School Bond Referendum Facts - Fairfax County
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Fairfax County
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ENGAGE • INSPIRE• THRIVE
Fairfax County, Virginia
School
Bond
◗Facts
Referendum
B U I L D I N G F O R SUCCESS
Election Day is Tuesday, November 2, 2021◗ Fairfax County Public Schools plans to fund the
following school projects with bond proceeds.
Dranesville ES ! Dranesville
! Armstrong ES
!
Herndon ES
Hunter Mill
Crossfield ES
Louise Archer
n ES
n
! Lees Corner ES
Brookfield ES !
Mosaic ES
n Providence
Sully n HS
Falls Church
City of Fairfax
n Mason
!
Centreville HS ! Willow Springs Wakefield Forest ES
Bren Mar
ES Braddock Park ES
nBonnie Brae ES !
Springfield Lee
Mount Vernon
Bond Type
n Construction
! Planning/Design
Magisterial District
0 1
¯
2 3 4
Note: Effective school year 2021-22, Mosby Woods ES
was renamed to Mosaic ES. - Miles
- I
School Bond Referendum 2021
2◗ Fairfax County Public Schools plans to fund the following
school projects with bond proceeds. (cont.)
RENOVATIONS
Amount
High Schools Project Phase ($ in Millions)
Centreville (planning/design) $12.0
Falls Church (construction) $130.0
High School Renovation Subtotal: $142.0
Amount
Elementary Schools Project Phase ($ in Millions)
Armstrong (planning/design) $4.0
Bonnie Brae (construction) $38.0
Bren Mar Park (planning/design) $4.0
Brookfeld (planning/design) $4.0
Crossfeld (construction) $31.0
Dranesville (planning/design) $4.0
Herndon (planning/design) $4.0
Lees Corner (planning/design) $4.0
Louise Archer (construction) $37.0
Mosaic (formerly Mosby Woods) (construction) $38.0
Wakefeld Forest (construction) $30.0
Willow Springs (planning/design) $4.0
Elementary School Renovation Subtotal: $202.0
SITE ACQUISITION
Amount
High Schools Project Phase ($ in Millions)
Future Western High School $13.5
Site Acquisition Subtotal: $13.5
Subtotals $357.5
Bond Issuance Costs $2.5
TOTAL $360.0
Election Day is Tuesday, November 2, 2021
3◗ VOTING INFORMATION taxpayers. The estimated expense to
A school bond referendum will be on underwrite and issue bonds is refected
the general election ballot Tuesday, in the bond referendum total.
November 2, 2021. Polls will be open
from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. ◗ HOW WILL PASSAGE AFFECT
Residents of Fairfax County may vote THE COUNTY’S BOND RATING?
if they are 18 years of age or older on Of the nation’s more than 3,000
Election Day and have registered to counties, Fairfax is among only 49
vote 22 days prior to the election that have the highest credit rating
(on or before October 11, 2021). possible for a local government
from all three rating agencies:
For more information about registering
or voting, call 703-222-0776 or go • Aaa from Moody’s Investors Service.
online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/eb • AAA from Standard & Poor’s.
• AAA rating from Fitch Investors Service.
◗ WHAT IS A BOND?
Because of these ratings, Fairfax
The sale of municipal bonds is a form County’s bonds typically sell at
of long-term borrowing that spreads exceptionally low interest rates.
the cost of major capital improvements
over the years facilities are used. This The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
method of fnancing ensures that controls all county bond sales within
current and future users help pay fnancial guidelines drawn to ensure
for the improvements. that the coveted triple-A bond
ratings are not jeopardized.
◗ WHY ARE BONDS NEEDED?
The building and renovation of schools ◗ HOW ARE SCHOOL
are not fnanced through the school PROJECTS SELECTED?
system’s operating funds, but through
Each year, the School Board and staff
bonds. Similar to an individual or a
members work with the community to
family obtaining a mortgage on a
develop an updated fve-year capital
residence to spread the cost of home
improvement program (CIP) for
buying over several years, bonds
schools. To develop the CIP, the
spread the cost of major capital
school system assesses changes in
improvements over a number of years.
expected enrollments, academic
If approved, these bonds will probably programs, and facility conditions
be sold to large investment banking to determine priorities for new
syndicates that will have to competitively construction, renovations, and other
bid for them. Once bought, they are capital facility projects. The School
typically resold to fnancial institutions, Board then evaluates the affordability
which then sell them to investors. of these school needs against
other countywide requirements to
determine the bond proposal.
◗ WHY A REFERENDUM?
The law requires that county voters Several factors were considered in
approve general obligation bonds determining which schools need to be
since they are a future obligation for addressed in the current CIP including:
4• 2008 Renovation Queue Status. • 168 schools and centers are used as
• Overcrowding and/or growth polling places for general elections.
experienced in the past several years. • 140 schools serve as sites for
• Continued use of temporary Fairfax County’s School Age Child
classrooms. Care (SACC) program.
• Schools that serve Development • 110 religious and cultural organizations
Centers, which are areas where the used FCPS facilities for regularly
majority of future development scheduled activities.
will be focused, as defned by the
Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan. Neighborhood and
Community Services
The Fairfax County Department of
◗ WHO USES OUR SCHOOLS? Community and Recreation Services is
Data presented in the following the largest “outside” user of FCPS
sections is from the School Year (SY) facilities. The result is an outstanding
2019-20 (pre-COVID closures). recreation program at minimal cost to
Fairfax County taxpayers. For example:
Students and citizens use Fairfax
County schools. Fairfax County Public • During SY 2019-20, more than
Schools (FCPS) works with the Fairfax 320,000 individuals participated in
County Department of Neighborhood recreation activities, with the vast
and Community Services and with the majority using FCPS facilities.
