2025 Outstanding School-Based Leader Award Process

Nominating a candidate for the Outstanding School-Based Leader award begins with each school's awards liaison, who has information about the nomination process and deadlines.

Any FCPS employee or community member can nominate a school-based leader for this award, but employees may not nominate themselves. Eligible candidates must currently work as a full-time or part-time Schedule C employee or School-Based Administrator who has completed at least one contracted year of employment working with FCPS in their current position at their current work location.

Award Criteria 

Nominees are school-based leaders who:

• Provide a unique and exceptional contribution to FCPS through their work.
• Demonstrate outstanding leadership in the workplace and commitment to their field.
• Strengthen and improve the FCPS working or learning environment through their work. 
• Foster an environment where diversity in all of its forms is valued and appreciated and demonstrate keeping equity at the center of their work.

Who Can Nominate

• Any FCPS employee or community member can nominate a leader for an Outstanding School-Based Leader Employee award.
• All nominations must be submitted through their school’s awards liaison.
• Employees may not nominate themselves.

How To Nominate

• Once you have decided you would like to nominate an employee, please contact the awards liaison at your school for information about the nomination process and deadlines. 

The Selection Process

All schools will conduct a local nomination process to determine their Outstanding School-Based Leader. The Outstanding School-Based Leaders from every school then go on to the pyramid level, where a Pyramid Outstanding School-Based Leader is selected and put forward to the Region level. The Region winners will be the finalists for the overall Fairfax County Public Schools Outstanding School-Based Leader.

Awards and Recognition

All school-level honorees will be recognized. The annual FCPS Outstanding School-Based Leader will be announced at the FCPS Honors event and will receive $4000. In recognition of collaborative teamwork, the FCPS award winners and their colleagues will also receive a celebration at their worksite.

Questions?

Please contact the school's awards liaison.