ADVOCACY UPDATES
2021 General Assembly Update
We're moving into the final stages of the 2021 General Assembly Session!

On Wednesday, the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committee announced their budget proposals.

Quick Recap of Session Basics...

Session Duration. The 2021 Session started off as a 30 day session. It was expected to end Feb 11th with bill crossover on Feb 5th. Last week, Governor Northam called for a special session to allow the legislature to finish their work, thus extending session to the customary 46-day odd numbered year session length. Session is now expected to end March 1st.

We are now in Crossover. Crossover is the cutoff date when all bills that have passed their chamber of origin crossover to the other chamber for consideration. So, right now, the Senate is only considering House of Delegates members' bills that the House approved to crossover to the Senate, and vice versa.

What Happens Next. This Friday, the House of Delegates and Senate are expected to vote on their budgets. They will then form a Conference Committee to negotiate the differences in spending. The conference budget will include the new revenue growth forecast that was released Thursday.

Below are updates on key priorities &
ways you can #TakeAction4Kids.
The Budget
HB1800 & SB1100
In December, Governor Northam proposed amendments to the FY21-22 budget. Those amendments are being carried in the House as bill HB1800 and in the Senate as bill SB1100.

The House Appropriations Committee's proposed budget reflects December's positive revenue growth and includes an increase of $158 million in spending over the biennium, $127 million of which is for K-12 schools. It notably includes $6.5 million to allow students with disabilities to attend high school for one more year; broadband service mapping; $8.8 million to transition to through-year growth testing; funding for training on developing effective special education IEPs; and implementing JLARC's special education recommendations.

The Senate Finance Committee's proposed budget includes language requiring school divisions to offer in‐person instruction during the 2021‐2022 school year; investments in a new through-year growth testing system; expansion of Virtual Virginia; a School Nurse Workgroup; and support for implementing JLARC's special education recommendations.  

KEY BUDGET AREAS WE ARE WATCHING

No Loss Funding. This Fall there were 3.5% fewer students enrolled than projected. This will result in lower than anticipated funds for school divisions in FY 22 which could lead to layoffs and in turn result in teacher shortages when students re-enroll in the fall.
  • Gov. Northam: $514 million.
  • House budget: $429.5 million. Uses Federal Funds to cover enrollment loss.
  • Senate budget: Same as Governor

School Counselors (See also School Equity & Staffing Act).
  • Gov. Northam: $27M. One counselor to 325 students, as enacted in 2020
  • House Budget: Same as Governor
  • Senate Budget: Same as Governor

Learning Loss. (Extended School, Summer School, Special Education etc)
  • Gov. Northam: Not included
  • House budget: $51 million + plus $30 million in federal funds
  • Senate: $30 million

Teacher Pay. The average teacher’s salary in Virginia is 17% below the national average and contributes to the persistent teacher shortage that leaves almost 1,000 unfilled teaching positions annually. High-poverty, high-minority and low-achieving schools have a disproportionate number of openings. Under-qualified and inexperienced teachers are more prevalent in special education, English as a second language, math and science classrooms. 
  • Gov. Northam: $80 million for 2% bonus, with suggestion to consider a raise
  • House budget: $231.7 million for 5% pay raise, 2021-22 school year
  • Senate budget:$139.8 million for 3% pay raise, 2021-22 school year

G3 Program. Helps students get free or low-cost job skills training in high-need fields through Virginia’s community college system.
  • Gov. Northam: $36 million
  • House budget: Same as Governor
  • Senate Budget: $36.0 million + $5.0 million for student advisors

Rainy Day Reserves. Governor Northam proposed 8% of total revenue or $650 million be invested into the revenue reserve (aka savings). The Senate retained that investment while the House proposed setting aside an additional $130 million for a total of $780 million to protect against a time when federal relief funds may not be available. By the end of FY 2022, total reserves would be approximately $1.9 billion.
Broadband Affordability & Accessibility
Accessibility
Broadband budget amendments will increase Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI) grant funding to $100M over the biennium ($50M per year versus the original $35M allocation).

The Governor's Budget, House Appropriations budget and Senate Finance budgets all support this investment. Additionally, the House Appropriations language supports the creation of a broadband map that will help identify areas of need to effectively expand broadband into uncovered areas.

Affordability:
SB1225 (Boysko) Authorizes school boards to partner with private broadband service providers to promote, implement, and subsidize broadband for low income or at risk students. This bill passed the Senate and is now in House Education committee.

SB1462 (Mason): Requires the Department of Social Services to establish a pilot program to reimburse families who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for the cost of broadband service. Passed the Senate and now in the House Communications Technology & Innovation committee.

HOW TO TAKE ACTION:
  1. Email your delegate. Ask that they support SB1225 and SB1462
  2. Email your Board of Supervisors. Ask how they will partner with local Internet Service Providers to expand broadband for your community.
School Equity & Staffing Act
GOOD NEWS & BAD NEWS

The Senate included $49 million in their budget to fund three specialized student support positions per 1,000 students. Specialized support positions include school nurses, school social workers, school psychologists and behavior analysts.

