Security, new sports: How Fairfax Co. schools is spending unused funds – WTOP News

Fairfax County Public Schools is spending millions in previously unused funds to support security upgrades, new sports and bonuses for substitute teachers.

At its meeting last week, the school board in Virginia’s largest school district voted to approve the plan to fund its year-end priorities.

After an annual audit, the district had $92.3 million in funding from fiscal 2024. The money is the result of funds that had been budgeted to be used but weren’t actually used. Reasons for that can vary, ranging from positions that weren’t filled or money that didn’t have to be spent because the division received a grant.

“There’s always an assumption that end-of-year packages that have these big surpluses just turn into piggy banks that we can just spend on projects,” Board member Kyle McDaniel said. “That is not, in fact, the case, at least not in Fairfax County, and not in my experience. That’s certainly not the case in this package.”

Over $24 million is being allocated for continuing to extend special education teachers’ contracts by 30 minutes every day. That extension had previously been paid for using federal pandemic stimulus funding.

The initiative, Board member Rachna Sizemore Heizer said, is important to help recognize “the hard work that our special education teachers do, and the extra burden from the paperwork that they have as well.”

About $800,000 is being used to pay for new boys’ volleyball and girls’ wrestling programs this school year. The money will be spent on uniforms, equipment and facility improvements, according to school board documents.

“The excitement around volleyball has been tremendous,” Board member Ricardy Anderson said.

Another $4.5 million will pay for substitute teacher bonuses, as part of the division’s recruitment efforts.

“Similar action was taken to improve fill rates in the most recent two school years during the year-end budget reviews,” according to board documents.

More schools will get security vestibules installed using $2 million of the year-end funding. It’ll pay for Phases 2 and 3 in a five-phase plan to improve security. Contracts for work at another 41 schools will be awarded by the end of fiscal 2025, board documents said.

The approved plan includes another $200,000 for the renaming of Woodson High School. The money will also be used to pay for new uniforms and equipment.

About $28 million will be set aside and put toward the school division’s beginning balance for fiscal 2026.

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