A union representing some Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) employees rallied yesterday (Tuesday) for restoration of pay, benefits and staffing levels negotiated last year but not funded by county leaders.
“We’re here to make sure the Board of Supervisors knows … they cannot leave the schools behind,” Fairfax County Federation of Teachers (FCFT) President Emily VanDerhoff said at the late-afternoon event, held in front of the Fairfax County Governmental Center.
It took place during the first of three days that supervisors will take public comment on Hill’s proposed $5.7 billion fiscal year 2027 budget. The package calls for just over $2.8 billion in funding to support FCPS operations.
That would give FCPS $94.6 million more than it received in the current fiscal year 2026 budget, but it still falls about $43 million short of what Superintendent Michelle Reid had requested.
In late 2024, FCFT and the Fairfax Education Association (FEA) jointly negotiated a contract with school leaders that included 7% pay raises for the 2025-26 school year. But county supervisors did not fully fund Superintendent Michelle Reid’s budget request, forcing the school board last spring to scale back the pay raises and make other cuts to address the shortfall.
In addition to covering employee compensation, Reid’s proposed budget for FY 2027 would reduce class sizes and restore the special education and advanced academic positions eliminated as part of last year’s cuts, she told the school board when presenting her plan in January.
The rally, which attracted about 100 people, was designed to urge supervisors to “undo the damage that was done last year,” FCFT treasurer Zac Coe said.
“Last year was not okay,” Coe said.
For more than 40 years, state law banned collective bargaining by local government employees. That changed in 2020, when the General Assembly returned some bargaining rights.
The law made funding of union contracts “subject to appropriation.” Since Virginia school districts lack independent taxing authority, funding to fulfill contract promises depends on sufficient revenue flowing down from local, state and federal governments.
Last year, Reid asked for more county funding than County Executive Bryan Hill proposed. In the end, and after recriminations on both sides, supervisors sided with Hill.
Speakers at the FCFT rally said educators and support personnel were victims of infighting between the school board and Board of Supervisors, which had called Reid’s requested $248 million increase and the raises originally promised in FCPS’ collective bargaining agreement unrealistic under current economic conditions.
FCFT in turn argued that the supervisors had chosen to serve “wealthy donor interests” by using anticipated revenue from the newly approved meals tax to lower the real estate tax rate instead of allocating it to schools or other funding needs.
“When Fairfax County underfunds education, we are the ones that bear the impact,” said Symone White, a speech pathologist and union member.
“It’s about values and what is prioritized in our community,” she said. “This is not just a job, it’s a calling.”
As the rally proceeded outside, speakers inside gave their views of the FY 2027 budget proposal — and not all were sympathetic to the call for more school funding.
Arthur Purves, president of the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance, said residents are being taxed out of the county, and contended that FCPS shouldn’t get more revenue until it turns around declines in test scores.
Eli Bolotin, the parent of a first-grader who spoke at the FCFT rally, said supporters of the school system need to counter that view with frequent interaction with elected officials.
“The passion is so important,” Bolotin said of organizing efforts. He urged the public to seek out supervisors and “tell them just how important education is.”
While FCFT and FEA are separate organizations that compete for membership among FCPS employees, they have worked together since 2024 to negotiate joint contracts with the school system.
The current contract for instructional personnel between FCPS and Fairfax Educational Unions — incorporating FCFT and FEA — runs through June 2028.
