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.
Hoping to alleviate parents’ concerns about the frequency of disruptions this school year, the Fairfax County School Board has backed a calendar for the upcoming academic year that cuts down on the number of early-release days and nixes Veterans Day as a holiday.
At its meeting Thursday (April 9), the board debated the calendar for the upcoming school year in an effort to cut down on weeks with fewer than five days of classes.
As the current school year enters its final stretch, the Fairfax County School Board is considering tweaking the calendar for the next year in response to mounting complaints about disruptions to class schedules.
At the board’s meeting tomorrow (Thursday), members led by governance committee chair Melanie Meren will propose nixing Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Veterans Day as official student holidays and limiting the number of scheduled early release days to four per year.
Rising education and debt-service costs and the desire to retain a competitive pay scale have contributed to a proposed 4.5% increase in the City of Fairfax’s budget.
City Manager Daniel Alexander detailed a $207.5 million fiscal 2027 year spending package on Feb. 24 that includes a host of tax increases but no new or expanded programming.
Rather than go to war over about 1% of Fairfax County Public Schools’ budget request, county and school leaders are trying to forge a coalition that will press General Assembly members to provide the additional funding.
The Board of Supervisors and school board need to “be loud about the fact that we need help” from Richmond, School Board Chair Sandy Anderson (Springfield) said at a work session to discuss the county’s proposed budget on Tuesday (Feb. 24).
The Fairfax County delegation to the General Assembly heads to Richmond this week with plenty of requests from constituents.
Nearly 100 of them descended on the Fairfax County Government Center Saturday morning (Jan. 10) to make their case on issues ranging from social services to economic development.
The newest graduates of George Mason University came from 38 states and 87 countries, overcoming obstacles and charting their own paths en route to commencement day.
“You did it!” university president Gregory Washington exclaimed during the university-wide commencement ceremony, held Dec. 18 at EagleBank Arena.
Fairfax City Council members continue to consider what priorities they should focus on in the 2026 General Assembly session, and in what order.
At a Nov. 18 discussion on the city’s legislative package, residents evidently opted not to weigh in, with no speakers attending the scheduled public hearing.
Fairfax County Public Schools is not shying away from embracing artificial intelligence.
The school district is one of the first nationwide to partner with OpenAI to help guide the rollout of “ChatGPT for Teachers,” a new tool intended to provide planning assistance for educators.
Rising ninth- and 10th-graders from a wide swath of western Fairfax County will have the opportunity to attend the county’s newest high school starting next fall.
Fairfax County School Board members voted last Thursday (Nov. 13) to allow students who otherwise would attend Centreville, Chantilly, Westfield, Oakton or South Lakes high schools to instead join the first classes at the currently unnamed new high school.
