Latest news with #SenateFinanceandAppropriationsCommittee
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate panel kills effort to track English learner funding
A cup of pencils sit on top of a classroom desk in Virginia (Photo by Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury) A push to examine how Virginia funds English language learners (ELLs) in public schools was shut down Monday, as the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee rejected a proposal for data collection on the issue. The effort stemmed from a 2023 report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), which found that Virginia has been underfunding schools under the Standards of Quality (SOQ) — the state's funding formula for public education. Lawmakers had requested the report to identify gaps in school funding and determine whether ELL students were receiving adequate resources. The funding gap is stark. A 2022 study from EdTrust, an education advocacy group, showed that Virginia school districts serving the highest number of ELL students receive 48% less revenue per student than districts with fewer ELL students, VPM first reported. 'I think it's important for us, as a commonwealth, to provide funding for the requirements that we set forth, so that local appropriations are not needed to close that gap,' Del. Atoosa Reaser, D-Loudoun, the legislation's sponsor, said Monday. 'That's money that belongs to the taxpayer; and the state should be, in my opinion, funding its fair share, which the House budget works toward.' Reaser's House Bill 2032 would have directed the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to collect data on expenditures and proficiency levels for ELL students. The measure also called for the identification of additional support strategies and a status report to lawmakers later this year. However, the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget found no expected fiscal impact, as data on proficiency is already collected. Reaser's proposal cleared the House on Jan. 28, but not without changes. Lawmakers stripped out a provision that would have allocated additional state funding for ELL students, instead folding that language into HB 1954, sponsored by House Education Committee Chair Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke. That bill also failed but could resurface during budget negotiations in the coming days. Last year, the legislature created the Joint Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education to review JLARC's recommendations with the goal of replacing the outdated formula. Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, the committee chair, on Monday urged the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee to shelve the English learner funding bill, arguing that the panel's work isn't finished. 'It's important we do this in a manner that we are looking at all of the JLARC recommendations,' Locke said, adding that some of the commission's proposals have already been addressed in the state budget. The bill also coincides with recent changes from the Virginia Board of Education, which now require more English learner test scores to be included in school accountability calculations — a shift that could have significant consequences for schools that serve large ELL populations. However, some Democrats are pushing to delay the rollout of the new accountability system, citing concerns about fairness and accuracy in measuring student performance. For now, the debate over English learner funding remains tied to the larger fight over how Virginia funds its schools. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
School funding showdown looms as legislature sends sales tax bill to Youngkin again
Virginia Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-Prince William, speaking to his colleagues in the state Senate. (Photo by Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury) For the fourth consecutive year, Virginia lawmakers have sent the governor a bill allowing all localities to impose a 1% sales tax for school construction. Now, all eyes are on Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has vetoed similar measures before. Youngkin, who has historically opposed these tax proposals, will once again review the legislation. After the last session, he blocked the measure, citing the state's existing efforts to fund school construction and concerns over its impact on taxpayers. Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-Prince William, who sponsored Senate Bill 1307, argues that state funding alone isn't enough to tackle Virginia's growing backlog of school construction needs. The bill would give local governments the power to levy a 1% sales tax — if voters approve it in a referendum. 'It's simply not enough money statewide to deal with the large backlog that's faced by so many different school divisions,' McPike told the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee last month. He noted that over a dozen localities are actively pushing the legislation, with others expressing interest. Since 2019, Virginia has allowed nine localities — Charlotte, Gloucester, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Patrick and Pittsylvania counties and Danville — to implement a similar sales tax for school construction funding. Advocates argue it's time to expand that authority statewide. 'If we are going to do anything on school construction, it needs to be the same authority throughout the commonwealth,' said Del. Vivian Watts, D-Fairfax, defending the bill on Thursday. 'Not picking and choosing a few localities whose back is so up against the wall, who perhaps can least afford it by passing the bill as it originally came before us.' Pulaski County is one of the localities calling for action. With inflation, high interest rates, and rising construction costs straining budgets, officials say they have few options left. County Administrator Jonathan Sweet said Pulaskihas hit its real estate tax ceiling and can't take on more debt through traditional referendums. 