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Meeting Recap: Budget, Boundaries, Bargaining, and More (January 22, 2026)
Dear Neighbor,
Over the past two weeks, at the Fairfax County School Board’s all-day work session on January 13 (agenda | video) and regular meeting (agenda | video) on January 22, we discussed and advanced several key priorities that reflect our continued commitment to academic excellence, equity, and innovation in Fairfax County Public Schools.
At our regular meeting last Thursday, the Board adopted the Superintendent’s Comprehensive School Boundary Proposal, concluding FCPS’s first divisionwide boundary review process in more than four decades. This decision followed 18-months of community engagement and analysis aimed at improving enrollment balance, reducing split feeders and attendance islands, and better aligning capacity across the county.
We also received the Superintendent’s proposed FY 2027 budget, a $4.1 billion plan that prioritizes student success, competitive compensation for educators and staff, and responsible stewardship in a challenging funding environment. The proposal keeps students at the center while restoring key instructional positions and honoring collective bargaining commitments — all without adding new initiatives.
In addition to these major milestones, the Board worked on long-range facilities planning, ratified a new collective bargaining agreement for principals and administrators, reviewed progress on technology governance, and received updates on our progress toward our Strategic Plan goals.
As always, I invite you to learn more about the topics discussed by reviewing the updates below. You are also welcome to attend School Board meetings (schedule) and register to share your thoughts with us during community participation (sign-up).
In service,
Karl Frisch
Providence District Representative
Fairfax County School Board
Table of Contents:
All-Day Work Session Recap (January 13, 2026)
At the School Board’s all-day work session, we discussed several priorities guiding the school division’s long-term planning. The morning session focused on Strategic Plan Goal Three: Academic Growth and Excellence, while the afternoon centered on reviewing the proposed Capital Improvement Program.
Strategic Plan Goal Three: Academic Growth and Excellence
Video | Meeting Materials
The Superintendent presented an in-depth update on Strategic Plan Goal 3: Academic Growth and Excellence, which focuses on ensuring every student meets high academic standards and reaches their full potential. The presentation highlighted continued gains in reading, writing, and mathematics, with FCPS outperforming state and neighboring divisions in several key measures, including SOL pass rates, AP/IB exam performance, and growth among multilingual learners. While progress is evident across many student groups, staff emphasized that closing persistent achievement gaps remains a central priority.
The work session also outlined targeted strategies driving improvement, including the school division’s focus on reading by third grade, expanded evidence-based literacy instruction, early intervention supports, strengthened family partnerships, and continued efforts to increase access to advanced coursework such as Algebra 1 by eighth grade. The Superintendent underscored that sustained progress will require consistent instruction, strong school-level support, and intentional engagement with students and families. Together, these efforts reflect FCPS’s commitment to equity, excellence, and long-term academic success for every student.
Capital Improvement Program
Video | Meeting Materials
The Superintendent and staff also presented the proposed FY 2027–31 Capital Improvement Program (CIP), outlining how FCPS plans, funds, and prioritizes major facility projects over the next five years. The presentation reviewed FCPS’s $8.9 billion in facilities assets across more than 200 buildings and emphasized the role school facilities play not only in instruction, but also in community use, elections, child care, and civic engagement. Staff explained how bond funding, operating funds, and county support work together to finance construction, renovations, maintenance, and infrastructure upgrades, while also noting ongoing challenges related to construction costs, inflation, and long-term maintenance backlogs.
Regular Meeting Recap (January 22, 2026)
Comprehensive School Boundary Review Adoption
Video | Meeting Materials
Last Thursday night, the School Board approved the Superintendent’s final Comprehensive Boundary Review proposal, concluding FCPS’s first divisionwide boundary review in more than four decades. This decision follows 18-months of community engagement, multiple public hearings, and the Superintendent’s amended recommendation issued on January 15. The approved plan is designed to modestly improve facility use by reducing overcrowding, addressing split-feeder patterns and attendance islands, and better aligning school capacity with enrollment across the county.
For Providence District families, the Superintendent’s recommendation eliminates split-feeder patterns at Vienna Elementary School and Spring Hill Elementary School, aligning students more consistently within a single feeder pathway. These changes are part of a broader effort that would remove multiple elementary-to-middle and elementary-to-high school split feeders divisionwide, while balancing enrollment and minimizing travel where possible.
Thankfully, the Superintendent included two Providence District school communities on her list of flagged areas for future review. Greenway Downs, Jefferson Village, and Kingsley Commons are slated for continued boundary work to culminate in a January 2027 proposal that unites these neighborhoods within the Graham Road Elementary School attendance zone. Meanwhile, FCPS will use the next two years to determine potential future capacity availability at Oakton High School to accommodate Briarwood Trace and Briarwood Farms. During the meeting, the Superintendent once again committed to me that she will share a detailed plan for these and other flagged communities.
I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Reid, FCPS staff, and our many BRAC volunteers for their hard work on this endeavor, and to the many Providence District families who have been actively engaged in this process alongside them from the beginning.
