Last week, Governor Northam released budget amendments that will be discussed in the 2021 Virginia General Assembly session, which starts on Jan 13th.
Here are proposed amendments that align with our legislative priorities:
PROTECT & STABILIZE EDUCATION
- Language to hold schools harmless for enrollment and sales tax decline, thus preserving funds previously to education in the biennium budget.
RESTORE FUNDING CUT AT THE START OF THE PANDEMIC
- $27 million for school counselors
- $80 million for a two-percent bonus for teachers/support staff
- $16 million to expand access to early childhood education
- $15 million for Broadband expansion in FY2022 via the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI)
We recognize that this is a fiscally challenging year, however, safely re-opening our schools demands a uniform standard of care across the state and should not be deferred to local governments. School divisions require additional resources to provide safe in-person instruction alongside virtual learning to meet the myriad of needs that have been exacerbated by a decade of state under-funding.
Virginia PTA urges the General Assembly to:
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Fund the critical components Governor Northam identified to stabilize and restore education funding, including specifically the allotments for school counselors, broadband improvements and early childhood education.
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Fund the school equity and staffing recommendations made by the Virginia Board of Education that ensure each school has basic staffing, support for teachers and supplemental funds to support at risk students.
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Fund a Registered School Nurse for each school to enable a safe return to in-person instruction and provide uniform acute and chronic care for students.
This January, join us for a series of Learning Lab webinars to learn about advocacy as a PTA and as an individual member of the Virginia PTA. Then, join us for Constituent Connections and a Virtual Rally to #RaiseOurVoices and #TakeAction4Kids.