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Fairfax supervisors urge new education dollars after JLARC study; warn against formula-only changes
Summary
Committee members said JLARC's K-12 study confirms the state underfunds public education and warned that formula changes without net new revenue could produce winners and losers; supervisors asked staff to update per-pupil gaps for Fairfax and press the county's case to the governor and General Assembly.
Fairfax County supervisors used their Sept. 17 legislative committee meeting to press a central point: JLARC's K-12 study confirms that the Commonwealth underfunds public education, and remedies will require net new state dollars rather than changes to distribution formulas alone.
Ms. Arco summarized the JLARC study and the new legislative K-12 study group's first meeting, where JLARC staff and outside groups (including the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Learning Policy Institute) discussed funding formulas used in other states and the kinds of changes that might be proposed. "The JLARC report has a lot of elements to it," she said, noting the study's emphasis on the true cost of public education and the need to align formulas with actual spending and cost-of-living differences.
Several supervisors asked detailed questions about "hold-harmless" protections and per-pupil funding gaps. Supervisor Palcic asked whether jurisdictions would at minimum be held harmless; staff replied experts said hold-harmless provisions are common and useful but can persist too long in some states, sometimes for 15 to 20 years, and suggested a shorter transition (three to five years) might be reasonable.
Supervisor Bierman and others raised the JLARC headline gap figure of $1,900 per pupil, requesting an updated number that accounts for recent state actions and local costs. Staff noted recent state investments, including a roughly $840,000,000 statewide at-risk add-on and about $3,000,000 attributable to Fairfax under that particular line item, but cautioned that local figures must be adjusted for inflation and Fairfax's per-pupil costs.
The chair and other supervisors said they will use meetings with the county's delegation (including Delegate David Bulova and Senator Jennifer Boisco, who were on the JLARC study group) to ground the county's legislative priorities in local impact. One supervisor observed that some budget proposals during the last session had the effect of reducing net funding for Fairfax despite the JLARC findings, underscoring the need to present clear, updated numbers to legislators.
The committee did not adopt formal action but directed staff to update the county's per-pupil gap analysis, coordinate with Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) on the county-letter language and prepare figures for the board's Sept. 24 matter to the governor.
The updates and outreach are intended to inform a December adoption of the county's legislative program and the budget-priority letter the board will send to the governor.
