FCPS adopts new budget to assist in post-pandemic rebound

New budget aims to attract new talent, strengthen retention

Zakareya Hamed, Online Editor-in-Chief • March 6, 2024

FCPS division superintendent Michelle Reid addresses the school board at its Feb. 22 meeting. The meeting largely centered the budget for fiscal year 2025.

The Fairfax County School Board recently embraced a new budget proposal that would increase FCPS funding significantly while and requesting $254 million from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

Over the last ten years, FCPS has consistently ranked among the top 15 largest school districts in the United States. The school division, which serves around 182,000 students, also tends to consume the majority of the county budget, with nearly 20% of FCPS students requiring English Language Learner programs.

The hefty budget burden from the size and obligations of FCPS has consistently pushed FCPS to need more money, despite the division’s student population staying relatively flat over past years. FCPS has also run through most of its federal school system relief money from 2020 and 2021 congressional stimulus packages, contributing to the need for funds.

“Nationally and locally, there is a major teacher shortage. We need to take that money and put it back into retaining teachers and [raising pay] for our staff here at school,” assistant principal Emily Geary said. “There are [also] extracurricular programs that could likely be cut without that money.”

In her weekly message posted on the FCPS website, superintendent Michelle Reid hailed the new budget as a step closer to increasing funding on the state level.

“Virginia provides less funding per student than many neighboring states including Maryland, Kentucky and West Virginia,” Reid said. “Meeting our budget needs becomes more of a challenge with historic underfunding by the State of Virginia.”

The freshly passed budget includes a compensation adjustment of six percent for FCPS employees, a key request of Fairfax County’s teachers unions in a time of poor staff retention and a broader teaching crisis.

“[The] budget focuses on adjusting compensation to recruit and retain our world class staff,” Reid said.

The School Board is set to make its budget presentation to fill funding gaps to the Board of Supervisors on April 16, kicking off three days of public hearings by the Board of Supervisors on the budget. By April 30, the County will determine its final budget and tax rate information for the 2025 fiscal year, which begins for July 1, 2024.

“When our students succeed, the entire Fairfax County community thrives,” Reid said.