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By Passing Reconciliation Bill (H.R.1), Congress Made the Fight to Fund Public Education Even Harder The furious battle between Democratic and Republican senators and House members ended with the passage of the reconciliation bill (H.R.1) on July 2, 2025. The bill was highly unpopular  for a number of reasons, including its addition of at least $3.3 trillion to the federal deficit.  In addition to being a budget-buster, the bill includes countless provisions that harm both individuals and communities. One dangerous provision establishes a national school voucher program using tax credits converted to scholarship donations. The net result will be a drastic reduction in funding for public education. The original version of the provision was truly horrendous, making it mandatory for every state to participate in the voucher/tax credit program. Thankfully, the Senate parliamentarian forced changes to that provision, making it optional  for each state. Residents in states that don’t opt in will not have access to the program. The final provision   provides a 100% tax credit for contributions up to $1,700 (joint filers $3,400) to private scholarship organizations. Those organizations can then award potentially unlimited private school scholarships  to families, based on generous income guidelines. The Virginia Education Association (VEA) warns  “ This means students attending expensive private schools in Virginia could have potentially all of their tuition covered by these new vouchers at taxpayer expense. That could be over $50,000 for each eligible student, per year, in backdoor public funding for some elite private schools in Northern Virginia."  The school choice lobby will undoubtedly be energized by these financial incentives.  T here are many reasons for states to resist voucher programs.  For example, this tax shelter and voucher scheme benefits wealthy families  at the expense of working- and middle-class families. Diverting school funds to private schools via vouchers also starves public schools of the funds necessary to provide a high-quality education. In addition, these programs disproportionately impact rural communities , which tend to have small budgets for public schools, rely heavily on state and federal funds, and provide few private school options within commuting distance. The diversion of public school funding often leads to school closures and less educational opportunity in rural communities. Furthermore, private schools are not required to follow the same laws as public schools. For example, private schools may use discriminatory criteria, and they may choose to avoid supporting students with disabilities. In addition, these schools are not subject to strong accountability or standards of quality. In fact, the evidence shows that switching from public to private schools does not improve students’ academic achievement.  Organizations and individuals that advocate for public education were quick to respond to the passage of the reconciliation bill. For example, Becky Pringle, the president of the National Education Association (NEA) stated : “ This budget is a direct attack on the very people our public institutions are meant to lift up. Instead of investing in our children’s education, as well as their health and their future, this law hands billions in tax breaks to the ultrawealthy—while pulling the rug out from under America’s students and families. This isn’t just a policy failure—it is a moral disgrace. Trump and congressional Republicans undermined our public schools and every student in them…. They’re not just slashing budgets—they’re taking food away from hungry children by cutting SNAP. They’re stripping health care from millions by dismantling Medicaid. This isn’t just irresponsible—it’s a complete betrayal of America’s students, families, and core values.” Robert Kim, Executive Director of the Education Law Center (ELC), stated , “Study after study shows that vouchers sweep aside civil rights protections, support segregation, decimate public school budgets, and do not improve student outcomes. Vouchers undermine public education, the cornerstone of our democracy, and have no place in federal policy.” The ELC, through their anti-voucher campaign, Public Funds Public Schools , plans to continue to fight vouchers using every tool at their disposal.   Diverting public education funding is just one way this disastrous legislation hurts students in public schools. As Kim points out : “Cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, the food benefits program for low-income families, will affect American students in multiple ways… hungry students have a difficult time concentrating and learning. Medicaid, for its part, funds much needed school-based health services, reimbursing schools for services provided to students with disabilities and low-income students. The loss of these critical benefits is devastating.” What can be done? You are not alone if you are wondering how to respond to this brazen attack on public education policies and funding. The pressure to privatize public education will only increase with the financial incentives this legislation creates. Taxpayers who are proponents of school choice will seize the chance to use this new dollar for dollar tax credit; why not direct their funds to scholarship organizations rather than Uncle Sam? Vouchers provided with tax-sheltered scholarship funds will tempt parents to abandon their local public schools. And the lure of potential profit will kindle investors’ interest in establishing new private schools, while existing institutions will increase their outreach. Refusing to participate in this voucher scheme is critical to protecting the availability and quality of public education in Virginia; Public school advocates realize this fight just got harder In Virginia, it is the governor who decides whether or not to opt in to the program, and 2027 is the earliest opt-in opportunity.  If Virginia wants to continue its reputation as a leader in K-12 public education, it will be absolutely essential to elect the right governor in 2025; the children of our Commonwealth deserve someone firmly committed to public education, one who will refuse to sell out, even under extraordinary pressure from lobbyists and school choice proponents. These children are Virginia’s future. It falls to us to protect them and to protect their future.

