Revenue and Teacher Pay Take Center Stage in First Week of Session
January 15, 2021
January 15, 2021
Some may say this week at the General Assembly was more like an episode of the Wild, Wild, West. In the new world of digital glitches, goofs, and gotchas, the General Assembly is off to a rocky start in the quest to conquer the digital divide. This leads me to wonder if our own state governance body is having a rough time with this online digital debacle. I can’t help but imagine how our school divisions have to deal with the issue, especially broadband access.
On a different note, total General Fund revenues increased by 15.1 percent in December. On a year-to-date basis, total revenues increased 7.8 percent, ahead of the annual forecast of 1.2 percent growth. So, now is an excellent time to contact your lawmaker and urge them to fully implement and fund the revised Standards of Quality, as adopted by the Virginia Board of Education.
SIGN THE VEA PETITION to support Senate Bill 1257 introduced by Sen. Jennifer McClellan and House Bill 1929 introduced by Delegate Lashrecse Aird.
The House Education Pre-K-12 Subcommittee met at 7 am Friday to discuss bills ranging from student civil and political activity to a major teacher pay proposal. VEA represented well at the meeting. Thank you to VEA leaders Carol Bauer, Kathy Beery, and Brian Teuke for their testimony on HB 1915, introduced by Delegate Martha Mugler. This bill requires state funding to be provided according to the general appropriation act in a sum sufficient to fund a 4.5 percent annual increase for public school teacher salaries, effective from the 2022-23 school year through the 2026-27 school year. Here is the rundown of the action taken on committee bills Friday.
Bill(s) | Patron | |
HB1742
VEA: OPPOSED |
Webert | In-person instruction; education vouchers, etc.
HB 1742 failed to pass the committee by a vote of 3-5. |
HB1770
VEA: OPPOSED |
Freitas | Public education; student education accounts.
HB 1770 failed to pass the committee by a vote of 2-6. |
HB1776
VEA: SUPPORTED |
Ward | Education, Board of; temporary extension of certain teachers’ licenses.
HB 1776 was reported favorably by a vote of 8-0 and referred to the House Appropriations Committee. |
HB1790
VEA: SUPPORTED |
McNamara | Public schools; severe weather conditions and other emergency situations.
HB 1790 was reported favorably by a vote of 8-0. |
HB1798
VEA: NO POSITION |
Tyler | Brunswick County school board; appointed school board salaries.
HB 1798 was reported favorably by a vote of 8-0. |
HB1823
VEA: SUPPORTED |
Askew | Public schools, child day programs, and certain other programs; carbon monoxide detectors required.
HB 1823 was reported favorably by a vote of 7-1. |
HB1904
VEA: SUPPORTED |
Jenkins | Teachers and other licensed school board employees; cultural competency.
HB 1904 was reported favorably by a vote of 5-2. |
HB1915
VEA: SUPPORTED |
Mugler | Teachers; required to be compensated at or above national average.
HB 1915 was reported favorably by a vote of 5-2 and referred to the House Appropriations Committee. |
HB1918
VEA: SUPPORTED |
Mugler | Student driver safety; adopts measures aimed at improving safety.
This bill was passed over for consideration and will appear on the next scheduled committee calendar |
HB1940
VEA: SUPPORTED |
Rasoul | Students; guidelines on excused student absences, civic or political engagement.
This bill was reported favorably by a vote of 8-0 |
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Virginia is a top 10 state in median household income, but ranks 36th in the US in state per pupil funding of K-12 education.
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