Fairfax County could start seeing more high-rise schools in the school district in the near future thanks to a vote by local officials this week.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a comprehensive plan amendment that will allow the Planning Commission’s Schools Committee, the School Board and the school district to work together and consider more creative options for designing schools in busy “activity centers.”

The county identifies activity centers as high-commercial, high-development areas such as Reston, Herndon, Bailey’s Crossroads, Tysons Corner, Seven Corners and Richmond Highway.

Those areas generally do not have locations suitable to accommodate schools large enough to keep up with their rate of growth, according to a county report. And even if they do, the areas are often too costly for construction, officials said in the report.

With traffic congestion often high in such areas, locating schools in high-rise buildings closer to public transit could also help solve many headaches, officials said.

“Future schools and education facilities in activity centers will need to be compatible with the higher densities, mix of uses, and pedestrian and transit accessibility found in such areas,” the report says.

So, county planners are literally looking up.

Officials said a move toward more high-rise schools could also allow schools to go inside mixed-use buildings with recreation centers, public libraries and other facilities that are useful for children.

High-rise schools could also mean that elementary, middle and high schools could operate in the same buildings. This arrangment could help the county save money by sharing common facilities, like cafeteria and gyms, officials said.

The idea of a high-rise school is not new to Fairfax County. The county already tested the waters in 2013, when it purchased an existing high-rise office building in Bailey’s Crossroads and retrofitted it into the current Bailey’s Upper Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences, which has served students in grades three through five since September 2014.

Officials will likely see more such proposals in the future as the population continues to grow, with the number of school-aged children growing right along with it.

“There will be greater need for alternative education facilities and transitional schools in the future,” the report says. “In response to changing demographics and instructional needs, buildings designed for commercial uses may be particularly suitable for these types of facilities, as well as have the potential for community use.”

Photo courtesy of Fairfax County

Fairfax County School officials are telling the county Board of Supervisors — which provides the majority of the school system’s annual funding — that they will need an additional $134 million for the next fiscal year as they look for ways to increase teacher salaries, the Washington Post reports.

Superintendent Karen Garza, who will leave her post in December, presented a budget forecast earlier this month before the county Board of Supervisors. The preliminary budget talks for Fiscal Year 2018 will start this fall, with the fornal request coming in January for the start of the fiscal year in July.

Garza gave a similar warning a year ago, organizing a budget advisory group that looked into cutting sports, music and language immersion programs, if Fairfax County Public Schools did not receive full funding.

In the end, the school system got $2 billion from the county and recommitted to keeping elementary class sizes small and giving teacher raises.

FCPS has said it wants to continue to boost overall salaries to keep the system competitive.

Fairfax County voters will weigh in on a meals tax referendum Nov. 8. If it passes, a county meals tax would provide about $100 million for the county (about 70 percent of which will go to the schools).

However, giving more teachers raises is expected to cost at least that much. School board chair Sandy Evans (Mason) said she wants to give an extra increase to mid-career teachers, whose pay is at a competitive disadvantage compared with neighboring districts, the Washington Post reports.

“We have fallen behind where we want to be in teacher pay, particularly in that midcareer level,” Evans said.

School board member Elizabeth Schultz (Springfield) says the school system should go back and look for more cuts and efficiencies rather than asking taxpayers for more money.

A South Lakes High School Spanish teacher has been suspended from her job by Fairfax County Public Schools after she was arrested on several charges Monday.

Fabiana Alicia Ciammaichella, 30, and Adelmo Ernesto Arias Guillen, an 18-year-old SLHS sophomore, are facing a number of drug, alcohol and larceny charges, police said.

Ciammaichella has been charged with two counts of possessing a Schedule 1 or 2 Narcotic, believed to be cocaine and/or LSD, said FCPD Officer Don Gotthardt. She was also charged with possession of marijuana, he said.

Guillen was charged with petty larceny, purchasing alcohol while under 21, possession of marijuana and a misdemeanor failure to appear from a previous charge.

Officers from the Reston District Station were called to the Exxon Station at 11808 Baron Cameron Avenue on Monday about 11 p.m.

Video footage shows a woman distracting a cashier while a male who came in the store with her steals a case of beer and then leaves. The female then left the store and picked the man up outside and drove away.

Soon after, following an investigation, officers went to Ciammaichella’s  home and found her with Guillen, as well as the stolen beer and a variety of illegal narcotics.

