By Fairfax County Chairman Jeffrey McKay and Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw
As local elected officials in Fairfax County, we have a front-row seat to the challenges to our public created by Virginia’s chronic underinvestment in K-12 public education. A 2023 study by the General Assembly’s own experts — the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) — revealed a startling reality: Virginia is $3.5 billion below the national average in state funding for public education and trails all of our neighboring states, including West Virginia and Kentucky.
While unveiling his amendments to the biennium budget, Governor Glenn Youngkin said that Virginia is “winning.” Well, governor, when it comes to state funding for education, we are losing — badly.