Fairfax County spends roughly $1.18 billion beyond what Virginia provides to fund services like special education and multilingual instruction. Hunter Mill District School Board member Melanie Meren wants the January General Assembly session to change that.

Meren is one of several local leaders who outlined legislative priorities in a Fairfax County Times report published Sept. 18. She called Virginia's Standards of Quality funding formula inadequate and said the state should not be running budget surpluses "on the backs of localities."

K-12 funding is the county's top legislative priority. Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez, who chairs the Fairfax County Legislative Committee, said the county wants to build on a 2023 Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) study to modernize school funding formulas so they better reflect the cost of education in high-cost regions like Northern Virginia.

Meren also pushed for statewide guidance on classroom technology, saying school divisions have been managing digital devices without state direction. She said the lack of a framework has created duplicated work across Virginia and called on the General Assembly to direct the Virginia Department of Education to develop a technology policy for K-12 schools.

Speed-limit authority

Meren called on lawmakers to let localities lower speed limits on state-maintained roads. A 2021 law was interpreted by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) as not covering state roads. A 2024 measure gave counties limited authority, but only for roads already posted at 25 mph. That restriction is why the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors' 20 mph pilot program, approved in June, applies only to certain roads. Meren said localities need broader power than the current law allows.

Gaming commission bill delayed until 2027

Reston Citizens Association President Lynn Mulston said legislation to create a unified Virginia Gaming Commission has been delayed until the 2027 session. The delay gives lawmakers more time to examine what she described as a fragmented, multi-agency regulatory system for gaming, including skill games, sweepstakes and potential online casino gambling.

The Reston Citizens Association opposes a casino in Fairfax County and sponsors the No Fairfax Casino Coalition. Mulston said the coalition backs a unified gaming commission because it believes a single, independent regulator would prevent piecemeal gambling expansion and strengthen oversight of proposals affecting the county.

A Virginia Senate committee voted 11-3 in March to effectively kill a House bill that would have created the independent agency. Separately, Gov. Abigail Spanberger vetoed a Fairfax County casino bill on April 9.

McLean Citizens Association President Glenn Harris said his group remains concerned that casino legislation could return and would work with local legislators to oppose it.

County priorities

Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said the county's top priorities include strengthening public education, securing long-term transit funding for Metro and Virginia Railway Express, and expanding housing opportunities. Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity pushed back, arguing the legislative package ignores affordability at a time when local budgets keep raising taxes and fees on residents.

The Virginia General Assembly convenes in January.