With the Trump administration axing "diversity, equity, and inclusion" jobs throughout the federal bureaucracy, Mark Spooner, a 79-year-old retired attorney in Fairfax County, unearthed startling documents through a public records request, detailing the price tag for salaries of 52 employees in the “Chief Equity Office” of Fairfax County Public Schools: $6.4 million, or enough to pay about 125 new teachers.
According to documents, Nardos King, the “Chief Equity Officer” at FCPS, makes the highest salary in the department, earning $258,641 annually – more than the salary of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, and other top lawmakers. King reports to FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid, who just got a pay raise to $424,146, which is more than the salary of the president of the United States.
Some of the information from the documents is conflicting but, nonetheless, paints the picture of a bloated bureaucracy. The Fairfax County Times has published the documents online.
An organization chart said the Chief Equity Office comprises 56 full-time authorized positions. Currently, the department has four vacancies.
While the salaries in one document total $6.4 million for the 52 employees in the Chief Equity Office, another document details that the total budget for the Chief Equity Office is $5.76 million, with $5.25 million going to salaries and compensation.
Whatever the discrepancies, the scope of the Chief Equity Office floors area residents. The size of the office ballooned after racial politics in 2020 elevated the concept of “equity” in school systems.
In mid-December, Spooner submitted a simple request under the Freedom of Information Act, asking for the most recent organization chart for the FCPS “Chief Equity Office,” a list of employees with their current salaries, and the office’s budget for the current fiscal year.
After paying $140 for four hours of research time by FCPS staffers, Spooner discovered the immense scope and budget of the school district’s Chief Equity Office – a revelation that raises essential questions about the bureaucracy in one of the nation’s largest school systems. He published his analysis on Saturday on his website, Fairfax Schools Monitor.
At the center of controversies
The Chief Equity Office has been at the center of several controversial initiatives that have sparked local and national debate among parents, educators, and community members.
https://www.fairfaxtimes.com/articles/pricetag-of-equity-in-fairfax-county-schools-6-4-million/article_6e14ee46-db8a-11ef-ba7b-4b737bdff938.html
