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Fairfax County Public Schools marked a busy week of student achievements, community meetings and classroom visits while confronting a difficult budget season and preparing for changes to Virginia’s high school accountability system.

Students from McLean High School and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology earned recognition following April’s USA Physics Olympiad Exam.

TJHSST junior Eric Xie was selected for the U.S. Physics Team and its training camp at the University of Maryland, where he will have an opportunity to qualify for the International Physics Olympiad in Paris this summer.

TJHSST junior Max Zhao and freshman Tiger Deng received bronze medals. Seniors Samarth Bharghav and Alex Gu, junior Sophia Hou, and sophomores Ethan Shan and Kabeer Parmar earned honorable mentions. 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.

Kara Payne, an office assistant at Katherine Johnson Middle School, was also named one of three recipients of this year’s A. Heath Onthank Award. Established by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the award recognizes exceptional work that advances and improves public service in the county government and school system.

Payne, who attended FCPS schools and has spent the past decade in the Katherine Johnson community, said the honor reinforced the importance of serving students, families and colleagues. She described the trust she has developed with students—some of whom coworkers call “my kids”—as the most meaningful recognition she could receive.

Payne is scheduled to be formally honored at the Board of Supervisors meeting on June 24.

Boundary review moves forward

Two more Boundary Review Community Meetings were held at Herndon and Lewis high schools. Participants explored possible boundary scenarios using FCPS’ customized Boundary Explorer Tool, which is also available online.

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. Childcare was to be offered for in-person participants, with interpretation and translation available as needed. Another series of meetings is planned for the fall.

The review also became a classroom subject at Centreville High School, where Geospatial Analysis students presented boundary recommendations and other projects to Superintendent Michelle Reid, teachers Keith Osborne and Neal Jarvis, and James Madison University Provost Bob Kolvoord and instructor Kathryn Keranen.

Kolvoord and Keranen began the geospatial semester 20 years ago, and FCPS joined the program during its second year. Students use maps, satellite imagery, specialized software and geographic information system tools to collect and analyze spatial data while addressing real-world questions.

Sid, Akarshan and Shisir examined whether speed cameras could help reduce crashes at dangerous Virginia interstate intersections. Their project drew on advanced coding and mathematics, including concepts related to multivariable calculus and linear algebra.

Kiera used geospatial information to study the FCPS boundary review and the relationship between attendance and Standards of Learning scores at different schools.

Sam and Ryan investigated the continuing effects of redlining in Richmond and Lynchburg. Seth and Ashish studied urban heat islands in Dallas and San Diego, while Zach and John evaluated possible locations for high-speed rail projects in the United States.

Classroom projects put practical skills to work

At Mountain View High School, Principal Erin Whatley, student ambassador Mauricio and school-based technology specialist Mary-Elizabeth Ertel led a school visit that included Michael Hardy’s government class.

Students were discussing “perseverance” as the word of the day. Hardy said the government course also functions as a citizenship class for students who recently immigrated to the United States.

The visit continued at the Timberwolf Lodge, a redesigned cafeteria space developed under the leadership of Economics and Personal Finance teacher LaToya Prescod-Williams. Students practiced budgeting, furniture shopping and construction as part of the project. Mauricio helped build one of the tables.

Mountain View also holds two graduations each year in its auditorium, using flexible scheduling to give students additional paths toward completion.

At Greenbriar East Elementary School, third-grade teachers were working with the new Benchmark literacy curriculum. The effort supports FCPS’ goal of having every student reading at grade level by third grade.

Sixth-graders tackled “The Principal’s Dilemma,” a math scenario requiring them to use fractions to calculate changes in club membership. A student named Dmitri explained his method for finding percentage changes and discussed his plans to take Honors Math 7.

FCPS has identified completion of Algebra 1 by eighth grade as an important gateway to advanced high school mathematics and STEM opportunities.

The school division also concluded the year’s work of its Family Vision Group with a meeting at Lewis High School. Representatives from all Family Vision Group quads gathered to recognize their work strengthening communication and collaboration between families and schools. The program is expected to resume after summer break.

Board approves $3.9 billion budget

The Fairfax County School Board unanimously adopted its fiscal 2026 budget during its May 22 meeting.

The approved budget totals $3.9 billion, an increase of $175.8 million, or 4.7%, over the fiscal 2025 plan. However, the county transfer came in $149.6 million below the amount FCPS requested, forcing the division to make difficult decisions to close the gap.

Employees represented by Fairfax Education Unions will receive a 6% compensation increase. Employees who are not represented by FEU, along with hourly pay-band workers, will receive a 5% increase.

The budget also includes baseline program adjustments for substitute-teacher incentives, late buses for middle schools and efforts to close academic achievement gaps. It provides funding for safety and security projects and multiyear initiatives involving teacher credentialing, inclusive preschool expansion, athletic trainers, and stipends for fine and performing arts work.

Reid called it the school division’s most challenging budget year in recent memory and said FCPS must continue examining what investment in public education means for the community and its children.