Fairfax County Park Authority to • Community groups used 245 school
ensure that school facilities and gymnasium courts during the past
athletic felds are available to the year for recreational basketball,
public after school hours. volleyball, and other indoor activities.
The following are examples of how • 559 school athletic felds, representing
school buildings are used. 68 percent of all the felds available in
the county, were used for recreation
Students programs.
During the school year, approximately
188,000 students use FCPS facilities • Eight schools were used as teen
daily for academic and extracurricular centers.
activities.
Park Authority
Community More than 27,000 citizens attended
Most of the public meeting places classes, camps, and Rec-PAC
available in the county are FCPS programs run by the Park Authority
facilities. In many cases, these in FCPS facilities.
facilities are provided free of charge
to organizations such as homeowners Adult and Community Education
associations, 4H, scouting groups, Enrollment in FCPS Offce of Adult and
county employee organizations, and Community Education classes totaled
cultural and civic groups. In addition: more than 26,000.
• Over 492,200 events occurred in
school facilities.
5◗ WHY ADD MORE CLASSROOMS? outdated, both technologically and
Since the 2011-12 school year, student instructionally. FCPS, therefore,
membership has grown by an average renovates its schools to ensure that
of over 1,300 students each year for students, countywide, have effective
a total growth of more than 10,000 and effcient learning environments.
students. Due to these increases in
Fairfax County public schools are
student enrollment, more than 33
expected to be usable for 20 to 25
percent of schools are over capacity.
years following completion of
These trends of growth are inconsistent construction. Today, the FCPS
across the county and continue to renovation cycle is 37 years. The
present a facilities capacity challenge. School Board is committed to
reducing the school renovation cycle
The CIP currently contemplates to 25 years or less. Renovations can
using bond proceeds to fnance costs extend the useful life of the school
related to the planning and design building another 20 to 25 years.
of renovations at Bren Mar Park Renovations also help to relieve
Elementary School (ES), Brookfeld overcrowding by providing additional
ES, Lees Corner ES, Armstrong ES, classrooms and spaces for required
Willow Springs ES, Herndon ES, small group and specialized
Dranesville ES, and Centreville High instruction. Schools are renovated
School (HS). The CIP further in a sequence determined by
contemplates using bond proceeds published rankings of priority need.
to fnance costs related to the These priorities are established by
construction of renovations at independent professional assessments
Wakefeld Forest ES, Louise Archer of each school’s physical condition.
ES, Crossfeld ES, Mosaic ES
(formerly Mosby Woods ES), Bonnie Examples of the other completed
Brae ES, and Falls Church HS. renovation improvements include:
upgrading basic systems such as
heating, air conditioning, lighting,
◗ WHY RENOVATE OUR SCHOOLS? and plumbing; remodeling libraries;
The School Board is committed to upgrading science and technology
protecting the community’s investment laboratories; refurbishing general
in schools and other buildings, which classrooms; upgrading wiring for
have a combined present value multimedia devices; and providing
approaching $6.5 billion. upgraded furnishings and
equipment.
Not only do these facilities wear out
over time, but they also become
6◗ WHY INCLUDE FUNDING ◗ HOW WILL PASSAGE AFFECT
FOR PLANNING AND DESIGN? YOUR TAX RATE?
The current CIP contemplates using If approved, the bonds will be
bond funding to provide planning and sold when needed to meet cash
design money for seven elementary requirements for current and future
schools and one high school CIP projects. To ensure that Fairfax
renovation. Dedicating funds for County’s coveted triple-A bond
project planning into one bond issue ratings are not jeopardized,
and actual construction money into the Board of Supervisors’ fnancial
a later bond issue allows timely guidelines provide that the annual
implementation of the projects cost of the county’s debt service
without committing the county’s (principal and interest payments)
bonding authority for construction be no greater than 10 percent of
costs earlier than necessary. Some annual combined general fund
projects need additional time for land disbursements.
acquisition, while other projects may
require complicated construction The Board of Supervisors also
designs and government approval maintains the county’s net long-term
procedures. With preplanning, debt at, or below, 3 percent of the
such complicated projects can total market value of taxable property
be completed earlier than they in the county. If debt service costs
otherwise would have had planning do not increase signifcantly as a
and construction been authorized percentage of combined general fund
concurrently. disbursements, the county’s bonded
debt is not likely to be a contributing
factor to any increase in local taxes.
◗ ARE THERE OTHER
REQUIREMENTS?
The cost of providing staff members
to establish the projects’ design
criteria, manage the projects, and
maintain quality control over
contractor work on all projects
funded by this bond proposal is
included in the contractor’s bonded
costs. The estimated expense to
underwrite and issue bonds is
refected in the bond referendum
total as well.
7Election Day is Tuesday, November 2, 2021
A school bond referendum will be on the general election ballot
Tuesday, November 2, 2021. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For more information about registering or voting, call
703-222-0776 or go online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/eb
To fnd out more about the bond referendum, visit the Fairfax County
Public Schools website at www.fcps.edu and search for “Bond 2021”
FAIRFAX COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD
Stella Pekarsky Rachna Sizemore Heizer Karen Keys-Gamarra
Chair Vice-Chair Member-at-Large
Sully District Member-at-Large
Abrar Omeish Megan McLaughlin Elaine Tholen
Member-at-Large Braddock District Dranesville District
Melanie K. Meren Tamara Derenak Kaufax Ricardy Anderson
Hunter Mill District Lee District Mason District
Karen Corbett Sanders Karl Frisch Laura Jane Cohen
Mount Vernon District Providence District Springfield District
Pranav Choudhary
Student Representative
FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Scott S. Brabrand, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
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Fairfax County
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ENGAGE • INSPIRE • THRIVE
BondReferendumFacts
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