The Fourth of July commemorates the day a group of ordinary people turned radicals risked everything to break from tyranny and chart a course for a nation governed by the people . This holiday isn’t about fireworks or a barbecue; it is grounded in the audacity to declare that no ruler, no government, no oppressive hand has the right to dictate the destiny of a free people. As we mark this Independence Day, we are staring down threats to freedom that would make those early patriots’ shudder. The dangerous and destructive policies of the Trump administration are hollowing out the very promises that brought this nation into being. Across America, families live in fear of sudden detention and deportation. Women’s bodies have become battlegrounds, stripped of autonomy by politicians who see their lives as pawns in ideological wars. Members of the LGBTQ+ community — and trans people in particular — face relentless attacks on their right to live openly, safely, and with dignity. None however is as grave and intolerable as the systematic dismantling of our public education system because all the others depend on this to survive. Education is not just another social service. It is the mechanism by which a democracy sustains itself. Through education we learn not merely to read and compute, but to question, to analyze, to discern fact from propaganda. Public education provides every child, regardless of wealth or origin, the tools to participate in civic life, to hold leaders accountable, to understand their rights and responsibilities as citizens. Public schools are the crucibles in which democratic societies are forged. Stripping away education by starving it of funding, replacing it with innocuous sounding privatized schemes that serve sanitized myths and partisan dogma — and we undermine the very foundation upon which this country rests . An uneducated, unquestioning populace is easy to manipulate. It is ill-equipped to challenge abuses of power, and more willing to accept tyranny disguised as patriotism. That is why autocrats throughout history have feared free and robust education: because it breeds citizens, not subjects. A child who grows up curious and learning to think critically will grow into an adult who demands reproductive freedom, who stands up for immigrant neighbors, who defends the right of every person to live and love openly. On this Fourth of July, let us honor the revolutionary spirit of 1776 with a renewed commitment to safeguarding the most radical idea our founders put forth: that power derives from an informed, engaged, and empowered people. That starts — and quite literally ends — with education. Without a public education system that meets the needs of every child we are merely spectators, watching the last embers of liberty flicker out. And that is something no true patriot should ever accept.

Our country was founded on revolution and activism, yet for some reason the far right wants to suppress the teaching of history and civics in school that reflects the founding of this country.   Over the last five years, I have witnessed and protested the efforts of far right groups like Moms for Liberty, Parents Defending Education, and Independent Women's Organization to suppress student voices, whether those voices were at TJ, West Springfield, West Potomac, or in front of the School Board. They criticize student speech and actions, sometimes even denying that student speech was written by students! Why in the name of the founders of this great nation would they do this, all while trying to remove K-12 civics lessons that teach students how to advocate for themselves and their communities? It is because the far right fears students. They know that students are the future and Gen Alpha is not going to go quietly into the night as fascism descends. K-12 students will conduct walkouts, speak truth to power, and organize for change. However, this spark starts with schools teaching kids to advocate for themselves in class, with their peers, and in their school community. Whether it is scouting, group projects, academic competitions, or student government, kids learn to be leaders, how to organize projects, and how to be part of a team in their public school. Members of the Carter G. Woodson 2024 Government Class on their class field trip. (from woodsonhs instagram)

4 of the earliest school houses in Colonial America, (clockwise from top left) The Bray school of Williamsburg taught enslaved and free black children, The St. Augustine Oldest Wooden School House, the Boston Latin School, and the Staten Island Voorlezer's House. All these schools were in operation decades, some even more than a century before 1776, and some were operated with local tax dollars. When John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson were writing the Declaration of Independence during the hot summer of 1776, they knew that their ideas would only catch fire and spread if the people could read their words. All three were strong believers in education as necessary for an informed populace.  We honor that understanding and that fervor for democracy today.  On this 4th of July the prospects for our public schools are dire. The Reconciliation Bill the US Congress passed on July 3, 2025 is designed to destroy public education as we have known it; to impoverish and starve both the public schools and many of the children who attend them. Current political leaders would instead replace our common schools with a for profit set of “choices.”  But for today, 4 Public Education opts to reflect on both history and the future, and our belief in the power and importance of both a strong free public school system for all, and a government by the people, for the people, and of the people.  Today we honor the day with reflections from Holly Hazard, our founding President, Board Member Vanessa Hall, and a personal video memoir from Margaret Morrison given at the 2025 Network NOVA Summit. Thank you all for your support and activism, and for carrying the ideals of July 4th, and Education as a universal human right into our communities.

