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Home – Virginia Politics & News – Why Is Virginia’s Largest Public School District Spending so Much on Lawyers?

Why Is Virginia’s Largest Public School District Spending so Much on Lawyers?

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora

In just seven years, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has spent nearly $60 million on lawyers.

During fiscal year 2026 alone, the district set a new record, spending $14.4 million on legal fees.

Source: Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests and FCPS Transparency

For a school system that routinely cites budget constraints when discussing teacher pay, classroom resources, and student services, these legal expenditures deserve far more public scrutiny than they have received.

The most striking figure is the nearly $8.9 million paid to King & Spalding during fiscal year 2026. That single firm’s bill exceeded FCPS’s total annual legal spending in every fiscal year before fiscal year 2024.

King & Spalding is representing FCPS in litigation brought by a teacher whistleblower who alleges that school officials participated in funding and facilitating student abortions without parental or guardian knowledge or consent. Although King & Spalding—the law firm that was both the district’s external “independent” investigator and its defense—has suggested that FCPS is........

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