Welcome to my online constituent office. We hope you will find this website to be a useful one-stop portal for any needs you might have from the Virginia state government. We have included information to help you better understand how our government works.
You can also keep up with the policy-making process in the General Assembly during the weeks that I am working in Richmond by reading my blogs and Twitter updates.
As your State Delegate, I’m here to serve you so please contact me with any questions or services you need. I am particularly interested in hearing about ways to make our laws work better for all of us so please do not hesitate to send me policy ideas that I may be able to propose in Richmond. I am honored to represent you and I look forward to meeting you in person.
Thank you,
- DelegateKeam: Presented another Richmond report to civic group: Sully District Council. 35th Dist has only 1 precinct in Sully - called Vale - out of 18.
- DelegateKeam: Witnessing the investiture of new Fairfax Couny Circuit Court Judge Brett Kassabian whom we voted in this session. Congrats, Your Honor!
- DelegateKeam: At NoVA Asian American community town hall hosted by Virginia Asian American Advisory Board. I served on this Governor's board in 2001-09.
- DelegateKeam: Attending "Unlock Gridlock" forum in Tysons hosted by www.TeleworkVA.org and www.TeleworkExchange.com to find solutions for NoVA traffic.
- DelegateKeam: Providing another Richmond report to constituents; this time Providence District Council in Dunn Loring. Most active civic leaders I know.
Posts Tagged ‘Fairfax County’
Delegate Keam quoted in Richmond Times Dispatch
Another major publication today quoted Delegate Keam on Gov. McDonnell’s decision to unfreeze the LCI:
Change in formula may mean less money for area schools
OLYMPIA MEOLA AND HOLLY PRESTIDGE TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERS
Published: February 9, 2010
Richmond-area school systems are facing millions of dollars less in state education funding, after Gov. Bob McDonnell said yesterday that he will support updating the index that determines how much state money each school system receives.
It’s a departure from the introduced budget left by outgoing Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, who proposed freezing the local composite index and putting off the readjustment for a year.
That proposal rattled some Northern Virginia localities that would have lost about $128.3 million in state funding, according to McDonnell’s office.
But Northern Virginia’s gain is the Richmond area’s loss.
Delegate Keam quoted in Washington Post
Northern Virginia leaders cheer McDonnell’s school funding decision
McDonnell announced yesterday that he opposes a freeze in the adjustment to the school funding formula proposed by his predecessor — former Democratic governor Gov. Tim Kaine — that would have cost cash-strapped schools in Northern Virginia nearly $140 million. Read today’s story here.
“Last year, candidate McDonnell campaigned as ‘Fairfax’s Own,’ ” Del. Mark L. Keam (D-Fairfax) said. “I’m very glad to see that Governor McDonnell is living up to this campaign promise.”
Northern Virginia legislators, local officials, business leaders — even of the opposing party –are rejoicing.
Washington Post publishes letter from constituent
Eric Boyle is a friend and constituent in the 35th District, who wrote to the Washington Post with a common concern of so many parents in our district. I hope more constituents will pay attention to the short shrift we’re about to receive from Richmond as the budget shortfall is expected to harm Fairfax County more than other localities.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-opinions/2010/02/fighting_for_fairfax_kindergar.html
Fighting for Fairfax kindergartners
By Eric Boyle
Vienna
Regarding the Feb. 2 Metro article “Banding together in protest”:
As the parent of two children in Fairfax County Public Schools, I, too, have been fighting to protect programs. But I was disappointed that this article focused only on the pageantry and the preparation skills of the protesters. The discussion should also include the impact on academic achievement and return on investment.
I am working with dozens of Fairfax parents who are deeply concerned about full-day kindergarten. Some of us have opened Facebook groups; we also have online petitions with hundreds of signatures; and we are vigorously writing to our elected officials.
Those most affected by these cuts include people who may not be fully cognizant of the ongoing discussions — parents of incoming kindergartners, especially from poorer or immigrant communities. By investing in those children’s educations early, Fairfax could save future expenditures to help some of these children catch up to their peers.
At a recent budget hearing, when I pleaded my case just as passionately as those in band uniform or speaking foreign languages, I noted that the children I’m fighting for couldn’t attend. It was already past their bedtime.
// By washingtonpost.com editors | February 4, 2010; 7:44 PM ET
Tough Road Ahead for Vienna Roads…
This afternoon, I presented HB 1124, before the Transportation Committee. My bill would have increased by 20% the state’s portion of funding to towns or cities for their road maintenance if these local roads handle 20% more average daily traffic volume than the average for the rest of the state. This was my effort to allocate state funds to the roads that need the maintenance the most, and not to treat all roads the same, as the Commonwealth currently funds these projects.
Fighting for Fairfax Schools
This afternoon, Delegate Keam presented two bills before the House Appropriations Committee that would have provided additional funding for Fairfax County Schools. Unfortunately, both bills were defeated on straight party-line votes of 3 to 2, with Republican Delegates voting against and Democratic Delegates voting for Keam’s proposals.
House Bill 1128 would have imposed a cap of 0.6750 as the maximum number under the complex local composite index (LCI) formula that determines how much state versus local funding will be provided to public schools. Currently, the state cap is 0.800, which means that no locality shall ever pay more than 80% for their schools while the state picks up the other 20%.
Fairfax County’s LCI index is currently set at 0.7657 and it would be lowered to 0.7126 for the 2010-2012 biennium if Governor Kaine had not proposed to “freeze” this index at the 2008-2010 figure of 0.7657. This unfair freeze will cost Fairfax schools over $61 million. Keam’s bill would have reduced Fairfax County’s burden even lower while requiring the state to pick up a third of the expenses of educating our kids.
To read the bill’s text and its unfortunate demise, check out: http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB1128
House Bill 1129 would have added an additional 13 teachers for every 1,000 limited English proficient students in Fairfax County, in addition to the 17 teachers we currently have. Fairfax Country currently has over 21,000 English as a second language students out of 173,500 students, which is about 12.3% of the total population. Without additional ESOL teachers, Fairfax suffers from having to have a student/teacher ration of 59 to 1 in classrooms instead of the ideal 30 to 1 that most jurisdictions enjoy.
The cost of educating an ESOL student is approximately $3,500 more that the average cost per student. The net benefit of Keam’s bill would have provided Fairfax County schools with approximately $61 million in new funds for 2010-2012, which — coincidentally — is the same amount that Fairfax will lose under the LCI freeze!
The text of HB 1129 and its defeat can be found here: http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB1129