Budget
Get the basics on the FCPS budget
About FCPS Budgets
The Commonwealth of Virginia requires state and local governments to operate with a balanced budget.
Many factors unique to school systems can trigger educational cost increases that outpace inflation. For example, because K-12 education is so labor-intensive, increases in labor costs due to rising student enrollment or changes in staffing standards can drastically impact school budgets. Understanding factors like this will help citizens understand the financial challenges that schools confront today as well as the context in which budgeting decisions are made.
Fairfax County Public Schools, like the Fairfax County Government, historically ends each fiscal year with a positive balance. This balance can include carryover for outstanding obligations or undelivered orders, including goods or services that have not been received or performed as of June 30. FCPS does allow schools to carry over unspent funding from certain supply and hourly accounts, encouraging schools to use multiyear planning to meet student needs.
FCPS uses multiple strategies to address budget shortfalls, including conserving resources and reducing spending during the fiscal year, where possible. As a result, the net funding available at year-end is presented to the School Board as an available balance. Recently, this funding has been allocated to the beginning balance for the following year instead of being spent for current year needs.
Award Winning Budgets
FCPS budget documents have received awards from both the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) and the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).
FY 2026 Proposed Budget Presentation
FY 2026 Budget Documents
Proposed Budget
- FY 2026 Proposed Budget Presentation Slides (PDF)
- FY 2026 Proposed Budget Book (PDF)
- FY 2026 Proposed Budget Highlights (PDF)
Planning
- FY 2026 Joint Meeting with Board of Supervisors (November 26, 2024)
- FY 2026 Fiscal Forecast (November 12, 2024)
This is a printable copy of the Fairfax County Public Schools FY 2026 Budget Development Calendar.
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| June-December 2024 | FCPS Conducts Internal Program Reviews and Gather Community and Employee Feedback |
| November 12 | School Board Conducts Work Session on Strategic Budget Planning and Fiscal Forecast |
| November 26 | Joint Meeting with Board of Supervisors to Discuss Budget Forecast |
| December 18 | Governor Introduces State Budget |
| January 23, 2025 | Superintendent Releases Proposed Budget |
| February 4 | School Board Conducts Budget Work Session on Proposed Budget School Board Holds Public Hearing on Budget (February 5 if needed) |
| February 18 | Fairfax County Executive Presents Advertised Budget School Board Conducts Budget Work Session on Proposed Budget |
| February 20 | School Board Adopts FY 2026 Advertised Budget |
| February 25 | Joint Meeting with Board of Supervisors |
| March 4 | Board of Supervisors Advertises Tax Rate |
| April 22 | School Board Budget Presentation to Board of Supervisors |
| April 22 - 24 | Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Conducts Public Hearings on Budget |
| May 2 | Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Budget Pre-Markup |
| May 6 | Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Budget Markup, Determine Budget Package, and Tax Rates |
| May 8 | Approved Budget Presented to School Board |
| May 13 | County Board of Supervisors Adopts Budget, Tax Rates, and Transfer to FCPS |
| May 13 | School Board Holds Public Hearing on Budget (May 14 if needed) |
| May 20 | School Board Conducts Budget Work Session |
| May 22 | School Board Adopts Approved Budget |
| July 1 | FY 2026 Begins |
*All Dates Tentative
