Who Will Pay For Thomas Jefferson Renovations? Not Loudoun, Cuccinelli says

Renovations are already underway at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), but Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) says Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) funding plan to have local school districts help pay for the $90 million renovation project may be illegal.

Since TJ is located in the Alexandria part of Fairfax County and not Loudoun, Cuccinelli said “no general statutory authority exists to enable” Loudoun to legally cover the cost to renovate a building it does not lease or partly own.

This isn’t the first time a neighboring school district has questioned whether it should be required to pay for the renovation project, which includes building a research wing, a greenhouse and other outdoor learning spaces.

Read: Thomas Jefferson High School Plans for Major Expansion

TJ accepts about 20 percent of its students from Loudoun, Arlington and Prince William counties and the City of Falls Church. The Fairfax County School Board previously asked school boards in those areas to help pay for the renovations since students from those districts attend TJ, but back in May, some school district representatives from those areas told theWashington Examiner they were undecided about whether they would approve contributing to the cost of renovations.

Read: School Board Approves Contract for $90 Million TJ Renovations

If they agreed to pay for the project, Loudoun would pay almost $8 million, which could significantly affect the county’s plans to invest in its own academic pursuits, according to May. In his response, Cuccinelli said state law prohibits Loudon from using taxpayer money to pay for capital improvement projects outside of their district, the Post states.