Article Text
Fairfax County Public Schools marked a week of student honors, classroom projects and community celebrations while confronting what district leaders called the most challenging budget season in recent memory.
The local education board unanimously approved a $3.9 billion budget for fiscal 2026, an increase of $175.8 million, or 4.7%, over the approved fiscal 2025 plan. The county transfer was $149.6 million less than FCPS requested.
The budget provides a 6% pay increase for employees represented by Fairfax Education Unions. Employees outside that group and hourly pay-band workers will receive a 5% increase.
It also funds adjustments for the substitute-teacher incentive, middle school late buses and efforts to close academic achievement gaps. Additional spending supports safety and security, teacher credentialing, inclusive preschool expansion, athletic trainers, and fine and performing arts stipends.
FCPS also highlighted its mental-health services and efforts to expand academic and extracurricular opportunities.
May 2025 was proclaimed Children’s Mental Health and Wellness Month, recognizing the importance of positive mental health in childhood development. The school system provides campus-based services, family resources and community partnerships, including Our Minds Matter clubs. Those student-led groups promote self-care, healthy habits, social connection and suicide prevention.
The division also continues to promote Become Unskippable, a substance-misuse prevention campaign offering families guidance for discussing difficult topics with teenagers, including the dangers of fentanyl.
Physics students earn national recognition
Students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and McLean High School earned places on the USA Physics Olympiad Honors and Distinction List.
TJHSST junior Eric Xie was selected for the U.S. Physics Team and invited to its training camp at the University of Maryland. He will have an opportunity to be chosen to compete in the International Physics Olympiad in Paris during the summer.
TJHSST junior Max Zhao and freshman Tiger Deng each received a bronze medal. Honorable mentions went to seniors Samarth Bharghav and Alex Gu, junior Sophia Hou, and sophomores Ethan Shan and Kabeer Parmar.
Senior Arjun Pagidi, junior Luv Udeshi and sophomore Edward Guo received distinctions for commendable performance.
At McLean High School, Clement Deng, Aiden Feyerherm and Kalan Warusa each earned a silver medal.
FCPS also reported strong participation in after-school Math and Science Olympiad programs providing free STEAM opportunities at Title I schools, including transportation and meals.
More than 650 students in grades four through eight participated in Math Olympiad at 42 elementary schools and two middle schools during the school year. Science Olympiad drew more than 500 students in grades three through 12 at 37 elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school.
The expansion is part of the district’s strategic goal of providing equitable access to educational resources and extracurricular activities. Participation outside the classroom has been associated with stronger attendance, academic performance and college enrollment, particularly among economically disadvantaged students.
Staff member honored for public service
Kara Payne, an office assistant at Katherine Johnson Middle School, was one of three recipients of the 2025 A. Heath Onthank Award.
Established by the county’s governing body, the award recognizes exceptional work that advances and improves public service in county government and the school system.
Payne grew up in FCPS and has spent a decade in the Katherine Johnson community. She said the relationships staff members develop with students are among the most meaningful parts of her work. Colleagues refer to the students who regularly visit her as “my kids,” a description she views as evidence of the trust and connection they have built.
She is scheduled to receive formal recognition at a county meeting on June 24.
Boundary-review meetings continue
FCPS held community meetings at Herndon and Lewis high schools as part of its ongoing school-boundary review. Participants used a customized Boundary Explorer Tool to examine and visualize potential scenarios.
Four additional meetings were scheduled before the end of the school year:
- May 28 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Annandale High School
- May 29 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Whitman Middle School
- May 30 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Chantilly High School
- June 6 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Glasgow Middle School
Residents could attend in person or through Zoom. Child care was to be offered for in-person attendees, with interpretation and translation available as needed. Another round of meetings was planned for the fall.
Centreville students tackle real-world problems
During a visit to Centreville High School, students in a Geospatial Analysis class presented projects applying maps, satellite images, specialized software and geographic information system tools to public-policy questions.
Teachers Keith Osborne and Neal Jarvis joined James Madison University Provost Bob Kolvoord and instructor Kathryn Keranen for the visit. Kolvoord and Keranen began the geospatial semester program 20 years ago, and FCPS has participated since its second year.
Students Sid, Akarshan and Shisir examined whether speed cameras could help reduce crashes at dangerous interstate intersections in Virginia. Their work incorporated advanced coding and mathematical concepts connected to subjects such as multivariable calculus and linear algebra.
Kiera used geospatial information to analyze the FCPS boundary review, including the relationship between school attendance and Standards of Learning scores.
Sam and Ryan studied the continuing effects of redlining in Richmond and Lynchburg. Seth and Ashish explored the impact of urban heat islands in Dallas and San Diego, while Zach and John identified potentially viable locations for high-speed rail projects in the United States.
The projects support the district’s strategic goal for academic growth and excellence. FCPS has emphasized completing Algebra 1 by eighth grade as an important step toward advanced high school math and STEM courses.
School visits spotlight practical learning
At Mountain View High School, Principal Erin Whatley, student ambassador Mauricio and technology specialist Mary-Elizabeth Ertel led a tour of several programs.
