Fairfax County voters will not see a 1% school construction sales tax on their ballots Nov. 3. But 47 other Virginia localities will decide the question, and FCPS is sitting on a $400 million maintenance backlog that the tax was designed to address.

The Fairfax County Public Schools board voted unanimously on July 9 to urge the Board of Supervisors to place the referendum on the ballot, according to board records. Supervisors did not act in time. Fairfax City, a separate jurisdiction, is among the localities where voters will decide.

The Virginia General Assembly expanded the 1% sales tax authority to all cities and counties as part of the 2026 state budget. Earlier attempts failed or were vetoed by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Under the law, localities must win voter approval before collecting the tax. In Northern Virginia, the revenue can also fund public transportation.

Nine localities that received earlier authorization have collected $119 million total through fiscal year 2025, according to state tax records obtained by the Virginia Mercury. Danville led with $30.7 million, investing $88 million to overhaul George Washington High School. Gloucester and Halifax counties used their shares for high school renovations and new facilities.

Michael Adkins, Danville's assistant city manager and chief financial officer, told the Mercury the city's existing retail base of about $11 million per year helped make the program work. "If you're not a retail hub, it's just going to take time," Adkins said. "That 1% will add up."

Fairfax County's retail base is far larger than Danville's. The FCPS board resolution noted the county is a major commercial and hospitality hub for the National Capital Region, anchored by corporate headquarters and transit corridors including I-66 and the Dulles Corridor. No sourced revenue estimate for what the tax would generate in Fairfax County has been published.

The backlog keeps growing. As of January, FCPS's deferred maintenance sat at $394.5 million and was projected to increase by $52.8 million the following fiscal year, FFXnow reported. About 60% of that backlog involves HVAC systems. The district's renovation cycle has stretched to 42 years, nearly double its 20-to-25-year target, according to the board resolution.

Hunter Mill District school board member Melanie Meren pressed for urgency at a Jan. 13 work session on the capital improvement program. "We don't need more reports. We need action steps," Meren said at the session.

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn raised a caution at a July 2 Northern Virginia Transportation Commission meeting, noting that Fairfax County's previous three referendums proposing additional school funding all failed, according to FFXnow. Northern Virginia leaders at that meeting suggested the region should act together rather than locality by locality.

Statewide, 56% of Virginia's 1,924 public school buildings are more than 50 years old. If all 47 localities approve the tax Nov. 3, it could generate $1.27 billion over three years, according to Virginia Municipal League estimates reported by Cardinal News.

Critics in some localities argue the sales tax is regressive. Steve Kennedy, a volunteer with the VOTE NO referendum committee in York County, said the tax "hits low-income households the hardest."

No date has been announced for when the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors might consider placing the question on a future ballot. Early voting in the 47 participating localities runs through Saturday, Oct. 31, with Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3.