Stephanie Lundquist-Arora | February 17, 2026
(EdNews Virginia) — In 2025, while Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) leaders eliminated 275 teaching positions, school board members voted in a closed meeting to add “staff directors” to the payroll in addition to their existing “staff assistants”. Given that school board members are already supported by district administrative staff, a total of 10 school board–specific staff members would likely be sufficient to assist the 12 part-time board members in carrying out their duties. Instead, the school board currently employs 28 other support staff. Including board members’ earnings, total annual expenditures for board-related salaries — excluding benefits — amount to approximately $3.7 million.
In addition to dedicated school board staff, FCPS employs 1,532 additional district administrators, totaling 1,572 central administrative staff members. The total fiscal year 2026 expenditure for central staff salaries is $187 million. The scale of support staff dedicated to part-time school board members and central administration more broadly is symptomatic of a misalignment of priorities within the district.
School Board Members & Staff (2025-2026)
| Name | Position | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Anderson, Sandra B | School Board Chair | $49,999 |
| Lady, Robyn | School Board Vice Chair | $47,999 |
| Anderson, Ricardy J | School Board Member | $47,999 |
| McElveen, Ryan L | School Board Member | $47,999 |
| Moon, Ilryong | School Board Member | $47,999 |
| McDaniel, Robert K | School Board Member | $47,999 |
| St John-Cunning, Marcia | School Board Member | $47,999 |
| Frisch, Karl V | School Board Member | $47,999 |
| Meren, Melanie K | School Board Member | $47,999 |
| Dixit, Seema | School Board Member | $47,999 |
| Dunne, Mateo O | School Board Member | $47,999 |
| Braddock District TBD | School Board Member | $47,999 |
| Brown, Nelda N | School Board Staff Aide | $133,063 |
| Cuda, Gilman P | School Board Staff Assistant | $79,647 |
| Azar, Tamara C | School Board Staff Assistant | $106,512 |
| Fischer, Liam S | School Board Staff Assistant | $76,954 |
| Chavez, Ana C | School Board Staff Assistant | $90,956 |
| Rubin, Eric D | School Board Staff Assistant | $79,647 |
| Holmes, Maria Esperanza | School Board Staff Assistant | $82,435 |
| Bennett, Caitlin E | School Board Staff Assistant | $85,320 |
| Goodell, Sarah L | School Board Staff Assistant | $106,512 |
| Setlow, Christina K | Clerk to the School Board | $152,291 |
| Ko, Yee Chung | Auditor General | $257,593 |
| Brown, Janet M | Deputy Clerk to the School Board | $96,846 |
| Jackson, Kevin A Jr. | Deputy Clerk to the School Board | $96,846 |
| Sheppard, Tiffany L | Administrative Assistant I | $87,126 |
| Day, Jeremy | Support Tech 1 | $68,214 |
| Wunderlin, Desiree | Support Tech 2 | $76,069 |
| Gipko, Mary E | Director, District Board Operations | $127,612 |
| Park, Sarah K | Director, District Board Operations | $127,612 |
| Flis, Barbara K | Director, District Board Operations | $127,612 |
| Stokes, Laura E | Director, District Board Operations | $127,612 |
| Srinagesh, Divya | Director, District Board Operations | $127,612 |
| Biliter, Wendy M | Director, District Board Operations | $127,612 |
| O’Connor, Jessica N | Director, District Board Operations | $127,612 |
| Harrer, Jacob H | Director, District Board Operations | $127,612 |
| Sedgwick, Stephanie | Director, District Board Operations | $127,612 |
| Sheridan, Stephanie R | Director, District Board Operations | $127,612 |
| Coffey, Cristy | Senior Executive Admin. Asst. | $122,788 |
| TOTAL | $3,652,927 |
Source: Freedom of Information Act
It appears that some of these staff members are not solely focused on performing their official job duties. Complaints have alleged that specific staff members — including Stephanie Sedgwick, Gilman Cuda, Laura Stokes, and Liam Fischer — were involved in outside political activities during work hours. It is critical that public resources are used efficiently and focused on serving students and schools, rather than outside interests during school hours.
These staffing decisions reveal a troubling misalignment of priorities within FCPS leadership. At a time when classrooms are absorbing the impact of eliminated teaching positions and increasing student needs, the school board has expanded its own staffing footprint far beyond what is reasonably required for part-time governance. The scale and cost of board-dedicated personnel — layered on top of an already expansive central administration — undermines public trust and raises serious questions about fiscal stewardship, transparency, and accountability.
Fairfax County parents and taxpayers deserve a school system that puts students first, not bureaucratic self-expansion. Restoring confidence will require a renewed commitment to ethical governance, responsible budgeting, and a clear focus on the core mission of public education. Without meaningful reform, resources may continue to flow upward to administrators while students and teachers are left to do more with less.
Ms. Lundquist-Arora is a Fairfax parent and leads the county’s Independent Women’s Network chapter.