Motion: McDaniel, Second: Dunne / Vote: Yes 8, No 3
Investing in Student Success: Superintendent’s Proposed Budget
Video | Meeting Materials
The Superintendent presented her proposed FY 2027 budget, outlining a $4.1 billion plan focused squarely on investing in student success. The proposal prioritizes classroom instruction and student support, allocating nearly 85% of the operating budget to instructional programs. A major emphasis of the budget is competitive compensation, including step increases for eligible employees and significant funding to support collective bargaining agreements — an important step in recruiting, retaining, and supporting the educators and staff our students rely on.
The proposed budget also reflects careful stewardship in a challenging funding environment, with no new initiatives added and departments encouraged to repurpose existing resources to meet student needs. Despite ongoing state underfunding, the proposal restores previously eliminated instructional positions, strengthens special education and advanced academics supports, and continues multi-year investments in areas like family engagement, fine and performing arts, athletics, and career-ready learning opportunities. These investments reflect a balanced, responsible approach that keeps student success at the center while maintaining fiscal discipline and transparency.
Collective Bargaining Agreement Ratification
Video | Meeting Materials
The School Board approved a new collective bargaining agreement with the Fairfax County Federation of Principals, Supervisors, and Administrators, marking another important step in strengthening labor–management collaboration. The agreement affirms shared commitments to professionalism, transparency, and mutual respect, while establishing clear structures for communication, partnership, and problem-solving that will benefit school leaders and the broader FCPS community.
The contract reflects a balanced approach that supports competitive compensation and due-process protections, while also reinforcing high standards of accountability and service to students and families. By continuing to invest in positive labor relations and stable leadership structures, FCPS is better positioned to retain strong school leaders, foster healthy workplace environments, and keep the focus where it belongs — on student success. Here are my comments before the vote:
Motion: Lady, Second: Moon / Vote: Yes 11, No 0,
Superintendent Performance Review
The School Board evaluates the Superintendent’s overall success based on the school division’s reasonable progress toward achieving the 2023-2030 Strategic Plan goals and adherence to the 13 Executive Limitations outlined on pages 14-31 of the Board’s Strategic Governance Manual. The Superintendent provides annual monitoring reports to the Board for each Executive Limitation. The Board then votes on whether the provided reports comply with the Executive Limitation. If the report is found to be noncompliant, the Superintendent provides a corrective action memo addressing the Board’s concerns.
Executive Limitation 12: Technology
Video | Meeting Materials
The School Board received the monitoring report for Executive Limitation 12, which addresses the division’s use of technology to support instruction, communication, operations, and data security. The Superintendent reported that FCPS continues to meet the Board’s expectations by providing equitable access to technology, maintaining reliable systems, and ensuring that digital tools strengthen teaching, learning, and family engagement while protecting student and staff information.
The report highlighted recent improvements, including expanded cybersecurity protections, enhanced data governance practices, increased parent access to student technology activity reports, and continued implementation of online testing platforms. Staff also shared updates on student innovation initiatives, artificial intelligence (AI) training for educators, and the use of secure, managed AI tools in instructional settings. Following the Superintendent’s presentation and Board discussion, the Board found that the monitoring report was in compliance with EL-12.
Here are my remarks from the discussion:
Motion: McElveen, Second: Frisch / Vote: Yes 8, No 2, Absent 1
Strategic Plan Update: Safe, Supported, Included, and Empowered
Video | Meeting Materials
The Superintendent presented a Strategic Plan update aligned with Goal 2: Safe, Supported, Included, and Empowered, highlighting how transportation services contribute directly to student safety, belonging, and well-being. The presentation emphasized that a positive school climate extends beyond the classroom and includes every part of a student’s daily experience, including their journey to and from school. Staff reviewed how driver training, safety patrol programs, and relationship-building practices are intentionally designed to foster respectful, supportive environments for students on school buses.
The update also shared key operational data illustrating the scale and impact of FCPS transportation services, which serve more than 131,000 students daily across nearly 1,400 buses and 391 square miles, supported by over 1,850 staff members who collectively drive more than 16 million miles each year. Technology tools such as GPS tracking, onboard cameras, the “Here Comes the Bus” app, and real-time delay notifications were highlighted as important tools for transparency, safety, and family communication.
Together, these efforts reflect the division’s continued commitment to ensuring every student experiences a safe, reliable, and welcoming start and end to each school day. As part of her presentation, the Superintendent shared the following video with the Board:
Student Performance of the National Anthem
The Board meeting began with a beautiful performance of the national anthem by Centreville Elementary School Strings under the direction of Molly Henry:
Upcoming School Board Meetings
Regular Board Meetings (Luther Jackson Middle School)
- Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.
- Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.
Work Sessions (Gatehouse Administration Center)
- Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 11:30 a.m.
- Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 11:30 a.m.
All meetings are broadcast live on Channel 99 (Verizon channel 11) and on the FCPS website. Meetings are also recorded for future viewing and posted to the FCPS YouTube channel. Visit the community participation webpage to sign up to speak at regular meetings or public hearings.
Reuniones de la Junta Escolar de FCPS en Español: Para ver las reuniones de la Junta Escolar grabadas o para ver en vivo durante las reuniones regulares en YouTube, por favor vaya al canal de YouTube de FCPS en Español.
The views contained within this newsletter reflect the views of the individual school board member who is the publisher of this newsletter and may not reflect the views of the Fairfax County School Board.
© Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia
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