Northern Virginia schools will welcome back more students than ever on Tuesday morning with tighter budgets and salary freezes.
Officials expect more than 175,000 students to flood Fairfax County schools, an increase of about 3,200 in step with enrollment booms seen across area counties. Much of Fairfax’s growth can be attributed to an influx of young Hispanic families who have children at twice the birthrate of non-Hispanic families in the county, said Larry Bizette, demographer for the school system.
Fairfax will have to accommodate those children on a $2.2 billion budget — a $34.5 million cut from fiscal 2010 and $52.5 million less than 2009. At the county level, funding fell by $16.3 million.
The school system will cut spending per student by $300 to about $10,000, while new student fees are swooping in: Parents will shell out $75 for each Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test taken and $100 for each sport played.
Arlington County schools are seeing enrollment shoot up by 5 percent to more than 21,500 students, and even the smaller Alexandria City school system expected 367 more students, a 3.2 percent increase.
Alexandria’s cut of state money was down 6 percent, and although the system’s funding from the city climbed 2 percent, it is still lower than in 2009. Arlington enjoyed a slight 0.8 percent increase in funding of $3.4 million.
Despite enrollment that outpaced funding, school officials were excited to start the new year. Steve Greenburg, president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, said a memo the school board sent to the superintendent prioritizing salary increases for the next budget put the year on the right track. Fairfax teachers have not received raises in two years.
Fairfax School Board member Jane Strauss expressed sadness that teachers, particularly the young ones, wouldn’t receive pay increases this year. Even so, she said spirits were high as she visited schools.
“People who love to teach are walking a foot off the ground this time of year. I just wish economic times were easier because it’s painful not to give teachers the support they need,” Strauss said.
