FOIA Fees: Fairfax County Public Schools

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is Virginia's largest school district, serving roughly 180,000 students. But its size makes it more than just a local story — how FCPS spends taxpayer money is a data point for how other large, mostly unmonitored districts across the country may be spending theirs. If a district this size can grow its administrative ranks and expenses with so little public scrutiny, it's worth asking what's happening in districts that get even less attention.

FCPS is charging excessive fees for Freedom of Information Act requests — access to information that, by law and by right, belongs to the district's taxpayers in the first place.

I've submitted multiple FOIA requests for basic public records: administrator salaries, conference expenses, travel costs, Title IX referrals, and program enrollment data. The fees have been steep:

1. 9/11/26 — 2 email inboxes, 2 search terms, from July–September 2026: $140
2. 8/31/26 — Salaries of non-school-based administrators FY2027: $70
3. 8/6/26 — 5 email inboxes, 4 search terms, from May–August 2026: $105
4. 8/6/26 — FCPS expenses from travel occurring 6/20–7/10/26: $245
5. 7/23/26 — Men of Color in Educational Leadership Conference expenses: $350
6. 6/19/26 — Principal separation data – FY2019–FY2026: $140
7. 6/5/26 — McGuireWoods contract for groping investigation: withheld
8. 5/1/26 — Expense for district-funded PhD program at George Mason: $490
9. 4/20/26 — Skyview High School expenses: $455
10. 3/18/26 — FCPS Title IX referrals – 2022–2026: $105
11. 1/20/26 — Salaries of non-school-based administrators FY2026: $105
12. 1/8/26 — Expenses from International Teachers' Program: $105
13. 7/25/25 — Number of FCPS seniors enrolled in Edmentum, 2021–2025: $1,400
14. 7/18/25 — Mandatory teacher training lessons, 2024–2025 and 2025–2026: $560
15. 7/14/25 — FCPS legal fees FY2019–FY2025: $70
16. 3/12/25 — Number of E1Q and E1R students at Fairfax Adult High, 2019–2024: $105
17. 2/28/25 — Administrators' travel expenses – Houston and Orlando (2023): $210
18. 8/5/24 — Number of ELLs, E1Qs, and E1Rs in failing high schools, 2019–2024: $105
19. 3/16/23 — My son's 8th grade SEL curriculum (school sent to FOIA Office): $280

These fees are barriers to transparency. I publish the information I obtain through these requests for the public benefit — so that parents, taxpayers, and other journalists and researchers have access to the same records I do, without having to pay the same tolls twice. I'm raising funds to cover the cost of pursuing these requests. Taxpayers deserve access to how their schools spend money and make decisions — and that access shouldn't come with a price tag steep enough to discourage anyone from asking. Your support would help make that access possible.

Selected Publications

(listed newest to oldest)

1. "Fairfax County School Board Issues." WMAL/Salem News, September 17, 2026. https://salemnewschannel.com/watch/stephanie-lundquist-arora-on-fairfax-county-school-board-issues-6aabeb1ea3ac670ddc1e73fb
2. "FCPS School Board Testimony on Transparency and Administrative Spending Problems." September 10, 2026. https://x.com/IWF/status/2098192440096170384
3. "This Virginia District Spent Nearly $26,000 Sending Senior Administrators to a DEI Conference Amid Budget Shortfall." IW Features, September 9, 2026. https://www.iwfeatures.com/reports/this-virginia-district-spent-nearly-26000-sending-senior-administrators-to-a-dei-conference-amid-budget-shortfall/
4. "Why Is Virginia's Largest Public School District Spending So Much on Lawyers?" Daily Signal, July 28, 2026. https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/28/lawyers-virginia-public-school-district/
5. "Fairfax School District Prioritizes 'Green Initiatives' Over Academic Proficiency." Daily Signal, June 1, 2026. https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/06/01/fairfax-school-district-green/
6. "Fairfax Schools Fund PhDs for Highly Paid Administrators as Teacher Positions Cut, Class Sizes Raised." Daily Signal, May 4, 2026. https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/05/04/fairfax-phds-top-administrators/
7. "Fairfax County Buys a School It Does Not Need." Washington Times, May 4, 2026. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/may/4/fairfax-county-buys-school-not-need/
8. "Fairfax High School Fails to File Title IX Complaints Regarding Sexual Assaults By Illegal Immigrant." IW Features, April 23, 2026. https://www.iwfeatures.com/commentary/fairfax-high-school-fails-to-file-title-ix-complaints-regarding-sexual-assaults-by-illegal-immigrant/
9. "Fairfax County's International Teachers: Staffing Solution or DEI Mandate?" WJLA (by John Barr, featuring Lundquist-Arora), April 13, 2026. https://wjla.com/features/i-team/fairfax-countys-international-teachers-staffing-solution-dei-mandate
10. "Fairfax Schools Stonewall Title IX Data While Girls' Assault Claims Go Unanswered." IW Features, April 13, 2026. https://www.iwfeatures.com/commentary/fairfax-schools-stonewall-title-ix-data-while-girls-assault-claims-go-unanswered/
11. "FCPS Set to Cut Teachers, Promote Administrators in FY2027." EdNews Virginia, March 9, 2026. https://ednewsva.org/fcps-set-to-cut-teachers-promote-central-administrators-in-fy2027/
12. "Fairfax County's International Teachers Hiring Program Is Disenfranchising Americans." IW Features, February 27, 2026. https://www.iwfeatures.com/reports/fairfax-countys-international-teachers-hiring-program-is-disenfranchising-americans/
13. "ANALYSIS: Fairfax County School Board's Bloated Staff." WMAL, February 16, 2026. https://www.wmal.com/2026/02/16/fairfax-county-school-boards-bloated-staff
14. "The Hidden Costs of Sanctuary Policy: Fairfax County Adult High School Is an Expensive Taxpayer-Funded English Language Learning Program for Illegal Immigrants." IW Features, April 4, 2025. https://www.iwfeatures.com/reports/the-hidden-costs-of-sanctuary-policy-fairfax-county-adult-high-school-is-an-expensive-taxpayer-funded-english-language-learning-program-for-illegal-immigrants/
15. "Throwing Money at America's K–12 Public Education Catastrophe Is Not Helping." National Review, February 3, 2025. https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/02/throwing-money-at-americas-k-12-public-education-catastrophe-is-not-helping/
16. "Fairfax County Public Schools Are Provably Declining, and More Money Isn't Helping." Washington Examiner, September 22, 2024. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/community-family/3161601/fairfax-county-public-schools-provably-declining-more-money-isnt-helping/
17. "Is Fairfax County's FOIA Office Charging High Fees to Keep Secrets?" Washington Examiner, August 14, 2024. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/community-family/3120015/is-fairfax-countys-foia-office-charging-high-fees-to-keep-secrets/
18. "Some Fairfax County High Schools Are Likely to Lose Accreditation Under Virginia's New Standards." Washington Examiner, August 6, 2024. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/community-family/3110860/fairfax-county-high-schools-likely-lose-accreditation-under-virginias-standards/
19. "Fairfax Public Schools Violate Executive Orders By Hiding 'White Guilt' Lesson Plans From Parents." The Federalist, March 23, 2023. https://thefederalist.com/2023/03/23/fairfax-public-schools-violate-executive-orders-by-hiding-white-guilt-lesson-plans-from-parents/