By Pat Herrity, current Republican Supervisor for the Springfield District, Fairfax County. For more on Pat Herrity, please visit his website PatforVA.com
If it wasn’t bad enough that FCPS is spending over $200 million on an unnecessary new high school in the face of declining enrollment, it’s equally disappointing to look at what FCPS is not doing when it comes to renovating and maintaining existing schools, including Centreville High School (CVHS). If you missed my last newsletter on the new western high school, you can read it here.
Below I’ll share the details on two issues that FCPS has failed to address that will affect your taxes and schools:
FCPS’s move to open a $200+ million western high school has completely botched its CIP, including planned school renovations. The current FCPS CIP set the limit for general obligation bond spending at $230 million, of which FCPS recently committed well over 65 percent to open a high school we don’t need, pushing all other planned renovations into limbo.
In my last newsletter, I shared with you how the FCPS School Board purchased the new western high school using $150 million in general obligation bonds and will need to commit at least another $50-65+ million to make the “turnkey-ready” school ready for students. They made this decision despite a significant decline in enrollment and a projected capacity of 1,500 open seats across six western high schools by 2030 without opening a new high school. They also made the decision without consideration for how it would hamstring FCPS when it comes to renovating and maintaining our existing schools.
Centreville High School (CVHS) is just one of the many schools affected. It was added to the renovation queue in 2009 and finally received funding for planning and design in 2021. According to the FCPS CIP, the CVHS construction should be funded through the most recent 2025 voter-approved bond. Unfortunately, with the unplanned expense of the new western high school, it’s doubtful that the FCPS CIP can accommodate CVHS and other school renovation and construction funding under their current timelines.
The School Board will have to significantly alter its CIP to accommodate the new western high school costs and do so within the context of an already bleak budget forecast. According to the most recent School Board budget work session, FCPS is projecting a shortfall of $180.6 million despite declining enrollment.
Even if the School Board found a way to fund the planned construction of CVHS, it would need to first address the school’s ongoing violation of the County’s Zoning Ordinance. In 2018, FCPS failed to renew a lease with the Fairfax County Park Authority for adjacent land in Braddock Park. As a result, FCPS is in violation of the Zoning Ordinance as CVHS is too dense for what is allowed for its land area in the Residential-Conservation District. Most disappointing is that once it was discovered, FCPS has demonstrated no urgency to resolve the violation.
For two years, the School Board has had the full support of County staff to make one of two decisions to solve this issue:
The School Board has done neither, delaying any solution while CVHS remains out of compliance and the cost of construction for CVHS renovations continues to increase.
1988 – The Fairfax County School Board (FCSB) and the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) entered into a 30-year lease agreement (“1988 Lease”) whereby 45 acres of Braddock Park would be leased to FCSB to fulfill the density requirements to build Centreville High School. In return, FCSB would lease sites at Spring Hill and Lawyers Road to FCPA.
2006 – The FCSB conveyed both the Spring Hill and Lawyers Road sites to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (BOS).
2011 – FCPA acquired the Spring Hill Site from the BOS. The 1988 lease was amended to agree that regardless of the ownership status of the Spring Hill and Lawyers Road site, the FCSB retained the lease on the Braddock Road site and thus remained in compliance with zoning throughout the lease term until it expired in 2018.
2018 – The 1988 agreement lapsed, resulting in CVHS falling out of compliance with the County’s Zoning Ordinance, with CVHS having too much density for the Residential Conservation District without the leased land in Braddock Park.
2023 – FCPS works with the FCPA to try to develop a new agreement to replace the 1988 lease.
2024 – FCPS and the FCPA continue meetings concerning the original lease. Hearing about the impasse, I started meeting with Sully District Supervisor Smith, the County Executive, FCPS staff, the Superintendent, and School Board members to help find a solution. FCPS sends a letter to the FCPA asking it to renew the lease of Braddock Park for 99 years at no additional cost. Since the FCPA is legally obligated to receive fair market value in exchange for any parkland, the FCPA responded that it was unable to comply with the FCPS request for no cost. The FCPA alternatively offered to swap an extended lease at Braddock Park with one at Cub Run Recreation Center, currently leased from FCPS to the FCPA. The School Board rejected this option, stating that the Cub Run Rec Center site was worth more than Braddock Park.
