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Sandy Anderson has been elected chair of the Fairfax County School Board roughly a year and a half into her four-year term, putting her at the helm as the division confronts teacher vacancies and its first comprehensive boundary review in four decades.
The Springfield District representative succeeds Providence District member Carl Frisch, who served two terms as chair. The board generally chooses a new chair each July.
Anderson is one of 12 members serving through December 2027. Nine represent Fairfax County’s magisterial districts, while three hold at-large seats.
A Fairfax County native and Lake Braddock High School graduate, Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree in English from George Mason University and a master’s degree in English from the University of North Carolina.
Her career in education began with the Fairfax County Park Authority, where she worked as an instructor and camp director. She later taught college English at Kansas State University, George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College.
Her husband’s 20-year Army career took the family to other parts of the country, but they returned to Northern Virginia before his retirement. Anderson, a mother of two, also spent seven years volunteering with the parent-teacher organization at Silverbrook Elementary School, including five years as president.
Retaining teachers and the superintendent
Anderson has identified teacher retention as one of her leading priorities. Fairfax County Public Schools retained more than 90% of its teachers in 2024, reaching that level for the first time in four years, but the division still has about 136 teacher vacancies.
She also wants FCPS to retain Superintendent Michelle Reid. Anderson has praised Reid’s ability to manage a school system of Fairfax County’s size and her positive approach to the job.
Boundary changes move to center stage
Anderson’s second major priority is the school boundary review now underway. She argues that significant changes are overdue, noting that the county cannot simply construct enough buildings to solve crowding and has little room left to expand westward.
The board recently authorized spending $150 million to purchase a former private school property in the Herndon area. Even so, Anderson sees smaller, incremental boundary adjustments as necessary to balance enrollment among schools.
She acknowledged that families often strongly prefer to remain in their current schools. Anderson hopes school communities will showcase their distinctive programs and help families feel welcome throughout the FCPS system.
The Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee is examining overcrowding, temporary classrooms, transportation problems, attendance islands and split feeder patterns. The broader goals include improving access to programs and facilities, using school buildings more efficiently and shortening transportation times.
Anderson recognizes that some families choose their homes based on assigned schools. Parents and other community members are expected to have several opportunities to comment through advisory committees and public meetings.
Those meetings will likely resume in October, when the consulting firm working on the review is expected to produce its next set of draft boundary maps. The School Board is not expected to vote on the options until January 2026. The resulting plan is expected to remain stable for five years and provide more opportunities for students to stay at their existing schools.
Leading one of the nation’s largest systems
The School Board establishes broad policies and guidelines for administering public education programs. Its five standing committees cover audit, budget, planning, governance and public engagement, the committee to which Anderson is assigned.
Members also work with community advisory committees made up of parents, students, residents and other stakeholders. Those groups provide recommendations on specific issues and help bring differing perspectives into board deliberations.
As chair, Anderson will help lead the nation’s ninth-largest school system. FCPS serves about 188,000 students and employs nearly 17,000 full-time teachers, making it one of Virginia’s largest employers.
School Board members receive an annual salary of $32,000. The chair receives an additional $18,000 while holding the position.