Government Relations serves as a liaison between FCPS and state and national policymakers, including the Virginia General Assembly and the Virginia State Board of Education, in order to achieve the legislative goals of the School Board and promote the positive leadership of the school division regarding education policy and financing.

Government Relations both monitors and participates in ongoing legislative and policy debates at the state and federal level based primarily on the School Board’s Legislative program via regular communication with the School Board, FCPS staff, state, federal, and local officials, other school divisions, and other education-related organizations. This input focuses on the potential impact of state and federal decisions on FCPS students, staff, and the community at large and how the decisions may impact the larger mission of the school division. Staff members regularly attend and monitor relevant legislative and policy events, which include travel to Richmond and Capitol Hill, as well as the maintenance of a full-time presence in Richmond during the annual session of the Virginia General Assembly.

Virginia General Assembly

The Virginia General Assembly dates from the establishment of the House of Burgesses at Jamestown in 1619 and is heralded as the "oldest continuous law-making body in the New World." The General Assembly's chief responsibilities are to represent citizens in the formulation of public policy, enact laws of the Commonwealth, approve the budget, levy taxes, elect judges, and confirm appointments by the governor.

The General Assembly meets once a year for a regular session, starting on the second Wednesday in January. In even-numbered years, sessions are scheduled to last 60 days. In odd-numbered years, sessions are scheduled to last 45 days.

The 2026 Virginia General Assembly Regular Session convened on January 14, 2026 for a scheduled 60-day legislative session. Legislation adopted during the 2026 Session and signed by the Governor will go into effect on July 1, 2026, unless otherwise specified in the legislation itself.

Learn more about the Virginia General Assembly

School Board State and Federal Legislative Program

The School Board annually adopts a legislative program to communicate its positions on key state and federal policy issues.   The legislative program highlights the issue areas the Board has deemed as "priorities" and includes a position jointly held with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

Learn more about the School Board State and Federal Legislative Program

Virginia Board of Education 

The Constitution of Virginia empowers the Virginia Board of Education with the general supervision of the public school system. This includes responsibility for (subject to General Assembly approval) the major regulations governing public education in Virginia, such as the Standards of Quality, the Standards of Accreditation, the Standards of Learning, and teacher licensure regulations.

The Virginia Board of Education typically meets eight times a year (January, March, April, June, July, September, October, and November).

Learn more about the Virginia Board of Education

Virginia Elected Officials and Fairfax Delegation

Fifteen members of the House of Delegates (out of a total of 100) and seven members of the Senate of Virginia (out of a total of 40) represent Fairfax County either in whole or in part in the General Assembly.

Learn more about your legislators in Fairfax and Virginia

Federal Elected Officials and Fairfax Delegation

There are two U.S. Senators and three U.S. House of Representative members that represent Fairfax County.

Learn more about the legislators that represent you at Capitol Hill