News 3May 4, 2010Valor Dictus

Show us the money:BY KATHERINE DEMPSEYNews Editor

Our school obtains funding from public, private sources

Students and faculty often specu-late as to where our school obtains the money for purchases such as the television screens in the Gold cafete-ria and the new hallway clocks. This raises the question of how, in general, it obtains the money needed for expenditures that sustain the school community.

County Funding According to Finance Technician Liz Spoone, the school board allocated $531,396.18 to our high school for the 2009-2010 school year for instructional supplies such as textbooks, software and “non-capital equipment,” including computer printers and ink. Fifteen percent is deducted for emergencies such as this year’s snow removal, bringing bringing the total money received to $452,563.04, with $195.51 per student. This instructional materials account contributes toward the high school’s subject departments. Spoone said the county determines the amount given to each department based on how many students are involved in that department. For example, the science department receives more money than fine arts because science is a core class. According to Spoone, if the departments do not spend this entire fund each year, the school may use

Key:1 slice = percentage out of $195.51 per student

Supplies, Software, Globes:

20.9%

Standards of Learning:

1.3 %

Social Studies: 7.4 %

Science:

9.7 %Non-Capital Equipment:

5.1%Math:

14.50 %

Language Arts & ESL:

7.4% Health & PE:

3.8%

World Languages:

23%

Fine Arts:

6.9 %

FCPS Instructional AllocationsHere are the proportional amounts the school board

allocated per Robinson high school student for instructional purposes for the 2009-2010 school year:

This school year...$452,563.04 allocated by Fairfax County to our high school$195.51 allocated per high school student 2,000 purchase orders processed in our Finance Office $3,000 in the Academic Boosters budget$153,000 in our athletics budget

graphic by Katherine Dempsey

20 percent of our athletic budget; fundraisers, run largely by the Athletic Boosters, which raises about 60 percent of funds; and the Fairfax County Office of Student Activities and Athletic Programs, which provides the last 20 percent. Riddle said the county activities office allocates about $22 million to athletics programs in Fairfax County high schools. Eighteen million of this $22 million goes toward coaches’ salaries, $2.2 million provides bus transportation for athletes, and the remaining $1.8 million is spent on competition officials. Riddle stated our school’s athletic budget is currently $153,000

this money to purchase extra items, such as LCD projectors and SMART Boards, to serve “instructional purposes.” Other Accounts Aside from the county’s allocations, Spoone said our school obtains funds from a variety of privately based sources, the largest of which are approximately $1,000 per month in vending machine profits, quarterly donations of $1,000 from the Verizon company, which installed a monopole near the Coffey Stadium press box, and $200-$300 per month from community school use. Principal Dan Meier said he has more discretion over spending from these accounts than from the county’s instructional supplies allocations. The funding for the digital hallway clocks, for example, came from extra money from the Class of 2008. Meier works with Spoone and Finance Technician Deborah Vannoy in the expenditures process. Vannoy said the Finance Office is the “clearinghouse” for purchase orders filed by teachers, which are then sent to Meier for approval. According to Spoone, Meier must adhere to local, state and federal regulations when approving purchases. Vannoy explained all purchases over $5,000 must receive three bids, or quotes, from three different contractors for the estimated cost of that expenditure.

Meier said he strives to be open to individual teacher requests for further necessities. “I want people to have what they need to do their job…[in all my years as principal] I can’t recall a time when a teacher has been denied something they really needed,” he said. Academic Boosters Several booster organizations exist within our school community that finance its more specific functions. According to Academic Boosters president Shari Bedker, the organization has a $3,000 annual budget, the smallest of all booster clubs at our school. It has traditionally provided for items such as academic letter pins, Science Fair ribbons and middle school honor roll ribbons, as well as contributing $125 toward the middle and high school AMC math exams. Bedker said the organization raises funds through membership dues of $20 per the 115 families who currently make up the organization. The Boosters also receives requests from specific clubs, such as the Science Olympiad and the Robotics Club, to cover their respective costs.

Athletics According to Director of Student Activities Marty Riddle and Athletic Boosters president Mark O’Meara, athletics funding comes from three main sources: ticket sales at competitions, which fund about

from ticket sales and Boosters fundraising. The Boosters raise funds mainly through concessions at events, memberships within the organization, spirit merchandise sales, and through an annual golf tournament. It uses its budget of about $100,000 to contribute toward team uniforms and equipment in addition to recent purchases such as the $75,000 for new weight room equipment installed in August 2009 and $40,000 for field maintenance. Riddle said he formulates the athletic budget before Meier signs athletics purchase orders.

Graph data courtesy of Liz Spoone, Finance Technician