These are the unified mental health support positions we've spent several years advocating for!!

Senator McClellan and Delegate Aird's original School Equity & Staffing Act bill included a ratio of 4 specialized support positions to 1,000 students, a 1:250 school counselor ratio, full time principals, assistant principals and teacher and principal mentorship programs -- all of which have been recommended by the Board of Education for several years.

Delegate Aird's bill (HB1929) was left behind in crossover. Senator McClellan's bill (SB1257) was radically amended to include only the specialized support positions mentioned above.

We remain steadfast in our support for fully funding the Board of Education's SOQ recommendations, however, we appreciate this small step forward and appreciate the focus on supporting the mental and physical health of our students.

HOW TO TAKE ACTION:
  1. Email your senator and delegate. Tell them you support funding $49M for specialized support positions at the Senate's 3:1,000 ratio (SB1257).
  2. Email your School Board. Ask that they staff school counselors at 1:250 and fund 4 specialized support positions per 1,000 students.
School Nurses
Senator Kiggins bill (SB1191) was passed by indefinitely due to concerns about funding and a potential Registered Nurse shortage. This bill would have required at least 1 Registered Nurse per building, a position Virginia PTA has supported for the past 27 years.

Delegate Adams bill (HB1736) is still alive. It seeks to provide job title clarity and states that the title 'school nurse' can only be used by a licensed Registered Nurse.

The Senate budget includes language (Item 137#1s) for a VDOE School Nurse Working Group to recommend an appropriate school nurse staffing ratio and the required qualifications and training for school nurses.

HOW TO TAKE ACTION:
  1. Email your senator. Ask them to vote YES on HB1736.
  2. Email your senator and delegate. Tell them you support funding $49M for specialized support positions at the Senate's 3:1,000 ratio (SB1257).
  3. Email your local School Board. Ask them to staff at least one Registered Nurse per school.
Early Childhood Education & Childcare
Governor Northam's December budget proposed $16 million to restore Virginia Preschool Initiative funding and provide incentive payments to help retain early childhood educators.

The Senate's budget retains this investment. The House budget reduces the Virginia Preschool Initiative funding but includes $60.0 million for emergency Childcare Subsidies proposed under HB2206.

HB2206 (Filler-Corn): 6 month Emergency Childcare Stabilization:
Creates the COVID-19 Child Care Assistance Program to provide childcare financial assistance to families in need during COVID-19 who have children aged 13 and younger. The program will be administered by the Virginia Department of Education. The proposed online application process would send a voucher for full-time or part-time care, payable directly to the childcare provider

SB1316 (McClellan) & HB2086 (McGuire): Early Childhood Education:
Provides background check portability and establishes a two-year pilot program, to be administered by the Virginia Department of Education for the purpose of stabilizing and improving the quality of services provided in the Commonwealth's child care industry.
HOW TO TAKE ACTION:
  1. Email your delegate and senator to voice your support for HB2206 and SB1316/HB2086
  2. Show your personal pledge to support and advocate for improved access to affordable early childhood education and care by signing the Virginia Promise Pledge - hosted by our coalition partner Virginia Promise Partnership
Special Education
The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), the non-partisan research and oversight agency of the Virginia state legislature, recently concluded a study of Special Education services in Virginia.

The study confirmed what many of our parents have said for years - that IEPs are not consistently designed to be effective and reliable guides for special education services and that the VDOE’s handling of complaints against school divisions does not ensure all problems are resolved.

Funding to implement these recommendations are included in the House and Senate versions of the budget.

CHANGES TO STUDENT TESTING
Bill SB1401/HB2094 proposes reducing Standards of Learning assessments to the minimum federal requirement creating a $1.8M savings.

Concurrently, bills SB1357/HB2027 will restructure Standards of Learning assessments for mathematics and reading in grades 3-8 from a single end-of-year assessment to a growth assessment system that measures student progress above, at, and below grade level. Growth assessment testing would happen in the Fall, Winter and Spring. Both the House and Senate have included $9-10 million in their budgets to convert to this new testing model. Many school divisions currently pay for and administer similar testing created by MAP or i-Ready several times a year. This would shift school divisions using MAP/i-Ready to a new DOE developed growth assessment test system.

Students are currently on track to take Standard of Learning (SOL) tests this spring, however, the test will not be used to accredit schools. Schools are currently accredited using a calculation of student growth that relies on two years of SOL testing. Passage of SB1357/HB2027 could result in new growth assessment testing starting this Fall.

Separately, the Board of Education is currently reviewing the accreditation standards and considering changes as part of their standard review process.


WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTACT YOUR DELEGATE AND SENATOR TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THROUGH-YEAR GROWTH TESTING.
Learning Lab Webinar
General Assembly Wrap-Up and Bringing Advocacy Home
NEW DATE! March 4th, 7- 8pm

Join us for an update on the 2021 General Assembly Session and a discussion about how you can maintain a relationship with your legislator and bring new legislation and ideas back to your community to enact change through your local school board.
Questions? Contact Jenna Alexander, Vice President of Advocacy (Advocacy@vapta.org)