Fairfax County Schools legal bills: $12 Million and counting

by Stephanie Lundquist-Arora

The Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) Superintendent Michelle Reid , announced on March 23 that she was enlisting yet another law firm to “investigate”, the district’s latest scandal – allegations that a 18-year old illegal immigrant had fondled several female students at Fairfax High School. The district’s legal costs are increasing.

Reid claimed that she had retained an “independent outside law firm” to review the matter. However, the contract between the district and McGuireWoods — which authorizes attorneys’ fees up to $1.850 per hour — indicates a less “independent role” than was described.

The contract says: “McGuireWoods has been retained by Client to conduct an attorney-client confidential investigation on allegations of sexual assault and/or harassment of students at Fairfax High School on March 19, 2026.” The investigation was undertaken to provide legal advice to the Client.

According to newly released statistics, even before FCPS signed a contract with McGuireWoods for the firm to “provide legal advice” and not to “conduct an independently investigated,” in the case of the alleged sexual assault at Fairfax High School, February 2026 was the district’s most expensive legal month ever, costing $3.8 million. This brought the total legal expenditure for the fiscal year 2026 up to over $12 million.

King & Spalding accounted for $3.1m of the district’s legal costs in February, and $7.5m so far in this fiscal year. John Foster, the district’s division attorney, signed a agreement with King & Spalding, agreeing to pay up to $1.850 per hour for attorneys to investigate allegations relating to an abortion-related scandal at Centreville high school.

The district retained the firm that represented it before the “independent” investigation had been completed to represent them in a suit brought by a Whistleblower.

Reid’s contract as the superintendent of Virginia’s largest district school began on January 1, 2023. The district’s legal costs have increased significantly since then — they totaled roughly 50% more between fiscal years 2023 and 2025 than the previous three under her predecessor. In a district rife with scandal and battling federal government over boys’ “rights”, to use girls’ locker rooms and bathrooms at school, fiscal 2026 will set a record for highest legal costs in district history.

Fairfax County Public Schools’ reliance on expensive outside legal firms, at a time of repeated controversy, has driven spending to unprecedented heights. Taxpayers are now left to decide whether the escalating legal costs reflect a pattern reactive governance, poor management, and attempts to hide internal failures.

Stephanie Lundquist Arora is the leader of the Independent Women’s Network in Fairfax County. She is also a parent. This column was republished by EdNews Virginia with their permission.