Article Text

The Fairfax County School Board adopted its advertised fiscal 2027 budget on Feb. 26, advancing a spending plan focused on student services, employee compensation and strategic investments.

Superintendent Michelle Reid described the proposal as a disciplined plan that would partially restore critical support while maintaining commitments to appropriate compensation. Over the past decade, Fairfax County Public Schools has made more than $800 million in staffing reductions, cost avoidances and fee increases to operate within available funding.

Residents can comment on Fairfax County’s fiscal 2027 budget during public hearings and town halls in March and April. The School Board is scheduled to adopt FCPS’ approved budget in May.

Community meetings and school honors

Reid will hold a series of spring Community Conversations where residents may ask questions and offer feedback. The meetings are scheduled for:

• March 17, from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., at Glen Forest Elementary School.
• March 23 at Ravensworth Elementary School.
• April 13 at Belle View Elementary School.
• April 20 at Westgate Elementary School.
• April 22 at Crestwood Elementary School.

Except for the March 17 event, the conversations will run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. They are open to everyone. Registration is optional but assists with planning for child care and interpretation.

The College Board placed 17 FCPS high schools on its 2025 Advanced Placement School Honor Roll.

Chantilly and McLean high schools were also among 26 schools nationwide chosen for the 2026 First Amendment Press Freedom Award. Chantilly has received the recognition for 12 consecutive years, while McLean has earned it for nine years in a row.

Health and academic updates

The Fairfax County Health Department is urging families traveling abroad or to parts of the United States with high measles activity to check their vaccination status. The warning follows cases in Northern Virginia and among travelers passing through local airports.

Measles can infect nine out of 10 exposed people who are neither vaccinated nor otherwise immune. Children 12 months and older should receive one or two vaccine doses before travel. Depending on the destination, health care providers may recommend vaccination for infants ages 6 through 11 months.

During Read Across America Week, FCPS highlighted its goal of having students read at grade level by the end of third grade. Reid also reported that the Benchmark Advance curriculum for kindergarten through sixth grade, now in its second year, is improving reading and writing across grade levels. Teachers and administrators say students’ writing has become stronger, more detailed and better organized.

The school system also recognized reading specialists such as Amanda Bontzos of Mantua Elementary School, a finalist last year for Outstanding School-Based Professional Employee.

FCPS marked National School Breakfast Week from March 2 through 6 by emphasizing breakfast’s role in supporting healthy diets and addressing food insecurity. Research cited by the school division indicates that students who eat school breakfast consume more fruit and fiber. Food and Nutrition Services has introduced menu items based on student feedback and offers printable breakfast menus.

Special education conference gets a new date

The 2026 Special Education Family Conference has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 18, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Marshall High School. Updated details are available through the conference program, and attendees who registered before the change must register again.

FCPS will also hold an in-person hiring fair for special education and STEM teachers on Saturday, March 14, from 9 a.m. to noon at Lake Braddock Secondary School.

Celebrations and student support

FCPS held its second annual Black History Month Celebration at Carter G. Woodson High School under the theme “Rooted in Resilience: Echoes of Excellence.” The event coincided with the 100th anniversary of the movement that developed into Black History Month.

Students presented Moments of Pride connecting local and national history with contemporary accomplishments. Vernon Walton, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Vienna, delivered the keynote address, and the program included an FCPS Black Excellence video tribute.

Labor-rights leader Dolores Huerta also recently visited John R. Lewis High School, named for the civil-rights leader alongside whom she marched, and encouraged students to take charge of their futures.

For School Social Work Week, FCPS highlighted employees who address social, emotional and behavioral obstacles to learning, including Megan Jackson of Burke School.

Kindergarten, magnets and school boundaries

Families preparing for kindergarten can attend a virtual Countdown to Kindergarten event on Friday, March 27, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Staff will offer practical guidance for children entering FCPS in the fall.

Kindergarten registration involves five steps: confirming eligibility, identifying the neighborhood school, gathering documents, completing forms and arranging an appointment attended by the student and a caregiver.

The application window for the 2026-27 elementary magnet lottery also remains open through March 27. Hunters Woods, Bailey’s Primary and Bailey’s Upper elementary schools offer enhanced programs in science, technology and the performing arts.

Meanwhile, FCPS has begun developing an attendance boundary for Skyview High School in western Fairfax County following its comprehensive boundary review. The School Board expects to adopt the boundary in June 2026.

The review will include the Centreville, Chantilly, Oakton, South Lakes and Westfield high school pyramids, as well as the elementary and middle schools feeding into them. FCPS said including those schools will help preserve aligned pathways from elementary through high school where possible.

Science fair seeks hundreds of judges

The Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair needs more than 250 judges for its March 14 competition at Robinson Secondary School. Projects will span fields from astronomy and plant science to biomedical engineering.

Judges must have an advanced degree or substantial academic or professional experience in their assigned category. Parents, teachers and family friends cannot evaluate a category involving their child, student or a family friend’s child. Registration closes Sunday, March 8.

Safety, adult education and employee recognition

Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 8, when clocks move forward one hour. Because more students may walk to school or bus stops in darkness, families are encouraged to use reflective or brightly colored clothing and backpack accessories. Children should also watch closely for turning or reversing vehicles and avoid running into streets or crossing between parked cars.

FCPS Adult and Community Education is scheduling its spring English classes for adults. In-person offerings range from basic English for beginners to advanced courses supporting career development and are available at locations throughout Fairfax County.

Nominations for the A. Heath Onthank Award of Merit close Friday, March 13, at 4:30 p.m. The award honors exceptional operational employees serving Fairfax County government and FCPS.

Any full-time FCPS operational employee with at least one year of service may be nominated, although teachers and instructional assistants are ineligible. Recipients will be honored at a Board of Supervisors meeting and receive a plaque and $2,500. Last year’s honorees included Kara Payne, an office assistant at Katherine Johnson Middle School.