The Joint Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education Funding met for the final time this year on December 9 to review cost updates and near-term recommendations related to the 2023 Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) report on K-12 education funding as well as strategies for special education. These included further discussion of further funding to erode or fully eliminate the Great Recession-era cap on support positions, providing additional state support for special education funding, and evaluating data and infrastructure needs to support the Joint Subcommittee as it continues its work in 2025. Legislation and budget amendments from Subcommittee members are expected during the upcoming General Assembly session. VACo staff was on hand and testified expressing support for the work of the Joint Subcommittee.
The Top Funding Priority of VACo’s 2025 Legislative Program is to support legislative action to implement the recommendations of JLARC’s landmark 2023 report on Virginia’s K-12 Funding Formula where they coincide with local prevailing practices. In the near term, VACo encourages prioritization of efforts to restore pre-recession era K-12 funding, especially eliminating the cap on support positions; providing full state support for the actual number of K-12 staff positions employed; and revising the methodology for calculating teacher salaries to more adequately reflect the actual salaries being paid by school divisions. VACo recently sent a letter and infographic to all members of the General Assembly and relevant staff expressing support for these actions and demonstrating the need of the Commonwealth to help local governments more equitably share the responsibility of funding K-12 education in Virginia. VACo encourages its members to share these documents with your legislators, school board, and members of your community to help build support for action on these issues.
As previously reported, The work of this subcommittee is critical to moving forward with much needed funding reforms to the way in which the Commonwealth funds public schools. The subcommittee is tasked with providing on-going direction and oversight of the Standards of Quality funding cost policies and to make recommendations to their respective committees. As part of its oversight, the Joint Subcommittee shall: (i) review the recommendations and policy options offered in the JLARC’s July 2023 report, “Virginia’s K-12 Funding Formula”; (ii) determine the appropriateness of implementing each recommendation or policy option, (iii) propose appropriate amendments to each recommendation or policy option and (iv) develop a long-range plan for the phased implementation of its recommendations. In its deliberations, the Joint Subcommittee shall consider the long-term fiscal implications of each recommendation.
Of note, during the meeting staff from the House Appropriations Committee and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee shared that local revenues covered 69% of the cost of special education in Virginia, with the remaining 19% and 11% being paid by the state and federal government respectively. Furthermore, the current SOQ formula is not aligned with actual practice: the SOQ formula provides state support for only 15% of special education aide positions. Special education students are those identified as having educational or physical disabilities and receiving special education services specified through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). This population consists of about 185,000, or 14-15% of K-12 students. The Joint Subcommittee discussed policy recommendations such as a funding add-on that could provide localities with additional state support for this population.
The work of this subcommittee is critical to moving forward with much needed funding reforms to the way in which the Commonwealth funds public schools. VACo will continue to engage and provide updates as needed on the progress of the work, particularly as recommendations are turned into legislation or budget language during the 2025 General Assembly session.
The full agenda and documents from the Joint Subcommittee meeting can be accessed here.
VACo Contact: Jeremy R. Bennett