Both suspects were transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

“This is now an ongoing police investigation, as well as a personnel issue, and I’m not at liberty to discuss this in any detail beyond what [the police statement says],” SLHS Principal Kim Retzer said in a statement to the school community.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Crime Solvers electronically by visitingwww.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text-a-tip by texting “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES(274637) or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.

Photos: Fabiana Alicia Ciammaichella, left, and Adelmo Ernesto Arias Guillen/FCPD

Retired Fairfax County teachers who serve as substitutes in the system are likely getting a pay raise.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the action today at its regular meeting.

In July, County Executive Ed Long recommended that the school board approve staff recommendations from the County and Schools’ FY 2016 Carryover Review.

The school board, in the FY 2016 Carryover Review, increased the public school operating fund by $309,514 to increase the rate paid to substitute teachers who are Fairfax County Public School retired teachers.

The pay will go from $14.23 to $15.33 per hour for short-term assignments and from $20.14 to $21.91 per hour for long-term assignments.

State law allows the Board of Supervisors to act on proposed amendments to the budget on the same day as the public hearing.

As Fairfax County residents are receiving a meals tax fact sheet in the mail, advocates on both sides of the issue are organizing for a battle this fall.

The meals tax referendum will be on the Fairfax County general election ballot on Nov. 8. It’s the first time since 1992 that voters will get a say on whether the county will add a meals tax to diversify its tax base. The 1992 referendum failed, and while the topic has been brought up nearly annually in recent recent years, it has not been presented to the voters.

The 4-percent meals tax would add about $100 million to county coffers annually, according to the fact sheet. About 70 percent would go back to Fairfax County Public Schools. The other 30 percent would go to county programs and services.

The 4-percent tax would be in addition to a 6-percent sales tax. Nearby jurisdictions such as the District of Columbia, Arlington and Alexandria have a meals tax, as do towns of Vienna, Herndon, Clifton, Falls Church and Fairfax City (those towns’ rates would stay the same; diners would not pay an additional county tax).

Not surprisingly, many school board members and civic groups fall in favor of the tax, while many restaurant owners are against it.

The food tax foes have organized into a new group called Fairfax Families Against the Food Tax.

Fairfax Families Against the Food Tax says it has about 1,500 individuals, as well as a host of businesses behind it. Included in the businesses are Reston restaurants American Tap Room; Be Right Burger; Clyde’s; Glory Days Grill; the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce; Hyatt Regency Reston; Jackson’s; and Silver Diner.

The group says the 4-percent tax on top of the 6-percent sales tax for all prepared foods and ready-to-eat meals from restaurants, grocery stores, movie theaters, gas stations, food trucks, hot dog stands, coffee shops, pizza delivery, and hotel food will be too much burden on some customers.

“This isn’t just a meals tax,” Jon Norton, Partner at Great American Restaurants (which includes Jackson’s), said in a statement. “In reality, it’s much broader than that because it adds an extra tax on people and families who are trying to buy prepared food items or even dine out as a family at their favorite restaurant. This really is a food tax.” Read More

It was a business as usual at Reston’s Terraset Elementary School on Wednesday, the day after a dramatic crash of a passenger van into a wall of the school.

The crash occurred about 3:45 p.m., just prior to Terraset’s dismissal on the first day of school. The driver of the after-care van appeared to have jumped the curb that then traveled downhill before striking through the brick wall of the school’s new art room.

The school recently underwent a multi-year renovation project. Tuesday was the first day of classes at a completely renovated school.

There were no serious injuries.

Fairfax County Police are still investigating the crash. They have not yet identified the driver and said charges may be pending, said FCPD officer Don Gotthardt.

By Wednesday morning, Fairfax County Public Schools maintenance crews had boarded over the bricks.

Terraset Principal Lindsay Trout said the damage was to the art storage room, which will be blocked off until it can be completely repaired. She said the brick repair will begin within days.

“The building is structurally sound and no other electrical or other issues,” Trout said.

She also added praise for the Terraset staff and parents for keeping the students calm during a hectic dismissal that included fire trucks and other recuse vehicles on campus.

“They did an amazing job getting 550 students home safely in that situation on day one of a school year,” Trout said.

It’s the last week of August. Surely you are savoring every last minute with your Fairfax County Public Schools students, catching fireflies and making s’mores and wishing summer would never end.