Trump Loses in Court but Continues to Gut Dept of Ed Trump’s 2026 budget request for the U.S. Department of Education  (ED) continued his goals to deeply cut and eventually eliminate the ED . This is even after a federal judge ruled against Trump’s attempt to dismantle the Department of Education and ordered the Department to rehire fired staff. These actions needed Congressional approval, which Trump does not have. Nevertheless, many essential programs in the Department are unfunded or severely underfunded in the budget request. Meanwhile, even though charter schools are notorious  for fraud, waste and benefiting the wealthy at the expense of those with low incomes, Trump has requested an additional $60 million for a Charter Schools Program.  McMahon Cannot Answer Basic History and Policy Questions 4 Public Education identified early on that Trump’s Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, had no idea what she was doing when she couldn’t even define one of the most critical education laws , the Individual With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which ensures that students with disabilities are educated in the least restrictive environment in public schools. However, she trumped that display of inadequacy today, June 4, 2025, when she refused to answer the most basic questions about U.S. history from U.S. senators. Senators asked clarifying questions about DEI after Secretary McMahon’s confusing anti-DEI directives  which threatened withholding of federal funds without clear definitions of what was considered to be “DEI” and what was not. ALthough judges blocked McMahon’s attempts to ban DEI in schools , many questions were left unanswered.  Today, Senator Lee pressured McMahon to clarify what is considered “illegal DEI.”  She asked McMahon specifically whether lessons on Tulsa race massacre  would be considered “illegal DEI.” Repeatedly, McMahon said would have to “get back to you on it” to Lee , making it very clear that McMahon did not know policy or American history.  Hear more of Senator Lee’s line of questioning here . McMahon left questions unanswered, including whether social studies standards could teach that Biden won the 2020 election . McMahon Gets a Failing Grade at Senate Budget Hearing   Trump’s Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, struggled and failed at this week’s June 2, 2025 Senate Appropriation hearings on budget cuts at ED. A lack of transparency and accountability in her answers and actions should be concerning to all education activists and parents. 4 Public Education will provide highlights below, but one can watch the hearings here . Office of Civil Rights (OCR): Senators voiced concern about the enforcement of civil rights in schools after ED lost more than half its staff through early retirement buyouts and other staff reductions (a.k.a., layoffs). Senators were rightfully suspicious when McMahon claimed that her staff had become more “efficient” enabling them to reduce the OCR backlog of cases by nearly 90%  in a few short months despite laying off half of OCR . Everyone should be leery of McMahon's vague claims that she has “an efficient staff that has changed programs” which enabled them to deal with the backlog. “Changed programs” sounds like it could involve violating civil rights of students and other laws. Low Income Student College Grant Program Cuts: Besides failing students by permitting cuts of $1.5 billion per year to grant programs  ( TRIO and GEAR UP ) that assist low income students to enter and graduate from college, she also failed basic math when she agreed that 10 year cuts to those programs would save over a trillion dollars when 10 years times $1.5 billion is only $15 billion. The cuts to these programs will have devastating effects on students. Senator Susan Collins of Maine shared  that she had “seen the lives of countless first-generation and low-income students, not only in Maine, but across the country… changed by the TRIO program.” Literacy Program Cuts: Senators grilled McMahon on cuts to literacy programs , despite her claims that the proposed budget would improve literacy performance with a $4.5 billion cut to K-12 education. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., questioned how the Education Department plans to make literacy a priority with a 15% cut in funding? McMahon did not have a satisfactory response, except to say, “we’ll spend it more responsibly.” Mental Health Grant Cuts:  McMahon’s budget included cutting about $1 billion in multi-year school-based mental health grants previously awarded. Sen. Chris Murphy commented , “It’s extraordinary because you didn’t cut off new grants. You cut off existing grants…. So in states all across the nation, blue and red, there are now mental health programs for kids that are shutting down.” McMahon’s response claimed that the grants weren’t cancelled, but that the recipients will need to submit new applications. ( Sounds like another way of saying the grants were cancelled, right? )

