Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 is fast approaching as the 2025 FY reaches its conclusion. Budget drafting has already begun, with the current advertised budget in a precarious position.
FCPS has allocated $4.0 billion to the School Operating Fund, which provides the money for facilities, staffing, programs and ongoing services. The total is an increase of $297.1 million from the previous FY.
“This budget doesn’t really expand a lot of services,” Dr. Reid said.
A bulk of the increase comes from compensation increases. Last year, the Fairfax Education Unions managed to obtain a historic agreement with FCPS through collective bargaining. This agreement promised a 7% pay increase for all employees in the 2026 FY.
The pay increase is aligned with FCPS priorities, according to Dr. Reid.
“Having that proper wage ensures we have an educator in the classroom to support you [students],” Dr. Reid explained.
Compared to other districts, FCPS has lower beginning, midpoint and maximum salary. This poses a risk to FCPS, as incoming teachers may be drawn to other school districts in the Northern Virginia area, leaving FCPS with larger classes because of fewer available employees.
“This [7% pay increase] is our start into supporting our salary… We’ve had one year of collective bargaining,” Dr. Reid noted.
However, the pay increase may not go into full effect in the upcoming FY. Current county budgeting has proposed a smaller transfer than what FCPS has requested. The Fairfax County Executive’s Advertised Budget for FY 2026 provides FCPS a 4.6 percent increase from the previous year, $118.6 million, but what the school district has budgeted for demands a 10.4% increase, $268.3 million. Without further funding from the county or some other source, the 2026 fiscal year will be missing $149.7 million.
“If we’re not fully funded, we’ll have to go back to the bargaining table,” Dr. Reid said.
The current proposed transfer from the county doesn’t provide the money for the compensation increase. The compensation adjustment costs $212.4 million, $93.8 million more than the proposed transfer.
Dr. Reid cautioned that the budget limitations may endanger teacher employment.
“If we look at the budget, if we don’t receive a full transfer, we could see larger class sizes,” Dr. Reid said.
Funding for FCPS doesn’t just come from the county, although the county transfer does regularly make up the majority. Roughly 70% of the budget is supported by the county transfer. State aid of $766.3 million makes up 19%, meanwhile federal aid of $50.1 million makes up 1.5%.
Since the inauguration of President Trump, there have been growing threats to federal aid. Programs through the National Institute of Health were slashed by DOGE and the Department of Education workforce was greatly cut down, slowing operations.
While federal funding is fairly small in comparison to the county transfer, it still supports many necessary functions of the school district. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides funding for Special Education, projected in FY 2026 to be $40.5 million. Impact Aid, federal funding meant to offset expenses created from federal activity and property, provides $3.3 million.
Some federal funding also supports specific programs, which are found within FCPS’s Special Revenue fund, a separate fund from the School Operating Fund. A projected $61 million in federal aid will be provided for Food and Nutrition Services. Food and Nutrition serves breakfast and lunch at schools. Federal funding for Food and Nutrition makes up about 60% of the program’s revenue. The Adult and Community Education program receives $2.3 million in federal aid, roughly 28% of the program’s revenue.
“We don’t have any latitude in our budget if those [federal funds] don’t continue,” Dr. Reid said.
Both the county transfer and federal funding cuts remain uncertain complications to the 2026 FY FCPS budget, which begins in July. The county transfer will be finalized and implemented on May 13, when the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors adopt their final FY 2026 budget. Nine days later, May 22, the School Board will adopt the FY 2026 Approved Budget.
