Fairfax County Public Schools is paying nearly $2 more per gallon for diesel fuel than it paid last year. The spike is straining the transportation budget for a fleet of roughly 1,600 buses that carry students to Vienna-area schools including James Madison and Oakton high schools.

Those buses log about 85,000 miles every day, an FCPS spokeswoman told WTOP, which first reported the cost increase on Monday, Sept. 28. FCPS buys fuel through a consortium with Fairfax County's Department of Vehicle Services rather than at public pumps, but the district said its per-gallon cost still tracks market trends. By mid-September, FCPS was paying $1.23 more per gallon than it had in July.

Experts cited by WTOP attributed the diesel surge to uncertainty driven by the U.S. conflict with Iran. The national average surpassed $6 per gallon by late September, according to AAA data, up from $3.71 a year earlier.

FCPS has not disclosed its total fuel budget or the dollar amount of the overrun. The district said its office of transportation services will first try to absorb shortfalls within its overall budget. If that falls short, FCPS said it would draw on reserve funds.

The fuel hit arrives as the district braces for a difficult fiscal year 2028. FCPS Chief Financial Officer Leigh Burden warned the school board's budget committee on Sept. 8 that expected cuts could approach the $153.9 million slashed in FY 2026, exceeding the $117.6 million cut in the current fiscal year.

"If you add inflationary pressures, instability in Washington, energy demands … you have a recipe for insufficient revenue in the face of rising costs," Burden said at the Sept. 8 meeting, as reported by FFXnow. Burden was speaking broadly about FY2028 budget pressures, not specifically about bus fuel, but the diesel spike illustrates the kind of rising operational cost she flagged.

Superintendent Michelle Reid is scheduled to deliver a fiscal forecast in November, with a budget proposal expected in January 2027. The school board is expected to vote on that proposal in February 2027.