The Fairfax County School Board participated in a two-hour joint budget meeting with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Feb. 25. Fairfax County's chief financial officer, Christina Jackson, said the FY 2026 County budget shares available revenue proportionally with Schools.
She and Leigh Burden, assistant superintendent of Financial Services, FCPS, presented their sides of the slide presentation, Adjustments Included in the FY 2026 County and Schools Advertised Budgets.
The Projected Revenue Increase Total Available for Schools is $154.18 million, with the Requirements Total Uses at $303.79 million and the Available Balance at ($149.62) million.
The FY 2026 Advertised Budget for Fairfax County Public Schools, approved by the school board and presented by Dr. Michelle Reid, superintendent, is “needs-based budget,” according to Reid. The Budget totals $4.0 billion, a net increase of $297.1 million, and includes $240.8 million for collective bargaining, providing a 7 percent salary increase for all employees.
The County FY 2026 Advertised Budget Plan includes the proposed $23.2 million increased state revenue, a seven percent compensation adjustment for all employees effective July 1, 2025, and $20 million in funding to address student demographic and enrollment changes.
Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill wrote in his message to the Board of Supervisors within his FY2026 Advertised Budget Plan released Feb. 18, 2025 [Page 4] and referencing the 7.0 percent compensation increase for all employees, “With the Governor's budget funding only a 3.0 percent increase — and the state contribution remaining at an estimated 20 percent of the total cost — the potential impact on County taxpayers is significant. In light of the potential impact on our residents, I cannot recommend fully funding the FCPS request. Doing so would require an additional $149.62 million — equivalent to another 4.5 cents on the real estate tax rate, above the 1.5-cent increase upon which this budget is balanced. This would bring the total increase for the average homeowner to just shy of $1,000."
Board members said at the Tuesday, February 25 joint meeting, the key is to educate the public, clearly communicate the budget realities, present a united front, and show the critical need to the state for funding. The two boards must also collaborate to realize efficiencies.
Robin Lady, school board representative of the Dranesville District, said, “We can't emphasize enough that our demographics continue to change. It costs us a lot more to educate multi-language learners, special education students, and free and reduced lunch students.”
Lady said that she understands the public may think a seven percent compensation increase across the board seems aggressive. However, when she reviewed the Fairfax County FY 2026 Advertised Budget, she saw several increases of 2 percent, COLA (cost-of-living adjustment), step, and merit pay. “There's no merit pay in education, folks,” Lady said. “So if I break those down each and they're 2 percent, 2 percent, 2 percent, hypothetically you're at 6 percent, which is almost seven.”
Jeff McKay (D), chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, said, “We know teacher pay increases mean giant invoices coming to us. … It is particularly egregious when that is set at a time when the state is sitting on a gigantic surplus that was generated here, on the income taxes of people in Northern Virginia, based on largely federal spending. … All the house money that's being used in Richmond this year not only was generated by Northern Virginia but was largely generated in the industry that is right now under attack.”
McKay's second comment clarified salary increases for county employees. “Most of our employees in the proposed budget get a 4.19 percent pay increase,” McKay said.
School Board Representative Rachna Sizemore Heizer (Braddock) said, “We are really at this inflection point with our schools. Do we want, in Fairfax County, and I think the answer in this room is yes, to continue the excellence for which we are known? And that requires resources, especially in the changing needs of students and the changing demands on schools. … It's a good thing we recognize students can't learn if they're hungry.”
She added the hope that the two boards can find ways to collaborate, find efficiencies and partnerships in centralized services, and create funding solutions. “Now is the time we've got to get creative together, and I look forward to finding ways to collaborate so our schools and counties can stay strong.”
McKay mentioned they had attempted collaboration between the county and school divisions but “got stopped dead in our tracks for various reasons. … The school board chair and I will be talking about ways that our two boards can be involved in the already ongoing conversations that the superintendent and county executive are having.”
The next Budget Committee meeting is scheduled for March 11, 2025, at 9:30 a.m., in Conference Room 11 in the Government Center.