In Michael Hardy’s government class, students discussed “perseverance” as the word of the day. Hardy’s course also serves as a citizenship class for students who recently immigrated to the United States.
The visit continued at the Timberwolf Lodge, a redesigned cafeteria space created under the direction of Economics and Personal Finance teacher LaToya Prescod-Williams. Students developed practical skills by creating a budget, shopping for materials and assembling furniture. Mauricio helped build one of the tables.
Mountain View also uses its auditorium to hold two graduations each year, providing flexible scheduling intended to give more students a path to completion.
At Greenbriar East Elementary School, third-grade teachers demonstrated their work with the new Benchmark literacy curriculum. The initiative supports the goal of having every student reading at grade level by third grade.
Sixth graders worked through “The Principal’s Dilemma,” a math exercise requiring them to use fractions to calculate changes in club membership. A student named Dmitri explained his method for finding percentage changes and said he planned to take Honors Math 7 the following year.
FCPS also concluded the year’s work of its Family Vision Group with a meeting at Lewis High School. Representatives from all the group’s quads gathered to review their collaboration and communication efforts. The work was expected to resume after summer break.
Virginia finalizes employment-readiness measure
The Virginia Board of Education adopted changes affecting how high schools will be evaluated for “3E Readiness” under the state’s 2024 Accountability System and School Performance and Support Framework.
The 3E model measures preparation for higher education enrollment, employment and military enlistment. It will account for 25% of a high school’s performance under the framework, making it the largest single part of the high school accountability calculation.
The finalized employment category places substantial weight on Career and Technical Education completer status. A CTE completer must finish a state-approved sequence of at least two related courses. High-quality work-based learning, which had been omitted from earlier versions of the measure, is now included.
Schools can receive:
- 1.25 points when a CTE completer earns a high-demand industry credential identified by the Virginia Office of Education Economics and completes a high-quality work-based learning experience.
- 1 point when a CTE completer earns a high-demand credential, or earns any state-approved industry credential and completes a high-quality work-based learning experience.
- 0.75 points when a CTE completer earns any state-approved industry credential.
- 0.50 points when a CTE completer completes a high-quality work-based learning experience.
Those points affect a school’s accountability score and do not directly change an individual student’s outcome.
The FCPS strategic plan separately calls for broader access to CTE courses, specialized classes and apprenticeships. The district maintains that students should be encouraged to explore those opportunities even if they do not satisfy the state definition of a CTE completer.
Community packs food for students
Educate Fairfax partnered with FCPS central-office employees at Willow Oaks and the Gatehouse Administration Center to prepare 300 snack packs for students at four Title I middle schools ahead of the long Memorial Day weekend.
Employees donated food through collection bins placed on each floor at Willow Oaks and in the Gatehouse café. A “Buy One, Give One” option at the café allowed workers to purchase additional snacks for donation.
Mercedes-Benz-Tysons, Porsche-Tyson and United Bank also contributed food to the campaign.
The Human Resources team held a separate gathering at Frying Pan Park on May 20 to recognize International HR Day and reflect on its work recruiting and supporting teachers and staff throughout FCPS.
Rowers, musicians and school communities celebrate
Luther Jackson Middle School held its annual Heritage Night, organized by teacher Philip Kim. Students, parents and community members gathered for international food and cultural performances intended to celebrate the school’s diversity and strengthen cultural understanding.
Several Fairfax County high school rowing teams reached their event finals at the Scholastic National Championship Regatta in Pennsauken, New Jersey.
Finalists included the Justice High School Girls Junior Quad, Madison High School Girls Junior 8, McLean High School Boys Senior Four Petite, and Robinson Secondary School and South County Girls Senior Four Petite.
The Justice junior girls quad finished second on the Cooper River, earning a national silver medal two weeks after winning gold at the Virginia State Championships.
Mount Vernon High School’s orchestra program also celebrated its 50th anniversary. Orchestra first became available as a course at the school in 1975.
Director Al Rodriguez organized a two-day reunion and concert involving more than 30 alumni and six former directors from Mount Vernon High School and Walt Whitman Middle School.
Following Friday rehearsals, participants attended a reunion dinner and networking event sponsored by the MVHS Orchestra Boosters. Saturday’s anniversary concert featured current Mount Vernon ensembles, an alumni orchestra and a chamber group composed of former Mount Vernon and Whitman directors, including participants whose service dated to 1998.
An anniversary orchestra placed alumni and former directors alongside current students for a performance of “Free Fall,” a piece commissioned for the program in 2022. The celebration also honored the Mount Vernon Orchestra Class of 2025 and concluded with cake and a ginger-ale toast to the program’s next 50 years.
FCPS additionally celebrated the graduating Leading the Mission cohort at the Gatehouse Administration Center. The leadership-development program helps experienced principals broaden their work beyond individual schools through systems thinking, wider organizational perspectives and relationship-building.
The week’s reflections closed by honoring those who died while serving in the United States military and recognizing the meaning Memorial Day holds for their families.