State Senator Chap Petersen Speaks on Senate Floor Against LCI Freeze

FROM THE OFFICE OF STATE SENATOR PATERSEN

January 19, 2010

Contact: Julia Kim
804-698-7651

Richmond, Virginia - January 19, 2010 - In a speech to members of the Virginia State Senate on Tuesday, Senator Chap Petersen challenged the outgoing administration's proposed Local Composite Index freeze that would deny critical funding to Fairfax County's public schools.

According to Petersen, Fairfax County public schools and effectively northern Virginia's middle-class families stand to lose programs such as all-day kindergarten and elementary school music if the LCI freeze is allowed to stand.

"You cannot discuss these issues without some straight talk about the Local Composite Index. The LCI may be complicated. But it's outcome is simple, i.e. to transfer enormous sums of money from northern Virginia to the rest of the state," said Petersen to his colleagues on the Senate floor.

The controversial LCI formula that determines the amount of public money allocated to each locality to fund K-12 education is calculated by a locality's real property assessments, retail sales and personal incomes. A locality is then granted state funds in inverse proportion to its LCI rating.

Effects of the recent recession such as the collapse of Northern Virginia's real estate market have decreased Fairfax County's LCI rating from .77 to .71, which if not for the LCI freeze would cause an increase in funding to the County for the first time under the formula. Therefore, the consequences of the proposed LCI freeze is a loss of over $61 million to Fairfax County alone and over $59 million in losses to surrounding counties.

"I will humbly tell our new Governor that this is now your issue.

Because this is not just an issue of funding - it's now become an issue of integrity, and whether kids in my part of the state will be counted fairly by this Assembly," said Petersen pledging to make northern Virginia public schools a top priority.

Senator Chap Petersen serves Virginia's 34th State Senate district, which includes Fairfax City and much of Fairfax County.

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