Fairfax County Public Schools superintendent Michelle Reid has requested an additional $268.3 millions from the county in fiscal year 2026.
The $213 million raise is part of the newly negotiated Collective Bargaining Agreement between Fairfax Education Unions and the School Board. The county’s ability to pay for it is an unanswered question.
Reid presented the 4 billion proposal at a meeting of the school board last Thursday (Jan. 23,) describing it as “needs based” plan that aims to retain educators, expand support for students and maintain the district’s academic excellence.
Reid’s proposal includes $65.2m to cover basic needs such as enrollment growth, contract extensions and facility upkeep.
A further $4 million will be allocated to initiatives such as preschool expansion, fine arts programs enhanced and athletic trainers in high schools. Also, $14.2m is allocated for safety improvements, support for multilingual students and efforts to reduce achievement gaps.
Plan assumes FCPS will receive $25 million in funding from the state, $1 million from federal funding and $6.7 from other sources of revenue, bringing total funding to $297.1 millions. The proposed budget represents an overall 7.9% increase compared to the current fiscal year which ends on June 30. County contributions have also been increased by 10.4%.
Reid’s request is timely, as Fairfax County faces a nearly 300 million budget deficit for the second consecutive year. This is due to declining commercial tax revenues and increasing costs. After a report found that FCPS received about $570 million below what it is owed by the state, county leaders have called on the state to increase its support.
The Board of Supervisors only approved $165 of the $254 requested by FCPS last year. Reid was forced to reduce proposed raises for staff from 6% to 3% as a result of this decision. This frustrated educators and members of the school board.
Reid acknowledged financial pressures at last week’s meeting of the school board and stressed that the county’s ultimate ability to meet her request depends on increased state support.
She said, “We are facing a huge funding gap which is neither ours nor our county’s fault.”
Reid, however, said FCPS is still succeeding despite the funding challenges. She cited a 94.6% rate of graduation and students who outperformed state and national standards on the SAT. Reid also pointed out that the number of eighth-graders taking Algebra 1 and higher-level math classes has increased by nearly 10% over the past year.
Reid stated that “we’re making enormous gains in our academics and maintaining our excellence as far as high expectations are concerned, which will again require high support.”
Fairfax County currently ranks fifth in the neighboring districts for starting salaries, behind Arlington and Loudoun, which pay higher starting salaries. Reid claims that a 7% increase would put Fairfax County in the top spot for starting salaries and make it more attractive to new teachers.
Even after the increase in pay, Fairfax County still ranks fifth for teachers at the mid-level of the salary scale with several years’ experience. Fairfax County would be ranked seventh for veteran educators who are at the top end of the pay scale.
Reid and members of the school board cited inequities among teachers as one reason for investing in their pay.
Reid stated that “we’re in an intense competition to find talent in this country.” “We want to provide the best education for our children in Fairfax County and that comes at a price.
Reid says that FCPS has taken some measures to reduce costs, including a reduction of $51.3 million in spending by consolidating programs and retiring initiatives funded with expired federal pandemic money.
She warned that further cuts may negatively affect students as 92.5% are employed in schools. She warned that more than 90% of FCPS funding is allocated to classrooms and schools, while administrative staffing levels are lower than in surrounding districts.
She said, “Our central management staff ratio is 1.1%, compared to 2 – 4% in surrounding jurisdictions.” “Our administrative staffing is thin.”
FCPS has a $2.6 Billion funding gap that extends beyond immediate needs. This includes new schools, major school renovations, and efforts to reduce overcrowding.
A renovation schedule that was originally intended to last 25 years has now been extended to 41. According to FCPS officials, restoring the 25-year cycle could cost $14.4 billion. This does not include inflation which may drive up costs.
The school board members acknowledged that it would be difficult to secure full funding but stressed the importance of investing into public education in order to support long-term community success.
Kyle McDaniel, a member at-large and the chair of the school board’s budget committee, said in a meeting that
The school board will examine the proposed budget in a working session on February 4, followed by a public hearing on Wednesday, February 5.
Bryan Hill, Fairfax County Executive, is scheduled for the unveiling of the county’s announced budget on February 18. On February 20, the school board will adopt Reid’s budget, ahead of a joint meeting of the Board of Supervisors and Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill on Feb. 25.
