Dear Friends,

March is the month the County Board meets the most. By far. Why? It's budget time. We meet each Tuesday and Thursday in work sessions regarding the Departments and offices that the Board funds every year. It's also the month I am up early most mornings, not just because I have a three month old daughter, but also because I am working on specific priorities under consideration in the Budget and the funding choices before the Board.

This March also included a joint County Board/School Board meeting last Friday to discuss and consider the budget deficit our schools face this year and next. We also held our regular monthly meetings, wherein we adopted a gun buyback ordinance and worked on traffic safety.
I visited National Capital Treatment & Recovery in Ballston. To learn more about their work on substance abuse recovery: National Capital Treatment & Recovery - Treatment Center Arlington VA (natcaptreatment.org) ([link removed])
The Budget work sessions this month have focused on the various functions our government provides, water and sewer services, public safety, zoning and planning, economic development, human services, housing, mental health services, our environment and climate, schools, youth programming, and hunger, among other topics. I have been working in each of these areas, reviewing our budget, and asking questions. To learn more, read the budget, or watch the work sessions, go here: FY 2025 Budget Information – Official Website of Arlington County Virginia Government (arlingtonva.us) ([link removed])
Big picture: we will need to make some cuts and some additional investments to align with Arlington's values and address the needs we face as a community. There are additional opportunities for you to be heard on the budget next Tuesday, April 2 and Thursday, April 4. You can do so virtually or in person by going here and clicking on the blue links in the middle of the page: FY 2025 County Board Work Sessions – Official Website of Arlington County Virginia Government (arlingtonva.us) ([link removed]) .

On our schools, Arlington County provides about 76% of the funding for our schools. It's also true that the job of educating our community's young residents is harder now than ever. The County Board and School Board discussed the reality that we have more in needs than in resources last Friday. Two things are worth saying that are both true at the same time: (1) Arlington provides a lower percentage of our tax revenues to our schools than many nearby school divisions (approximately 37% of total local revenue and 46.8% of property tax revenue) and (2) Arlington's per pupil spending is the highest in Northern Virginia and among the highest in Virginia and the nation. (See this link: FY-2024-WABE-Guide.pdf (apsva.us) ([link removed]) or this one: Per Pupil Expenditures: Virginia - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education ([link removed]) )

Arlington Public Schools spends more per pupil due in part to programs for students that not all other school divisions provide. Superintendent Duran acknowledged the additional programs on Friday. From my time as Chair of the School Budget Advisory Commission, I believe we also have additional school secretaries and support staff than other school divisions in Virginia. Both these investments seem worthwhile to me, but merit additional analysis. To face the challenge this year, next year, and the year after, we need to be as cost-effective as possible AND continue our historic commitment to our schools. For context on the overall challenges, read this presentation from last Friday: _ - Item Attachment - ARLINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS -.pdf (arlingtonva.us) ([link removed])

For context, Virginia is underfunding our schools at the state level. Since the help we need will not be coming from the state, we must invest in our schools locally. Arlington's relative wealth when compared with nearly every part of the state is the reason why we are not getting much back in funding from Richmond: school funding formulas are based in part on our property tax base. That needs to change, but will not change, in all likelihood, until we have a new Governor in 2026.

As a result, the Arlington County Board and School Board need to work with our Superintendent and County Manager in this budget and over the summer and into next year to provide the best possible budgets so that our schools can be as good as possible for all students and so the school system can retain and attract teachers and staff.

To watch the County/School work session, go here: Arlington County Board Work Session - March 22, 2024 (youtube.com) ([link removed])
I joined Marymount President Dr. Irma Becerra, Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera, and Marymount Board Chair Peter Converse at the opening of Marymount's Early Learning Academy.
The Board passed a gun buyback ordinance at our monthly meeting that is a small but important step in our ongoing commitment to common sense gun safety. The ordinance establishes a voluntary Firearms Buyback Program that authorizes the County Manager to establish a firearm buyback program, in which unwanted or unneeded firearms may be surrendered by any resident of Arlington County or the City of Falls Church in exchange for gift cards, cash or vouchers. More to come on implementation of this ordinance. Thanks to Moms Demand Action Arlington/Alexandria, Board Member Takis Karantonis, and to the Arlington County Police Department for helping make this happen.
My Leadership Arlington classmate Hugo Delgado and I caught up to discuss NovaSalud's work to strengthen the health of Northern Virginia residents through HIV prevention and education services. NovaSalud – Community Health Organization (novasaludinc.org) ([link removed])
The Board also took several other actions including passing an update to our Human Rights Ordinance that will help prevent housing discrimination based on the source of income that leads to payment of rent. This step has been one that is long in the works. Implementing it will take time and effort, but this is a good step.

On traffic safety, the Board acted to decrease speed limits along a number of stretches of roads from 30 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour. Those roads were: Military Road, North Carlin Springs, North George Mason, Fairfax Drive, and 10th Street North.

The discussion, however, focused on South Carlin Springs, a stretch of road that I have long worked on with staff. Decreasing speeds on that road was not legally permissible at the time of the hearing, so I am working on other ways to try to decrease speeds on that crucial stretch near Kenmore Middle School. This has been frustrating work; I am determined to keep working on it for the safety of the students, neighborhood, and those traveling on the road.

For a summary of the Board's other actions at the March monthly meetings, go here: Wrap-Up Media Release for March 2024 Meeting (govdelivery.com) ([link removed])
Thank you for reading and for helping us reach the goal from two weeks ago of raising $981 to continue the work. (We came in at $925, which is good enough for now :))

With a full heart that is grateful for the opportunity to work for you,

Matt

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