The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on June 27 unanimously agreed to petition the Circuit Court to order a $435 million school-bond referendum on Nov. 7.
The request is required by law but largely pro-forma; Ccounty officials expect the court will give its assent in early August and that absentee voting for the referendum will start Sept. 23.
Supervisors have shown their commitment to Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) by increasing the bond amount by $50 million over a two-year period, which will “help the schools catch up on their capital programming,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay (D).
The bond moneys will finance capital-improvements to schools, including acquiring, building, expanding and renovating existing or new sites. Such work could include new buildings or additions, renovations and improvements to existing structures, and equipment and furnishings for the school system.
FCPS officials have proposed spending most of the bond proceeds – $402.5 million – to renovate elementary schools. These projects include:
• Construction at Bren Mar Park ($55 million), Brookfield ($53.5 million), Lees Corner ($51.7 million), Armstrong ($50.1 million), Willow Springs ($52.9 million), Herndon ($56.5 million), Dranesville ($50.8 million) elementary schools.
• $4 million worth of planning-and-design work at each of the following elementary schools: Cub Run, Union Mill, Centre Ridge, Poplar Tree, Waples Mill, Sangster, Saratoga and Virginia Run.
The school system also would spend $8 million on planning-and-design work at Franklin Middle School, $9 million to relocate three modular-classroom buildings, $10 million as an inflation adjustment for previous bond projects, $2.5 million to install security vestibules at schools and $3 million to cover bond-issuance costs.
County voters traditionally have passed school-bond referendums by wide margins. But there is no free lunch – the cost of paying off those bonds, with interest, ultimately trickles down to the tax bills of local residents.
