The Fairfax County School Board has approved a resolution to request that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors place a school bond referendum for $250,000,000 on the ballot for the November 2013 general election.

The referendum will provide construction funds for two new elementary schools (one in the Bailey’s Crossroads area and one in the Route 1 area), one elementary school addition, nine elementary school renovations, one middle school renovation, and one high school renovation; site acquisition funds for one new high school in the southwest part of the county; and infrastructure management funds.

Funds from the 2013 bond referendum are identified in the FY 2014-18 capital improvement program, which estimates enrollment increases of more than 15,000 students by the 2017-18 school year.

Staff members from the FCPS Department of Facilities and Transportation Services have been working with Fairfax County staff members to reconcile unused authority from multiple bond referendums over an extended period of time, an exercise that is performed periodically for all local government entities that use bond funds. It will reflect cumulative project savings over time, allowing the school district to request less bonding authority for projects currently identified for funding. The reconciliation does not alter the current annual cash flow allowance of $155 million from the county. The cost of the FY 2014-18 CIP over five years is $871.2 million.