Teachers at Fairfax County Public Schools have more rights today than they had a week earlier after the school board approved, the first collective bargaining contract for nearly 50 years by the Fairfax Education Unions (FEU), on Thursday (9 Jan).
The agreement promises improved wages, hours and working conditions. However, questions remain as to how much funding will be provided by the Board of Supervisors when they finalize the county budget in may.
Teachers will receive a pay increase of 7% starting on July 1, 2025. This will be followed by increases of 3% in 2026, and then 4% in 2027. This deal includes extra overtime pay for teachers of special education, three days bereavement, and guaranteed planning time.
Before the contract was ratified, School Board Chair Karl Frisch stated, “This contract is more than a document. It is a commitment of fairness, respect, and the lasting value of collaboration.” It reflects the many hours of interest-based negotiations, advocacy, and determination by our educators, support personnel, union leaders, and the school division Superintendent and bargaining team.
The contract was signed nearly five years ago by then-governor Ralph Northam, who had passed to allow local governments and school boards the ability to negotiate collective bargaining agreement. This had been prohibited since 1970s due to a state Supreme Court ruling.
Fairfax County School Board started talking to 17 employee associations as early as spring 2021. then approved in March 2023 a resolution that granted them collective bargaining right. FCPS employees , voted in June 2024 to elect Fairfax Education Unions to represent over 27,000 teachers and other staff.
According to FEA president Leslie Houston, this contract is the first collective bargaining agreement Fairfax County teachers have had since 1977.
Houston said “I’m absolutely thrilled that it was approved 12-to-zero.” “I’m grateful to the board members who bought in to start this years ago…. I am really, really excited and happy for the 27500 employees we represent in both the instructional and operational unit.”
Fairfax County Federation of Principals, Supervisors, and Administrators, which has been certified by the School Board on October 24, 2024, will represent administrative FCPS employees, such as principals and supervisors, in separate contract negotiations.
The contract does promise a raise in pay for all teachers. However, Frisch pointed out that the funding depends on the county government. It faces a projected $292.7 million revenue gap, a shortfall caused by declining commercial real estate tax revenues and increasing employee compensation costs due to the rising cost of living.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay acknowledged that the budget season would be tough, but said there was still a lot to do before the May deadline for adopting a plan of spending for the fiscal year 2026.
He told that “Teacher Pay is always a priority for the Board of Supervisors as well as the School Board. I look forward working with my fellow colleagues in both boards to fund the priorities of our community this year.”
Pat Herrity is the Springfield District Supervisor, and the lone Republican on the board. He says that the financial problems of the county are due to the uncontrolled spending of years under Democratic policies.
The majority of supervisors and members of school boards blame the state. They cite a report by the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission of Virginia, which found that FCPS was underfunded to the tune of more than $500,000,000 per year.
Last month, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced amendments in the state’s biennial Budget that allocated $1 billion for new education funding. This included $290 million for construction of schools, $550 millions in direct aid, and $6.8 for school resource officers.
It’s unclear how much of this aid will be allocated to FCPS.
Houston and FCFT president David Walrod expressed their sympathy for the county’s financial challenges, and said that they are lobbying for more funding from the state to support teacher salary increases.
McKay, however, expressed his frustration in a letter that county staff had been excluded from the negotiations as the FCPS/FEU contract was finalized.
McKay said that county staff is currently reviewing the agreement’s details. Superintendent Michelle Reid’s proposed budget will be presented on January 23. On January 23, County Executive Bryan Hill will announce his budget. 18.
Walrod stated, “I am looking forward to the County Executive Hill’s budget proposal next month.” Walrod said, “I believe the supervisors understand the importance of fully financing our schools but they want see what the state does before making firm commitments.”
