Fairfax County voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to add a 1% sales tax to fund school construction and, potentially, public transit.

The referendum is one of 47 across Virginia, WTOP reported. Early voting opens Sept. 18 and runs through Oct. 31. Voters may also cast ballots by mail, with an absentee request deadline of 5 p.m. Oct. 23.

For Fairfax County Public Schools, the stakes are concrete. The district operates on a 42-year school renovation cycle, nearly double its 25-year target, according to school board records. FCPS faces a $400 million deferred maintenance backlog covering HVAC replacements, roof renewals, athletic field upgrades and security improvements.

The Fairfax County School Board voted 11-0 on July 9 to formally support placing the referendum on the ballot and urged the Board of Supervisors to evaluate its potential benefits.

School board member Karl Frisch said at a July school board meeting that the board "confronts aging buildings, deferred maintenance, rising construction costs and the growing gap between what our students deserve and what our capital funding can support …" He called on members to think creatively about meeting those challenges while protecting the county's AAA bond rating.

Northern Virginia's transit wrinkle

Unlike the rest of Virginia, Northern Virginia localities can use the sales tax revenue for public transit, including Metro. Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed that authority into law as part of the state's biennial budget on June 29, FFXnow reported.

The dual-use option has drawn criticism. Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay said at the Northern Virginia Regional Elected Leaders Summit on Aug. 26 that the provision pits two essential needs against each other, according to Patch. "We need a sustainable, proper answer for Metro divorced from the 1-cent sales tax that's meant to go toward education capital in Virginia," McKay said at the summit.

McKay had also pushed back in July, telling WTOP that it was "not the right time." He cited rising costs for families and said the idea needed public vetting before any rush to the ballot.

Whether the Fairfax ballot question covers schools alone, transit alone or both is not confirmed in public records reviewed for this article. McKay's current position on the measure as it appears on the ballot is also unclear.

History of failed referendums

Fairfax County's last three referendums seeking additional school funding all failed, Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn noted at a July 2 Northern Virginia Transportation Commission meeting. If approved, the 1% increase would raise the county's combined sales tax rate on non-food purchases from 6% to 7%.

Statewide, previous attempts to expand the sales tax authority either stalled in the General Assembly or were vetoed by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who cited concerns about adding to Virginians' tax burden. Nine localities that gained the authority earlier have collected about $119 million combined, according to the Virginia Mercury.

What's next

The Virginia Board of Education approved $577 million in school construction grants statewide on Aug. 28. The Commission on School and Modernization reconvenes Tuesday, Sept. 8, after a four-year hiatus, with new legislation requiring it to meet at least four times a year.

Election Day is Nov. 3. Fairfax County residents can register to vote or check their registration at the county's Office of Elections.