On Nov. 8, residents of Fairfax County will go to the polls to vote on whether or not FCPS should receive a bond referendum totaling $252,750,000.

The bond is being put to a vote because the bond referendum will be paid off by future taxpayers. This will fund school renovation projects across the county. FCPS has a “queue,” or a list of schools who are waiting for renovations on a need basis.

Mason District School Board member Sandy Evans believes that the bond should be approved by the voters for a number of reasons. Despite the difficult economic times, she believes the bond is practical in this economy.

“Because both construction costs and interest rates are down, we are able to do more with less these days and get through the renovation “queue” faster. This is the silver lining in otherwise terrible economic news,” Evans said.

Elementary school renovation would total $97,744,389, middle school renovation would total $46,468,958, and high school renovation would total $96,255,065. Notably, the school that would receive the most money is Thomas Jefferson HS, which is set to receive an $85,625,065 renovation. Some of the money on the bond would also go to infrastructure management county-wide, which includes technology upgrades, roof replacement, security enhancements and athletic infrastructure. AHS would not receive any of the money from the bond.

Schools were selection for renovations by the school board, facilities staff and the community to create a five-year capital improvement plan (CIP). The plan looked at growth rates at schools, the increased need for temporary classrooms, demographic characteristics and a few other factors to determine what schools would receive money from the bond. Every five years, a new queue is determined.

At-Large school board member Ilryong Moon agrees with Evans in the current economic benefit of voting for the bond.

“Like a homeowner uses a mortgage to pay for a house with small payments made over a long period of time, a bond allows the school system to distribute the costs of infrastructure projects over a span of years, allowing current and future county residents—the users and beneficiaries of our schools—to chip into the effort,” Moon said. “Also, due to low interest rates and depressed construction costs resulting from the recession, we have a great opportunity to maximize the effect of our money by acting now.”

Braddock district school board member Tessie Wilson also believes that people should vote for the bond, citing how AHS has benefited by them in the past.

“The bond is the only way the school system can pay for renovations and capacity enhancement to our schools. Annandale ’s renovation and modular unit were both paid for with bond funds,” Wilson said.