Following a budget compromise between Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the Virginia General Assembly, Fairfax County Public Schools is set to receive an additional $35.5 million for fiscal year 2025.
Superintendent Michelle Reid has proposed using most of the extra funds to boost school employee pay raises from 3% to 4% in the budget that the school board is set to adopt tonight (Thursday).
However, at a work session on Tuesday (May 21), the school board appeared divided on the proposal, with some advocating for a more targeted approach that would prioritize bigger raises for lower-earning employees over administrators.
“If we’re going to do a pay raise, why would we allocate it to people who are paid at or above market and provide indirect services to students, as opposed to those who actually teach, care for, feed, and transport our students on a daily basis, who are by every measure underpaid and struggle to live in our county?” Mount Vernon District representative Mateo Dunne said.
Proposed raises adjusted
Several teachers voiced frustration at the school board’s May 16 budget hearing, arguing that a general pay increase is less equitable because it widens the pay gap between employees.
Reid initially requested a 6% salary increase for all school employees, aiming to make FCPS competitive with those in surrounding districts, such as Loudoun and Prince William, especially for teachers with master’s degrees.
But when the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved only $165 million of the requested $254 million, Reid had to scale back the planned pay raises.
Youngkin signed a two-year state budget on May 13 with $540 million to assist with 3% teacher salary bumps. Reid proposed using approximately $28.5 million of the additional $35.5 million for FCPS to provide 4% pay raises, while the remainder would mitigate further budget cuts and reduce the school system’s life insurance costs.
While most board members favored Reid’s proposal, Dunne and Mason District representative Ricardy Anderson objected to uniform pay raises. Instead, Dunne proposed two budget amendments that would raise salaries for teachers and support staff, excluding central office employees.
“From the beginning, I have argued consistently to focus our investments on teacher pay, and I have objected to any pay raise for central office staff,” Dunne told FFXnow by email. “At a time when our teachers and support staff are overworked and underpaid, it is unconscionable to increase the pay of central office staff who are already paid at or above market.”
Board members propose alternative strategy
Dunne’s amendments would replace the across-the-board 4% pay raises with either a flat 5% increase or a two-step increase for teachers and “school-based personnel,” such as custodians and bus drivers.
According to FCPS staff, administrative assistants in Fairfax County earn $46,820 to $79,040 per year, which is 10.57% above market average on the low end and just 0.5% at the high end. In comparison, a teacher with a bachelor’s degree earns between $56,011 and $99,814, which ranges from 0.38% to 7.7% below market average.
Among central office staff, an K-12 math curriculum supervisor makes $107,544 to $163,603 per year — well above the market average on the low end (7.21%) but slightly below on the high end (5.87%). A 4% raise would provide salaries between $111,846 and $170,147, while a teacher’s salary would increase to between $58,251 and $103,806.
Anderson highlighted that the county’s cost of living has made it difficult for some of the lowest-paid staff to afford to live here, noting that “4% of $200,000 is a lot more than 4% of $40,000 or $35,000.”
“For many of our staff living in Fairfax County is just not an option, and that goes from teachers all the way down to our food custodians,” Anderson said.
Debate over role of administrators in FCPS
Hunter Mill District representative Melanie Meren argued that, while the school board should to explore various avenues to address employee retention and recruitment, she believes that differentiating pay raises could alienate FCPS leadership.
“At the end of the day, we’re one system and the buses can’t run if someone in central office isn’t programming them, and the calendar can’t work if the superintendent isn’t deciding how it’s going to go,” she said. “We all need each other and whatever divisions there might be, this is not going to help create one system that we need.”
Franconia District representative Marcia St. John Cunning said administrators still play a role in shaping school culture and daily operations, even if they don’t regularly interact with students face-to-face.
“Many of them are teachers or principals that support our schools and…support our teachers,” she said. “So, just because they’re in central office doesn’t mean that they aren’t touching students, coaching teachers or administrators. They are still working for our students.”
Reid said her office implemented some targeted pay strategies, including a 7% salary increase for special education teachers through extra contract time and stipends to recruit and retain mental health support staff and special education teachers.
FCPS also received federal grants help maintain differentiated pay for mental health professionals, such as social workers and counselors. Additionally, Reid is working to provide competitive stipends for activities, athletics and staffing needs.
“I feel like I have been responsive to the differentiation, as well as providing a clear path forward for the state dollars and making the adjustment we’re able to make,” she said.
