Fairfax County leaders want Gov. Glenn Youngkin to boost state funding for critical services, such as schools, transportation and health care.
The Board of Supervisors voted 9-1 on Tuesday (Sept. 24) to send a letter to Youngkin arguing that chronic underfunding by the state has forced localities like Fairfax County to lean heavily on local tax revenue to maintain “core services” like public education, public safety and transportation infrastructure, straining local budgets and taxpayers.
Fairfax County school officials fear Virginia’s new accreditation system could disproportionately harm schools with large populations of English learners and students with disabilities.
Adopted last month by the Virginia Board of Education, the School Performance and Support Framework places more weight on standardized test scores and graduation rates — a move state officials argue will hold schools to higher educational standards and improve accountability.
During the new school year, which kicks off Monday (Aug. 19), students at select Fairfax County middle and high schools will be required to hand in their phones in order to turn up their focus.
Starting Sept. 3, Fairfax County Public Schools will begin rolling out a new phone-free pilot program, requiring middle and high school students to secure their cell phones in magnetically sealed pouches or lockers during class to reduce distractions.
Boys’ volleyball has staged a comeback and girls’ wrestling will soon take to the mats in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).
Thanks to new funding, Fairfax County Public Schools will offer both sports at the varsity level for the first time during the upcoming 2024-2025 school year, which starts classes next Monday (Aug. 19). Boys’ volleyball will start this fall, followed by girls’ wrestling in the winter.
After Fairfax County Public Schools got much less funding than it wanted for teacher pay raises and other investments, new budget chair Kyle McDaniel suggests it’s time for a change in strategy.
McDaniel, who was elected to the school board as an at-large member last year, worries growing divisions in the budget process between the school board and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors could strain relationships as the county tackles its own financial challenges.
Fairfax County Public Schools has adopted a new boundary adjustment policy to help manage transportation issues and overcrowding.
The Fairfax County School Board approved the policy 9-2 at a meeting last Thursday (July 18) that drew a raucous crowd. The board also directed the superintendent to implement boundary changes for Lincolnia’s Glasgow Middle School that were put on hold while the countywide policy was reviewed.
In a bid to cut energy costs by tens of thousands of dollars, the Fairfax County School Board finalized a deal with a local solar developer last month to outfit nine elementary schools across the county with 250-kilowatt (kW) solar panels.
The solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) comes years after the school board approved a series of much larger solar projects that were halted after Dominion Energy introduced new interconnection rules that substantially increased project costs, rendering the projects economically unfeasible.
A revised policy for adjusting school boundaries appears to have most of the Fairfax County School Board’s support ahead of a possible vote next month.
While most members agreed that the current policy needs an overhaul to address capacity issues across Fairfax County Public Schools, some expressed reservations at a work session on Tuesday (June 25).
Cub Run Elementary School students could be the first in Fairfax County to attend a “swing space” while their school gets renovated in the future.
The school board’s Facilities Planning Advisory Council (FPAC) recommends that Fairfax County Public Schools consider piloting the concept — where students and staff are temporarily relocated to pre-existing facilities during construction — with the Centreville school.
As the Fairfax County School Board considers a new boundary adjustment policy, a prominent citizens’ group has raised concerns about its potential impact on local families.
The Great Falls Citizens Association’s (GFCA) executive board took an official stance on the proposed policy changes on June 17, urging Fairfax County Public Schools and elected officials to hit the pause button until they solicit more community input.
