Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education And Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
FCPS recommends halving some specialist allocations and ending temporary classroom monitors; principals to make trade‑offs
Summary
Budget staff recommended reducing non‑SOQ allocations for elementary special‑education department chairs and AARTs by half, eliminating central monitor funding and asking principals to use carryover and trades before the staffing reserve; board members pressed staff on likely impacts to services and training.
At its May 20 work session, Fairfax County Public Schools staff told the school board budget committee they recommend cutting non‑SOQ allocations for elementary special‑education department chairs and Advanced Academic Resource Teachers (AARTs) at many schools by half, while central funding for AARTs at Title I schools remains intact. Staff also proposed eliminating systemwide funding for temporary classroom monitors, a move budget staff estimated would close roughly $55,000,000 of the total shortfall.
Lee Burden, the division’s chief financial officer, described the monitor funding as temporary and hourly: “The classroom monitors ... were originally intended to be temporary in nature. They were to address, needs at the schools during the pandemic. Those are temporary hourly again. So they don't have any FTEs associated with them. Those funds are being reduced,” Burden said.
Board members repeatedly asked how schools would preserve services and supports — particularly special education supports and training for less experienced teachers — after these cuts. Dr. Reed told the committee that special education department chairs perform extensive work with teacher trainees and that the division had discussed changes with those staff. “Our special ed department chairs were emphatic about the amount of work they do with teacher trainees,” Dr. Reed said.
How staff say schools will manage the change: The division plans to require principals to use site carryover and to make “trades” (reallocating staff positions at a school) to preserve the two half‑time positions as a priority. If school carryover and position trades are insufficient, staff said the staffing reserve would be available this year for exceptional cases. “We will allow elementary schools to, their carryover to be increased from 10% to 25% if funds are available,” Burden said, noting the change is a one‑time flexibility measure.
What board members said: Members expressed concern that the approach will produce uneven outcomes across schools and could reduce supports for students, classroom teachers and student safety. Several members asked for clearer data on how many schools could cover the half‑time roles through carryover or trades and pressed staff for examples of likely impacts. Board members representing Title I and non‑Title I schools requested assurances on how equity considerations will be weighed as principals decide site trade priorities.
Staff cautioned that the cuts will have tangible effects if additional funding is not secured: Dr. Reed said the division is “getting closer and closer to the bone” on available resources and warned that continued underfunding will force more direct classroom impacts in future years.
Next steps: Staff advised principals and regional assistant superintendents to begin planning and to conserve one‑time carryover funds to protect the priority roles this year. The board will consider the full recommended FY26 budget — which includes these proposals — at its Thursday vote.
