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If it wasn’t bad enough that FCPS is spending over $200 million on an unnecessary new high school in the face of declining enrollment, it’s equally disappointing to look at what FCPS is not doing when it comes to renovating and maintaining existing schools, including Centreville High School (CVHS). If you missed my last newsletter on the new western high school, you can read it here.
Below I’ll share the details on two issues that FCPS has failed to address that will affect your taxes and schools: 1) how the FCPS Capital Improvement Program (CIP), including plans to renovate schools like CVHS, is completely out of touch with reality because of the acquisition of the new western high school, and 2) how FCPS has ignored addressing the issue of CVHS being out of compliance with County zoning regulations since 2018, despite the repeated assistance of County staff and the mounting cost to taxpayers with every delay.
The Botched CIP and a Bleak Economic Forecast
FCPS’s move to open a $200+ million western high school has completely botched its CIP, including planned school renovations. The current FCPS CIP set the limit for general obligation bond spending at $230 million, of which FCPS recently committed well over 65 percent to open a high school we don’t need, pushing all other planned renovations into limbo.
In my last newsletter, I shared with you how the FCPS School Board purchased the new western high school using $150 million in general obligation bonds and will need to commit at least another $50-65+ million to make the “turnkey-ready” school ready for students. They made this decision despite a significant decline in enrollment and a projected capacity of 1,500 open seats across six western high schools by 2030 without opening a new high school. They also made the decision without consideration for how it would hamstring FCPS when it comes to renovating and maintaining our existing schools.
Centreville High School (CVHS) is just one of the many schools affected. It was added to the renovation queue in 2009 and finally received funding for planning and design in 2021. According to the FCPS CIP, the CVHS construction should be funded through the most recent 2025 voter-approved bond. Unfortunately, with the unplanned expense of the new western high school, it’s doubtful that the FCPS CIP can accommodate CVHS and other school renovation and construction funding under their current timelines.
The School Board will have to significantly alter its CIP to accommodate the new western high school costs and do so within the context of an already bleak budget forecast. According to the most recent School Board budget work session, FCPS is projecting a shortfall of $180.6 million despite declining enrollment.
School too Big, Land too Small: Centreville High School’s Zoning Violation
Even if the School Board found a way to fund the planned construction of CVHS, it would need to first address the school’s ongoing violation of the County’s Zoning Ordinance. In 2018, FCPS failed to renew a lease with the Fairfax County Park Authority for adjacent land in Braddock Park. As a result, FCPS is in violation of the Zoning Ordinance as CVHS is too dense for what is allowed for its land area in the Residential-Conservation District. Most disappointing is that once it was discovered, FCPS has demonstrated no urgency to resolve the violation.
For two years, the School Board has had the full support of County staff to make one of two decisions to solve this issue: 1) pursue a zoning amendment to allow additional density at a public facility in the Residential-Conservation District (R-C) or 2) fulfill the density requirements of the Zoning Ordinance by coming to a new agreement with the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) for land at Braddock Park. The School Board has done neither, delaying any solution while CVHS remains out of compliance and the cost of construction for CVHS renovations continues to increase.
Here is a condensed timeline of this complicated issue for context:
1988 – The Fairfax County School Board (FCSB) and the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) entered into a 30-year lease agreement in 1988 (“1988 Lease”) whereby 45 acres of Braddock Park would be leased to FCSB to fulfill the density requirements to build Centreville High School. In return, FCSB would lease sites at Spring Hill and Lawyers Road to FCPA.
2006 - The FCSB conveyed both the Spring Hill and Lawyers Road sites to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (BOS).
2011 - FCPA acquired the Spring Hill Site from the BOS. The 1988 lease was amended to agree that regardless of the ownership status of the Spring Hill and Lawyers Road site, the FCSB retained the lease on the Braddock Road site and thus remained in compliance with zoning throughout the lease term until it expired in 2018.
2018 - The 1988 agreement lapsed in 2018, resulting in CVHS falling out of compliance with the County’s Zoning Ordinance with CVHS having too much density for the Residential Conservation District without the leased land in Braddock Park.
2023 – FCPS works with the FCPA to try to develop a new agreement to replace the 1988 lease.
2024 – FCPS and the FCPA continue having meetings concerning the original lease. Hearing about the impasse, I started meeting with Sully District Supervisor Smith, the County Executive, FCPS staff, the Superintendent and School Board members to help find a solution. FCPS sends a letter to the FCPA asking it to renew the lease of Braddock Park for 99 years at no additional cost. Since the FCPA is legally obligated to receive fair market value in exchange for any parkland, the FCPA responded that it was unable to comply with the FCPS request for no cost. The FCPA alternatively offered to swap an extended lease at Braddock Park with one at Cub Run Recreation Center, currently leased from FCPS to the FCPA. The School Board rejected this option. Their stated reasoning being that the Cub Run Rec Center site was worth more than Braddock Park.
April 2025 – After additional meetings, it was determined that FCPS would pursue a third-party appraisal of the fair market value of the land needed at Braddock Park and a new lease that would bring CVHS into compliance, and allow for renovation and potential expansion. In addition, the County would pursue a Zoning Ordinance amendment for other schools in areas zoned R-C zoning district, but not for CVHS, recognizing that an amendment for CVHS would be well outside of FCPS’ renovation timeline.
June 2025 – The Board of Supervisors approves adding considerations for school density in the R-C district to the Zoning Ordinance Work Program to look at addressing any future school development in the R-C district. Due to the sensitivity of land use changes in the R-C district, this will be a long process lasting at least 18 months from inception.
August 2025 – FCPS received the third-party appraisal from the FCPA. Unhappy with the appraisal, FCPS had the appraiser revisit the appraisal twice.
October 2025 – After reaching out for several months, County staff finally heard back from FCPS staff that they planned to pursue the lengthy zoning amendment process for CVHS after all. Unfortunately, this significantly delays the CVHS renovation and fails to address their continued non-compliance with the zoning ordinance.
Now, the School Board is blaming the delayed renovations on the length of the County’s zoning process. Although I am a vocal advocate for streamlining the County’s development processes, this process has not changed in years. County staff have repeatedly reached out to FCPS to check on the status of CVHS coming into compliance and to offer assistance. Many times, they have been met with silence from FCPS. After two years, there is no excuse for FCPS’s lack of planning and its continued noncompliance with the Zoning Ordinance.
Further, the zoning amendment that FCPS wants would allow for additional school density in the down-zoned areas of the County. This is highly controversial given that an exception like this in the Zoning Ordinance could lead to a flood of other entities wanting similar exceptions. Historically, the County has limited development in the R-C district to protect our natural resources, especially the Occoquan Watershed that sources our drinking water.
While the County is not likely to shut down a school for being out of compliance with the Zoning Ordinance, it is legally obligated to require zoning compliance for all buildings in the County, regardless of whether they are publicly or privately owned.
I share this consolidated timeline with you to emphasize the wasted time, wasted resources, and lack of planning by FCPS. Even if FCPS received funding for CVHS today, it would be unable to use those funds for construction because, to date, the School Board has opted against the easy solution of a lease for Braddock Park and instead delayed taking any action in hopes of a costless solution to this problem that is the result of its own inaction over the last seven years. The collateral damage will be taxpayers’ bills going up and CVHS students experiencing unaddressed overcrowding. By its own projections, by the time FCPS actually addresses this issue, CVHS may only be a few years away from not needing the additional capacity due to projected enrollment decline.
Despite two years of my personal communication with the Superintendent, School Board members and our high-priced FCPS administrators on these issues, I am frustrated at the lack of direction, response, and community engagement on this issue to date.
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