Referendum Frequently Asked Questions
• City students are educated in City schools.
• The City welcomes County students. This allows City schools to offer a wide variety of academic and extracurricular opportunities.
• The City and County school superintendents consult on topics such as boundary changes, principal selection, pilot programs, and special community needs.
• The City School Board, with the funding support from the City, is responsible for significant capital improvements to school buildings.
• Members of the City School Board collaborate with their County School Board colleagues through regular, ongoing communication, participation in regional and state School Board meetings and conferences, and an annual City/County Board meeting.
• Additional summer programs to help students transition.
• Additional staffing includes security specialists, a community use supervisor at Fairfax High School, a transition counselor, and our STEM resource teachers at our elementary schools.
• Funding for professional development for teachers to plan, learn, and collaborate.
• Building enhancements such as STEM labs, outdoor classrooms, turf fields, and a new gym floor at Fairfax HS.
· The buildings do not meet current standards for the American with Disabilities Act.
· Both schools have trailers.
· The renovations will address current and possible future capacity challenges.
· Infrastructure issues such as life safety systems, electrical and data systems, air conditioning and circulation will be addressed.
Why doesn’t FCPS pay for the renovations?
Per the School Services Agreement, the City of Fairfax is responsible for all major capital improvements to the school facilities.
What is the enrollment of the two elementary schools?
Providence ES
2024-2025 student enrollment 918 students
69% are City residents
Daniels Run ES
2024-2025 student enrollment 814 students
96% are City residents
How many City students do we have?
As of August 2024, there were 5315 students in our schools. About 3000 of them are city residents. This number changes as students move in and out of the city. The 2024 Average Daily Membership for city students was 2913.
Daniels Run ES 814
Providence ES 918
Katherine Johnson MS 1182
Fairfax High School 2401
Fairfax HS has a type of roof that is not consistent with other schools in our city or the county. We will be switching from a PUFF foam and coating system to a more traditional roofing system for large buildings and schools. This means the entire roof will need to be removed and replaced, unlike other building systems that might need just minor replacements or routine maintenance. FHS is over 400,000 square feet and is a large building with extensive roof surfaces and complex designs with multiple sections of HVAC units that requires time and specialized labor.
The total project cost is not just the hard costs of replacing the roof but all the soft costs for design, third party testing, escalation for a project that will be constructed over five summers, and possible contingencies for unknowns that could be found when the old roof if torn off. This $43 million budget incorporates a timeframe for a competitive bidding process, design, and labor. The budget allows for unknown issues such as inflation, supply shortage, or other challenges we might face. Again, if the price of the roof does not meet the $43 million budget, we will not spend the entire amount.
A school roof cannot be done at one time to minimize disruption of students and community groups, so most of this work will need to be done in phases of five summers, this is planning on 82,000 square feet each phase, which is the size of almost an entire roof of some school buildings each summer!
2025 – Request for Architect/Engineering Proposals and Contract Awards
2026 – Architecture/Planning
2027 – Planning/Permits/Materials
Summer 2028 – 2030 – Phased/occupied construction work begins. Summer work is necessary for large common areas such as cafeterias, libraries, gymnasiums to prevent disruption to student learning. Most of the work would be done throughout the school year in areas in phases.
Funds for this bond will be used for construction and renovation of facilities only, not for staffing or programs.
It says $220 million, is that the final number?
The city will not be allowed to issue bonds for more than the $220 million. To see a breakdown of how the money is planned to be allocated, please see below.
Are vestibules part of this bond?
The final design of the schools is not complete (see above). In the meantime, the City of Fairfax will work with Fairfax County Public Schools to install vestibules in our schools to be installed as soon as we can, regardless of the bond.
Will these renovations account for the city’s growth and new developments?
The City of Fairfax School Board is committed to schools that are not over capacity. Each year, the board monitors student population of all of our schools, and meets with city planners about how development will impact school capacity. As of the 2024-25 school year, our two elementary schools are not over capacity and are not trending towards over capacity in the next five years. If we do find the schools to be over capacity, we will work with FCPS on boundary changes to “right-size” our schools.
· $75.4 million for renovations at Daniels Run ES (construction/design/planning/contingency)
· $84.8 million for renovations at Providence ES (construction/design/planning/contingency)
· $43.5 million for the roof replacement at Fairfax HS (construction/design/planning/contingency)
· $13.1 million for “FF&E” including furniture, fixtures, equipment and technology for both elementary schools
· $3.12 million Contingency/Issuance Cost
Such costs reflect preliminary cost estimates. Bond proceeds may be reallocated between projects as well as to additional CIP-approved expenses if necessary to account for final project costs, the timing of a phased bond issuance and other factors.