Despite efforts by the President and his administration, Pride Month will be celebrated across the country. Nowhere is that more evident than in Virginia where Pride events are scheduled all day long for the next couple of weekends.  Fairfax County has a great list of pride events here . These are a few family friendly (free) events where you may find other FCPS folks: * June 7th 9:30-11:30am: Fairfax City Pride at Old Town Hall Fairfax (3999 University Dr, Fairfax, VA 22030) June 7th 2-6ish pm: World Pride Parade  (begins at 14th Street & T Street, NW and ends at 919 Pennsylvania Ave) *June 7th and 8th 12-10pm: World Pride Street Festival  with booths and other events (located on Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Between 9th and 3rd Streets) Note: most events are family friendly, but some are specifically for adults. June 14th 3-9:00pm: Mosaic Pride Festival  (Mosaic District, 2910 District Ave, Fairfax) *June 14th 4-5 pm:  UUCF Hope Rising Concert . Click the link for cost. FCPS Pride will have a booth at these events marked with an asterisk (“*”). Additionally, in Fairfax County, both the Board of Supervisors and School Board have Pride proclamations next week. Consider attending to show your support for our LGBTQIA friends, family, neighbors, and selves because it is a great time to meet your representatives and be in an official photo. Tuesday, June 10th, at 9:30 am: Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Pride Proclamation at the Fairfax County Government Center Board Auditorium (12000 Government Center Pkwy, Fairfax) Arrival at 9:15 is recommended. Proclamations are held in the early part of the day’s agenda, between 9:30 and approximately 10:30. Thursday, June 12th 7:00 pm: Fairfax County School Board Pride Proclamation in the Luther Jackson Middle School Auditorium (3020 Gallows Rd, Falls Church). Please consider signing up to speak in honor of the proclamation or pride here . Signup is open from 6/5-6/10 5 pm.  4 Public Education would like to extend many thanks to the leaders and elected officials who resist the pull toward silence this month of Pride. Fairfax County’s support for respect and equality of all people, including the LGBTQIA community, is especially important now when rights, freedom, and equality are under threat .  In the words of one of FCPS Pride ’s leaders, Chris McCormick : “Right now, there’s a need for visibility. There’s a coming together as a community.”

Challenge the Voucher Scheme Stuffed into the Reconciliation Bill The 2025  reconciliation bill  narrowly passed (by one vote) in the U.S. House of Representatives on May 22, 2025. Now the bill has passed over to be considered by the U.S. Senate when members of that chamber return Monday, June 2.  Click to Read Earlier Call to Action That bill contains many unpopular provisions including one that would provide private school scholarships  to some students while depriving public schools of critical funding. Because this provision is part of the Reconciliation bill, it can pass with only 51 votes in the Senate instead of the 61 votes needed if the same provisions were to go through the normal legislative process with bills S.292  and   H.R. 833 .  The Senate Parliamentarian can challenge provisions in the reconciliation bill that are inappropriate for inclusion in a reconciliation bill, and the provision for private school scholarships should certainly be considered inappropriate for this bill.  According to Section 313 of the Congressional Budget Act, also known as the Byrd Rule , there are limits on the kinds of legislative provisions that can be included in a reconciliation bill. That rule prohibits provisions  that are “extraneous” to the budget, such as if the provision does not change outlays or revenues. Sometimes legislators try to include unpopular, but non-budgetary, provisions in a reconciliation bill just to make the provision easier to pass, and this current provision appears to be an example of that move by GOP House members. If the Parliamentarian’s challenge to this voucher provision is successful, the scholarship provision will be removed from the Reconciliation bill, which would result in the House and Senate considering S. 292 and H.R. 833 using the normal legislative process. If this happens, a required 61 votes for cloture will be needed before either bill can come to a vote in the Senate.  To date, neither Senators Kaine nor Warner have challenged this inappropriate provision under the Byrd Rule with the Parliamentarian. On June 4, 2025, 4 Public Education made a formal request to both senators that they initiate a challenge on this provision (SEC. 110109, pg 784 of H.R.1) to the Senate Parliamentarian. Under the Byrd Rule it should be judged inappropriate for a reconciliation bill. Advocates can help by asking their senators to challenge that provision. Also advocates can ask their Senators to vote against HR1 , by answering this quick and easy call to action. Click on image to learn more about the impact of private school vouchers

