Strong, well-supported public schools are vital to ensuring that every child in every zip code is able to pursue their educational and career ambitions. The House and Senate budget proposals that were released today make strides in better supporting Virginia’s students, including making important investments in teacher and staff compensation and steps forward in each budget toward implementing the near-term recommendations from the state’s independent research organization, JLARC.
Key provisions include:
- At-risk add-on: Improved funding in the House and Senate budget for students from low-income families and high-poverty schools: The House provides $384.6 million to increase funding for students from low-income families and high-poverty schools. The House also shifts the data source for this program from outdated free and reduced lunch data to the Identified Student Percentage (JLARC recommendations 8-10). The Senate provides an additional $200.6 million from the General Fund and $25 million from the Lottery Fund for high-poverty school divisions through the At-Risk Add-On, and provides an additional $169.8 million in per pupil funding for students from low-income families.
- Support cap: Lifting the arbitrary cap on state funding for support staff: The Senate budget includes $400.7 million to fully lift the arbitrary cap on state funding for support staff (JLARC recommendation 4).
- Salaries: Both the House and Senate provide the state share of salary increases for teachers and other school staff. The House provided the state share of 3.375% raises each year, with school divisions required to provide at least 2% on average each year to get a prorated match, and the Senate provided the state share of 3% raises each year, with school divisions required to provide at least 1.5% each year. The House investment in improved salaries for teachers and school staff is $452 million above the governor’s proposal, and the Senate investment is $349 million above the governor’s proposal. Unlike the Governor’s proposal, both the House and Senate salary increases keep up with inflation in the next school year and exceed it in the second year – getting closer to inflation-adjusted pre-pandemic levels of average pay.
- English language learners: Both the House and Senate provide increased support for English language learners, with the House providing $95.1 million and shifting state funding to tiered ratios based on proficiency, and the Senate providing an additional $26.7 million to boost the number of instructors to 22 per 1,000 English language learner students, up from 20 to 1000.
- Community Schools: Both the House and Senate increased support for community schools, including creating a statewide Office of Community Schools to provide technical assistance. The House also provided $10.0 million for school divisions for planning and implementation grants.
We applaud these necessary proposed investments in our public schools that will provide support to students who face significant barriers and help show that Virginia values educators through improved compensation. Legislators should now work together to take high-quality options from the House and Senate to ensure the final budget helps every student in every zip code access a high-quality public education.