News

George Mason University plans to focus on athletics facilities first when redeveloping the western portion of its Fairfax campus.

After new sports/recreation facilities are in place, Mason will move forward with developing housing — for both the university community and others — plus retail spaces and community facilities, university officials and consultants told community members on May 22.


Countywide

The battle over Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology’s student admissions policy isn’t quite over after all.

More than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court passed on an opportunity to weigh in, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares accused Fairfax County Public Schools today (Wednesday) of “intentional” discrimination against Asian American students applying to the magnet school in Annandale.


Around Town

Plaza America in Reston is in a period of transition: one retailer has left, another is preparing to relocate, and the future of a third is unclear.

The question mark centers on Noodles & Company, the fast-casual noodle eatery that has occupied a prominent spot at the shopping center since 2012.


Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools staff will receive most, but not all, of their planned salary increases under a revised fiscal year 2026 budget proposal shared last week by Superintendent Michelle Reid.

However, in order to preserve as much of the promised raises as possible, some positions and services will be cut after the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors declined to approve Reid’s full funding request.


Countywide

In a rare moment of bipartisan agreement on education policy, Virginia leaders have enacted sweeping changes to the state’s K-12 testing system, aiming to raise student performance and make the Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments more meaningful.

Despite ongoing political clashes over broader education policy, Gov. Glenn Youngkin and state lawmakers united earlier this month behind a plan they hope will strengthen student outcomes.


News

While some Fairfax County Public Schools grapple with overcrowding, a private school in the Wolf Trap area hopes to boost enrollment by welcoming younger students.

The Oakcrest School plans to start serving kindergarten and elementary students, expanding its current scope of sixth through 12th grade, according to a zoning application recently submitted to Fairfax County.


News

Graduation season is getting underway for college and high school students alike, which means an influx of traffic for people living around George Mason University.

GMU warns that “heavy traffic” is expected around its main Fairfax campus for the next month, with dozens of graduation ceremonies scheduled to take place at EagleBank Arena (4500 Patriot Circle).


Countywide

Fairfax County teachers’ elation at securing a collective bargaining agreement, the first of its kind in nearly 50 years for the district, has proven short-lived.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is set to adopt a budget for fiscal year 2026 that transfers $2.93 billion to Fairfax County Public Schools — up $119 million from the current fiscal year, but well short of the $248 million increase that Superintendent Michelle Reid requested primarily to cover employee pay raises promised by the union contract.


Obituary

Former Fairfax County School Board member Janie Strauss, who has died at age 78, is being remembered as a community champion with a focus on improving the lives of youth.

Strauss, who served as the school board’s Dranesville District member for nearly 30 years, representing the McLean, Great Falls and Herndon areas, died at home on April 11 after a year-long battle with glioblastoma brain cancer, her family said.


Countywide

Eighth-grader Nikita Ramakrishnan bested 86 spellers to win the Fairfax County Spelling Bee March 23.

Ramakrishnan, a student at Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly, claimed the title after spelling “xanthic,” an adjective of Greek origin meaning “colored with some tint of yellow – used of a flower.”


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