Please Note: In this blog, I am speaking on behalf of myself and no one else including the Boundary Review Advisory Committee (BRAC), Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), 4 Public Education, FCPS Pride, or any other organizations of which I am a member.   These are my opinions and observations. You may know that we are in the middle of the first ever holistic boundary review of the more than 200 public schools in FCPS. The process started late December 2024 with the first meeting of the BRAC. It is now in the process of public review of initial boundary scenarios, so if you haven’t already, you should attend one of the remaining public meetings (e.g., Glasgow Middle School on June 6 6:30-8pm register here ) to discuss boundary scenarios and/or review the boundary scenario maps  to provide input.  Boundary Review Process Everything you need to know about the boundary review process (e.g., timing), can be found here . At this time, the FCPS community is about midway through the process with expectations of final potential boundary scenarios expected at the end of this calendar year prior to further public comment and School Board approval. Goals of the Boundary Review are outlined in Policy 8130  and the accompanying presentation  which include: Transportation (times and safety), Under/Over-crowding, Access to Programming, Split Feeders and Attendance Islands (Proximity). Please notice that test scores are not mentioned anywhere in the policy, despite the pervasive rumor that boundary analysis and changes were being driven by improving test scores of schools. This rumor is old, tired, and a lie. It was floated during the 2019 School Board campaign by a right-wing PAC and was wrong then, as well. Please know that the BRAC, FCPS, and the FCSB care about the process and outcomes. They care about children, education, and success. They are all taking this seriously, as this affects their neighborhoods, kids, neighbors, and friends. What is the BRAC’s role? One key component of the boundary review process is the BRAC, which is made up of multiple representatives from each pyramid and other community members. The BRAC is expected to offer detailed local knowledge of schools, travel times, and neighborhoods. Additionally, they are expected to interact with the community to answer questions and collect feedback. Click here  for the list of BRAC members and their emails. The BRAC has met about ten times since December 2024, and the first couple of meetings had full tables around the room, but the more recent meetings have had less attendees. There has been great support by Thru Consulting and FCPS during the meetings when we had questions or concerns. At the BRAC meetings, Thru Consulting and FCPS have presented information to allow the BRAC to do the following:  Review and categorize public input to date. Learn about the full range of programming available in FCPS.  Analyze best practices for decision-making. Evaluate different boundary scenarios using our knowledge of our schools, regions, programming, and traffic patterns. Thus far the scenarios evaluated have been: impact of moving 6th grade to middle schools, impact of all students remaining at their base schools (excluding TJ students), attendance islands, split feeders, and severe over/under-crowding. Only the last three scenarios are included in the current public review. Unfortunately, the scenario reviews conducted by the BRAC lacked significant information, thus it was hard to provide informed and accurate input on the boundary scenarios. In future reviews, many BRAC meeting attendees asked for the following to be provided when reviewing boundary scenarios by Thru Consulting:  Travel distance and time; Relevant capacity of and impact on affected schools (i.e., this was not provided for all  schools affected by a change, just some); Key demographic data about schools and the neighborhoods; Walkability of neighborhoods to the school; Bus information (e.g., travel times, number of buses per school, etc.); and  When affected schools were going to undergo or complete renovation. Additionally, some schools impacted by split feeders (e.g., Greenbriar East) were not included for analysis, which was confusing and irritating for BRAC members whose kids attend those schools.  It is important to know that BRAC members are a diverse group of individuals with differing opinions, but two things many on the BRAC seemed to agree upon was that: We lacked necessary data when we reviewed the boundary scenarios to make decisions on whether the suggested changes were appropriate.  