—one that Manassas Park school officials say is good because they are guaranteed a set amount of money.

In 2011, the city and the school district will revisit that agreement and changes may be made.

School officials showed the attendees a proposed budget time line and said that the community's input is crucial.

The School Board will present the Manassas Park City Schools budget to the council members on April 5.

That body has until April 30 to approve that budget.

The school board encouraged residents to attend their meetings, which are held the third Monday of each month at Manassas Park City Hall.

For more information on the Manassas Park City Schools, visit mpark.net.