A City of Fairfax School Board member said Monday that the City will press for a discussion about modernizing the School Services Agreement with Fairfax County at an upcoming board-to-board meeting, and asked staff to provide the county board with the SSA and the itemized tuition documents in advance.

The board member said the agreement, signed in 1978, predates many modern educational programs and services and has left unclear who pays for some operational costs. “I would like to in some way, shape, or form, talk about modernizing the SSA,” the board member said during the Oct. 20 work session. The board member later said the contract was signed in 1978 and that the first official tuition bill arrived after the contract was signed.

Board members said the goal for the joint meeting is to open a conversation with Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) rather than to take immediate legal or contractual action. The City will request that the SSA and the tuition bill be circulated to county board members ahead of the meeting so county members can review them in advance, the board member said. “They should review the documents before the meeting,” the board member added.

City officials stressed the limited bargaining position created by the original contract. The board member noted that the City “signed a contract that has no termination date” and that the record shows earlier concerns about some percentages and allocations in the agreement. Historical references made during the discussion named Janice Miller as a board member who opposed the SSA in 1978.

Staff and board members discussed how to frame the topic to avoid an adversarial opening. The City’s presentation, they said, should focus on specific components that the City considers outdated — items such as classroom rental charges, debt-service allocations, and the tuition formula — and present them as points for joint review rather than immediate demand for change. “Almost wanna present it to them in some ways, not as, like…attack,” the board member said, urging a tone that invites collaboration.

The board agreed to ask staff to collect and circulate the SSA and all related tuition billing documents. One board member asked Barb (a City staff member present at the work session) to send “the SSA and all the amendments that are out there so that we have a complete set of everything.” Barb replied that no amendments exist and that there are attachments but not formal amendments.

The board also discussed possible next steps if the county resists giving the requested detail, including legal options to compel financial itemization. The board member said the financial office in Fairfax County is not the source for contract terms and that, if the county refuses to clarify the itemized bill, the City could seek the information through counsel.

Board members noted the political reality that many county board members represent magisterial districts that do not encompass the City, so the City constitutes a small percentage of FCPS enrollment and budget. The board member observed that the City’s student population is a rounding error in the county budget while cautioning that some board members would still care about the SSA’s fairness.

The board directed staff to prepare materials and suggested holding a prior work session to identify specific SSA components the City wants to highlight at the joint meeting.