Our input on the different boundary scenarios was not incorporated prior to recent public input opportunities; therefore, the maps presented to the public only reflect the consultant’s work, not the knowledge of local parents, staff, and community members. ( Below are my personal views on boundaries after reviewing a couple dozen Region 5 boundary change maps and attending all but one of the BRAC meetings. ) Next Steps of the Process Click to test out the Boundary Scenario Tool Those who have attended the BRAC meetings have worked hard to understand school boundaries and neighborhoods at multiple levels; however, we don’t live in all of the neighborhoods, which is why your input is important! These are the next steps: Fairfax community members should check out the Sample Boundary Scenarios: These are draft scenarios for your review , developed by the consultant, Thru Consulting: They involve solving for split feeders, attendance islands, and severe over/under capacity schools with some additional changes by the consultant. However, these boundary scenarios:  Were not developed by the FCSB, FCPS, or BRAC.  Do not incorporate critical input from the BRAC. DO NOT include a number of considerations including: travel times, travel safety, buses, AAP centers, language immersion, special education, etc. In Person Public Input: Seven meetings were scheduled around Fairfax County. The last meeting is on Friday, June 6, 6:30-8 p.m., at Glasgow Middle School. If you haven’t already, you should: Attend the remaining public meeting ( register here ) to discuss boundary scenarios, and/or Review the boundary scenario maps  to provide input.  Additional BRAC Review:  The BRAC will review the responses and concerns to develop final scenarios to be completed by December 2025. Final Opportunity for Public Input:  Public notice for additional public input should occur sometime in January 2026 before the School Board votes on the changes. Outstanding Community Concerns Finally, there have been intense community concerns about this process and possible outcomes: Current Boundary Scenarios:  I’ve heard both concern and relief about the current boundary scenarios. One big issue, I’ve heard is with the Crossfield feeder split, which involved recommendations that would drastically increase bus rides at all levels, irresponsibly split neighborhoods, and move students around for little benefit.That being said, I (personally) feel that the three scenarios out for public input are somewhat immature and will change greatly over the next several months, but I strongly suggest people offer input…specific input about the positive or negative impact of changes.     Phasing of School Changes : Everyone I’ve spoken to supports phasing (formerly known as “grandfathering”) which permits students, especially those in middle and high school to remain in the school they started. In the last 20 years, nearly every boundary change included phasing boundary changes, and phasing is included in Policy 8130 . We all understand how devastating it can be to move a middle or high school student to a new school. In fact, when I was a student in FCPS, they did this to my class–ripped seniors out of our high school and moved them to our high school rival. This had a devastating impact on students and families. Mental health concerns soared, and four students took their own lives. Rumors about Boundary Changes : Rumors have instilled unneeded fear in neighborhoods and have ignored the facts. For example, there has been a rumor that the intent of Policy 8130 isn’t to address decades of failure to address boundary issues, but is to move kids around just to raise test scores at some “poor performing schools.” Some sharing this rumor refer to these as “equity boundary changes,” meaning that somehow “equity” would invite uprooting children from their schools just to increase test scores at other schools. Of course, this is an unfounded and ridiculous rumor, because: That is not how equity works.  It would be harmful and disruptive, and wouldn’t be fair or equitable to anyone.  Moving kids around to “improve test scores” has never been suggested and it would never work. Finally, the school board, BRAC, and communities wouldn’t permit it. Poor versus High Performing Schools : These are terms used to reflect schools overall standardized test scores, not the capacity or quality of students, much less the quality of the school. In fact, When you listen to the stories of success and warm communities of the so-called “poor performing schools” you might realize that you and your family would feel at home there. Thus, it may be acceptable to use the terms “high” and “poor” performing schools when describing their test scores, but not as a pejorative to describe the students or the school, because one standardized test score does reflect how great or smart the students are in a school.  For more information:  Feel free to read two previous blogs by 4PE about the New Boundary Policy  and History of Boundaries and Policy  in Fairfax County, because they may answer some concerns or questions.