During the meeting’s Academic Matters presentation, Reid outlined FCPS mental-health and wellness services. May 2025 was proclaimed Children’s Mental Health and Wellness Month, recognizing the role of positive mental health in healthy childhood development.

FCPS supports students through school-based services, policies, family resources and community partnerships. Those partnerships include Our Minds Matter, a network of student-led clubs promoting self-care, healthy habits, social connection and suicide prevention.

The division’s substance-misuse prevention efforts include Become Unskippable, a campaign offering families practical guidance for conversations with teenagers about difficult subjects, including fentanyl.

Olympiad programs expand access

A Strategic Plan update focused on Goal 4, Equitable Access and Opportunity, including students’ access to educational resources and extracurricular activities.

Participation in activities outside the classroom has been associated with improved attendance, academic performance and college enrollment. Those connections can be especially significant for economically disadvantaged students.

FCPS has expanded after-school Math and Science Olympiad programs at Title I schools. Participation, transportation and meals are provided without charge.

During the 2024-25 school year, more than 650 students in grades four through eight participated in Math Olympiad programs at 42 elementary schools and two middle schools.

Science Olympiad involved more than 500 students in grades three through 12 across 37 elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school. Students said the programs helped them develop critical-thinking and collaboration skills.

The School Board presentation also included recognition of FCPS mental-health professionals and their support for students and families.

Later in the week, members of the graduating Leading the Mission cohort were celebrated at the Gatehouse Administration Center. The leadership-development program serves experienced principals seeking to broaden their work beyond the school level. Participants studied systems thinking, relationship-building and ways to approach leadership from a division-wide perspective.

Virginia finalizes its employment-readiness measure

The Virginia Board of Education recently approved changes affecting how high schools will be evaluated for “3E Readiness” under the state’s new School Performance and Support Framework.

The 3E component accounts for 25% of a high school’s performance rating, making it the largest single measure in the framework. It evaluates readiness for enrollment in higher education, employment and military enlistment.

The newly finalized employment category emphasizes Career and Technical Education completer status. To qualify as a CTE completer, a student must finish a state-approved sequence of at least two related CTE courses.

High-quality work-based learning, which had been absent from earlier versions of the measure, is now included. Schools can earn:

• 1.25 points for a CTE completer who 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 for a CTE completer who earns a high-demand industry credential, or for a completer who earns any state-approved industry credential and completes high-quality work-based learning.
• 0.75 points for a CTE completer who earns any state-approved industry credential.
• 0.50 points for a CTE completer who completes a high-quality work-based learning experience.

Those points affect a school’s accountability score, not an individual student’s outcome.

FCPS’ strategic plan calls for more opportunities to take CTE and specialized courses and participate in apprenticeships. The division says students should be encouraged to explore those options even if they do not meet the state’s formal definition of a CTE completer.

Community campaign packs 300 student snack bags

Educate Fairfax joined FCPS central-office employees at Willow Oaks and Gatehouse on May 20 to assemble 300 snack packs for students at four Title I middle schools ahead of the long Memorial Day weekend.

Employees donated food through collection bins at Willow Oaks and the Gatehouse café. The café also offered a “Buy One, Give One” option that allowed workers to purchase snacks for donation.

Mercedes-Benz-Tysons, Porsche-Tyson and United Bank contributed food to the campaign, part of Educate Fairfax’s “Food for All” effort to support students experiencing food insecurity.

The Human Resources team also gathered at Frying Pan Park on May 20 to mark International HR Day and recognize its work recruiting and supporting teachers and staff across the division.

At Luther Jackson Middle School, the annual Heritage Night brought students, parents and community members together for international food and cultural performances. Teacher Philip Kim organized the event to promote cultural understanding and celebrate the school community’s diversity.

Rowers reach national finals

Several Fairfax County high school crew teams reached 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 Girls Senior Four Petite crews from Robinson Secondary School and South County.

The invitation-only national championships were held on the Cooper River and included sweep and sculling events. Justice’s girls junior quad finished second, earning a silver medal two weeks after winning gold at the Virginia State Championships.

Mount Vernon orchestra marks 50 years

Mount Vernon High School celebrated the 50th anniversary of its orchestra program with a two-day reunion and concert. Orchestra first became available as a course at the school in 1975.

Orchestra Director Al Rodriguez organized the celebration, which included more than 30 alumni and six former directors from Mount Vernon High School and Walt Whitman Middle School.

Students, alumni and directors rehearsed Friday afternoon before attending a reunion dinner and networking event sponsored by the MVHS Orchestra Boosters.

Saturday’s anniversary concert featured each current Mount Vernon orchestra, an alumni ensemble and a chamber group composed of former Mount Vernon and Whitman directors, including participants whose connections to the programs dated to 1998.

The Anniversary Orchestra placed alumni and former directors beside current students for a performance of “Free Fall,” a piece commissioned for the program in 2022. The celebration also honored the Mount Vernon High School Orchestra Class of 2025 and concluded with cake and a ginger-ale toast to the program’s next 50 years.

The week’s events closed with a Memorial Day remembrance honoring those who died while serving the United States and acknowledging the significance of their loss to families across the country.