TOPIC: FY 2026 Proposed Budget — #InvestInExcellence

DATE: January 23, 2025 

Summary 

The FY 2026 Proposed Budget reflects FCPS’ continued focus on providing a world-class education for each and every student, while recognizing the hard work and commitment of our outstanding employees. 

Budget Priorities - Talking Points

• The FY 2026 budget is designed to:
  • Recognize taxpayer fatigue
  • Acknowledge chronic state underfunding
  • Meet the expectations of our families
  • Meet the changing needs of today’s students
• The proposed budget focuses on competitive compensation, differentiated learning, safety and security, and the continuation of multiyear investments. It reflects the needs of — and FCPS’ commitments to — Fairfax County students, families, and community members. 
• The FY 2026 Proposed Budget totals $4.0B — an increase of $297.1M over the FY 2025 Approved Budget. 
• FCPS will be requesting an additional $268.3M, or 10.4%, from the County Board of Supervisors to help sustain FCPS as one of the nation’s premier school divisions. 
• This transfer request is only a 5.6% increase from last year’s request. 

Recognizing Taxpayer Fatigue

• Compared to neighboring school districts, FCPS has the largest percentage of school-based employees – 92.5%.
• Our administrative staffing is lean — our ratio of management staff to total staff is 1.1% while surrounding divisions range from 2-4%. That’s because we have a fiscal responsibility to taxpayers. We believe that as a school system, most of our budget should be spent in the classroom. 
• Because of chronic state underfunding, FCPS is critically reliant on county funding with less than one third of the budget coming from state, federal, or other sources. 
• We need to be efficient while still providing a world-class education for our students. 
• One way we’ve increased our efficiency is by reducing educator turnover. For the first time in four years, the year-to-year teacher retention rate exceeded 90% in 2024, with the Division retaining almost 400 more teachers in 2024 than in 2023. That results in a savings in training, hiring, and professional development costs.

Acknowledging Chronic State Underfunding

• School divisions across the state face long-term and continued underfunding by the Commonwealth of Virginia. 
• FCPS alone is estimated to be underfunded by $568.7 million based on the nonpartisan Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) study. This equates to approximately $3,100 per student and underscores the need for equitable funding that truly reflects the needs of our community’s young people.
• Because of this chronic underfunding, FCPS is critically reliant on County funding with less than one third of the budget coming from state, federal, or other sources. 

Meeting the Expectations of Our Families

• Our families want their children in high-quality schools with the best teachers who provide rigorous academic experiences. 
• More than 85% of the proposed budget is dedicated to instruction. 
• That is why competitive compensation is the bulk of this budget ask at $240.8 million.
• By investing in competitive compensation, FCPS can reduce costly turnover, save money, and ensure continuity in the classroom, ultimately benefiting students. FCPS’ landmark tentative collective bargaining agreements support these tenets.
• Fair pay promotes high-quality educational experiences and outcomes for students because it increases the satisfaction, morale, and engagement of teachers. Recognizing this important link, FCPS’ landmark tentative collective bargaining agreements aim to uphold these standards.

Meeting the Changing Needs of Today’s Students

• Fairfax County’s young people are changing and require more resources than they did in years past. 
• As our students’ needs change, so do the needs of our schools. FCPS families expect — and we provide — much more than schools used to. Today’s students need different educational experiences which prepare them for the skills, careers, and futures of tomorrow. That means more science labs, more educators who are qualified to teach advanced courses, more hands-on STEAM opportunities. 
• Our budget covers the cost of therapists, career coaches, social workers, athletic directors, enhanced security, technology experts, and more. 
• FCPS also provides meals, technology, mental health and wellness services, 24/7 online resources, before-and-after school care, and more. 
• These services, opportunities, and programs are important because they enable students to learn. When students learn, they succeed. When they succeed, all of Fairfax County succeeds. 

Funding Needs Not Addressed

• Expansion of middle school sports
• Additional funding to accelerate addressing maintenance backlog
• Middle school start times

Additional Resources
Budget Webpage
Proposed Budget Presentation and Video 
Budget Timeline  
Budget Documents Webpage

Topic: Collective Bargaining
Date: January 9, 2025 (Updated)

Background

In May 2021, the Virginia General Assembly approved legislation that allows counties, cities, and towns in Virginia (including School Boards) to bargain collectively with employees after adopting an authorizing ordinance or resolution. 

Upon the board’s approval, Fairfax County Public Schools will be implementing collective bargaining for the first time, with ratified agreements taking effect on July 1, 2025.

 

FCPS will have a total of three bargaining units including the Fairfax Education Unions (FEU) representing instructional and operational staff (separately) and the Fairfax County Federation of Principals, Supervisors, and Administrators (FCFPSA).

Important Dates

The School Board approved the Collective Bargaining resolution on March 9, 2023.

The Fairfax Education Unions (FEU) were certified as the exclusive representative for the Licensed Instructional and Operational Bargaining units on July 18, 2024. 

The Fairfax County Federation of Principals, Supervisors, and Administrators (FCFPSA) was certified as the exclusive representative for the Administrators and Supervisors Bargaining Unit on October 24, 2024.

The first collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) for both the Licensed Instructional Unit and the Operational Unit go into effect July 1, 2025.

FCFPSA has not submitted any proposals, at this time.

Talking Points

• While membership/participation in a union/association is entirely voluntary, all employees of the Licensed Instructional in Operational Units are represented exclusively by FEU.
• Under state law, FCPS employees are not permitted to strike. 
• The first budget projected to include collective bargaining will be the FY26 (2025-26 school year) budget.
• Fairfax County Public Schools believes that collective bargaining will ensure that staff feel seen, heard, and supported, and position FCPS as an employer of choice.
• Collective bargaining fosters collaboration by creating structured processes for addressing concerns and finding solutions that benefit everyone.
• Collective bargaining benefits everyone by reducing teacher turnover, improving the quality of education, and fostering strong school communities.
• Collective bargaining agreements will improve wages, benefits, and working conditions, which will help to recruit and retain high-quality educators.
• High teacher turnover is expensive for school districts due to the costs of recruitment, hiring, and training new staff.
• While fair compensation is a priority, unions also advocate for smaller class sizes, better resources, and policies that directly benefit students and families.
• Collective bargaining will not result in the inability to address employee performance or to enact appropriate disciplinary action.
• By collaborating with educators, FCPS can make informed decisions about resource allocation that directly benefits students and maximizes the impact of investments. This might include using technology effectively, updating textbooks, or making sure classrooms have essential supplies and equipment
• Any agreements on collective bargaining that require funding are contingent on the budget provided by the Board of Supervisors.

Find more information on collective bargaining is on FCPS’ website. Resources for employees will be available on the Hub.

If you or your employees have any questions, please email [email protected]. 

• News Release 
• Budget Presentation (pdf)
  • ▶️ Video of Presentation
• Graphics
  • Social Media
  • Newsletter
• Printable JLARC Fact Sheet
• Webpages
  • Budget Webpage
  • Budget Documents