Or, you may be wincing at your brown lawn and frantically scrambling for child care as camp is gone and school does not start until the day after Labor Day, a full week into September this year.

In any case, this is almost certainly the last year FCPS will begin after Labor Day. After decades of following the “Kings Dominon Rule,” the Virginia law that mandates school begin after Labor Day, FCPS Superintendent Karen Garza has drafted a 2017-18 calendar that has school starting on Aug. 28, 2017. Students will also get out a week earlier in June of 2018

Garza previously said this change is being made to provide more instructional time before winter break; enhanced flexibility to help students and school staff members meet college application deadlines; and to end the school year earlier in June.

The FCPS School Board is expected to give final approval when it votes on the change in the fall.

FCPS was able to make the change to the calendar due to Code of Virginia 22.1-79.1, which allows local Boards of Education to waive the state requirement to begin schools after Labor Day if a district is closed an average of eight days per year during five of the past 10 years due to weather conditions, energy shortages, power failures, or other emergencies.

FCPS qualified for the waiver because, during five of the past 10 years, the district has averaged 8.4 days missed due to weather conditions and other events.

Based upon this current average of missed days, the waiver option will continue at least through the 2019-20 school year, FCPS said.

Photo: Karen Garza/file photo

The Fairfax County Public Schools Board has canceled this week’s discussion of new transgender regulations and will temporarily suspend implementation of the protections, FCPS said on Tuesday.

The decision comes after an extensive closed session on Monday, FCPS says.

There was a work session on the proposed regulation scheduled for Thursday night.

In May of 2015, the School Board voted to extend the FCPS non-discrimination policy (Policy 1450) to include gender identity. The purpose of the regulation is to establish procedures and guidelines for schools to support gender non-conforming and transgender students that are in-line with the policy and legal requirements, the school system said.

The board determined this week it needs more time to evaluate the legal issues surrounding the regulation, including a case now pending before the Supreme Court on this topic from a Virginia school district.

“While the regulation is temporarily on hold, Policy 1450 remains in effect, and the Board remains committed to this policy of nondiscrimination,” new school board chair Sandy Evans said in a statement.

“Consistent with the policy, and current practice, FCPS continues to accommodate the needs of transgender and gender non-conforming students in a way that protects the dignity and privacy of all students.”

FCPS’ board says it will continue to closely evaluate and monitor the legal implications, as well as the community’s questions, through the start of the 2016-17 school year. Prior to any implementation, or formal adoption of the regulation, the school board will provide additional information and further opportunity for public comment on the topic.

A Fairfax County School Board forum on transgender protections scheduled for Thursday, July 14 has been canceled. Instead, the school board will proceed directly to a work session on the issue next week.

FCPS School Board Chair Pat Hynes (Hunter Mill) said the forum had been scheduled to determine whether the school board wanted to review the regulation regarding gender non-conforming and transgender students at an upcoming work session.

Hynes said in a statement there is support to proceed to a work session and, as such, the forum is no longer required.

Discussion of the regulation regarding gender non-conforming and transgender students is now scheduled for the July 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. in room 1600 at the FCPS Gatehouse Administration Center, 8115 Gatehouse Rd., Falls Church.

The new regulation is slated to take effect at the start of the 2016-17 school year. Read More

The average Fairfax County homeowner will see a rise of about $300 in his or her annual tax bill next year.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved its $4.01 billion Fiscal Year 2017 budget. The motion passed 7-3, with Supervisors Herrity (Springfield), Linda Smyth (Providence) and John Cook (Braddock) voting against it.

The supervisors’ vote approves a tax increase of 4 cents per $100 of home value, to $1.13. This will provide an additional $93 million to the county annually.

At a budget mark-up session  last week, the supervisors said they would provide an additional $33.6 million to Fairfax County Public Schools. This was done by allocating an entire penny of the tax rate and using reallocated funds from Third Quarter Review, said Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova. Read More

A $16.8 million boost in state funding and additional money from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will result in practically closing the Fairfax County Public Schools’ projected multimillion shortfall for 2017.

FCPS had been facing a potential $67 million budget gap when it began planning for Fiscal Year 2017 earlier this year. The schools asked the county for about $2 billion, or half the county’s $3.99 billion budget, which is a 6-percent rise from last year.

At a budget mark-up session on Tuesday, the supervisors said they would provide an additional $33.6 million to schools. This was done by allocating an entire penny of the tax rate and using reallocated funds from Third Quarter Review, said Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova.

