School Services Agreementin progress
Status set at the Joint COF/FCPS School Board Meeting on Dec 16, 2025
The School Services Agreement (SSA) is a longstanding contract between the City of Fairfax Schools (COF) and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) that governs the provision of educational services to City students attending FCPS-operated schools, including Daniels Run, Providence, Catherine Johnson, and Fairfax High School.
Originally established in 1962 and revised in 1978, the SSA has remained in place since then without further formal amendment. The agreement structures the annual tuition bill that COF pays to FCPS, with Average Daily Membership (ADM) — finalized at the end of March each year — serving as the primary enrollment-based driver of that calculation, alongside FCPS operational costs, proportional enrollment, grade-level distribution, classroom rental adjustments, and year-end true-ups. The SSA was presented as background at a joint work session in December 2024, discussed as a budget cost driver in the FY2027 budget presentations of January and March 2026, and reviewed in detail with FCPS's CFO and Executive Budget Director at the September 2026 school board meeting.
At a joint COF/FCPS board meeting in December 2025, the two boards held a high-level discussion about a possible board-to-board amendment to update outdated language in the SSA, but no formal request to open the agreement was made at that time.
Still open
- No formal request to open the SSA for amendment has been made as of the December 2025 joint meeting — it remains unresolved whether either board will initiate the amendment process, and if so, on what timeline.
- A board member raised at the September 2026 meeting whether there are other agreements or contracts (beyond the SSA) that have gone unmodified for 20-plus years, and this was flagged as a question warranting further research/follow-up.
What members have said
- Chair Pitches
At the December 2025 joint COF/FCPS board meeting, Chair Pitches explained the amendment process and timelines involved for a potential board-to-board amendment to the SSA. At the March 2026 meeting, Pitches introduced the FCPS CFO and Executive Budget Director who presented the annual tuition bill under the SSA.
- Vice Chair Hickman
At the September 2026 meeting, Vice Chair Hickman asked whether there are any other agreements or contracts — beyond the SSA — that have gone more than 20 years without modification, noting this might also be worth researching via email.
Positions as recorded in meeting minutes; votes without recorded comment aren’t summarized.
Discussion time
councilcommissionMinutes of named discussion per transcribed meeting, Sep 9, 2024 onward.
History
Filled dots are actions on this topic; open dots are mentions.
- Dec 17, 2024School Board · item 1.07County Presentation
[1.07] FCPS presented background on the School Services Agreement and the relationship between the two boards. [1.08] The City of Fairfax SB presented background on the School Services Agreement as part of its presentation to the joint work session.
- School Services Agreement Discussion
[1.03] Boards discussed the possibility of a board-to-board amendment to update outdated language in the SSA; no formal request to open the agreement was made at this meeting.
- Jan 5, 2026School Board · item 2.03Superintendent's Proposed FY2027 Budget Presentation
[2.03] The School Services Agreement was discussed as part of the FY2027 budget presentation, covering its relationship to tuition billing and ADM.
Discussed alongside
Topics that come up in the same meetings.