April 2025 – It was determined that FCPS would pursue a third-party appraisal of the fair market value of the land needed at Braddock Park and a new lease that would bring CVHS into compliance and allow for renovation and potential expansion. In addition, the County would pursue a Zoning Ordinance amendment for other schools in areas zoned R-C zoning district, but not for CVHS, recognizing that an amendment for CVHS would be well outside of FCPS’ renovation timeline.
June 2025 – The Board of Supervisors approves adding considerations for school density in the R-C district to the Zoning Ordinance Work Program to look at addressing any future school development in the R-C district. Due to the sensitivity of land use changes in the R-C district, this will be a long process lasting at least 18 months from inception.
August 2025 – FCPS received the third-party appraisal from the FCPA. Unhappy with the appraisal, FCPS had the appraiser revisit the appraisal twice.
October 2025 – After several months of outreach, County staff finally heard back from FCPS staff that they planned to pursue the lengthy zoning amendment process for CVHS after all. Unfortunately, this significantly delays the CVHS renovation and fails to address their continued non-compliance with the zoning ordinance.
Now, the School Board is blaming the delayed renovations on the length of the County’s zoning process. Although I am a vocal advocate for streamlining the County’s development processes, this process has not changed in years. County staff have repeatedly reached out to FCPS to check on the status of CVHS coming into compliance and to offer assistance. Many times, they have been met with silence from FCPS. After two years, there is no excuse for FCPS’s lack of planning and its continued noncompliance with the Zoning Ordinance.
Further, the zoning amendment that FCPS wants would allow for additional school density in the down-zoned areas of the County. This is highly controversial given that an exception like this in the Zoning Ordinance could lead to a flood of other entities wanting similar exceptions. Historically, the County has limited development in the R-C district to protect our natural resources, especially the Occoquan Watershed that sources our drinking water.
While the County is not likely to shut down a school for being out of compliance with the Zoning Ordinance, it is legally obligated to require zoning compliance for all buildings in the County, regardless of whether they are publicly or privately owned.
I share this consolidated timeline with you to emphasize the wasted time, wasted resources, and lack of planning by FCPS. Even if FCPS received funding for CVHS today, it would be unable to use those funds for construction because, to date, the School Board has opted against the easy solution of a lease for Braddock Park and instead delayed taking any action in hopes of a costless solution to this problem that is the result of its own inaction over the last seven years. The collateral damage will be taxpayers’ bills going up and CVHS students experiencing unaddressed overcrowding. By its own projections, by the time FCPS actually addresses this issue, CVHS may only be a few years away from not needing the additional capacity due to projected enrollment decline.
Despite two years of my personal communication with the Superintendent, School Board members and our high-priced FCPS administrators on these issues, I am frustrated at the lack of direction, response, and community engagement on this issue to date.
JW Marriott
Celebrated the grand opening of Virginia’s first prestigious JW Marriott Hotel. Located at Reston Station, the combined hotel and condominium high-rise at 11350 Reston Station Blvd consists of 247 hotel rooms, 94 residential units, and over 40,000 square feet of event and meeting space. Hotel amenities will include three food and beverage options, an executive lounge, and a fitness center, while condo residents will have access to a 24/7 concierge, a private gym, a clubroom and a rooftop dog park, among other perks.
Drug Take Back Day
A special thanks to the FCPD, the DEA, the CSB and Reworld Waste for helping organize another successful Drug Take Back Day. The West Springfield Government Center location collected the second most drugs with over 100 pounds collected from residents.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department 166th Recruit School Graduation
Congratulations to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department’s 166th recruit school graduates on your successful training and graduation. Welcome to Fairfax County’s public safety team.
Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance
Joined the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance to congratulate Governor Youngkin on receiving the 2025 Hazel Transportation Leadership Award for his contribution to regional transportation improvements.
Arts Fairfax Awards
Great turnout for the Arts Fairfax 2025 Arts Awards– arts of all kinds play a vital role in our community. Congratulations to all of the honorees for the work you do in our community.
Braddock District residents can vote early in the special election for the Braddock District Supervisor’s race at two early voting locations – Fairfax County Government Center and Burke Centre Library.
Help Scouting America Troop 1176 Conserve Rolling Forest Park
On July 12th, Scouting America Troop 1176 officially adopted Rolling Forest Park as part of a vital, long-term conservation project. This initiative was sparked after two trees fell on nearby homes, prompting the park’s owners, users, and impacted residents to collaborate with Troop 1176. Their goal is to conserve this beautiful park, enhance safety for both park users and residents, and improve the park’s overall health.