Those who control the purse, control the future of our schools   In the case of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), families and staff are at the mercy of Governor Youngkin and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (BoS), yet neither are listening to our desperate pleas to FUND OUR SCHOOLS! This blog will be short as possible so as to avoid a hailstorm of cursing by the author about the fact that FCPS was forced to make tough choices because neither the Governor nor the BoS considered our schools important enough to bridge the $121 million FCPS budget shortfall. Their decisions forced the Superintendent to make difficult choices which will ensure raises for staff, but will involve larger class sizes at all school levels and likely reduction of staff at the Elementary level, specifically the advanced academic resource teachers and elementary special education department chairs on staff. The FY2026 budget process will be discussed at the end of this blog, but first we must discuss some major issues with the budget and the overall process. Serious Issues with the BoS Budget and Process Every year Spring Budget season is a circular firing squad among the Board of Supervisors, the State, and Fairfax County School Board (FCSB). Of course, the FCSB always loses, which means school-aged children, their families, and the future of educated employment in Fairfax County are put last in the BoS budget.  Thankfully, all of the FCSB have been communicating about the budget issues with their constituents, but Hunter Mill FSCB representative, Melanie Meren, really knocked it out of the park with her  educational Facebook reels , which really deserve more attention. She also wrote an incredibly brief, but detailed explanation of the historic decrease in funding to FCPS citing the following :  Historically, FCPS’s annual transfer of funds from Fairfax County has been a little over 52% of total Fairfax County funds. For the last two yea rs, it’s been below 51% which results in close to $50 million less per year disbursed from Fairfax County to FCPS.  The Superintendent based her budget on the historic percentage - which has been consistently provided by the BoS, except the last two years, which resulted in a $120,000,000 short fall. FCPS has asked for a set percentage of transfer, with no success.  It is pretty clear that calculated disinformation campaigns swayed the BoS, which was most evident with Mr. Herrity’s comments. Mr. Herrity reiterated the Fairfax Times anti-FCPS talking points about the some of the executives in FCPS, including our hardworking Superintendent. However, observers were saddened that many of the other Supervisors had been influenced by the repetition of Fairfax Times cherry picked data, which only looked at the salaries of FCPS education professionals, while ignoring the salaries of their Fairfax County counterparts--for example, the fact that Fairfax County employees make 20% more  on average than FCPS employees. Even for the top 10 executives, Fairfax County executives make about 15% more than the top 10 FCPS executives. In fact, the top Fairfax County attorney makes 27% more than the FCPS general counsel. (Note: this is all based on 2023 figures ). Also, there seems to be a transparency differential between the BoS and FCPS. It may just be a webpage issue, but for FCPS, all of the necessary documents and links are readily available in one place: https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/budget . On the other hand, the BoS webpages are hard to navigate. In fact, it was hard to understand how to participate in the public hearings, and it has been nearly impossible to find BoS public hearing videos. At least the BoS, FCSB, and FCPS Superintendent know that the process is flawed, and they seem determined to do something about it…we hope. Fairfax County and FCPS Budget Process Here is the abbreviated version of the Fairfax County budget process timeline, but please read our blog, “ Raise Your Voice about the Fairfax County Budget ,” for more information: BoS and Fairfax County School Board (FCSB) met on November 26, 2024  and several other times during the budget planning process. BoS and FCPS created their budgets: January 23 FCPS FY2025 proposed budget  which included staff raises negotiated with the teachers’ associations. February 18 BoS FY2026 proposed budget  included a 1.5 cent increase in property tax rate and a 4% meals tax . The budget threatened numerous cuts to critical services to working parents, disabled young adults, elders, successful middle school after school programs, etc. to try to “balance the budget.” These cuts outraged (and possibly distracted) the community. (Anti-tax groups grumbled, made yellow shirts and signs, and yelled “no new taxes” on social media.) Stop raising taxes folks in their yellow shirts The BoS held budget meetings the last week of April, and had a record number of speakers. 4PE was there and spoke in defense of our schools, staff, and students, as were hundreds of parents, students, teachers, union representatives, yellow shirts, and nonprofits speaking their minds. Hundreds attended each of the meetings, the vast majority of which spoke AGAINST cuts to positions that directly serve students and families. Teachers and parents showed up in force to support our schools! On May 6, the BoS  presented and voted on their budget markup . There were less than 100 attendees at this meeting, and 4PE covered some of this meeting here  which resulted in: 4% meals tax to diversify revenue streams and reduce burden on property taxes. Eliminated proposed 1.5 cent increase to reduce the Real Estate Tax rate by ¼ cent from the current rate of $1.125 to $1.1225 per $100 of assessed value.  No additional money to FCPS budget, but they did expound on failures by FCPS to communicate needs earlier, despite months of meetings and communications between the BoS and FCPS.  A reiteration of the need for a formal process to address the FCPS budget. (It feels a little late, but better than never to make this decision.) A lack of respect for the collective bargaining agreements of teachers, while respecting collective bargaining of police and fire unions. After thousands of responses, they restored funding to the middle school after school programs, but plan to force FCPS to pay for these programs in the future. Look who I ran into on May 6th! FCPTA Officers! The BoS budget choices triggered entreaties by FCPS staff and leaders, including this from the President Elect of Fairfax County Federation of Teachers on May 14 , which highlights the impact of the BoS choices, including a broken contract with staff and anticipated cuts in Special Education and Advanced Academic services leaving students with less support and larger classes.  On May 22, the Fairfax County School Board passed their budget  which included negotiated increases for staff, reducing FCSB and central office budgets by 3%, half non-local travel for professional development, and more outlined here .

