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Falls Church City Public Schools Superintendent Peter Noonan has proposed a $4.67 million budget increase for fiscal 2026 as the division prepares for 159 additional students and seeks to maintain competitive staff compensation.
Noonan presented the needs-based spending plan to the School Board on Jan. 14. It requests a 6.3 percent increase from the City Council, exceeding the city’s projected organic revenue growth guidance of 5.9 percent by $347,780.
“This budget request reflects our highest priorities and needed investments to support students and staff and is responsive to our collective needs now and into the future,” Noonan said.
It is the first time in seven years that the school division’s request has surpassed the City Council’s revenue-growth guidance. FCCPS attributed the additional need primarily to projected enrollment growth during the 2025-26 school year and its effort to keep employee pay competitive.
The proposal includes $3.41 million for contractual obligations, including a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment and staff step increases. Another $1.18 million would help the division preserve class sizes and support services as enrollment rises.
The plan also sets aside $759,201 for essential operating needs while identifying $683,181 in reductions to offset some of the higher costs.
Employee salaries and benefits would account for 85.4 percent of the total budget. The School Board said that investment supports FCCPS’s standing as one of Virginia’s top three “Best Places to Teach.”
Increased state support would help finance the proposal, including an additional $289,311 in state aid and $535,816 in sales-tax revenue. The division also reserved $545,377 from state funding received last year to address anticipated growth.
Falls Church City would provide 80.3 percent of operating revenue under the plan, down from 80.9 percent in fiscal 2025. The state’s share would rise from 15.1 percent to 16 percent, with federal and other sources providing the remaining 3.7 percent.
Noonan thanked the City Council, School Board and community for their cooperation. He noted that FCCPS had stayed within the council’s budget guidance during the previous six years but said enrollment growth now requires funding beyond the existing revenue-sharing agreement.
The City Council has said it wants to hold the real estate tax rate steady or reduce it because of rising property assessments and the resulting burden on homeowners. However, its fiscal 2026 guidance acknowledged that a tax-rate increase could be necessary to meet core government and public education needs.
FCCPS serves more than 2,700 students through its International Baccalaureate programs. The School Board said 92 percent of Meridian High School’s 64 IB Diploma candidates earned the diploma during the previous fiscal year. It also cited rankings placing FCCPS first among Virginia school districts and second in the Washington area.
Budget work sessions are scheduled for Jan. 28 and Feb. 25, followed by public hearings on Feb. 11 and March 11. The School Board is expected to adopt its advertised budget March 11.
The City Council is scheduled to adopt the budget ordinance, including the school transfer, on May 12. A final public hearing, work session and School Board adoption of the fiscal 2026 budget are planned for May 13.