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Superintendent unveils revised FY2026 budget after county transfer shortfall; staff, raises and materials affected
Summary
Superintendent Kevin Reed presented an adjusted fiscal year 2026 budget after Fairfax County’s transfer fell short of the division’s request. To preserve salary increases for employees the plan trims staffing via a formula change, defers social studies materials and eliminates some hourly monitor funding.
Superintendent Kevin Reed told the Fairfax County School Board on May 8 that the school division must revise its fiscal year 2026 plan after the county’s operating transfer was reduced. The presentation outlined a set of tradeoffs that prioritize employee compensation while reducing staff funded centrally and deferring some instructional materials.
Reed said the county’s reduction of $149 million against the division’s advertised request left a gap that the state’s enacted budget only partly closed; a state increase of roughly $28 million still left an estimated shortfall of about $121 million. As a result, Reed said FCPS negotiated changes with employee representatives and revised internal staffing formulas to produce a balanced proposed plan.
Under the superintendent’s proposal, Fairfax Education Union (FEU) represented employees will receive a 6% increase; other employees will receive a 5% increase. Eligible SOQ‑funded employees will also receive a one‑time $1,000 state bonus paid in FY2025. To pay for those personnel increases, the division will adjust its staffing formulas (adding 1 to the divisor) to reduce about 275.3 positions systemwide — an average of roughly 1.5 positions per school — producing an estimated savings of about $33.3 million.
Other reductions include deferring the planned social studies instructional materials adoption (about $15.3 million), eliminating funding for elementary classroom monitors that were added after COVID (about $13.2 million), a 0.5 reduction in some elementary special‑education lead positions (about $9.3 million), a 3% reduction across central departments (about $7.5 million), scaledback electric bus funding and cuts to non‑local travel.
Reed emphasized an attempt to limit impacts to direct classroom instruction while acknowledging the cuts will affect school staffing and services: “With less funds coming in and commitments to providing a working salary for our hardworking professionals… it’s essential that we make some cuts,” he said.
Board members thanked staff for the rapid negotiations and the compressed timeframe. Budget Chair Miss Sizemore Heizer praised the prioritization of compensation while warning the board is at an “inflection point” and that continued underfunding could erode services. Several members pressed for more granular data at the May 20 budget work session and asked staff to provide lists of alternatives considered but rejected. Concerns raised included the potential reallocation of teachers to classroom responsibilities, loss of monitors and possible effects on custodial staffing and hourly employees.
No final budget vote was taken May 8; Reed noted the county’s Board of Supervisors would adopt its final FY2026 budget after the school board’s work sessions and public hearings. The school board scheduled a budget work session for May 20 and a public hearing on May 13. Reed told the board staff will return with more detailed analyses, including the list of options considered and the operational implications of the staffing formula change.
