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Fairfax County Public Schools is committed to bringing you a timely update on decisions made by the Fairfax County School Board the morning after each regular meeting. Last night’s meeting included votes on the ESSER III Spending Plan, as well as a final FY21 Budget Review.
ESSER III Spending Plan
The School Board approved a $188.6 million spending plan for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) funding. The plan was developed following an involved community engagement process. Thank you to all of you who participated in this process.
The majority of the ESSER III spending (82%) will address learning loss and student academic, social, emotional, and mental (wellness) health needs. FCPS has allocated $170 million to support students with academics and social-emotional learning, as they return to our school buildings this year. The use of these funds to support learning loss or unfinished learning is outlined in an Academic Support Plan aimed at ensuring all students receive the academic and social-emotional support they need to succeed.
The remaining funds will be used for prevention and mitigation strategies and other uses such as communication, technology, transportation, program management, and school monitors.
Some examples include:
- Funding an increase in the starting pay of FCPS bus drivers to $22.91 per hour. This is in addition to a current recruitment bonus of $3,000 and is intended to counter the national bus driver shortage.
- Supporting monitors to help with cafeteria lunches and outdoor learning. The funding can also be used for additional substitute coverage as needed.
- Providing additional multilingual support and translation services.
Read the full news release.
Staff Bonus Added to FY21 Budget as Part of Final Review
The School Board voted to approve revenue and expenditure adjustments to the FY21 budget, to include a one-time bonus for FCPS employees to recognize the extraordinary contributions and sacrifices that all FCPS employees made during the pandemic.
Due to complexities in job classifications and a desire to be equitable in bonus allocations, the proposed one-time bonuses will be provided to all employees who are currently employed by FCPS at the following rates:
- $1,000 for all employees (both full-time employees (FTEs) and hourly contracted, to include bus drivers and food service employees)
- $500 for temporary hourly employees
The total cost of the one-time bonus is $32.7 million and will be paid at the end of November.
Upcoming School Board Meetings
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September 9, 2021 - Regular Meeting - Jackson MS - 7 p.m.
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September 23, 2021 - Regular Meeting - Jackson MS - 7 p.m.
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