Fairfax County Schools: $52,000,000 MILLION DOLLARS on Administrative Overload

by Stephanie Lundquist-Arora

This page has been republished with permission.

Julie Perry, who teaches high school history in Fairfax County Public Schools, told IW Features she spends thousands each year on school supplies, classroom necessities, and decorations for her students. Perry is running for U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. She argues that “Education Leaders across the nation are not properly spending the money they receive from federal, state and local tax dollars.”

Perry went on to say that “they spend the money for administrative waste, DEI curricula which do not improve student learning and expensive lawyers at white shoe law firms.” “They have to defend themselves constantly against lawsuits, because they continue to break the law.”

Perry is correct on every count. Fairfax County has spent over $52 million in legal expenses between 2020 and now, according to an FOIA request by IW Features.

Fiscal year	Legal fees
FY 2020	$6,401,077.94
FY 2021	$5,066,049.47
FY 2022	$6,312,989.17
FY 2023	$6,925,475.29
FY 2024	$11,619,332.03
FY 2025	$7,656,968.09
FY 2026 (July-Dec 2025)	$8,047,874.69
Total	$52,029,766.68

Perry is not alone in his frustration with the out-of control spending and dysfunctional school priorities of Virginia’s largest public schools district. Debra Tisler was a special education teacher at FCPS when the Gatehouse Administration Center opened in 2002. She was shocked that the district leaders spent millions on a high-tech administration building, while she was still spending her money on toilet paper and school supplies for her classroom bathroom.

The county has also invested millions to build the new Willow Oaks Administrative Center. This center is equipped with car vacuums, EV chargers, and other amenities for administrators.

Tisler, IW features, said: “Teachers like me bought their own supplies and endured toilet-paper rationing. They also managed incompetent decisions by upper management.” “Despite the administrative over-stuffing, student literacy results have not improved. This reveals a system which has drifted away from its core education mission.”

Fairfax County’s district administrators have seen their salaries and job titles increase beyond recognition. IW features discovered from a FOIA Request that FCPS employs 1,572 administrators in district offices with salaries of more than $187,000,000 for the academic year 2025-2026. To make matters worse, 44 administrators earn more than $200,000. In the table below, you can also find a list of other district administrators who are among the highest-paid.

Fairfax County Public Schools Senior Leadership’s 200K+ Club

Name	Position	Salary
Michelle Reid	Division Superintendent	$445,353
Haynie, Suzanne E	Assistant Division Counsel	$208,140
Jones, Franklin C	Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources	$237,976
Resendiz, Pablo	Assistant Superintendent of Region	$228,735
Lonnett, Raymond	Assistant Superintendent of Region	$233,309
Vroman, Megan R	Assistant Superintendent of Region	$228,735
Choice, Jameile	Assistant Superintendent of Region	$233,309
Baenig, Rebecca G	Assistant Superintendent of Region	$233,309
Boyd, Michelle	Assistant Superintendent of Region	$237,976
Kneale Marcy G	Assistant Superintendent, Strategy, Planning, & Learning	$233,309
Ko, Yee-Chung	Auditor General	$257,593
King, Nardos E	Chief Equity Officer	$272,867
Hall, Lisa Y	Chief Experience and Engagement Officer	$268,000
Burden, Edwina L	Chief Financial Officer	$289,565
Solomon, William S	Chief Human Resources Officer	$278,323
Gordon, Erik T	Chief of Facilities Services & Capital Programs	$272,867
Ponce, Geovanny J	Chief of Schools	$289,565
Smith, Marty K	Chief of Staff	$306,154
Mueck, Andrew B	Chief Operating Officer	$272,867
Lambert, Brian S	Chief Safety & security Officer	$272,867
Kennedy, Ellen D	Assistant Division Counsel	$207,297
Edmonds, Lisa L	Director IV, Benefits	$207,298
Ajrawat, Seema	Director IV, Comptroller	$204,234
Russell, Melissa O	Director IV Payroll Management	$204,234
Foster, John E	Division Counsel	$276,061
Wigington Alice D	Budget Services Executive Director	$226,668
Visioli, Elizabeth L	Director of Communications	$226,668
Morgan, Ryan W	Executive Director of Safety & Security	$226,668
Bonitatibus, Ann N	Executive Director of Talent Acquisition & Management	$226,668
Trout and Lindsay	Executive Principal	$213,563
Menuey, Brendan P	Executive Principal	$207,297
Barnes, Margaret F	Executive Principal	$207,297
Kraft Jesse	Executive Principal	$213,563
Bynum, Ingrid	Executive Principal	$213,563
Erbrecht, Adam W	Executive Principal	$226,668
Greer, Kimberly P	Executive Principal	$223,318
Stokes, Gordon K	Executive Principal	$207,297
Lehman R. Chad	Executive Principal	$223,318
Rogers, Jovon F	Executive Principal	$226,668
Cage, April	Executive Principal	$210,407
Presidio Sloan J	Chief Academic Officer	$272,867
Huffman, Bettrys J	Executive Director, Student Assessment, Research & Accountability	$216,766
Hewan, Tara P	Equity & Student Relations Executive Director	$210,407
Jerauld, Stephanie A	Executive Director of School Improvement	$204,234

Source for FOIA Request

Michelle Reid, division superintendent and ironically famous for her commitment to equity, earns a salary of $445.353. Marty Smith, her chief of staff, will earn $306,154 in this academic year.

The district’s outrageously high salaries for administrative staff are in stark contrast to the $61,747 annual starting salary of FCPS teachers, who are responsible for educating students every day.

Nardos king, FCPS’s Chief Equality Officer, earns $272.867 per year. It’s hard to miss the message: I get equity in my pay, but you don’t.

FCPS is spending $187 million this year on district-level managers after removing 275 teaching jobs in fiscal year 2026. These trade-offs could be justified if they produced outstanding academic results. They are not. FCPS students have a higher failure rate than students from Loudoun County Public Schools in failing the Standards of Learning Assessments (SOL). The table below shows these failure rates.

Failure rate of FCPS SOLs for 2024-2025

Subject	FCPS Failing Rate	Failure Rate of LCPS	Virginia Failure Rate
English Reading	21%	18%	26%
English Writing	84%	10%	24%
The following are some of the most effective ways to learn more about Math	22%	18%	28%
Science	25%	20%	29%
History	58%	14%	34%

Source: Virginia Department of Education

Taxpayers must demand accountability from FCPS as they hold a hearing on their proposed budget of $4.1 billion for fiscal year 2027, a $197-million (5%) increase over the fiscal year 2020. They should also insist that an independent audit be conducted to curb the out-of control and self-serving expenditures by the FCPS leadership. While district administrators earn exorbitant salaries and teachers have to pay for classroom supplies themselves, the district continues cutting teaching positions and reducing student funding.

Stephanie Lundquist Arora is a Northern Virginia-based writer.