Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Sharon Bulova and Superintendent of the Fairfax County Public Schools Karen Garza have issued the following joint statement on May 26:
“Last week, we met to discuss the financial challenges facing both Fairfax County and the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). We acknowledge that all involved care very deeply about our community, our young people, and our schools.
Over the past five years, the Board of Supervisors has consistently increased funding to our schools. We both acknowledge, however, the financial strain on FCPS as the system is faced with significant cost drivers such as enrollment growth, required increases to the state retirement system, and inequitable state funding formulas for education.
We discussed the unprecedented fiscal challenges facing both the County and FCPS in Fiscal Year 2017 (school year 2016-17). Both of our organizations are projecting significant budget shortfalls that must be addressed in the coming months.
We recognize that it is critical for FCPS and the County Board of Supervisors to continue to work together to find viable financial solutions that are in the best interest of our children and the community as a whole.
We have agreed that we need to move forward as a team to find solutions to these funding challenges. We welcome the opportunity to work together to protect Fairfax County's quality of life and enable Fairfax County Public Schools to maintain the high quality educational programs that educate and nurture future Fairfax County citizens and employees.”