Fairfax Schools Budget Hearing Planned After County Approval

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — A school board public hearing on the fiscal year 2022 budget is planned at Fairfax County Public Schools on Tuesday.

The school board had adopted an advertised budget on Feb. 18 totaling $3.2 billion, a $75.5 million over the fiscal year 2021 approved budget. That budget wasn't final as it awaited updates on the Fairfax County budget and other revenue sources.

The majority of FCPS funding comes from the transfer from the Fairfax County transfer. FCPS requested an additional $104.4 million in the county budget to provide an 3 percent pay increase for employees, expanding preschool special education class offerings, address increasing retirement rates and health care costs, offset decreasing revenue from state, federal, and other sources, and more. But the county budget approved by the Board of Supervisors included a $29.34 million increase for FCPS, which does not completely address the $104.4 million advertised budget gap.

Since the school board set the advertised budget in February, $43.2 million in new revenue identified to address the budget gap includes the $29.3 million increase in the county transfer, $5.2 million in state funding, and an $8.7 million beginning balance.

That leaves a $61.2 million gap from the advertised budget. To address this, the superintendent made recommended adjustments, including reducing the pay increase from 3 percent to 2 percent, which saves $24.6 million.

The school board will accept public comment at the hearing at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 11. That public hearing will be followed by a budget work session on May 18 and budget adoption on May 20.

See budget documents for FCPS here.