budget | FFXnow

Published February 14, 2025 at 9:00AM

Fairfax County Public Schools Chief Financial Officer Leigh Burden at a school board work session on Feb. 4, 2025 (via FCPS/YouTube)

For Fairfax County Public Schools officials, an already daunting budget season has been complicated by a new financial risk: the possibility of losing federal funding.

Last month, the federal Office of Management and Budget issued a memo directing federal agencies to halt spending so it can review financial assistance programs to ensure they align with administration priorities — which include eliminating diversity initiatives, rolling back environmental regulations, and restricting immigration.

Countywide

FCPS braces for fallout as VHSL moves to enforce Trump’s transgender athlete ban

By James Jarvis

Published February 13, 2025 at 11:20AM

Scenes from a transgender rights rally at Luther Jackson Middle School in Fairfax (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Fairfax County Public Schools is facing a legal and financial dilemma after the Virginia High School League’s (VHSL) executive committee voted to ban transgender student athletes from competing in girls’ sports.

The league, which governs public school sports and other competitions across Virginia, announced the policy change on Monday (Feb. 10) after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to withhold funding from educational and athletic institutions that let transgender girls and women to compete in female sports.

Countywide

FCPS superintendent requests $268M funding increase, mostly for employee pay raises

By James Jarvis

Published January 27, 2025 at 1:15PM

Superintendent Michelle Reid (staff file photo by James Jarvis)

Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid is requesting an additional $268.3 million from the county for fiscal year 2026, with most of it going toward a 7% across-the-board pay raise for teachers and staff.

The raise, costing $213 million, is part of a newly negotiated collective bargaining agreement between the school board and the recently formed Fairfax Education Unions. Whether the county can afford it, however, is still an open question.

Countywide

Report: Housing costs force exodus of young families from Northern Virginia

By James Jarvis

Published January 22, 2025 at 1:15PM

The Vienna Market condominium townhomes from across Maple Avenue (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Northern Virginia’s high cost of living is driving more residents to leave for areas where their money stretches further, a new report shows.

The report, published this month by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, found that nearly 158,000 people moved out of the region in 2022, nearing a record set during the pandemic in 2020. At the same time, only 128,000 people moved in — a sharp drop compared to pre-pandemic years.

News

FCPS: Billions needed for school facility projects, even with declining enrollment

By James Jarvis

Published January 17, 2025 at 11:15AM | Updated January 17, 2025 at 11:37AM

The Fairfax County Public Schools administrative center in Merrifield (file photo)

Fairfax County Public Schools needs $2.6 billion over the next decade to address renovations and construction projects already in its pipeline, school officials say.

While $428 million is available from past bond referendums, it’s far from enough to cover the school system’s current priorities, which were laid out in a draft Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for fiscal years 2026-2030 presented to the Fairfax County School Board on Tuesday (Jan. 14).

Countywide

Fairfax school board approves new contract with teachers, but pay raises depend on county budget

By James Jarvis

Published January 14, 2025 at 9:00AM

The Fairfax County Public Schools administrative center in Merrifield (file photo)

Fairfax County Public School teachers have more rights than they did a week ago after the school board unanimously approved the Fairfax Education Unions’ (FEU) first collective bargaining agreement in nearly 50 years on Thursday (Jan. 9).

The agreement promises better wages, hours, benefits and working conditions, but questions still remain about how much funding the Board of Supervisors will provide when it finalizes the county budget in May.

Countywide

Fairfax County Public Library to stop offering Kanopy streaming service

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 8, 2025 at 3:45PM

A screenshot of Kanopy's homepage for Fairfax County Public Library users (via Kanopy)

Any Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) card holders who’ve been taking advantage of Kanopy might want to start working through their watchlist now.

FCPL announced on Sunday (Jan. 5) that it isn’t renewing its subscription to the on-demand movie and TV streaming service, so users will no longer be able to access the platform after Jan. 31.

Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools seeks to expand security with $3.4M budget boost

By James Jarvis

Published December 10, 2024 at 3:45PM

FCPS Chief Financial Officer Leigh Burden speaks to school board (via FCPS/YouTube)

Fairfax County Public Schools is set to allocate an additional $3.4 million to safety and security upgrades, drawing from surplus revenue identified in its mid-year budget review.

The funding includes $1.5 million from a class-action settlement with Juul, as well as higher-than-expected sales tax revenue and tuition payments from the City of Fairfax.

Countywide

FCPS agrees to teacher pay raises in union contract, but county might struggle to fund them

By James Jarvis

Published December 6, 2024 at 9:45AM | Updated December 6, 2024 at 10:50AM

Tina Williams, president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, speaks at a rally prior to a public hearing on a proposed ordinance to allow collective bargaining of county government workers (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

With Fairfax County facing another major budget shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year, local public school leaders are once again confronting difficult decisions regarding teacher pay raises.

This time, though, there’s a twist: Fairfax County Public Schools has a tentative agreement with the Fairfax Education Unions representing teachers and other employees that includes a roughly $150 million request for a 7% across-the-board pay hike for educators and support staff.

Countywide

Fairfax County faces nearly $300 million deficit to fill in next year’s budget

By Scott McCaffrey

Published December 2, 2024 at 11:15AM

Fairfax County Government Center (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Fairfax County leaders have a nearly $300 million budget gap to fill between now and the time the fiscal 2026 budget is adopted in springtime.

“We have a lot of work to do,” County Executive Bryan Hill said last Tuesday (Nov. 26) at an occasionally testy joint meeting between the county’s Board of Supervisors and School Board.