On Thursday, May 7, Superintendent Michelle Reid presented the FY 2027 Approved Budget. A primary focus of Reid’s presentation were proposed budget reductions; there is currently a $28.9 million gap between what FCPS requested and the available funds. The budget is also facing uncertainty as the overall state budget, which comprises more than 20% of FCPS budget, will not be finalized until June, making it difficult to estimate whether or not the gap will ultimately be closed.
“We still don’t have a clear view of what the state revenue will be like,” Reid said “I do remain hopeful that some of the proposed reductions may be restored if the state budget results in additional funding.”
The FCPS budget process has generally moved faster than the state’s, including adjacent aspects of funding not directly related to the state budget. For instance, FCPS originally anticipated an increase in spending on teacher compensation due to a bill that would have allowed collective bargaining for all public employees. But on May 14, Governor Abigail Spanberger vetoed the bill, even as FCPS is close to finalizing the budget, muddling the funding outlook.
“I would like to know the budget numbers that have been put out in Richmond,” school board member Karl Frisch said. “Part of the complicated nature of this is the mix of one-time funding and long-term funding. Those don’t necessarily match.”
This is not the first time that the FY 2027 budget has been slashed; On May 5, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors declined to give FCPS the full requested amount, underfunding the county portion of the budget by $39.7 million. $10.7 million, which was already provided separately by the state, brought the gap down to where it is now. The district is also expected to spend less this year on baseline student needs as a result of a funding formula change.
“I’ve chosen to pause several items to balance our budget this evening,” Reid said. “This will leave intact initiatives like support for special education and advanced academics.”
Out of the six budget items Reid elected to pause, the largest was the staffing reserve–a pool of employees that FCPS can move around to balance enrollment and personnel requirements–which was cut by 70 staff members to save $8.8 million. FCPSon, the program that supplies digital devices for every student, was also transitioned to an on-demand replacement schedule to save $5.3 million, meaning students will receive a new device when their current one is unusable or broken, rather than at a set interval. Other reductions included pauses to certain Human Resources programs and new math curriculum materials.
“These revenue pauses will round out the $28 million gap,” Reid said. “This, cumulatively, will bring the FY 2027 reductions to $120 million.”
But despite these reductions and funding constraints, FCPS will not have to pursue more aggressive measures like the cutting of full time staff.
“Things have been tightened down across the division, but I’m not coming forth tonight telling [the school board] that we have to cut positions,” Reid said. “We’re trying to maintain as much of a level of service, but there’s much less flexibility.”
Following Reid’s presentation, some members regretted certain measures, citing FCPS’s previous promises to provide funding.
“We’ve been championing the adoption of new math curriculum materials and textbooks, and it sounds like we’re reducing textbook purchases,” school board member Melanie Meren said. “That’s tragic because it’s been such a priority. We’re really between a rock and a hard place.”
School board members were also optimistic about FCPS’s continued inclusion of middle school after-school activities–proposed reductions from previous years were met with strong opposition.
“I know that the middle school after-school programs have been such a huge source of anxiety in my community,” school board member Ricardy Anderson said. “Including that without incurring a fee will go such a long way.”
But in general, school board members were understanding of the budget situation, particularly as FCPS struggles to balance funding and maintain its current level of education.
“These choices will impact students, even as we try to take a scalpel to try and avoid a direct impact,” Frisch said. “But of the choices that are available, this is far less than I was expecting.”
