Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has a budget deficit and has formed a Budget Task Force to recommend cuts.  One of the suggested cuts is to eliminate 8th period at The Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST, or TJ).  Eliminating 8th period at TJ would (supposedly) save FCPS money by cutting teacher pay due to the reduced hours. But the 8th period at TJ is too important to cut for a variety of reasons, and may not even end up netting any cost savings anyway. 

What is TJ 8th Period:  TJ 8th period is a period for clubs, extracurricular activities (many of them academic in nature) and academic support, built into the school day 2 or 3 times a week.  Since it is built into the school day, students can take the bus home after these classes, clubs and activities.  Cutting 8th period at TJ is like cutting late bus service for TJ kids only.

Why cutting TJ's 8th period is a bad idea:  

•    TJ attracts students from all over Northern Virginia (unlike a neighborhood school).   Therefore, it is important to build these activities into the school day and provide bus service, or most students would not be able to participate.  TJ is unique and unlike a neighborhood school, where most of the students are located relatively nearby. If bus service is eliminated, many parents would be unable to provide transportation for these activities.  

 •    These Are Not Mere “Fun Clubs” – Many are Academic in Nature, and They Are an Important Part of the Curriculum.  These clubs, extracurricular activities and electives are often academic in nature, and vital to the value of TJ as a STEM school.  They include academic and enrichment activities.  For example, some of the options include: Model UN, Robotics, Chess, Math Clubs, Biotech, Rocketry, Physics Club, History Quiz Bowl, Chemistry Olympiad, Language Honors Societies, Neuroscience, Debate, etc.  It includes foreign language and political science clubs and more.  Here's a representative list:  http://colonialathletics.org/siteRepository/337/userfiles/file/8th-Period-Docs/Club-Activity-List-15-16.pdf   FCPS has already indicated a policy towards promoting STEM education (and TJ is a STEM School); cutting these STEM options as a short term budget fix directly contradicts our long term policy goals, and hurts TJ's ability to thrive as a STEM school. 

•    8th Period is Used to Tutor Neighborhood Kids. TJ students volunteer their time during 8th period to provide tutoring at nearby schools. This civic effort promotes STEM and provides academic support to some of the most under-performing schools in the County. If 8th period is eliminated, kids at these schools will lose this support.

•    8th Period is Used to Speak with Teachers and get Extra Help.  Therefore, eliminating 8th period would put the most at-risk students even further behind. TJ students are required to maintain a 3.0 GPA, unlike other high schools in the region, and these scheduled study sessions are essential for students struggling to meet that minimum. Without 8th period, a few students may be forced out of school. This is unlike the consequences at other schools for missed opportunities for extra teacher help.

•    8th Period is Used to Make up for Missed Days. During 8th period is a time for those who missed school one day to meet with their teacher and take any missed quizzes or tests, get missed homework assignments or catch up on other missed notes. This would therefore make it much more difficult for students who miss time, for example due to medical needs or religious holidays to make up missed lessons, quizzes and tests.  This therefore unfairly and disproportionately affects people with non-traditional religions or medical needs.

 •    Eliminating 8th Period will cut TJ Teacher Pay. FCPS teachers are already lagging other jurisdictions in pay.  Cutting any teacher salaries would put us at risk of losing our best teachers to surrounding counties.  But targeting cuts at TJ is even worse, as we would risk losing talented teachers in critical STEM subjects, which would further erode the quality of FCPS. Again, our short term actions due to budget constraints would directly contradict our long term goals. 

•    Eliminating 8th Period Will Make TJ Less Attractive to Kids Interested in STEM. 8th period fosters a sense of community at TJ.  TJ has seen already decreasing number of applicants over the past few years. Eliminating TJ 8th period will dampen community spirit and the desire of kids across FCPS and neighboring counties to attend. We want more kids interested in coming to TJ, not fewer, to maintain diversity and intellectual strength at the school.

•   It May not Even Save any money to Cut 8th Period!  If FCPS eliminates 8th period, it would likely be required to replace that worth more late buses to put TJ after school activities and makeup work on par with other high schools.  This might end up creating new expenses that far exceed any cost savings.  

Sign this petition to tell FCPS and the School Board to preserve 8th Period at TJ.