With the Fiscal Year 2014 budget set, focus has turned to the 2015 budget, which will be less than the $2.5 billion budget for 2014.

Although schools will face the loss of $140.7 million in two years, the School Board will try to minimize the impact of budget reductions.

“The main causes for the deficit are a result of a ‘perfect storm’ of a number of factors,” Deputy Superintendent Richard Moniuszko said.

One cause of the deficit is a growth in enrollment, which has increased by more than 15,000 students in the past five years. A majority of FCPS funding comes from property taxes. However, with declining real estate values, Fairfax County is unwilling to raise taxes in order to meet the needs of the schools.

“The only way FCPS has been able to manage over the past five years is by cutting programs and services, for example, increasing class size,” Moniuszko said. “The increase in number of students for next year alone will cause our budget to increase by $25 million in order to serve them.”

Additionally, school districts were exempt from contributing to the state retirement system for a few years to help school districts during the economic downturn. Now that those few years are over, the school districts have to pay back the state with interest, which will cost $37 million more.

School districts have been trying to save money each year to use the following year.

“It’s like taking money from a savings account at home to pay the bills,” Moniuszko said. “That can work for a year or two, but over the long term it causes real problems. You have to contribute twice as much each year as what you spent from savings to balance the next year’s budget.”

At the next work session Nov. 11, the School Board will receive an updated list of areas for potential reductions.
“As a division, FCPS has in the past and will continue to address projected shortfalls while keeping our focus on our mission- supporting instruction at the classroom level,” Office of Budget Services Director Kristen Michael said.

The School Board does not yet know which programs and services will be cut. During the meeting in January, Superintendent Dr. Karen Garza will propose her budget. The final budget will be approved in late May.

“I think the system is going to have to look at the depth and breadth of services provided and make some difficult decisions,” Principal Kim Retzer said. “I can’t imagine that the result won’t be felt by both employees and students.