This will give the schools, which will receive 52.7 percent of the County’s General Fund budget, enough to “address teacher compensation, preserve existing programs, and begin working to decrease class size,” said Bulova.

“It is up to the elected officials on the School Board to determine the pay plan for teachers and how to prioritize funding for specific school programs such as language immersion and fourth grade strings,” Bulova’s office said in a statement.

The School Operating Transfer will now be increased by $88.4 million, or 4.8 percent over FY2016.

FCPS Superintendent Karen Garza said the schools now have “the opportunity to make a significant and critical investment in teacher salaries, and reduce class size, while not cutting vital student programming.”

“I am hopeful that this is reflective of a turning point in our community,” she added in a release. “This reinvestment in our community’s most important asset, our schools, will provide great dividends for all the citizens of Fairfax. We look forward to continuing to work as partners with the Board of Supervisors to solve future budget issues in the best interests of the residents of Fairfax County. “

The supervisors will vote on the final budget on April 26. The schools will adopt their budget on May 26.

At Tuesday’s session, the board also voted 7-3 in favor of a $1.13 tax rate for FY2017, an increase from the FY2016 rate of $1.09 per $100 of assessed value. The 4-cent increase will generate approximately $93 million in additional county revenue.

The rise in the real estate tax rate will result in about a $303 increase in taxes next year for the typical Fairfax County homeowner.

The new budget year begins on July 1 — but the county and the schools are already forecasting a similarly large budget gap for 2018.

That is why the supervisors are also considering adding a meals tax referendum in the November election. A 4-percent meals tax — similar to the ones in Arlington, Alexandria and town of Herndon, Vienna and Fairfax City — would provide about $90 million of revenue for the county annually.

Read more about the budget markup overall impact on this post from Fairfax County.

Karen Garza/file photo

Fairfax County Public Schools are seeking opinions on when the school year should begin. The FCPS School Board says it is seriously considering starting school before Labor Day in 2017-18, a change from the traditional September start here.

Parents can access and take the quick online survey to provide their feedback.

The board will vote on the calendar change April 28. If FCPS makes any changes, they would not go into effect until the 2017-18 school year.

The 2016-17 calendar has already been adopted, and school will begin on Sept. 6, 2016.

In Fairfax County, school has for decades started the day after Labor Day in accordance with the Virginia “Kings Dominion” law.

The law is a 1986 Virginia statute that mandates school start in September. When the law was passed, it was helped along by the tourism industry, which said it needed students as staffers (and families to keep on vacationing) through Labor Day. Thus, the amusement park moniker.

Recent attempts to change the law in the Virginia General Assembly have failed.

But the  Code of Virginia (22.1-79.1), allows local Boards of Education to waive the state requirement to begin schools after Labor Day if a district is closed an average of 8 days per year during five of the past 10 years due to weather conditions, energy shortages, power failures, or other emergencies.

FCPS qualifies for the waiver because, during five of the past 10 years, the district has averaged 8.4 days missed due to weather conditions and other events.

Based upon this current average of missed days, the waiver option will continue at least through the 2019-20 school year, FCPS said in a release.

Four cents means different things to different Fairfax County citizens and advocates.

For some, it’s another potential rise in property taxes by a county government set on wasteful spending. For others, it is the cheapest option to boost county coffers for the upcoming fiscal year — but not enough to fully fund Fairfax County Public Schools.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors heard from people on all sides of the issue (and many with speciality interests such as foreign language immersion programs, teacher raises and mental health services) on Tuesday at the first of three public hearings on the Fiscal Year 2017 budget.

The supervisors, who have advertised a tax rate hike of 4 cents per $100 of home value, will vote on the budget later this month. Hearings continue today and tomorrow at 1 p.m. at the Fairfax County Government Center.

Fairfax County Public Schools board chair Pat Hynes (Hunter Mill) said the county, which gives about half its $3.99 billion budget to the schools, and FCPS are still about $50 million apart in funding for 2017.

The supervisors put forth options to raise taxes 5 or 6 cents when it formulated the advertised tax rate last month. Those options did not pass.

“I urge you to fully fund Fairfax County Public Schools,” Hynes told the supervisors. She outlined some of the achievements of FCPS, including high test scores and national student awards in everything from science to the arts. She pointed out that the system is spending $1,000 less per pupil than it did in 2008 and teachers have not had a market-rate pay increase in five of the last seven years.

Read More