The Fairfax County School Board recently passed a resolution affirming its support for a possible 1% sales tax to fund its $400 million backlog of maintenance and capital improvement projects.
In light of the new state budget adopted by the Virginia General Assembly late last month allowing local jurisdictions to increase their sales tax rate up to 1% to support education and transportation, the school board voted unanimously on July 9 to ask the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to place the issue before voters as a referendum during a general election.
The resolution states that if voters approve the increase in sales taxes, new revenue “will be strictly utilized to accelerate school renovations, eliminate deferred maintenance backlogs, build modern educational facilities, and directly support the priorities established” by Fairfax County Public Schools in its annual Capital Improvement Program.
“What I’ve seen in touring our school buildings is that there’s a great need to think outside the box and take extraordinary measures so that we can upgrade our school facilities, many of which are already not in the best of condition, but may not receive a renovation for decades to come because of our 42-year renovation cycle,” said Mateo Dunne, who represents the Mount Vernon District.
“School board policy is to renovate schools every 25 years, but that’s talking about bricks and mortar,” Dunne said. “Realistically, we need to update our electrical, our HVAC, our plumbing, and other infrastructure far more frequently, including playgrounds and asphalt parking lots, because they don’t last as long as 25 years without updates.”
Mason District Representative Ricardy Anderson added that “while 25 years is what’s on paper, 42 years is the actuality. We have not met that by any stretch of the imagination.”
Schools are also commonly used for more than educational purposes, amplifying the need to keep facilities up to date, said Franconia District Representative Marcia St. John-Cunning.
“It’s where enrichment opportunities occur after school: Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, sports, other activities. So, our facilities are used consistently by our community,” said St. John-Cunning. “Civic organizations use them, religious organizations use them, and all of this creates wear and tear on our schools.”
She added that FCPS wants its schools to continue serving as “the heart of our communities,” but it has a responsibility to provide “safe buildings that are modern.”
While support for the sales tax was unanimous among school board members, actually getting a referendum on the ballot may be an uphill battle.
At a recent meeting of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, Northern Virginia leaders expressed support for the region exploring the possibility, but suggested they need to act as a whole, rather than having individual localities make piecemeal decisions.
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn noted at that July 2 meeting that Fairfax County’s previous three referendums proposing additional funding for schools all failed. With all of the county’s Board of Supervisors and school board seats up for election in fall 2027, supervisors may decide to tread carefully around the issue.
Alcorn said he didn’t believe any jurisdiction was seriously considering a referendum at the moment, but Arlington County Board member Maureen Coffey indicated her county might be interested. In central Virginia, Fluvanna County’s board has already passed a resolution petitioning their local circuit court for a referendum.
A representative from the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce also recently told FFXnow that the group isn’t concerned about the possible passage of such a referendum, given that there doesn’t seem to be enough interest and momentum to get it on the ballot for the November election.
Previously, only nine of Virginia’s 133 cities and counties had the authority to hold referendums increasing the local sales tax for school construction: Charlotte, Gloucester, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Patrick and Pittsylvania counties and the city of Danville.
After a similar proposal failed to advance through legislation, the state budget expands the authority for a referendum to all cities and counties, capping the possible increase at 1%. If a hike is approved by voters, Northern Virginia governments are permitted to also use the additional revenue for public transportation.