'The price tag of school construction projects now far exceeds the growth rate of county revenues and our borrowing capacity,' Sweet said. 'This 1% sales tax option is simply an additional tool in our proverbial toolbox to utilize if we may need it.' Senate Bill 874, sponsored by Sen. Travis Hackworth, R-Tazewell, was folded into McPike's broader school funding bill last month. Hackworth's proposal aimed to add Pulaski County to the list of localities authorized to levy a 1% sales tax specifically for school construction and renovation projects. Del. Bobby Orrock, R-Spotsylvania, a longtime critic of the measure, warned that localities opting in could see a reduction in state funding due to the local composite index — Virginia's formula for determining how education costs are split between the state and local governments. He also raised concerns about the financial impact on smaller, rural areas. 'I have consistently supported increased funding from the state to our school divisions. I think this is a state responsibility,' Orrock said Thursday. 'We address it currently through the composite index of what local governments know they've got to pay. I, therefore, oppose this type of legislation and feel we need to put more money from the state in the pot.' If Youngkin vetoes the legislation, the fight isn't over. The Senate has already embedded key provisions from the legislation into its proposed budget amendments, meaning the issue will likely be part of budget negotiations between lawmakers and the administration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
K-12 cap removal stumbles, but remains alive in budget
Virginia State Capitol on Jan. 8, 2025. Charlotte Rene Woods / Virginia Mercury Lawmakers are trying to lift the decades-long cap on state-funded support positions for public schools through budget negotiations after legislation that would end the restriction failed earlier this week. Senators have proposed spending $758.1 million for K-12 public education, which includes an additional $208.8 million over the state's current biennium budget. To remove the cap, senators recommended adding $222.9 million from the general fund. The proposed Senate budget also called for $52.8 million for special education. 'Our goal with these investments is to provide additional resources to support our schools so that teachers are able to spend more time on instruction and less time on other administrative responsibilities,' said Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, during the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee's Feb. 2 meeting. Last session, lawmakers formed a joint committee to overhaul the Standards of Quality (SOQ), the state's funding formula determining the financial needs of school divisions. The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) found that Virginia's local governments are shouldering a disproportionate share of K-12 education costs compared to the state's contributions. The more affluent a locality, the more its share, while those with less revenue contribute less to schools. In 1993, the General Assembly changed how much state and localities should pay, with the state's share at 55% and localities providing 45%, according to JLARC's 2023 report. The change was prompted after lawmakers asked localities to start paying for K-12 fringe benefits. The contributions had been split evenly since 1972. But in 2009 during the Great Recession, lawmakers implemented a 'cap' or state-imposed limit on spending for support staff. On Tuesday, the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee killed House Bill 1954, introduced by House Education Committee Chair Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke. The proposal would have provided additional support for students with special needs and created a program for at-risk, or low-income students and English language learners. Democrats carried two bills to address removing the cap. Last month, the House version was incorporated into Rasoul's bill. Then on Feb. 5, the Senate version died in Senate Finance & Appropriations. Senate Education and Health Committee Chair Ghazala Hashmi, D-Richmond, told her colleagues earlier in the session that Virginia schools have been shortchanged by the commonwealth by over $6.6 billion in recent years. Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration has opposed the legislation, instead calling for a broader funding formula overhaul. While Youngkin and the General Assembly partially eased the cap last year by increasing the funding ratio from 21 support positions to 24 per 1,000 students, they agree more needs to be done after localities have had to pick up the shared cost. The state uses the local composite index (LCI) to determine each locality's ability to pay. It also determines the local and state split of funding. The House budget bill redirected $50 million earmarked for the proposed Virginia Opportunity Scholarship Program to removing the cap. The change would boost the funding ratio from 24 support positions per 1,000 students to 27.89 per 1,000 students. Opponents criticized the 'vouchers' program, which would have paid for students to attend private schools and other educational expenses. Dean Lynch, executive director for the Virginia Association of Counties, wrote in a letter to the House and Senate money committees that the association appreciates the proposal in advancing 'critical investments' in K-12 education. 'The elimination of the 15-year-old support cap represents a transformative step forward, allowing school divisions to hire additional support staff and better meet the needs of students,' Lynch wrote. 'Additionally, the investments made in special education funding and compensation for instructional and support positions will further enhance educational outcomes across the commonwealth.' The Senate and House budget bills are on track to pass and advance to the governor for review. Youngkin's proposed budget did not include any plan to remove the cap. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