If approved, the City anticipates that it will sell bonds in a phased issuance to match the schedule of the projects. This funding method allows a locality to undertake significant capital improvements and expansions for school purposes at levels that significantly exceed current operating budget revenues. This approach spreads the cost over many years and allows our community to benefit from improved educational facilities. Using general obligation bonds for large, generational capital projects that will benefit taxpayers for multiple decades is a widely used and accepted form of funding for similar capital projects nationwide.
Assuming the bonds are sold at 5.00% interest cost and are structured to be repaid over 20 years, the City’s annual debt service for the school bonds including principal, interest, and financing costs, is estimated to begin at $2.4 million and will gradually increase over five years up to approximately $17.7 million. The expected amortization structure contemplates that the debt service for the bond will remain generally constant at $17.7 million for 15 years and then will decrease over the last five years as the bonds are retired.
Currently, the City has one of the lowest real estate tax rates in the area. Many factors will determine whether the bond repayment obligation will affect the tax rate, such as the growth of the City’s tax and revenue base and the increase or decrease in the current and future City spending.
Virginia law requires that the City balance planned expenditures against expected revenues in its annual budget. To pay the annual cost of the proposed bonds, future City Councils will annually examine expenditures, cost-saving measures, and revenue sources to determine the best potential mix to fund municipal services.
To see more information about the City of Fairfax Budget, please visit the City’s website.
· Immediate needs and major improvements identified in the CIP for Daniels Run ES and Providence ES would still be required for continued use of the buildings.
· Without funding provided by general obligation bonds, the City School Board would need to fund such CIP expenditures over time [in smaller increments] from other sources or ask the City to undertake an alternative form of financing. Alternative financing options available to the City are anticipated to offer less favorable terms than a general obligation debt financing.
· The potential costs of the needed renovations are anticipated to increase due to building costs and inflation.
· To respond to possible future capacity and programmatic needs, additional trailers may be needed at both elementary schools.
Currently, the City has one of the lowest real estate tax rates in the area. Many factors will determine whether the bond repayment obligation will affect the tax rate, such as the growth of the City’s tax and revenue base and the increase or decrease in the current and future City spending.
If solely dependent on real estate tax increases, the City of Fairfax estimates the real estate tax rate would increase if the proposed school CIP projects are undertaken.
A second possibility is an incremental increase totaling 20.5 cents. The City would seek bond issuance in varied amounts of the approved funds over 5-6 years. This increase is anticipated to occur over a multi-year period beginning in 2025 through 2029 as the bonds are issued for the projects. (7.00 cents in 2025, 7.00 cents in 2027, and 6.50 cents in 2029).
For calendar/tax year 2024, the average residential assessed value is $618,227 with an associated average tax bill of $6,368 (at the current tax rate of $1.030/$100).
The concurrent option of 18.75 cent increase in 2025 would raise the real estate tax rate to $1.2175. That average tax bill would see an 18.2 percent increase of $1,159 to $7,527 annually.
If the referendum passes, the Mayor and City Council would determine which option (the concurrent, incremental, or other) to pursue during the FY 2026 Budget process which is finalized in May of 2025. There will be opportunities for residents to voice their opinion on which option is best during the budget process and community engagement period.
City of Alexandria $1.135
City of Falls Church $1.210
City of Fairfax $1.2175 (1.03 + 0.1875 - this is the concurrent option)
City of Manassas $1.26
Town of Vienna $1.3669
For more information about the election in the City of Fairfax, please see the City of Fairfax Office of Voter Registration and Elections.
Shall the City of Fairfax, Virginia, contract a debt, borrow money, and issue its general obligation bonds in the maximum aggregate principal amount of $220,000,000 to provide funds, together with other funds, to undertake a program of capital improvement projects for the public school system of the City, and to fund the cost of issuing such bonds?
Fri. Sept. 20 - |
Early voting in person at City Hall |
Tues. Oct. 15 |
Last day to register or update voter registration |
Fri. Oct. 25, by 5 p.m. |
Last day to request a mailed ballot |
Sat. Oct. 26 |
Two Saturdays of in-person early voting |
Sat. Nov. 2 |
Last day for in-person early voting |
Tues. Nov. 5 |
Election Day - all voting precincts open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
Can I vote absentee in this election?
When is the deadline to register to vote?