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.
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