The Coalition of Small and Rural Schools of Virginia (COSARS) is hosting a virtual Summit on School Infrastructure on June 10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. As has been reported multiple times by VACo, but most recently in Episode 3 of the VACo County Pulse, many local governments and school divisions across the Commonwealth are struggling with the ever-increasing challenge of financing construction and modernization of K-12 infrastructure.
During the course of the day there will be two panel discussions. The first panel will include Members of the General Assembly and will be moderated by Dr. Carol Cash from Virginia Tech. The other panel will include school superintendents who will discuss the impact a new facility has had or could have, on their community. There will also be sessions covering the differences between school facilities in well-resourced and under-resourced localities, the impact of the physical environment on student learning, and how COVID-19 relief funds can be used to address these issues. A brochure with full agenda may be viewed here. Interested individuals or teams may register for the June 10 event here.
VACo appreciates the attention of Coalition of Small and Rural Schools of Virginia to this issue and looks forward to working with them and other K-12 education stakeholders to advocate for action by the General Assembly to provide additional state resources and local authority to local governments to ensure that we have the tools needed to provide modern and safe learning environments for students across the Commonwealth.
VACo Contact: Jeremy R. Bennett