Fairfax County School Board members adopted 19 legislative priorities on Oct. 8, asking Richmond and Congress for more K-12 money, restored food assistance and stronger special education funding.
The unanimous vote, with one member absent, set eight priority positions for the Virginia General Assembly and 11 for Congress as part of the district's 2027 Legislative Program, FFXnow reported. The General Assembly session begins in January.
For Vienna families, the stakes are concrete. Nearly 500 income-eligible three- and four-year-olds went without a Pre-K spot in the 2024-2025 school year because Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) served only 80% of eligible applicants, according to the board's state priority document. State-funded universal Pre-K is one of the eight state asks.
The state wish list also includes increased K-12 funding, more money for school facilities, expanded access to free school meals and reform of Virginia's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Direct state aid and sales tax cover only 27.4% of the FCPS operating budget for fiscal year 2027, leaving local revenue to fill the gap.
Two state funding formula changes could deliver significant relief. Calculating costs using division averages instead of weighted averages could bring FCPS an estimated $18 million. A separate labor cost index reflecting Northern Virginia's cost of living could mean $187 million for the district, based on 2023 estimates from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC).
On the federal side, the board wants Congress to increase funding for students with special needs, students with limited English and schools serving lower-income populations. It also seeks to protect Head Start programs, boost career and technical education funding, and preserve the E-Rate discount on technology services for schools and libraries.
One federal priority hits close to home: restoring Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits cut by the budget reconciliation bill President Donald Trump signed on July 4, 2025. The board also wants to prevent changes that reduce Medicaid enrollment or block school division reimbursements.
Those SNAP cuts shifted more administrative costs to states. Under the new rules, states pay 75% of SNAP administrative costs, up from 50%, FFXnow reported in June. Fairfax County built an approximately $6.7 million revenue reduction into its fiscal year 2027 budget to account for the change.
The legislative push comes as FCPS faces a tight fiscal year 2028 outlook. Chief Financial Officer Leigh Burden told the board's budget committee on Sept. 8 that spending commitments are expected to outweigh anticipated revenue, FFXnow reported in September. Officials expect cuts closer to the $153.9 million reduced in fiscal year 2026 than the $117.6 million cut this fiscal year.
"This program, it's not a one-and-done because that is not how the work is done," Ricardy Anderson, the board's legislative chair, said during an Oct. 20 work session.
At that session, board members discussed adding secondary positions, including requests for state funding for pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure and more flexibility to set the school calendar. Those positions go to a vote on Nov. 12.
