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Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle C. Reid has proposed a $4.1 billion budget for fiscal year 2027 that would raise employee compensation, restore positions cut last year and partially reverse increases in class sizes.

The proposal is $197 million, or 5%, larger than the approved fiscal 2026 budget. It calls for an additional $138.4 million transfer from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, a 5.1% increase over the current transfer.

The requested increase is 48% smaller than the increase sought last year and closely follows the fiscal forecast presented to the Board of Supervisors Budget Committee and the School Board in fall 2025.

“This budget directs our resources to high impact programs and services that will lead our students to success in the classroom and in life,” Reid said.

Compensation takes the largest share

The plan dedicates $163 million to the collective bargaining agreement with the Fairfax Education Unions, which represents licensed instructional and operational employees. That funding would provide a 3% market-scale adjustment, step increases for eligible workers and an additional step on every salary scale.

Another $17.7 million would support compensation changes negotiated with bargaining units represented by the Fairfax County Federation of Principals, Supervisors, and Administrators.

Those employees would receive a 4% market-scale adjustment, eligible step increases and an added step on each salary scale. The package also includes degree supplements and longer contracts for middle school assistant principals.

FCPS said the changes are intended to make its pay more competitive with neighboring school divisions in a region with a high cost of living. More than two-thirds of the division’s teachers hold master’s degrees, and employee retention has exceeded 90% during each of the past two years, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

$33 million would reverse some previous cuts

The proposed budget sets aside $33 million to restore staffing and partially reduce class sizes after a funding gap forced cuts in the fiscal 2026 budget.

Every elementary school would again have one Special Education Department Chair position outside its standard staffing ratio.

The proposal would also restore 48 Advanced Academic Resource Teacher positions eliminated from non-Title I schools. Each elementary school would have one AART, while middle schools would continue to have a half-time position. FCPS said the staffing would help support the implementation of Algebra I in sixth grade.

Class sizes would be partially restored at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

Student programs would continue expanding

The budget preserves several multiyear initiatives, including:

• $3.4 million to convert family liaison positions.
• $1.9 million to expand athletics and activities, including junior varsity boys volleyball at high schools and more middle school athletic opportunities.
• $1.1 million for the final year of additional fine and performing arts stipends covering middle school dance and guitar, as well as elementary dance, music and theater.
• $700,000 for the fourth year of a five-year effort to add another certified athletic trainer at every high school. Each high school would have two trainers when the initiative is complete.
• $300,000 to expand access to K-12 robotics at every school site.
• $100,000 to help educators earn additional mathematics certifications or endorsements.

Reid said students have told her that extracurricular activities, including athletics and the arts, support their mental health, well-being and sense of belonging at school.

The spending plan is tied to the division’s 2023-30 Strategic Plan, which emphasizes early academic development and preparation for life after graduation.

FCPS pointed to recent measures of student performance as evidence of its progress. Seven of Virginia’s top 10 high schools and five of its top 10 elementary schools are in the division, including the school ranked fifth nationally by U.S. News & World Report. FCPS also reported 262 National Merit semifinalists this year, a 37% increase from the previous year, while its students’ SAT scores remained above state and global averages.