About Fairfax Education Association

FEA Mission

The mission of the Fairfax Education Association is to provide leadership regarding all decisions affecting public education in Fairfax County and to serve as the collective voice of our members.  The Fairfax Education Association advances conditions of teaching, learning, and working within Fairfax County Public Schools through informed advocacy and promotion of the highest standards of professionalism.

 About Fairfax Education Association

The history of the Fairfax Education Association (FEA) as a labor union is one of long and proud service to the students and educators of Fairfax County. For almost 100 years, FEA has served as the voice of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) employees with our state legislators, county supervisors, school board members, other county officials and the superintendent.  Throughout its history, FEA has stayed true to its mission of service to our community and to demand the highest standards of public education for the children of Fairfax County.

FEA currently represents FCPS employees, including teachers, instructional assistants, custodians, administrative assistants, cafeteria workers and bus drivers. We are affiliated with the Virginia Education Association (VEA) and the National Education Association (NEA).

We serve as the collective voice of our members.  We believe that FCPS educators are advocates for students and FEA provides an avenue for advocacy through lobbying, committee work, professional development, events and rallies, collaboration with coalitions and direct communication with school and community leaders.  Further, we believe that sound policies and procedures must be developed in collaboration with educators whose professional input is invaluable.

FEA believes that an educator’s working conditions are our student’s learning conditions.  When professional educators receive the support and autonomy they deserve, student achievement improves. We are dedicated to putting students first by improving the quality of public education provided in FCPS.

FEA Officers and Staff

Officers

Leslie Houston, FEA President

President Leslie Houston | FEA Office (2025), president@fairfaxea.org

Executive Director

Frank Thornton | fthornton@nea.org

FEA-Retired Council President

FEA Office (2024) | Allison Batty acbatty@verizon.net

VEA Professional Staff

UniServ Director | Don Cash dcash@veanea.org

UniServ Director | Randy Mickens rmickens@veanea.org

FEA Administrative Staff

Office Manager | Director of Operations Sylvia Avila savila@fairfaxea.org

Membership Coordinator | Kristina Barnes kbarnes@fairfaxea.org

Membership Coordinator | Asiya Freeman afreeman@fairfaxea.org

Why Politics?

Because politics are essential to ensuring a good education for our children AND to improving your job.

Every decision made about our education program, working conditions, salaries, curriculum, licensing and evaluation are made by our elected representatives on a local, state or federal level. One of the ways we can impact those decisions is to vote for candidates who support NEA, VEA and FEA policies and goals for education on all levels.

Find YOUR elected officials:

Below are listed political bodies or individuals who make those decisions and their responsibilities.

School Board

  • Hire and fire teachers

  • Determine working conditions – how many students per class, programs suggested by the superintendent, hours of operation

  • Determine how personnel will be evaluated (suggestions from superintendent)

  • Determine pay grade of personnel

Board of Supervisors, City Councils

  • Have final say about school budgets, which affects all of the above

Virginia General Assembly (Delegates and Senators)

  • Enacts laws which govern school boards; what policies and laws may be made by Board of Supervisors

  • When passing legislation, listens to advice and opinions from the Virginia State Board of Education and the Virginia Department of Education

  • Establish Standards of Quality (mandated by the state constitution). Standards of Quality determine state money sent to school systems

  • Each side (House and Senate) determines the members of the Education Committee. These committees monitor legislation and have a great deal of influence on which legislation is forwarded on to the General Assembly for enactment

Governor

  • Signs or vetoes legislation about education passed on to him by the General Assembly

  • Works with the General Assembly to enact laws governing education

  • Is a bully pulpit for public education

  • Writes the state budget which determines the Standards of Quality set by the General Assembly

  • Appoints members of the State Board of Education and the leaders of the Virginia Department of Education

  • Appoints the state Superintendent of Education who heads the Board of Education

Virginia State Board of Education

  • Establishes policies and writes regulations based on the laws passed by the General Assembly. These regulations govern how school systems are run—instructional hours, teacher certification, testing policy, graduation requirements

Virginia Department of Education

  • The ‘police’ of the Board of Education—makes sure school divisions follow the policies and regulations written by the Board of Education and enacted by the General Assembly

  • Keeps data and reports about what’s going on in state education

Congress

  • Basically does the same thing as the General Assembly only does it for all the states

  • Provides funding to states so they can carry out the federal mandates (sometimes not enough)

  • Federal legislation assures the minimum standards. States must obey federal mandates or be sanctioned, but state law can determine higher standards than federal legislation

  • Each branch has an Education Committee that does the same thing the committees do for the General Assembly

President

  • Is a bully pulpit for public education

  • Signs or vetoes laws enacted by Congress

  • Determines policies for the US Department of Education

  • Appoints the Secretary of Education, who heads the Department of Education and carries out the President’s philosophy of education

Department of Education

  • Writes regulations and policies reflecting the legislation Congress enacts

  • Is the ‘police’ making sure states follow through with the laws enacted by Congress—No Child Left Behind, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Title IX

  • Keeps data and writes reports about various aspects of public education