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Facing tough budget cuts, Superintendent Jack D. Dale recommended the Fairfax County school system hold off on adding new projects to the schools' Capital Improvement Program.

"In light of the current and projected overall economic situation, I do not recommend we add any new projects to the CIP," Dale said last Friday. Currently planned projects involving school expansion or building new schools should move forward, he added.

Fairfax County administrators have proposed $162 million in spending cuts to the school system's fiscal 2011 budget to help close a deficit resulting from declining revenues.

"We realize that if the fiscal 2011 operating budget -- even though it is separate from the Capital Improvement Budget -- includes another increase in class size, this will affect classroom capacities. In turn, eliminating or reducing specific programs could also have an impact on school capacity. Because there are so many unknowns at this point, we have decided to use a conservative approach with the new CIP," Dale said.

During the past four years, enrollment has grown by about 8,500 students. Between Sept. 2008 and Sept. 2009, approximately 3,300 students were added to Fairfax County classrooms. Officials project that growth to continue, with enrollment reaching 184,000 students -- up from the current 172,000 figure -- within five years.

"Because our annual requirement is higher than the $155 million funded by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, we still find ourselves without sufficient funding to renovate schools on a 25- to 30-year cycle," Dale said. "Based on that limit, we can only renovate a school every 37 years. This means that providing new schools or building additions to cope with rising enrollment is out of the question."

The school system recently completed construction on Woodson High School in Fairfax, a $65 million project, and began construction on Edison High School in Alexandria, a $48.5 million renovation and additions project, this year.

Seventy-five percent of the school system's CIP budget is spent on renovating existing facilities like Woodson and Edison, said Dean Tistadt, chief operating officer for the school system, during a presentation to the School Board on Dec. 17. The other 25 percent of the funding is used on new construction and improvements, such as roof replacements; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning upgrades; security enhancements; and technology infrastructure.

Currently, Vienna, Freedom Hill, Great Falls and Mount Eagle elementary schools are being refurbished, along with Edison High School. Construction projects on eight other schools -- mostly elementary level -- are scheduled for 2010, with 13 similar projects planned to begin by 2015.

The School Board has scheduled a public hearing on Dale's recommendations at 6 p.m. Jan. 5 at Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church. Those who want to speak should sign up on the school system's Web site at www.fcps.edu/schlbd/requestspeak.htm. The sign-up period will close at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 4.

The school board is scheduled to vote on this issue during its meeting Jan. 21.