Urgent Call to Action for Public Education Advocates The push for K-12 private school vouchers continues to be a priority for the Trump administration and the majority party in Congress, despite voucher bills repeated past defeats and the objection to voucher programs by the majority of the public. But this time is diffe rent. Though voucher bills have been introduced, the most likely method for their passage is through the budget reconciliation bill, where a simple majority can permit a bill to pass, instead of requiring 60 votes in the Senate to pass a stand-alone bill.  It is clear that vouchers are part of the plan to dismantle the Department of Education (ED) and are the key to eliminating quality public education in the United States. Although approval by Congress is needed to close down the ED, the Trump administration is forging ahead with the plan to give public school funding to states to be used for private school vouchers. The rationale of voucher supporters includes that it would give more education options to families, but the administration ignores the many negative aspects of school vouchers that have been detailed by 4 Public Education  and others .  It has been shown that if the bills pass, the vouchers will land unequally across states and the country, with increased harm by voucher schemes to rural and low income communities than more urban and wealthy communities. There have been successful legal challenges to vouchers, based on the facts that they were more accessible and mostly used by wealthy families, which led to the defeat of state voucher programs , and a specific program from 2017  on which the current federal plan is based. The impact of funds being diverted away from public education will be felt in all communities, but students from low-income communities, rural communities, and communities of color, who rely more heavily on well-resourced local public schools, will be disproportionately harmed. Expected impacts  of voucher schemes to all students include: reduced transparency and accountability, increased discrimination against students, increased food insecurity, reduced disability services for students, and defunded public schools which serve 90% of the population. The Coalition for Public Education provided a fact sheet  that details potential impacts of voucher programs. Also, experts from well respected institutes have shared their conclusions about the negative effects of voucher programs (eg. the Brookings Institute  and the Economic Policy Institute ). In the past, attempts to launch voucher programs have been defeated after the downsides of vouchers were revealed to the public (e.g., The Atlantic  and National Public Radio ). Yet here we are again fighting the same battle, with the challenge even harder this time because politicians are under extraordinary pressure to pass the Budget Reconciliation bill.  Reconciliation is used to quickly advance high-priority fiscal legislation and allows expedited consideration of components of the bill without it being subject to filibuster, where 60 votes are needed to pass a bill. Instead, only 51 votes are required to pass the bill in the Senate. This means it will take even more effort than in the past to keep voucher bills from passing in Congress. Education experts  encourage public school advocates to contact their legislators and urge them to vote against the Educational Choice for Children Act ( H.R. 833  and S.292 ). There are two ways advocates can easily make this request of their legislators. The first is by calling and leaving a message for senators and representatives, asking them to vote NO on the Educational Choice for Children Act. The phone numbers of all senators and representatives can be found at this  link . Remember to tell whoever takes your message that you are a constituent and give them your name and address. The second way to advocate against these bills is by accessing this form  that when filled out and submitted will automatically send a letter to all your legislators asking them to vote NO on these bills. Your legislators are identified by the tool using the address you add to the form.  It is urgent to get these requests to our legislators now because the House Ways and Means Committee is scheduled to begin reviewing the Reconciliation bill on Tuesday, May 13.  If you would like more information on the subject of school vouchers, please attend the Education Law Center Webinar on May 15: “Save neighborhood schools - Say NO to Private School Vouchers. Please Register here.  Click on image to learn more