In the first year, Troop 1176 will lead efforts to remove fallen branches and leaves. This crucial step will reduce year-round saturation at the base of trees, a factor that contributes to their instability. Following this, the Troop and community will focus on invasive species removal, trail clean-up, and eventually, the construction of an outdoor classroom pavilion for both Scout and community use.
The next cleanup is scheduled for December 21–please see the flyer below for more details and join them to help conserve Rolling Forest Park.
To provide cheer at Thanksgiving, ECHO will connect donors with local families who would be grateful to receive the gift of groceries for a festive holiday meal. Donors may deliver food that they purchase themselves or may mail a food store gift card to the family(ies) assigned to them. Groceries should be delivered, or cards should be mailed to arrive by November 22. If you’re interested in finding out more, email Fran Eck at franalaneck@msn.com.
The ECHO elves are busily planning the Holiday Gift Shop. ECHO needs donations no later than December 5th of new toys (not gift-wrapped, please) for children ages 0-15. Donors may bring toys to ECHO’s Donation Door during their hours of operation. As an alternative, gifts may be chosen from ECHO’s Amazon Gift Wish List to be shipped directly to ECHO. The wish list link can also be found on their website, www.echo-inc.org, by clicking on Seasonal Programs under the Donate tab. Popular gifts include baby dolls, scooters with helmets, soccer balls (sizes 3,4,5), riding toys, and family board games. See a complete list of suggestions on the website.
ECHO is looking for a volunteer who understands sewing and knitting. The job includes sorting donated sewing materials, pricing things that are appropriate for the Yard Sale, assembling small sewing kits with donated items, and possibly checking donated sewing machines to make sure they work (though this is not required.) This work can be done at home or at ECHO. They would also like to have one or more volunteers who would enjoy gathering information and writing stories about ECHO. There are a few volunteer openings in Clothing on Wednesday mornings and Tuesday evenings, in Food on Thursday evenings; in Housewares on Tuesday evenings. They need a counselor on Friday mornings and a Spanish speaking counselor on Tuesday mornings. If you want to find out more about these or other opportunities, email volunteercoordinator@echo-inc.org.
So far in 2025, the Victim Services Division has worked with 456 child victims and witnesses, each navigating the aftermath of trauma with the help of compassionate advocates dedicated to restoring safety, stability, and hope. In the true spirit of the season, the Victim Services Division asks you to please join us in brightening the holidays for these courageous children by participating in their Annual Gift Card Drive.
Now through December 19th the FCPD is hosting its 12th Annual Victim Services Division Holiday Gift Card Drive to support child victims. They are asking for donations of gift cards to places like Giant, Amazon, Safeway, Walmart, TJ Maxx, Target, Kohl’s, local restaurants, and clothing stores. Gift cards will allow parents/guardians to purchase gifts for their children for the holiday season and purchase practical items the need but would normally go without.
Gift cards can be dropped off to the Victim Services Division at 12099 Government Center Parkway. Please email saly.fayez@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-246-2465 if you have any questions.
On November 18th, at 10 am, an audible test of the siren system along the banks of the Occoquan River between the Town of Occoquan and Belmont Bay will occur. The test will last roughly 5 minutes, no action is needed during the test, it is simply a safety measure to ensure the siren is functioning properly.
The Noman M. Cole Jr. Water Recycling Facility will be holding an open house on December 6th from 10 am until 2 pm. This open house will give you an opportunity to tour the water recycling facility as well as providing activities and food. For more information, please see the flyer below.
Kobe just needs a Santa hat, and he’ll be ready to hurry down the chimney and bring joy to your home for the holidays! With his unique, fluffy “beard,” Kobe is a 68-pound sweetheart with nothing but love to give. In the busy shelter environment, Kobe has been a bit overwhelmed and nervous, so he will need a little help building his confidence. Kobe’s family said that in a home setting, “he might be shy at the beginning, but after the first or second night he’s usually comfortable with people.” Kobe would benefit from structured training to improve his leash manners and general jumpiness when he’s excited. If you have any resident dogs, please bring them along to meet Kobe to help determine whether they would be a good fit. If Kobe sounds like he’d be a great fit for your family, come by and get to know him!
This pet is eligible for an Adoption Audition! What is an Adoption Audition? It’s a 5-day, no-strings-attached, trial adoption period. You can take this pet home to try it out! Interested? Come to the shelter any time during open hours and talk to one of our Customer Care staff!
If you’d like to schedule a visit to meet Kobe. Please see here: Adopt a Dog | Animal Shelter