***Petition will ask for a donation at the end, just close out***

PWCS is in the business of education, not parks and recreation. Education before Recreation.

Consider the facts before allowing funds to be diverted from your child’s education.

Fact: In the October 2006 PWC INFOCUS edition, the county highlighted the11/07/06referendum items: Indoor Center Expansions -

$11 million

This project proposes improvements to BenLomond Community Center, which mainly

serves the western part of the County, and ChinnAquatics and Fitness Center, which mainly

serves the eastern part of the County. The BenLomond Community Center would expand

indoor program space with the addition of awing, and would add new parent waiting areas,

both indoor and outdoor, and a multipurposeroom. The Chinn Aquatics and Fitness Center

would expand with a new aquatic pool withtraining lanes/open swim area, as well as

increased multipurpose indoor space forrecreation programs.

Fact: On 11/7/06 the referendum was passed by a majority of 76%. The actually referendum question was more vague:

Park Improvement Bonds: Shall Prince William County, Virginia, contract a debt and issue its general

obligation capital improvement bonds in the maximum aggregate principal amount of $27,000,000for the purpose of paying the cost to provide park improvements including the acquisition, construction,

development, and equipping of park facilities in the County?

Passed: Total votes: YES 65,288 to NO 20,680

Superintendent Walts states: “Our budgets have already been cut to the bone, but we will do everything necessary to keep Prince William County Public Schools delivering the quality education our students deserve and our community expects.”

Fact: Statewide Virginia “leads the way” with 60,737 more administrators and other non-teaching staff than teachers in its public schools. Virginia would have had an extra $29,007 to spend per teacher if it had limited the growth of administrators and other non-teaching staff to its growth in students from FY 1992 to FY 2009.

Fact: PWCS teachers are the lowest paid in the region.


Woodbridge Representative Steve Keen states regarding the 12th HS pool: "I don't see how we can commit to spending an additional $1-$1.5 million per year for the next 20 years for this project when so many direct educational needs are going unmet."

“I have to seriously reconsider whether we should be venturing into construction that has traditionally been the responsibility of Parks and Recreation which is funded by the BOCS budget.”

Fact: PWCS spends the least per pupil in the state.

Fact: PWCS has the highest class sizes in Virginia. (ie: Middle School classes with 42 students).

Fact: PWCS representatives state that it would take $15 million to reduce classes by 1 student across all grade levels in every school.

Associate Superintendent of Finance and Support Services Dave Cline states: "anticipating an approximate cost of $10,530,000.00 for the proposed pool at 12th HS details on the operation of the proposed pool facility have not yet been finalized."

On 3/02/10 Mr. Cline writes: "During the budget process the Superintendent and staff have discussed many issues including our concern for the impact of budget reductions on economically disadvantaged students, ESOL students, special education students and upon "regular" students. These changes are not desired and will have negative impacts upon our children and their education."

Fact: The list of budgetary priorities provided by Superintendent Walts did not include reducing class sizes.

Recent History of High School Construction in PWCS:

• 2000 Forest Park HS, 2,053 student capacity, 283,268 sq ft
• 2004 Freedom HS, 2,053 student capacity 295,000 sq ft, construction cost: $40 million
• 2004 Battlefield HS, 2,053 student capacity 295,000 sq ft, construction cost: $36 million
• 2011 Patriot HS, 2,053 student capacity, 312,000 sq ft, construction cost: $72 million

• 2016 12th HS 2,053 student capacity, 372,000 sq ft construction cost: $111 million

• Trend: Building bigger and more expensive schools to accommodate the same number of students.

Attention must not be diverted from PWCS main objective: education.

No pools in schools.