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

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

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

Reid said the plan directs money toward programs and services intended to help students succeed in school and beyond while maintaining focused, sustainable support.

The proposal is tied to the school division’s 2023-30 Strategic Plan, which emphasizes early academic preparation and helping graduates build successful futures.

Compensation takes the largest share

The budget includes $163 million for the collective bargaining agreement with the Fairfax Education Unions, representing licensed instructional and operational employees.

That funding would provide a 3% market-scale adjustment, step increases for eligible employees and an additional step on each salary scale.

Another $17.7 million would support compensation changes negotiated with the Fairfax County Federation of Principals, Supervisors, and Administrators. Those provisions include a 4% market-scale adjustment, eligible step increases, an added salary-scale step and degree supplements. The proposal would also lengthen contracts for middle school assistant principals.

FCPS said the increases are intended to make its salaries more competitive with neighboring school systems in a region with a high cost of living.

More than two-thirds of FCPS teachers hold master’s degrees, according to the school division. Employee retention has exceeded 90% during the past two years, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

$33 million would reverse some earlier cuts

FCPS increased class sizes and reduced certain staffing positions while closing a major funding gap in its fiscal 2026 budget.

The new proposal devotes $33 million to fully restoring Special Education Department Chair positions and Advanced Academic Resource Teacher positions at non-Title I schools. It would also partially restore previous class sizes at elementary, middle and high schools.

Under the plan, every elementary school would have one Special Education Department Chair outside the standard staffing ratio.

The budget would also bring back 48 Advanced Academic Resource Teacher positions. Each elementary school would receive one full-time AART, while middle schools would retain a half-time position. FCPS said the restoration would help support the implementation of Algebra I in sixth grade.

Student programs would continue expanding

Several multiyear initiatives would receive additional funding:

• $3.4 million for family liaison position conversions.
• $1.9 million to introduce junior varsity boys volleyball at high schools and expand middle school athletic opportunities.
• $1.1 million for stipends covering extra duties in middle school dance and guitar programs and 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. The completed program would provide two trainers per high school.
• $300,000 to expand access to K-12 robotics across school sites.
• $100,000 to help educators earn additional mathematics certifications or credentials.

Reid said students have told her that extracurricular activities, including athletics and the arts, benefit their mental health and well-being while helping them feel connected to their schools.

FCPS highlighted several measures of academic performance alongside the proposal. Seven of its high schools and five elementary schools rank among Virginia’s top 10, while one FCPS high school ranks fifth nationally. The division also reported 262 National Merit semifinalists, a 37% increase from the previous year, and said its students’ SAT scores remain above state and global averages.