Reston-area schools face a share of up to $153.9 million in district-wide budget cuts that Fairfax County Public Schools is projecting for fiscal year 2028.

FCPS Chief Financial Officer Leigh Burden told the school board's budget committee on Tuesday, Sept. 8, that spending commitments are outpacing anticipated revenue. The projected cuts would approach the $153.9 million FCPS trimmed in FY 2026 and exceed the $117.6 million cut in the current fiscal year, according to FFXnow.

Collective bargaining agreements, healthcare, retirement obligations and multi-year investments are driving the gap.

Burden's budget presentation outlined hypothetical scenarios to illustrate the scale of possible reductions. Adding one student per class district-wide would save about $35 million. A 1% reduction in merit salary adjustments would save roughly $32.6 million. Central office departments have already been told to prepare 5% reduction options.

Burden said the scenarios were meant to show the magnitude of potential cuts, not to serve as recommendations.

The county's share of funding transferred to FCPS has fallen from 52.8% in FY 2020 to 51.1% in FY 2027. The budget presentation pegs that cumulative erosion at $339.9 million, with $97.5 million of that hitting in FY 2027 alone.

"Nobody wants to do any of these things, but there will have to be things that are considered," Burden said.

Superintendent Michelle Reid said the shrinking share puts the district's ability to honor a three-year collective bargaining agreement, reached in December 2024, in jeopardy. FCPS may also need to reduce some programs to state-minimum levels set by the Virginia Department of Education's Standards of Quality, Burden said.

One program already caught in the squeeze is the Middle School After School initiative. It enrolled more than 23,000 students during the 2025-2026 school year. The program costs $11 million annually. The county wants to recoup the $3.9 million it previously spent on it.

Hunter Mill District Representative Melanie Meren, who represents Reston on the school board, said the county shifted the program's costs into the FCPS transfer last year, reducing the total transfer amount the district had requested.

Springfield District Representative Sandy Anderson has proposed a compromise: voluntary donations and public-private partnerships instead of a participation fee.

Sully District Representative Seema Dixit framed the budget data as a starting point, not an indictment of the county. She also noted that healthcare costs are a nationwide pressure, citing a 59% increase in premiums for her own small business.

Reid will deliver a fiscal forecast on Nov. 10. The proposed FY 2028 budget is set for release on Jan. 14, 2027. The school board is scheduled to adopt an advertised budget on Feb. 25, 2027, before County Executive Bryan Hill presents his budget to the Board of Supervisors.